Differential lock control method, device, vehicle, and readable storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a differential lock control method, device, vehicle, and readable storage medium. This method, applied to the field of vehicle control technology, comprises: obtaining the locking state of the center differential lock upon receiving a locking request for the rear axle differential lock; and, if the center differential lock is not locked, not executing the locking request for the rear axle differential lock. The differential lock control method, device, vehicle, and readable storage medium provided by the present invention can effectively prevent axle axle breakage caused by using the rear axle differential lock in two-wheel drive mode, thereby ensuring vehicle safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of vehicle control technology, and more specifically, relates to a differential lock control method, device, vehicle, and readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] The differential lock can be regarded as a differential with an automatic locking function. When one side of the wheel slips, the differential lock can use the logical instructions of the vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to control the electromagnetic coil to generate magnetic force, push the tooth gear sleeve to connect with the locking half-shaft gear, and lock the differential case and the half-shaft into one, so that the differential loses its differential function, thereby transmitting the torque to the wheel on the other side, ensuring that the entire vehicle can be freed when the wheel slips. Therefore, the off-road and passing performance of the vehicle equipped with a differential lock is far superior to that of a vehicle equipped with an ordinary differential. In the prior art, the control strategy of the differential lock is usually to lock the rear axle differential lock in both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive modes. However, the applicant found that the existing differential lock control strategy has certain problems:

[0003] Some existing vehicles utilize integral rear axles, while others utilize disconnecting axles. Integral axles have stronger driveshafts than disconnecting axle axles. Given the non-load-bearing nature of disconnecting axle vehicles with independent rear suspension, locking the rear differential lock alone during off-road driving can easily lead to driveshaft fracture. Therefore, existing differential lock control strategies are only suitable for integral axles and are not applicable to disconnecting axles with independent rear suspension. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a differential lock control method, device, vehicle, and readable storage medium suitable for disconnected axles, which can effectively avoid the problem of half-axle breakage caused by using the rear axle differential lock in two-wheel drive mode and ensure vehicle safety.

[0005] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a differential lock control method, comprising:

[0006] obtaining the locking state of the center differential lock upon receiving a locking request of the rear axle differential lock;

[0007] If the center differential lock is not in the locked state, the locking request for the rear axle differential lock is not executed.

[0008] In a possible implementation, the differential lock control method further includes:

[0009] If the central differential lock is in a locked state, obtaining current first driving data of the vehicle;

[0010] Determine whether the first driving data meets a preset rear axle locking condition; if the first driving data meets the rear axle locking condition, control the rear axle differential lock to lock; if the first driving data does not meet the rear axle locking condition, do not execute the locking request of the rear axle differential lock.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the first driving data includes vehicle speed, a wheel speed difference between the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle, and an activation state of a tank turning function;

[0012] The rear axle locking conditions include: the vehicle speed is less than a first preset speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle is less than a first preset wheel speed difference, and the tank turning function is not activated.

[0013] In one possible implementation, after controlling the rear axle differential lock to lock, the differential lock control method further includes:

[0014] The locking state of the central differential lock is detected in real time, and the rear axle differential lock is controlled to be unlocked when the central differential lock is unlocked.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the differential lock control method further includes:

[0016] Upon receiving a locking request for the front axle differential lock, obtaining a mode of the vehicle transfer case and current second driving data of the vehicle;

[0017] If the vehicle transfer case is in the 2H mode and the second driving data meets the preset front axle locking condition, the front axle differential lock is controlled to be locked.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the second driving data includes vehicle speed, a wheel speed difference between the left and right front wheels of the vehicle, and a height of the vehicle chassis from the ground;

[0019] The front axle locking conditions include: the vehicle speed is less than a second preset speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right front wheels of the vehicle is less than a second preset wheel speed difference, and the height of the vehicle chassis from the ground is less than a preset height.

[0020] In a possible implementation, after controlling the front axle differential lock to be locked, the differential lock control method further includes:

[0021] The mode of the transfer case is detected in real time, and the front axle differential lock is controlled to be unlocked when it is detected that the transfer case exits the 2H mode.

[0022] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a differential lock control device is provided, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the steps of the above-mentioned differential lock control method when executing the computer program.

[0023] According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a vehicle is provided, comprising the above-mentioned differential lock control device.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the differential lock control method are implemented.

[0025] The differential lock control method, device, vehicle, and readable storage medium provided by the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0026] The present invention provides a differential lock control strategy that determines the locking state of the center differential lock upon receiving a rear differential lock lock request and rejects the rear differential lock lock request if the center differential lock is unlocked. Because the vehicle is in two-wheel drive mode when the center differential lock is unlocked, the differential lock control strategy provided by the present invention effectively prevents axle breakage caused by using the rear differential lock in two-wheel drive mode, thereby ensuring vehicle safety. In other words, the present invention effectively addresses the problems existing in the prior art by adding criteria for determining the locking state of the center differential lock. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart of a differential lock control method provided in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 A structural block diagram of a differential lock control device provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a differential lock control method provided in another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In the following description, specific details such as particular system structures and techniques are provided for purposes of illustration, not limitation, to facilitate a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments without these specific details. In other cases, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail.

[0032] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, specific embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flow chart of a differential lock control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. This method is applicable to vehicles including a front axle differential lock, a rear axle differential lock, and a center differential lock.

[0034] On this basis, the differential lock control method provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes:

[0035] S101: Acquire the locking state of the center differential lock upon receiving a locking request for the rear axle differential lock.

[0036] S102: If the central differential lock is not in the locked state, the locking request for the rear axle differential lock is not executed.

[0037] In this embodiment, a real-time detection is performed to determine whether a rear differential lock lock request has been received (i.e., whether the driver has pressed the differential lock control switch). If a rear differential lock lock request has been received, the vehicle's sensors are used to obtain the locking status of the center differential lock. Based on this information, a determination is made as to whether the rear differential lock lock request should be executed. Specifically, if the center differential lock is not locked, the rear differential lock lock request is rejected. If the center differential lock is locked, the vehicle's sensors are used to obtain further driving data, and based on this driving data, a determination is made as to whether the rear differential lock lock request should be executed.

[0038] In this embodiment, when the center differential lock is detected to be in an unlocked state, it indicates that the vehicle transfer case is not in 4H or 4L mode. At this time, the vehicle is in two-wheel drive mode. Under this premise, in order to prevent the vehicle with a disconnected axle from breaking due to the low strength of the drive shaft, the embodiment of the present invention is configured to disable the locking function of the rear axle differential lock in the two-wheel drive mode to avoid the problem of half-axle breakage in vehicles with disconnected axles.

[0039] In this embodiment, the locking state of the central differential lock can be detected by detecting the control switch signal corresponding to the central differential lock, that is, the locking state of the central differential lock is detected by detecting whether the driver presses the control switch of the central differential lock.

[0040] As can be seen from the above, embodiments of the present invention provide a differential lock control strategy that determines the locking state of the center differential lock upon receiving a rear differential lock lock request and rejects the rear differential lock lock request if the center differential lock is unlocked. Because the vehicle is in two-wheel drive mode when the center differential lock is unlocked, the differential lock control strategy provided by embodiments of the present invention effectively prevents axle breakage caused by the use of the rear differential lock in two-wheel drive mode, thereby ensuring vehicle safety. In other words, embodiments of the present invention effectively address existing problems in the prior art by adding criteria for determining the locking state of the center differential lock.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the differential lock control method further includes:

[0042] If the central differential lock is in a locked state, the first current driving data of the vehicle is acquired.

[0043] Determining whether the first driving data meets a preset rear axle locking condition. If the first driving data meets the rear axle locking condition, controlling the rear axle differential lock to lock. If the first driving data does not meet the rear axle locking condition, not executing a locking request for the rear axle differential lock.

[0044] In this embodiment, when the center differential lock is locked, it indicates that the transfer case is in 4H or 4L mode. In this case, the rear axle differential lock is permitted to lock. Therefore, upon detecting that the center differential lock is locked, the embodiment of the present invention further obtains the vehicle's current first driving data to determine whether the first driving data meets the preset rear axle locking conditions. If so, the rear axle differential lock is locked; if not, the rear axle differential lock lock request is rejected.

[0045] Among them, controlling the locking of the differential lock can be described in detail as: outputting an electrical signal to the differential lock, driving the electromagnetic coil of the differential lock, and then pushing the locking gear sleeve of the differential lock to produce displacement to lock the differential, so that the differential of the rear axle of the vehicle loses its differential function, and the power is transmitted to the effective wheel side, so that the vehicle can get out of trouble.

[0046] Combining the above embodiments and referring to Figure 3 A specific implementation of the differential lock control method provided by the present invention can be: detecting in real time whether a locking request for the rear axle differential lock is received, and first detecting the locking state of the central differential lock when the locking request for the rear axle differential lock is received, and further judging the first driving data of the vehicle when the central differential lock is locked. Only when the first driving data meets the preset rear axle locking condition under the premise that the central differential lock is locked, the rear axle differential lock is controlled to lock; otherwise, the locking request for the rear axle differential lock is rejected to ensure the safety of the disconnect axle vehicle in the two-wheel drive mode.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the first driving data includes the vehicle speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle, and the activation status of the tank turning function.

[0048] The rear axle locking conditions include: the vehicle speed is less than a first preset speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle is less than a first preset wheel speed difference, and the tank turning function is not activated.

[0049] In other words, the conditions for controlling the differential lock to lock are: the center differential lock is locked, the current vehicle speed is less than a first preset speed, the current wheel speed difference between the left and right rear wheels is less than a first preset wheel speed difference, and the tank turning function (also known as TAB function) is not activated. The first preset speed can be 5 km / h, and the first preset wheel speed difference can be 50 rpm.

[0050] Optionally, since the transfer case can indicate the locking state of the center differential lock to a certain extent, the present invention can also perform locking control of the rear axle differential lock by directly detecting the mode of the transfer case. The specific process can be described as follows:

[0051] The vehicle's transfer case controller signal is acquired upon receiving a rear differential lock engagement request. If the transfer case controller signal indicates the transfer case is not in 4L or 4H mode, or if there is a transfer case malfunction, the rear differential lock engagement request is not executed.

[0052] In this embodiment, it is not suitable to lock the rear axle differential lock when the transfer case is not in 4L or 4H mode or the transfer case is faulty. Therefore, this embodiment can obtain the transfer case controller signal of the vehicle, determine the state of the transfer case according to the coding value of the transfer case controller signal, and then determine whether to execute the locking request of the rear axle differential lock according to the transfer case state.

[0053] For example, when the transfer case controller signal SystemOperMod's coding value is 0x3: Mode 4WD (Lock) / 0x6: Mode 4WD Low Range, the transfer case is in 4H or 4L mode. When the transfer case controller signal SystemOperMod's coding value is 0x1: System Fault, it indicates a transfer case fault. The rear axle differential lock locking control scheme can be detailed as follows: When the transfer case controller signal SystemOperMod's coding value is not 0x3: Mode 4WD (Lock) / 0x6: Mode 4WD Low Range, or when the transfer case controller signal SystemOperMod's coding value is 0x1: System Fault, the rear axle differential lock lock request is rejected. The rear axle differential lock is only locked when the transfer case controller signal SystemOperMod's coding value is 0x3: Mode 4WD (Lock) / 0x6: Mode 4WD Low Range (when the vehicle is in four-wheel drive mode).

[0054] In one possible implementation, after controlling the rear axle differential lock to lock, the differential lock control method further includes:

[0055] Detect the locking status of the central differential lock in real time, and control the rear axle differential lock to unlock when the central differential lock is unlocked.

[0056] This embodiment also proposes an unlocking scheme linked to the center differential lock. This scheme detects the lock status of the center differential lock in real time and automatically unlocks the rear axle differential lock when the center differential lock is unlocked. This scheme improves vehicle operation convenience and allows for easier control of the vehicle's differential lock.

[0057] Among them, controlling the unlocking of the differential lock can be detailed as: cutting off the electrical signal transmitted to the differential lock, thereby causing the electromagnetic coil to lose the electromagnetic force, and the return spring of the differential lock pushes the locking ring out, thereby unlocking the differential lock.

[0058] In one possible implementation, the differential lock control method further includes:

[0059] When a locking request for the front axle differential lock is received, a mode of the vehicle transfer case and current second driving data of the vehicle are acquired.

[0060] If the vehicle transfer case is in 2H mode and the second driving data meets the preset front axle locking condition, the front axle differential lock is controlled to be locked.

[0061] In addition to resolving the aforementioned issue of axle breakage caused by the use of a rear axle differential lock in two-wheel drive mode, this embodiment of the present invention also provides a front axle differential lock lock control scheme to improve vehicle maneuverability and reduce fuel costs. This scheme identifies the transfer case mode and determines the vehicle's current second driving data. When the transfer case is in 2H mode and the second driving data meets the preset front axle locking conditions, the front axle differential lock is locked. This scheme effectively improves the vehicle's maneuverability in two-wheel drive mode while also achieving greater fuel efficiency compared to four-wheel drive mode.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the second driving data includes the vehicle speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right front wheels of the vehicle, and the height of the vehicle chassis from the ground.

[0063] The front axle locking conditions include: the vehicle speed is less than a second preset speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right front wheels of the vehicle is less than a second preset wheel speed difference, and the height of the vehicle chassis from the ground is less than a preset height.

[0064] In this embodiment, the second preset vehicle speed may be 5 km / h, the second preset wheel speed difference may be 50 rpm, and the preset height may be 10 cm.

[0065] In one possible implementation, after controlling the front axle differential lock to lock, the differential lock control method further includes:

[0066] The transfer case mode is detected in real time, and the front axle differential lock is unlocked when it is detected that the transfer case has exited the 2H mode.

[0067] This embodiment also provides a linkage unlocking solution based on front axle locking, that is, real-time detection of the mode of the vehicle transfer case. When it is detected that the transfer case exits the 2H mode, the front axle differential lock can be controlled to automatically unlock, thereby improving the convenience of the driver's operation.

[0068] See also Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic block diagram of a differential lock control device provided by one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The differential lock control device 200 in this embodiment may include one or more processors 201, one or more input devices 202, one or more output devices 203, and one or more memories 204. The processors 201, input devices 202, output devices 203, and memories 204 communicate with each other via a communication bus 205. The memories 204 are used to store computer programs, which include program instructions. The processor 201 is configured to execute the program instructions stored in the memory 204. The processor 201 is configured to invoke the program instructions to execute the various steps of the aforementioned method embodiments, such as steps S101-S102.

[0069] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present invention, the processor 201 may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0070] The input device 202 may include a touchpad, a fingerprint sensor (for collecting the user's fingerprint information and fingerprint direction information), a microphone, etc. The output device 203 may include a display (LCD, etc.), a speaker, etc.

[0071] The memory 204 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor 201. A portion of the memory 204 may also include a non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory 204 may also store device type information.

[0072] In a specific implementation, the processor 201, input device 202, and output device 203 described in the embodiment of the present invention can execute the implementation methods described in the first and second embodiments of the differential lock control method provided in the embodiment of the present invention, and can also execute the implementation method of the differential lock control device described in the embodiment of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0073] In another embodiment of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program. The computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a processor, all or part of the process in the above-mentioned embodiment method is implemented. The computer program can also be used to instruct related hardware to complete the process. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of each of the above-mentioned method embodiments are implemented. The computer program includes computer program code. The computer program code can be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form. The computer-readable medium can include: any entity or device capable of carrying computer program code, recording medium, USB flash drive, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk, optical disk, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electric carrier signal, telecommunication signal and software distribution medium. It should be noted that the content contained in the computer-readable medium can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the requirements of legislation and patent practice in the jurisdiction. For example, in some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media do not include electric carrier signals and telecommunication signals.

[0074] The computer-readable storage medium may be the internal storage unit of the differential lock control device of any of the aforementioned embodiments, such as the hard disk or memory of the differential lock control device. The computer-readable storage medium may also be an external storage device of the differential lock control device, such as a plug-in hard disk equipped on the differential lock control device, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc. Furthermore, the computer-readable storage medium may include both the internal storage unit of the differential lock control device and an external storage device. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store computer programs and other programs and data required by the differential lock control device. The computer-readable storage medium may also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or is to be output.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the above description has generally described the composition and steps of each example according to function. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0076] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the differential lock control device and unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0077] In the several embodiments provided herein, it should be understood that the disclosed differential lock control device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of units is merely a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used, such as combining or integrating multiple units or components into another system, or omitting or disabling certain features. Furthermore, the coupling, direct coupling, or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection via some interface or unit, or may be an electrical, mechanical, or other form of connection.

[0078] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected based on actual needs to achieve the objectives of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0079] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention may be integrated into a single processing unit, each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated units may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units.

[0080] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, and such modifications or substitutions are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A differential lock control method, characterized in that: include: obtaining the locking state of the center differential lock upon receiving a locking request of the rear axle differential lock; If the central differential lock is not in a locked state, the locking request for the rear axle differential lock is not executed; Upon receiving a locking request for the front axle differential lock, obtaining a mode of the vehicle transfer case and second current driving data of the vehicle; the second driving data including vehicle speed, a wheel speed difference between the left and right front wheels of the vehicle, and a height of the vehicle chassis from the ground; If the vehicle transfer case is in 2H mode and the second driving data meets the preset front axle locking conditions, the front axle differential lock is controlled to lock; the front axle locking conditions include: the vehicle speed is less than a second preset speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right front wheels of the vehicle is less than the second preset wheel speed difference, and the height of the vehicle chassis from the ground is less than a preset height.

2. The differential lock control method according to claim 1, wherein: The differential lock control method further includes: If the central differential lock is in a locked state, obtaining current first driving data of the vehicle; Determine whether the first driving data meets a preset rear axle locking condition; if the first driving data meets the rear axle locking condition, control the rear axle differential lock to lock; if the first driving data does not meet the rear axle locking condition, do not execute the locking request of the rear axle differential lock.

3. The differential lock control method according to claim 2, wherein: The first driving data includes the vehicle speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle, and the activation state of the tank turning function; The rear axle locking conditions include: the vehicle speed is less than a first preset speed, the wheel speed difference between the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle is less than a first preset wheel speed difference, and the tank turning function is not activated.

4. The differential lock control method according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that: After controlling the rear axle differential lock to be locked, the differential lock control method further includes: The locking state of the central differential lock is detected in real time, and the rear axle differential lock is controlled to be unlocked when the central differential lock is unlocked.

5. The differential lock control method according to claim 1, wherein: After controlling the front axle differential lock to be locked, the differential lock control method further includes: The mode of the transfer case is detected in real time, and the front axle differential lock is controlled to be unlocked when it is detected that the transfer case exits the 2H mode.

6. A differential lock control device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein: When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 are implemented.

7. A vehicle comprising: The differential lock control device according to claim 6.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 are implemented.

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