Recording medium, hybrid electric vehicle, and engine start information display method

Abstract

A recording medium, a hybrid electric vehicle, and an engine start information display method, the method comprising the following steps: determining the possibility of the engine start for each of a plurality of causes of engine start; and displaying the cause of the engine start having the highest possibility of the engine start from the plurality of causes of the engine start and the engine start information including the cause having the highest possibility of the engine start, taking into account the type of at least one cause of the engine start and the level of the possibility of the engine start.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a hybrid electric vehicle and an engine start information display method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are vehicles that use two power sources, primarily an engine and an electric motor. Compared to vehicles that only have an internal combustion engine, such hybrid electric vehicles have higher fuel efficiency and dynamic performance, and are advantageous in reducing exhaust gas, and therefore have recently been widely developed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a hybrid electric vehicle and a method for displaying engine start information thereof. Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention relates to a hybrid electric vehicle and a method for displaying engine start information thereof for notifying a driver of a reason for engine start and an engine start time.

[0004] Embodiments of the present invention provide a hybrid electric vehicle and an engine start information display method thereof, for notifying a driver whether to start the engine in advance when the engine start is required while the hybrid electric vehicle is traveling.

[0005] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the purposes that can be achieved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those specifically described above, and the above and other purposes that can be achieved by the embodiments of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing engine start information for a hybrid electric vehicle may include the following steps: determining the possibility of the engine start for each of multiple reasons for the engine start; and displaying the cause of the engine start with the highest possibility of the engine start from the multiple reasons for the engine start and the engine start information including the highest possibility of the engine start, taking into account the type of at least one reason for the engine start and the level of the possibility of the engine start.

[0007] In another embodiment of the present invention, a hybrid electric vehicle may include: a hybrid control unit that determines the possibility of engine starting for each of multiple reasons for engine starting, and taking into account the type of at least one reason for the engine starting and the level of the possibility of the engine starting, from the multiple reasons for the engine starting and the engine starting information including the highest possibility of the engine starting, the hybrid control unit determines the cause of the engine starting with the highest possibility of the engine starting; and a display for displaying the engine starting information.

[0008] The hybrid electric vehicle according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as above can determine whether it is necessary to start the engine and the engine start timing, and notify the driver of the determination result in advance to prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable.

[0009] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the effects that can be achieved by the present invention are not limited to the contents specifically described above, and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 An example of a powertrain structure of a hybrid electric vehicle is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 An example of the configuration of a hybrid control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0012] Figure 3A shows an example of an area displaying engine start information according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3B An example of an engine start information configuration is shown.

[0013] Figures 4A to 4D An example of a display form of engine start information for a situation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0014] Figure 5 Another example of the display form of the engine start information according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0015] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an engine start information display process according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] A detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be given to enable those skilled in the art to implement and practice the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, for the sake of clarity of the drawings, parts not related to the description will be omitted, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout the specification to refer to the same or similar parts.

[0017] Throughout the specification, when it is said that a part "includes" a specific element, it means that the part may further include other elements, but does not exclude other elements, unless otherwise stated. In addition, throughout the specification, parts denoted by the same reference numerals represent the same components.

[0018] An embodiment of the present invention proposes a method of monitoring whether an engine needs to be started in a hybrid electric vehicle and outputting at least an expected start time or a reason for engine start as information in a predetermined form as needed.

[0019] Figure 1 An example of a powertrain structure of a hybrid electric vehicle is shown.

[0020] Figure 1 A powertrain of a hybrid electric vehicle employing a parallel hybrid system is shown, in which a motor (or drive motor) 140 and an engine clutch 130 are provided between an internal combustion engine (ICE) 110 and a transmission 150 .

[0021] In this vehicle, after starting, when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal (i.e., the accelerator pedal sensor is turned on), the motor 140 operates using battery power in a state where the engine clutch 130 is opened and the power of the motor is transmitted to the transmission 150 and the main drive (FD) 160 to move the wheels (i.e., EV mode). When the vehicle requires higher driving power due to gradually increasing speed, the auxiliary motor (or starter generator 120) can be operated to drive the engine 110.

[0022] When the speed of the engine 110 becomes the same as the speed of the motor 140, the engine clutch 130 is engaged to drive the vehicle together with the engine 110 and the motor 140 (i.e., transition from EV mode to HEV mode). When a predetermined engine shutdown condition including a reduction in vehicle speed is met, the engine clutch 130 is opened and the engine 110 is stopped (i.e., transitioning from HEV mode to EV mode). Here, the vehicle uses the driving force of the wheels to charge the battery through the motor 140, which is called brake energy regeneration or regenerative braking. Therefore, the starter generator 120 serves as a starter motor when the engine is started, and serves as a generator after recovering the rotational energy of the engine after the engine is started or when the engine is shut down, and can therefore be called a hybrid starter generator (HSG).

[0023] Typically, a step-variable transmission or a multi-plate clutch such as a dual clutch transmission (DCT) may be used as the transmission 150 .

[0024] Such a hybrid electric vehicle can travel in two driving modes for the powertrain. One of the two driving modes is an electric vehicle (EV) mode in which the engine clutch 130 is open and only the motor 140 is used for driving, while the other mode is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode in which the motor and engine 110 operate together. The hybrid electric vehicle switches between the two modes depending on driving conditions. Here, the HEV mode can be divided into a series mode and a parallel mode.

[0025] The series mode is a mode in which the engine clutch 130 is open, the HSG 120 generates power using the power of the engine 110, and uses the generated power to drive the motor 140. The parallel mode is a mode in which the engine clutch 130 is locked so that the engine 110 and the motor 140 distribute power to drive the vehicle.

[0026] That is, in a hybrid electric vehicle, engine 110 can be started to generate power even when actual driving force is being obtained from motor 140, as in series mode, and can also be started when high power is required, as in parallel mode. Furthermore, engine 110 can be started for various reasons, such as temperature conditions and, in situations other than parallel mode, for the purpose of controller learning. However, if engine 110 is started unexpectedly, a typical driver, who is only familiar with using engine 110 during high-speed driving, may mistakenly identify the engine start as an engine malfunction or experience discomfort.

[0027] Figure 2 An example of the configuration of a hybrid control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0028] refer to Figure 2 The hybrid control unit 240 according to the embodiment may have information for determining the cause (condition) of engine start and an engine start information display condition for determining whether to display engine start information as input values. Although the information for determining the cause of engine start may include oil temperature, air conditioning information, battery state of charge (SOC), drive load, required power, etc., these are exemplary and the present invention is not limited thereto, and the information may be any factor that affects engine start.

[0029] Various oil temperature information, including engine oil and coolant temperature, can be obtained from the engine management system (EMS) used to control the engine, and air conditioning information can be obtained from the air conditioning control unit (e.g., fully automatic temperature control (FATC)). In addition, the driving load or required power can be calculated in the hybrid control unit 240 based on the accelerator pedal position sensor (APS) value and the driving mode (Comfort, Normal, Sport, etc.). Information about the battery SOC can be obtained from the battery management system (BMS) and can include information about the SOC of the high-voltage main battery and the SOC of the auxiliary battery.

[0030] Furthermore, the hybrid control unit 240 may have information on the possibility of engine start (eg, a gauge value), information on the cause of engine start, information on engine start delay, and the like as output values.

[0031] At the same time, the hybrid power control unit 240 may include: an engine start determination unit 241, which is used to determine whether the engine needs to be started based on at least some input information, an engine start delay determination unit 242, which is used to determine whether the engine start can be delayed so as to ensure that there is time to notify the driver of the engine start when the engine start determination unit 241 requests the engine start, and an engine start information processing unit 243, which is used to determine whether to display the engine start information and the display form of the engine start information.

[0032] Hereinafter, the function of each component of the hybrid control unit 240 will be described in more detail.

[0033] First, as described above, engine start information processing unit 243 determines whether to display engine start information and the display format of the engine start information. The engine start information may include information regarding the likelihood of engine start and information regarding the cause of engine start. Therefore, engine start information processing unit 243 can determine the likelihood of engine start for each cause by monitoring various factors that contribute to engine start. The information regarding the cause of engine start may correspond to the factor with the highest likelihood of engine start.

[0034] The possibility of engine start can be calculated by different methods according to the condition where there is a quantitative criterion and the condition where there is only a single on / off criterion.

[0035] For example, in the case of conditions with quantitative criteria such as temperature and SOC, the possibility of engine start can be determined by the following Mathematical Expression 1.

[0036] [Mathematical expression 1]

[0037]

[0038] In mathematical expression 1, X 当前 Indicates the current value of a specific factor, Off 阈值 Indicates the OFF threshold, and On 阈值 According to Mathematical Expression 1, the possibility of engine start can be determined by the ratio of the current value to the determined OFF reference value and ON reference value.

[0039] On the other hand, when applying the method represented by Mathematical Expression 1, only 0% and 100% exist in situations where a single on / off criterion exists (e.g., a fault state, diagnostic / test mode, or entering learning mode). Therefore, when Engine Start Determination Unit 241 outputs the engine upon request, 100% is immediately achieved. Consequently, it is difficult to prevent the driver from being surprised. To mitigate this situation, a method is proposed that gradually increases the meter from 0% to 100% over the time period that can be delayed, based on the determination result of Engine Start Delay Determination Unit 242 or a predetermined minimum reference time for factors where only a single on / off criterion exists. Using this method, the likelihood of engine start can be determined using the following Mathematical Expression 2.

[0040] [Mathematical expression 2]

[0041]

[0042] In mathematical expression 2, t 当前 Indicates the current elapsed time, t 延迟 represents the time that can be determined by the engine start delay determination unit 242, and t 最小 represents a predetermined minimum reference time when the engine start delay determination unit 242 determines that the engine start cannot be delayed.

[0043] According to Mathematical Expression 2, the delay time is 3 seconds, and the probability of the engine starting is 33% after 1 second, 66% after another 1 second, and 100% after 3 seconds. Therefore, the driver can see the meter increase from 0% to 100% in 3 seconds.

[0044] The engine start delay determination unit 242 may determine whether the engine start can be delayed and the delay time for each cause using information about the cause of the engine start and the vehicle driving information received from the engine start request unit.

[0045] Because Engine Start Delay prevents the driver from being surprised by an unexpected engine start while the vehicle is stationary, it should only be used when the vehicle is stationary. This is because it can be uncomfortable for the driver and may affect operability and fuel efficiency during driving. Furthermore, Engine Start Delay is only available if the driver has selected the function.

[0046] Therefore, among the causes of engine start during vehicle stop, in the case of a cause of engine start delay such as attempted learning, the engine start delay determination unit 242 may output a delay determination signal and a delay time as engine start delay information.

[0047] In addition, the engine start delay determination unit 242 can control the output device (display, speaker, etc.) to output a notification sound or flash an indicator light to additionally notify the driver to start the engine when the engine start delay is started.

[0048] Furthermore, the engine start delay determination unit 242 may increase the delay time until it is determined that the driver is gazing at / checking a location (e.g., a cluster) displaying engine start information using eye tracking via an in-cabin camera, or may execute the engine start delay only when the driver checks the location displaying the engine start information. Here, when determining whether the driver checks the location, various conditions may apply. For example, the conditions may include: 1) the driver has already set the engine start information menu on the display, 2) the driver has already set the engine start information menu on the display and is gazing at the display using the driver gaze information in the vehicle, 3) the aforementioned engine start delay function has been set to activate the notification sound function, etc.

[0049] Hereafter, reference will be made to Figures 3A to 5 The structure and format of the engine start information are described in more detail.

[0050] Figure 3A shows an example of an area displaying engine start information according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3B An example of the engine start information structure is shown.

[0051] refer to Figure 3A , the engine start information can be displayed via area 310 in which a display capable of displaying graphics is provided in the meter 300. However, this is exemplary, and the engine start information can be displayed in the form of a segmented meter and a warning light instead of graphics. In addition, the area displaying the engine start information can be displayed via a head-up display (HUD) or a display of a head unit other than the meter.

[0052] refer to Figure 3B , information about the possibility of engine start may be displayed as a value of a gauge 321 , and a reason for engine start may be displayed using a temperature icon 331 , a system icon 332 , a battery icon 333 , or a driving icon 334 .

[0053] Exemplary reasons for each icon are shown in Table 1.

[0054] [Table 1]

[0055]

[0056] These forms / types / corresponding reasons for gauges and icons are exemplary, and other configurations may apply.

[0057] Figures 4A to 4D An example of a display form of engine start information for a situation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0058] When there are a plurality of reasons for engine startup, a gauge corresponding to a reason with a high probability of engine startup may be displayed together with an icon.

[0059] For example, when the possibility of engine starting due to insufficient SOC is 60% and the possibility of engine starting due to oil temperature is 80%, the gauge 321 indicating 80% and the temperature icon 331 may be displayed based on the oil temperature having a higher possibility.

[0060] As another example, in a case where the engine start can be delayed although the cause of the engine start is not quantitative, for example, in a case where the delay time is set to 3 seconds despite the engine start requiring engine clutch learning, there is a 50% probability that the engine start will be caused by insufficient SOC.

[0061] In this case, when one second has passed, according to Mathematical Expression 2, the probability of engine start for engine learning is 33%, and the probability of engine start due to insufficient SOC is 50%. Figure 4B As shown, based on the current highest probability of engine start, gauge 321 indicates 50%, and since the reason for engine start is SOC, battery icon 333 is displayed.

[0062] Furthermore, according to Mathematical Expression 2, when 2 seconds have passed, the probability of engine start for engine learning is 66%, and the probability of engine start due to insufficient SOC is 50%. Figure 4C As shown, based on the current highest probability of engine start, gauge 321 indicates 66%, and since the reason for engine start is learning, system icon 332 is displayed.

[0063] Furthermore, according to Mathematical Expression 2, when 3 seconds have passed, the probability of engine start for engine learning is 100%, and the probability of engine start due to insufficient SOC is 50%. Figure 4D As shown, based on the highest probability of the current engine start, the gauge 321 indicates 100%, and since the reason for the engine start is in learning, the system icon 332 is displayed. When the gauge 321 reaches 100%, the engine starts.

[0064] In the above embodiment, a single gauge and a single icon are used for the highest probability of engine start. However, the engine start information processing unit 243 may prioritize specific criteria (e.g., less than 30%) to determine the reason for outputting the probability of engine start. For example, if the SOC is prioritized when the temperature is 20% and the SOC is 15%, the engine start information may be displayed based on the SOC. Priority may be given to importance, probability of change, speed of change, frequency of change, etc., and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0065] According to another embodiment of the present invention, different meters can be used simultaneously for different reasons. Figure 5 Describe this.

[0066] Figure 5 Another example of the display form of the engine start information according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0067] refer to Figure 5 , a gauge 510 indicating the possibility of engine start according to temperature conditions, a gauge 520 indicating the possibility of engine start according to battery conditions, and a gauge 530 indicating the possibility of engine start according to system conditions may be displayed at all times.

[0068] The engine start information display process according to the above embodiment is arranged as follows Figure 6 Flowchart in .

[0069] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an engine start information display process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] refer to Figure 6 , the hybrid control unit 240 may monitor factors causing engine start, i.e., information related to the cause of engine start (S610), and determine the likelihood of engine start for each cause based on the information (S620). Therefore, the hybrid control unit 240 may select the cause with the higher likelihood of engine start based on the cause with the higher likelihood of engine start. Figures 3A to 5 The engine start information is displayed in the described form (S630). Here, as described above, the engine start information based on the predetermined priority may be displayed with a certain probability or less probability.

[0071] If the engine start is requested due to an on / off type reason rather than a quantitative possibility determination ("YES" in S640), the hybrid control unit 240 may determine whether the engine start can be delayed (S650), and if the engine start can be delayed (YES in S650), determine the delay time (S660). After determining the delay time, the hybrid control unit 240 may increase the delay time meter based on the elapsed time relative to the delay time (S670). If the engine start cannot be delayed ("NO" in S650), the hybrid control unit 240 may increase the meter by a predetermined minimum reference time (S680).

[0072] The present invention described above can be implemented as computer-readable code in a medium having a program recorded thereon. Computer-readable media include various recording devices in which computer system-readable data is stored. Examples of computer-readable media include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), silicon disk drives (SSDs), ROMs, RAMs, CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical data storage devices, and the like.

[0073] Therefore, the above embodiments are therefore interpreted in all aspects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the above description, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims should be embraced therein.

Claims

1. A method for providing engine start information for a hybrid electric vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: determining, for each of a plurality of reasons for engine starting, a likelihood of the engine starting; determining a possibility of engine start delay according to the engine start request when the engine start request is generated due to a factor having only a single on / off criterion among the plurality of causes for engine start; As a result of determining the possibility of the engine start delay, when the engine start delay is possible, determining a delayable time, and displaying the cause of the engine start having the highest probability of the engine start from a plurality of causes of the engine start and engine start information including the highest probability of the engine start, taking into account a type of at least one cause of the engine start and a level of the probability of the engine start, The displaying of the cause includes increasing the likelihood of the engine starting for the cause of the engine starting having only a single on / off criterion to a maximum value over time within the delayable time.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein As a result of determining the likelihood of the engine start delay, when the engine start delay is not possible, displaying the cause includes increasing the likelihood of the engine start for the cause of the engine start having only a single on / off criterion to a maximum value over time within a predetermined minimum reference time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein Determining the likelihood of the engine start delay is performed only when the vehicle is stopped.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Determining the likelihood of the engine start delay is additionally performed taking into account at least one of: whether the driver is looking at a display showing the engine start information; and a user setting with respect to whether the engine start delay is possible.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The engine start reason includes at least one of the following items: driving, battery, temperature, and system.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein Determining the possibility of the engine start includes determining the possibility of the engine start based on a ratio of a current value to an off threshold and a ratio of a current value to an on threshold set for each factor having a quantitative standard among a plurality of causes of the engine start.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein Displaying the possibility of the engine start includes determining a cause of the engine start and the possibility of the engine start to be displayed based on a predetermined priority when a maximum possibility of the engine start is less than or equal to a predetermined level. 8 . A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the method for providing engine start information for the hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 1 .

9. A hybrid electric vehicle comprising: a hybrid control unit configured to determine, for each of a plurality of causes of engine start, a likelihood of the engine start, and determine, from the plurality of causes of engine start and engine start information including the highest likelihood of the engine start, the cause of the engine start having the highest likelihood of the engine start, taking into account a type of at least one cause of the engine start and a level of the likelihood of the engine start; as well as a display configured to display the engine start information, wherein, when an engine start request is generated due to a factor having only a single on / off criterion among the plurality of causes for engine start, the hybrid control unit determines a possibility of engine start delay according to the engine start request, In which, the hybrid power control unit is configured to: as a result of the possibility of the engine start delay, when the engine start delay is possible, determine a delayable time, and increase the possibility of the engine start with the reason of the engine start having only a single on / off criterion to a maximum value over time within the delayable time.

10. The hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein: As a result of the possibility of the engine start delay, when the engine start delay is not possible, the hybrid control unit is configured to: increase the possibility of the engine start with the reason of the engine start having only a single on / off criterion to a maximum value over time within a predetermined minimum reference time.

11. The hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein: The hybrid control unit is configured to determine the likelihood of the engine start delay only when the vehicle is stopped.

12. The hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 11, wherein: The hybrid control unit is configured to determine the likelihood of the engine start delay by additionally taking into account at least one of: whether a driver is looking at a display showing the engine start information; and a user setting with respect to whether the engine start delay is likely.

13. The hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein: The engine start reason includes at least one of the following items: driving, battery, temperature, and system.

14. The hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein: The hybrid control unit is configured to determine the possibility of the engine starting based on a ratio of a current value to an off threshold and a ratio of a current value to an on threshold set for each factor having a quantitative standard among a plurality of causes of the engine starting.

15. The hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 9, wherein: The hybrid control unit is configured to determine a cause of the engine start and the likelihood of the engine start to be displayed based on a predetermined priority when the maximum likelihood of the engine start is less than or equal to a predetermined level.

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