Vehicle control device, control method, non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, server, and vehicle

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device, a control method, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, a server, and a vehicle. The vehicle control device includes an electronic control device configured to receive multiple first requests from a driving assistance system, adjust the multiple first requests, calculate a second request, a physical quantity different from the first request, based on the adjustment results of the first requests, and distribute the second request to at least one of a plurality of actuator systems. The electronic control device is configured to adjust the vehicle's actual driving force to below the first driving force until it reaches a lower limit of the driving force achievable by a powertrain actuator included in the actuator system at the current gear ratio, when a first request for a driving force exceeding a first driving force required for recovery from a fuel cutoff state is present.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, a server, and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-096518 discloses a technology for suppressing shock caused by clutch release while the vehicle is traveling, in a control device capable of executing both coasting control (in which the clutch is released to allow the vehicle to coast) and fuel cut control (in which fuel supply to the engine is reduced). The control device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-096518 suppresses shocks such as vibrations associated with torque fluctuations in the vehicle by releasing the clutch after torque fluctuations in the power transmission path converge at the start of coasting control.

[0003] When fuel cutoff is changed from an implementation state to a non-implementation state in response to a request from a driving assistance system, etc., it takes time for the actual driving force generated by the vehicle, i.e., the actual driving force, to begin to follow the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator at the current speed ratio.

[0004] Before the actual driving force of the vehicle starts to follow the lower limit of the driving force of the power transmission actuator, if there is a demand for driving force exceeding the lower limit of the driving force of the power transmission actuator from the driving assistance system, the drive shaft may be twisted and generate vibration and noise, especially in vehicles with longer drive shafts. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a control device and the like that can suppress vibration and noise generated by twisting of a dynamic drive shaft.

[0006] One form of the disclosed technology is a control device mounted on a vehicle, characterized in that the control device includes an electronic control device, which is configured to: receive multiple first requirements from a driving assistance system, adjust the multiple first requirements, calculate a second requirement as a physical quantity different from the first requirement based on the result of adjusting the first requirement, and distribute the second requirement to at least one of the multiple actuator systems. The electronic control device is configured to: when there is a first requirement for a driving force exceeding the first driving force, adjust the actual driving force generated by the vehicle so that it is always below the first driving force until it reaches the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator included in the actuator system at the current speed ratio, wherein the above-mentioned first driving force is the driving force required for recovery from a fuel cut-off state.

[0007] According to the control device disclosed herein, a driving force request exceeding the lower driving force limit is not generated until the actual driving force of the vehicle begins to follow the lower driving force limit of the powertrain actuator, thereby suppressing vibration and noise caused by drive shaft distortion.

[0008] A server involved in one form of the present disclosure is a server mounted on a vehicle, characterized in that the server includes: a receiving unit that receives multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications; an adjusting unit that adjusts the multiple action plans; a calculating unit that calculates motion requirements based on the adjustment results of the adjusting unit; and a distributing unit that distributes the motion requirements to at least one of the multiple actuator systems. When there is an action plan that requires a driving force exceeding the first driving force required for recovery from a fuel cut-off state, the adjusting unit adjusts the actual driving force generated by the vehicle to be below the first driving force until it reaches the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator included in the actuator system at the current speed ratio.

[0009] A control method involved in one form of the present disclosure is a control method executed by a computer on a server mounted on a vehicle, and is characterized in that the control method includes: receiving multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications, adjusting the multiple action plans, calculating motion requirements based on the adjustment results of the adjustments, and allocating the motion requirements to at least one of multiple actuator systems. Regarding the adjustment, when there is an action plan that requires a driving force exceeding the first driving force required for recovery from a fuel cut-off state, the adjustment is performed in such a manner that the actual driving force generated by the vehicle is always below the first driving force until it reaches the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator included in the actuator system at the current speed ratio.

[0010] A recording medium involved in one form of the present disclosure is a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium, characterized in that the following actions are performed by causing a computer on a server mounted on a vehicle to execute a recorded program: receiving multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications, adjusting the above multiple action plans, calculating motion requirements based on the adjustment results of the above adjustments, and allocating the above motion requirements to at least one of multiple actuator systems. Regarding the above adjustments, when there is an action plan that requires a driving force exceeding the first driving force required for recovery from a fuel cut-off state, the adjustment is performed in such a manner that the actual driving force generated by the above vehicle is always below the above first driving force until it reaches the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator included in the above actuator system at the current gear ratio.

[0011] A vehicle according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle equipped with the control device of the present disclosure.

[0012] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a control device and its peripheral components according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of regulation control executed by a regulation unit of a control device.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a time chart for explaining the regulation control executed by the control device of this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a time chart for explaining regulation control performed by a conventional control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In a vehicle that is coasting while a fuel cut is in effect, if a driving force demand exceeds the driving force required to recover from the fuel cut state, the control device of the present disclosure adjusts the driving force based on the lower limit (availability lower limit) of the driving force that can be achieved by the powertrain actuator at the current gear ratio with the accelerator fully closed. This adjustment control can suppress vibration and noise caused by twisting of the dynamic drive shaft. One embodiment of the present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] <Implementation Method>

[0019] [structure]

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control device 10 mounted on a vehicle and its peripheral parts according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The control device 10 shown is communicably connected to the driving support system 20, the plurality of actuator systems 30 and 40, the accelerator pedal sensor 50, and the brake pedal sensor 60 via an in-vehicle network 100. Examples of the in-vehicle network 100 include CAN (Controller Area Network) and Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0021] The driving assistance system 20 is a structure for implementing various functions of assisting the driving of the vehicle, including at least the drive control and braking control of the vehicle, by executing prescribed applications. As applications installed in the driving assistance system 20, there can be exemplified an autonomous driving application that implements an autonomous driving function, an automatic parking application that implements an automatic parking function, and an intelligent driving assistance application. Intelligent driving assistance applications include a plurality of ADAS applications such as an application that implements an adaptive cruise control (ACC) function for following a preceding vehicle, an application that implements a lane keeping assist (LKA) function for maintaining a lane, and an application that implements an anti-collision braking (AEB) function for reducing the damage caused by a collision. The driving assistance system 20 outputs requirements for an action plan (front and rear acceleration / deceleration, etc.) that ensures the functionality (commerciality) of the application alone, based on information about the vehicle obtained from various sensors not shown.

[0022] The driving assistance system 20 is implemented by a computer such as an ECU having a processor such as a CPU, a memory, and an input / output interface. In addition, the number of applications installed in the driving assistance system 20 is not particularly limited. In addition, as the driving assistance system 20, a separate ECU may be provided for each application. For example, the driving assistance system 20 may be composed of an autonomous driving ECU installed with an autonomous driving application, an automatic parking ECU installed with an automatic parking application, and an ADAS-ECU installed with an intelligent driving assistance application. In addition, multiple ADAS applications may be installed in multiple devices, such as an ECU installed with an ADAS application that implements the ACC function, an ECU installed with an ADAS application that implements the LKA function, and an ECU installed with an ADAS application that implements the AEB function.

[0023] Actuator systems 30 and 40 are part of the implementation system for implementing the action plan request output by the driving assistance system 20. Actuator system 30 includes a powertrain actuator 31 that generates driving force for the vehicle. The action plan request is implemented by controlling the operation of powertrain actuator 31. Examples of powertrain actuator 31 include an engine and a transmission (T / M). Other actuator systems, such as actuator system 40, include brake actuators and steering actuators (not shown).

[0024] The accelerator pedal sensor 50 is a structure for detecting the operation amount, which is the depression amount of the accelerator pedal operated by the driver of the vehicle. The accelerator pedal sensor 50 is attached to the vehicle accelerator mechanism or the like.

[0025] The brake pedal sensor 60 is a structure for detecting the operation amount, which is the depression amount of the brake pedal operated by the driver of the vehicle. The brake pedal sensor 60 is mounted on a brake mechanism of the vehicle or the like.

[0026] The control device 10 determines the details of braking control related to the vehicle's motion based on the action plan request received from the driving assistance system 20 and the operating amounts obtained from the accelerator pedal sensor 50 and the brake pedal sensor 60. Based on the determined control details, it instructs the multiple actuator systems 30 and 40 to perform the required braking control. The control device 10 functions as a so-called vehicle motion server (ADAS-Manager, Vehicle-Manager, etc.), or as part of a server, to control the vehicle's movements. The control device 10 includes a receiving unit 11, a regulating unit 12, a calculating unit 13, and a distributing unit 14. These components are implemented by a computer such as a processor or ECU in the control device 10 executing a program.

[0027] The receiving unit 11 receives action plan requests output by one or more applications of the driving assistance system 20. In this embodiment, the action plan request is also the first request used to calculate the motion request. This motion request, for example, requires the vehicle to apply braking or driving forces corresponding to speed changes output by an ADAS application, such as one that provides an adaptive cruise control (ACC) function for following a preceding vehicle. Examples of action plans include the vehicle's longitudinal acceleration.

[0028] The adjustment unit 12 adjusts the multiple first requests received by the receiving unit 11 from the driving assistance system 20. As a process of this adjustment, it is possible to exemplify the selection of one braking request from multiple braking requests based on a prescribed selection criterion, and the setting of a new braking request based on multiple braking requests. In addition, when it is determined that the vehicle is in a prescribed driving state based on the operation amount obtained from the accelerator pedal sensor 50 and the brake pedal sensor 60, the adjustment unit 12 performs adjustment based on the lower limit of the driving force (lower limit of availability) that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator 31 at the current speed ratio in the accelerator fully closed state. The prescribed driving state in this embodiment refers to a state of driving in which the fuel cut (F / C) as a control for reducing the fuel supply to the engine is changed from an implementation state to a non-implementation state (hereinafter referred to as "fuel cut recovery").

[0029] The calculation unit 13 calculates a second request, a physical quantity different from the first request, based on the adjustment result of the first request in the adjustment unit 12. This second request is a physical quantity used to control the actuator systems 30 and 40. For example, if the first request is acceleration, the driving force can be calculated as the second request. This converts the acceleration request into a driving force request.

[0030] The distribution unit 14 distributes the second request calculated by the calculation unit 13 as a motion request to the actuator systems 30 and 40. Furthermore, the driving force as the second request may also be a driving torque. Furthermore, the conversion from driving force to driving torque may also be performed by the actuator systems 30 and 40.

[0031] The above-described configurations of the devices mounted on the vehicle and the control device 10 are merely examples, and may be appropriately added, replaced, changed, or omitted. The functions of each device may be appropriately integrated into one device or distributed across multiple devices.

[0032] [control]

[0033] Further references Figure 2 and Figure 3 The regulation control executed by the control device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of regulation control executed by the regulation unit 12 of the control device 10 . Figure 3 This is a timing chart for explaining the regulation control performed by the regulator 12 .

[0034] When the receiving unit 11 of the control device 10 receives the first request (acceleration request) from the driving support system 20, it starts Figure 2 Adjustment controls shown.

[0035] (Step S201)

[0036] The adjustment unit 12 determines whether the process is immediately after the start of adaptive cruise control (ACC). Specifically, the adjustment unit 12 determines whether the process is in response to the first request received from the driving assistance system 20 after the ACC function is turned on (from off to on). If the process is immediately after the start of ACC (step S201: Yes), the process proceeds to step S202. If the process is not immediately after the start of ACC (step S201: No), the process proceeds to step S210.

[0037] (Step S202)

[0038] The control unit 12 determines whether the vehicle is in a fuel-cut (F / C) state and in a coasting state. Whether the vehicle is in a fuel-cut (F / C) state and coasting can be determined using signals indicating the vehicle's speed, deceleration, accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, and the F / C on / off state. If the vehicle is determined to be in a fuel-cut (F / C) state and coasting (Yes in step S202), the process proceeds to step S203. If the vehicle is determined to be not in a fuel-cut (No in step S202), the process proceeds to step S210.

[0039] (Step S203)

[0040] The adjustment unit 12 determines whether the originally requested driving force (hereinafter referred to as "required driving force") obtained by adjusting the first request received from the driving assistance system 20 exceeds the lower limit of the driving force (lower limit of availability) of the power transmission actuator 31. The driving force is calculated by converting the acceleration. If it is determined that the requested driving force exceeds the lower limit of the driving force (step S203, yes), the process proceeds to step S204. If it is determined that the requested driving force does not exceed the lower limit of the driving force (step S203, no), the process proceeds to step S210.

[0041] In the adjustment control of this embodiment, when all the determinations in steps S201 to S203 are affirmative, it is determined that the drive shaft may be twisted and generate vibration or sound, and the processing after step S204 is executed.

[0042] (Step S204)

[0043] The adjustment unit 12 sets the first driving force, which is the driving force obtained by adding a specified driving force α to the driving force lower limit (usability lower limit) of the power transmission actuator 31, as the driving force output as the adjustment result (hereinafter referred to as the "adjusted driving force"). In other words, the first driving force (driving force lower limit + α) is set as the adjusted driving force instead of the original required driving force. This driving force α is set to an arbitrary magnitude (for example, α = 5N) based on the performance of the power transmission actuator 31, the setting conditions for fuel cut, etc., so as to enable fuel cut recovery (on→off) by requesting the first driving force from the power transmission actuator 31. If the first driving force is set as the adjusted driving force, the process proceeds to step S205.

[0044] (Step S205)

[0045] The adjustment unit 12 determines whether a first time has elapsed since the first driving force (driving force lower limit + α) was set as the adjusted driving force. This determination is made to determine whether the power transmission actuator 31 has received the request for the first driving force and actually performed control. Therefore, the first time is set to a length (e.g., 25 ms) that is longer than the time required for communication from the control device 10 to the actuator system 30 (one communication cycle). The process waits until the first time has elapsed (step S205, yes), and then proceeds to step S206.

[0046] (Step S206)

[0047] The adjustment unit 12 sets the driving force at the lower limit (usability lower limit) of the driving force of the power transmission actuator 31 as the adjusted driving force. Specifically, the adjustment unit 12 reduces the adjusted driving force from the first driving force (driving force lower limit + α) to the lower limit. In this adjustment control, the fuel cut recovery (on→off) is awaited while the adjusted driving force is set to the lower limit. If the lower limit is set to the adjusted driving force, the process proceeds to step S207.

[0048] (Step S207)

[0049] The adjustment unit 12 determines whether a second time has elapsed since the drive force lower limit was set to the adjusted drive force. This determination is performed to provide a standby period until fuel cut recovery (on→off) is implemented. Therefore, based on the output of the first drive force (drive force lower limit + α), a time period is set to a value greater than the time required to reliably implement fuel cut recovery (e.g., 250 ms). After waiting for the second time period to elapse (step S207, yes), processing proceeds to step S208.

[0050] (Step S208)

[0051] The adjustment unit 12 sets the adjusted driving force as a driving force that gradually increases the lower limit of the driving force using the maximum variable acceleration that the powertrain actuator 31 can generate. By setting the adjusted driving force with such a variable acceleration limit, the adjusted driving force, and therefore the actual driving force of the vehicle, can be gradually brought closer to the required driving force. If the adjusted driving force with the variable acceleration limit is set, the process proceeds to step S209.

[0052] (Step S209)

[0053] The adjustment unit 12 determines whether the adjusted driving force has reached the original required driving force, and waits until the adjusted driving force has reached the original required driving force (step S209 , Yes), and the process proceeds to step S210 .

[0054] (Step S210)

[0055] The adjustment unit 12 performs a normal request adjustment process for adjusting a plurality of first requests, thereby completing the present adjustment control.

[0056] In the present adjustment control described above, even when any of steps S201 to S209 is being executed, if a predetermined cancellation event such as the cancellation of the adaptive cruise control (ACC) occurs, the process transitions to the normal request adjustment process described in step S210.

[0057] Furthermore, in the present adjustment control described above, in order to accurately determine whether the drive shaft may be twisted and thus generate vibration and noise, a determination is made in step S201 that the adaptive cruise control (ACC) function has been initiated immediately. However, this determination can be omitted. Furthermore, if it is known in advance that the vehicle is coasting if the fuel cutoff (F / C) is OFF, the determination of whether the vehicle is coasting can be omitted in step S202.

[0058] Reference Figure 3 An example of the process based on the above-mentioned regulation control will be described. Figure 3 Before time t1, the ACC function is off, the fuel cutoff is on, and the vehicle is coasting, generating an adjusted driving force and actual driving force corresponding to the requested driving force. After the ACC function is turned on at time t1, the first driving force (driving force lower limit + α) is output from time t1 to time t2, and a fuel cutoff return is requested (a first process based on steps S204 and S205). Subsequently, from time t2 to time t3, the system waits for the fuel cutoff return to actually occur (a second process based on steps S206 and S207). Furthermore, the driving force lower limit is gradually increased at the maximum variable acceleration, causing the adjusted driving force and actual driving force to track the requested driving force (a third process based on steps S208 and S209). By sequentially executing these first, second, and third processes, the generation of vibration and sound caused by drive shaft torsion can be suppressed, thereby minimizing the discrepancy between the acceleration requested by the driving assistance system 20 and the estimated vehicle body acceleration.

[0059] exist Figure 4 For comparison, an example of processing based on conventional regulation control is shown. Figure 4 As shown, in the previous adjustment control, after the fuel cut-off recovery, the power transmission actuator is caused to sharply generate a larger driving force that overlaps the driving force based on the adjustment result and the driving force accompanying the fuel cut-off recovery, causing distortion of the drive shaft (a large difference between the required acceleration and the inferred vehicle body acceleration) and generating vibration and sound.

[0060] <Function and Effect>

[0061] As described above, during fuel cut implementation and idling operation, when there is a first request from the driving assistance system 20 for a driving force that exceeds the first driving force required for fuel cut recovery (the driving force lower limit of the power transmission actuator 31 + α), the control device 10 involved in one embodiment of the present disclosure adjusts the request in such a manner that the actual driving force of the vehicle remains below the first driving force until the actual driving force of the vehicle reaches the driving force lower limit.

[0062] This adjustment control prevents a demand for a driving force exceeding the lower limit from being generated until the actual driving force of the vehicle begins to follow the lower limit of the driving force of the powertrain actuator 31 , thereby suppressing vibration and noise caused by drive shaft distortion.

[0063] For example, while strong engine braking is being applied, such as when the vehicle is decelerating by coasting and a fuel cut is in progress, the control device 10 may receive a first request from the driving assistance system 20 for fuel cut recovery. In this case, the control device 10 does not directly output the requested driving force, which is the result of the adjustment received from the driving assistance system 20, to the actuator system 30. Therefore, the control device 10 does not request a large driving force from the powertrain actuator 31, which is a superposition of the requested driving force and the driving force associated with fuel cut recovery. Consequently, the powertrain actuator 31 is prevented from generating a sudden, large driving force, thereby suppressing drive shaft distortion, vibration, and noise.

[0064] An embodiment of the technology disclosed herein has been described above, but the present disclosure can be understood not only as a control device, but also as a control method executed by a control device having a processor and a memory, a control program, a non-temporary storage medium readable by a computer that stores a control program, a server, or a vehicle having a control device, etc.

[0065] The present disclosure is applicable to a control device mounted on a vehicle or the like.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, mounted on a vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle control device includes an electronic control device, which is configured as follows: Receive multiple first requests from the driving assistance system, Adjusting the plurality of first requirements, calculating a second requirement, which is a physical quantity different from the first requirement, based on a result of adjusting the first requirement, allocating the second request to at least one of the plurality of actuator systems, In which, the electronic control device is constructed so that when there is a first requirement for a driving force exceeding the first driving force, the actual driving force generated by the vehicle is adjusted in such a manner that it remains below the first driving force until it reaches the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator included in the actuator system at the current speed ratio, wherein the first driving force is the driving force required to recover from a fuel cut-off state.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic control device is configured such that when there is a first request for a driving force exceeding the first driving force, the driving force output as the adjustment result, i.e., the adjusted driving force, is set to the first driving force until the actual driving force of the vehicle reaches the lower limit of the driving force of the power transmission actuator.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electronic control device is configured to set the regulated driving force as the driving force lower limit of the power transmission actuator after the regulated driving force is maintained at the first driving force for a first time period.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The electronic control device is configured to increase the driving force output as a result of adjustment at a predetermined variable acceleration to a required driving force as a result of adjustment of the plurality of first requests after the output of the driving force lower limit is maintained for a second time.

5. A vehicle server, mounted on a vehicle, characterized in that: The server includes: A receiving unit, receiving multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications; a coordinating unit, configured to coordinate the plurality of action plans; a calculation unit that calculates an exercise requirement based on an adjustment result of the adjustment unit; and a distribution unit that distributes the motion request to at least one of the plurality of actuator systems, In which, when there is an action plan that requires a driving force exceeding the first driving force, the adjustment unit adjusts the actual driving force generated by the vehicle in such a manner that it remains below the first driving force until it reaches the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator included in the actuator system at the current speed ratio, wherein the first driving force is the driving force required to recover from a fuel cut-off state.

6. A vehicle control method, executed by a computer on a server mounted on the vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle control method includes: Accept multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications, performing adjustments to the plurality of action plans, calculating an exercise demand based on an adjustment result of the adjustment, and distributing the motion request to at least one of a plurality of actuator systems, In which, regarding the adjustment, when there is an action plan that requires a driving force exceeding the first driving force, the adjustment is performed in such a manner that the actual driving force generated by the vehicle is kept below the first driving force until it reaches the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator included in the actuator system at the current speed ratio, wherein the first driving force is the driving force required to recover from the fuel cut-off state.

7. A recording medium which is a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium, characterized in that: The following actions are performed by executing the recorded program on the server computer mounted on the vehicle: Accept multiple action plans from multiple ADAS applications, performing adjustments to the plurality of action plans, calculating an exercise demand based on an adjustment result of the adjustment, and distributing the motion request to at least one of a plurality of actuator systems, In which, regarding the adjustment, when there is an action plan that requires a driving force exceeding the first driving force, the adjustment is performed in such a manner that the actual driving force generated by the vehicle is kept below the first driving force until it reaches the lower limit of the driving force that can be achieved by the power transmission actuator included in the actuator system at the current speed ratio, wherein the first driving force is the driving force required to recover from the fuel cut-off state.

8. A vehicle, characterized in that: A vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is mounted thereon.

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