A differential lock controller and a vehicle

Abstract

The present application discloses a differential lock controller and a vehicle, including: a locking control calculation module, a state estimation module, and a wheel speed difference control module. The locking control calculation module is configured to determine a control instruction according to the vehicle mode, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, locking signal state, and the current state of the locking mechanism. The state estimation module is configured to determine the state of the locking mechanism according to the steering information, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, and control instruction. The wheel speed difference control module is configured to determine the braking signal state of a single-side wheel according to the vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, control instruction, and the state of the locking mechanism. The present application can automatically control the locking or unlocking of the differential lock, reduce the operation frequency of the driver, and improve the driving experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of automotive electronics technology, and particularly relates to a differential lock controller and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Automotive electronics technology is the combination of automotive and electronic technologies, mainly referring to the application of electronic technologies in vehicles. For example, automatic transmissions, airbags, anti-lock braking systems, etc.

[0003] A differential lock is a device that realizes the rigid connection of the left and right wheels on the same axle of a vehicle, improves the vehicle's adhesion, reduces the speed difference between the left and right wheels, and improves the vehicle's passability. Controlling the locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism of the differential lock can achieve the locking or unlocking of the left and right wheels of the vehicle.

[0004] In the prior art, mainly the driver determines whether to lock or unlock the differential lock according to the actual driving situation, and controls the locking or unlocking of the differential lock through the command button in the vehicle when needed.

[0005] However, in actual use of the prior art, due to relying on manual control by the driver, the driving experience is seriously affected. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of this application provide a differential lock controller and a vehicle, which can automatically control the locking or unlocking of the differential lock, reduce the operation frequency of the driver, and improve the driving experience.

[0007] On the one hand, the embodiments of this application provide a differential lock controller, including: a locking control calculation module, a state estimation module, and a wheel speed difference control module.

[0008] The locking control calculation module is used to determine a control command according to the vehicle mode, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, locking signal state, and the current state of the locking mechanism.

[0009] The state estimation module is used to determine the state of the locking mechanism according to the steering information, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, and the control command.

[0010] The wheel speed difference control module is used to determine the braking signal state of a single-side wheel according to the vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, control command, and the state of the locking mechanism.

[0011] In a possible implementation manner, the differential lock controller further includes:

[0012] An acquisition module, configured to obtain the vehicle mode, the steering information, the vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference through a Controller Area Network (CAN) before determining a control instruction according to the vehicle mode, the vehicle speed, the wheel speed difference, and the current locking mechanism state, and obtain the locking signal state and the locking mechanism state through an external switch signal or CAN.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the vehicle mode includes: an automatic locking mode and a non-automatic locking mode; the locking signal state includes: an activated state and a non-activated state; the locking mechanism state includes: a locked state and an unlocked state; the control instruction includes: a locking instruction and an unlocking instruction; and the locking control calculation module is configured to:

[0014] When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than a preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than a preset locking wheel speed difference, the control instruction is the locking instruction.

[0015] When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode and the locking mechanism state is the locked state, the control instruction is the locking instruction.

[0016] When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control instruction is the unlocking instruction.

[0017] When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the control instruction is the unlocking instruction.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the locking control calculation module is configured to:

[0019] When the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal state is the activated state, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control instruction is the locking instruction.

[0020] When the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal state is the activated state, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the control instruction is the unlocking instruction.

[0021] When the vehicle mode is the non - automatic locking mode, the locking signal state is the active state, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control instruction is the unlocking instruction.

[0022] When the vehicle mode is the non - automatic locking mode and the locking signal state is the non - active state, the control instruction is the unlocking instruction.

[0023] When the vehicle mode is the non - automatic locking mode, the locking signal state is the active state, and the locking mechanism state is the locked state, the control instruction is the unlocking instruction.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the steering information includes: non - steering information and steered information, and the state estimation module is used for:

[0025] When the control instruction is the locking instruction, the steering information is the non - steering information, and the wheel speed difference is less than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state.

[0026] When the control instruction is the locking instruction, the steering information is the non - steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the locking mechanism state is the locked state.

[0027] When the control instruction is the locking instruction, the steering information is the non - steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state.

[0028] When the control instruction is the locking instruction, the steering information is the non - steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state.

[0029] In a possible implementation, the state estimation module is used for:

[0030] When the control instruction is the locking instruction, the steering information is the steered information, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state.

[0031] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is the information of having steered, the wheel speed is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the locked state.

[0032] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is the information of having steered, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0033] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is the information of having steered, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0034] In a possible implementation manner, the state estimation module is configured to:

[0035] When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the locked state.

[0036] In a possible implementation manner, when the control instruction is an unlocking instruction and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0037] When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0038] When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0039] In a possible implementation manner, the brake signal state includes: an activated state and a non-activated state, and the wheel speed difference control module is configured to:

[0040] When the control instruction is inconsistent with the state of the locking mechanism, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, determine that the brake signal state is the activated state.

[0041] When the locking instruction is inconsistent with the estimated locking state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, it is determined that the braking signal state is the inactive state.

[0042] When the locking instruction is inconsistent with the estimated locking state and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, it is determined that the braking signal state is the inactive state.

[0043] When the locking instruction is consistent with the estimated locking state, it is determined that the braking signal state is the inactive state.

[0044] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle, which includes the differential lock controller according to any one of the above aspects.

[0045] The differential lock controller and the vehicle according to the embodiments of the present application determine a control instruction according to the vehicle mode, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, locking signal state, and the current locking mechanism state, and send the control instruction to the locking mechanism to control the locking mechanism to automatically lock or unlock, without manual participation throughout the process, improving the driving experience; at the same time, without sensors, the locking mechanism state can be directly determined according to the steering information, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, and control instruction, reducing the overall vehicle cost; the braking signal of the single-side wheel is determined according to the vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, control instruction, and locking mechanism state, and the single-side wheel is braked when the locking or unlocking is not successfully performed according to the control instruction, so that there is a wheel speed difference between the left and right wheels, thereby realizing the locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism, and solving the problem of difficult locking or unlocking without wheel speed difference. Description of the Drawings

[0046] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings without creative efforts.

[0047] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the differential lock controller provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 2 is a schematic overall logic diagram of the differential lock controller provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0049] Figure 3 is a schematic logic diagram of the locking control calculation module provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0050] Figure 4 is a schematic logic diagram of the state estimation module provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 5It is a logic schematic diagram of the wheel speed difference control module provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0052] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present application will be described in detail below. To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to explain the present application, rather than to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is only intended to provide a better understanding of the present application by showing examples of the present application.

[0053] It should be noted that in this document, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, the elements defined by the statement "including..." do not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the said elements.

[0054] A differential lock controller is a device that controls the locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism of a differential lock. The function of the differential lock is to improve the passing ability of the vehicle on bad road surfaces, that is, when one drive axle of the vehicle idles, the two drive axles are made into a rigid connection. In this way, most or even all of the torque can be transmitted to the non-slip drive axle, making full use of its adhesion to generate sufficient traction so that the vehicle can continue to drive.

[0055] At present, the differential lock controllers on the market mainly appear as a control button on the vehicle. The driver needs to judge according to the road surface conditions during driving and manually control the locking or unlocking of the differential lock through the control button so that the vehicle can continue to drive. However, for such a differential lock controller, the driver needs to operate multiple times during driving, seriously affecting the driving experience.

[0056] Based on this, the inventor has developed a differential lock controller that can control the automatic locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism according to the vehicle mode, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, locking signal state and the current state of the locking mechanism, without manual participation throughout the process, improving the driving experience. It can also brake one-sided wheels when there is no wheel speed difference, resulting in a wheel speed difference between the left and right wheels, so as to realize the locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism, thus ensuring the normal driving of the vehicle.

[0057] To solve the problems of the prior art, an embodiment of the present application provides a differential lock controller and a vehicle. First, the differential lock controller provided by the embodiment of the present application will be introduced below.

[0058] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the differential lock controller provided by the embodiment of the present application. As Figure 1 shown, the differential lock controller provided by the embodiment of the present application includes: a locking control calculation module 1, a state estimation module 2, and a wheel speed difference control module 3.

[0059] The locking control calculation module 1 is used to determine a control instruction according to the vehicle mode, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, locking signal state, and the current state of the locking mechanism.

[0060] The state estimation module 2 is used to determine the state of the locking mechanism according to the steering information, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, and control instruction.

[0061] The wheel speed difference control module 3 is used to determine the braking signal state and the locking signal state of a single-side wheel according to the vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, control instruction, and the state of the locking mechanism.

[0062] In one example, the differential lock controller of the present application further includes: an acquisition module 4, which is used to obtain the vehicle mode, steering information, vehicle speed, and wheel speed difference through CAN (Controller Area Network) before determining the control instruction according to the vehicle mode, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, and the current state of the locking mechanism, and obtain the locking signal state and the state of the locking mechanism through an external switch signal or CAN. After the acquisition module 4 obtains the vehicle mode, steering information, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, and the state of the locking mechanism, it sends them to the corresponding module or CAN.

[0063] Among them, the initial state of the locking mechanism is a non-locking state, that is, an unlocked state. As the vehicle travels, the state of the locking mechanism will change, and after the change occurs, the acquisition module 4 can obtain the latest state of the locking mechanism.

[0064] When the locking mechanism is equipped with a sensor that can feedback its own state, the acquisition module 4 can obtain the current state of the locking mechanism from the sensor that can feedback its own state. When the locking mechanism is not equipped with a sensor that can feedback its own state, the acquisition module 4 can obtain the state of the locking mechanism from the state estimation module 2.

[0065] The above describes the structure of the differential lock controller. The following will be combined with Figures 2 - 5 to illustrate the working process of each module of the differential lock controller.

[0066] First, introduce each vehicle information for judgment: The vehicle mode includes: automatic locking mode and non-automatic locking mode. The locking signal state includes: activated state and non-activated state. The locking mechanism state includes: locked state and unlocked state. The control instruction includes: locking instruction and unlocking instruction. The steering information includes: non-steered information and steered information.

[0067] Among them, the vehicle mode is automatically determined according to the terrain conditions, and the automatic locking mode is defined by the whole vehicle. When the vehicle is in poor terrain conditions, it will automatically trigger and enter the automatic locking mode. When the vehicle is in good terrain conditions, it will not automatically trigger and enter the automatic locking mode, which is the non-automatic locking mode. Poor terrain conditions can be understood as bumpy road terrain or muddy road terrain, and good terrain conditions can be understood as flat road terrain.

[0068] Figure 2 is the overall logic schematic diagram of the differential lock controller provided by the embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 is the logic schematic diagram of the locking control calculation module provided by the embodiment of the present application. The following combines Figure 2 and 3 to illustrate the specific implementation manner of the locking control calculation module 1:

[0069] Step S101, determine whether the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode;

[0070] If the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, execute step S102; if the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, execute step S106;

[0071] Step S102, determine whether the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state;

[0072] If the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, execute step S103; if the locking mechanism state is the locked state, execute step S105;

[0073] Step S103, determine whether the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed;

[0074] If the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, execute step S104; if the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, execute step S108;

[0075] Step S104, determine whether the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference;

[0076] If the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, execute step S105; if the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, execute step S108;

[0077] Step S105, determine that the control instruction is the locking instruction;

[0078] Step S106, determine whether the lock signal status is the active state;

[0079] When the lock signal status is the active state, execute Step S107; when the lock signal status is the inactive state, execute Step S108;

[0080] Step S107, determine whether the lock mechanism status is the unlocked state;

[0081] When the lock mechanism status is the unlocked state, execute Step S103; when the lock mechanism status is the locked state, execute Step S108;

[0082] Step S108, determine that the control instruction is the unlock instruction.

[0083] That is to say, when the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the lock mechanism status is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control instruction is the locking instruction.

[0084] When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode and the lock mechanism status is the locked state, the control instruction is the locking instruction.

[0085] When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the lock mechanism status is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control instruction is the unlock instruction.

[0086] When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the lock mechanism status is the unlocked state, and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the control instruction is the unlock instruction.

[0087] Since the determination method of the control instruction is different in different vehicle modes, therefore, it is first necessary to determine whether the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode.

[0088] If it is the automatic locking mode, it means that the locking control or unlocking control of the lock mechanism is not determined by the driver, but automatically determined by the differential lock controller. Since the current lock mechanism status, vehicle speed, and wheel speed difference all affect the locking or unlocking of the lock mechanism, therefore, in order to determine the locking instruction, it is also necessary to determine whether the current lock mechanism status is the unlocked state. If it is not the unlocked state, determine that the control instruction is the locking instruction.

[0089] If it is in the unlocked state, continue to determine whether the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed. If it is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, it means that the vehicle speed is relatively high at this time and the locking mechanism cannot be locked. Therefore, determine the control command as the unlocking command. If it is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, it means that the vehicle speed is relatively low at this time, and it is still necessary to continue to determine whether the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference. If it is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, it means that the wheel speed difference is relatively small at this time, and the locking mechanism can be locked, and the control command is determined as the locking command. If it is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, it means that the wheel speed difference is relatively large at this time, and the locking mechanism cannot be locked, and the control command is determined as the unlocking command.

[0090] Among them, the preset locking vehicle speed and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be determined during the actual vehicle calibration. Exemplarily, the preset locking vehicle speed can be 5 kph, and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be 70 rpm.

[0091] Thus, in the case where the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the control command can be automatically determined according to the current state of the locking mechanism, the vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference, without manual intervention.

[0092] In the case where the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal state is the active state, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control command is the locking command.

[0093] In the case where the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal state is the active state, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the control command is the unlocking command.

[0094] In the case where the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal state is the active state, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control command is the unlocking command.

[0095] In the case where the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode and the locking signal state is the unactivated state, the control command is the unlocking command.

[0096] In the case where the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal state is the active state, and the locking mechanism state is the locked state, the control command is the unlocking command.

[0097] In the case where the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, if the locking signal state is the unactivated state, it means that the driver has not performed the locking control on the locking mechanism. Since the initial state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state, the control command is determined as the unlocking command.

[0098] When the vehicle mode is the non - automatic locking mode and the locking signal state is the active state, it indicates that the driver controls the locking mechanism for locking. However, whether to lock still needs to be determined according to the actual vehicle state of the vehicle and the current state of the locking mechanism. Therefore, it is still necessary to continue to judge whether the current state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0099] If the current state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state, it is still necessary to continue to judge whether the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed. If the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, it means that the vehicle speed is relatively high at this time and the locking mechanism cannot be locked, and the control instruction is determined to be the unlocking instruction. If the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, it means that the vehicle speed is relatively low at this time, and it is still necessary to continue to judge whether the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference. If the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, it means that the wheel speed difference is relatively small at this time and the locking mechanism can be locked, and the control instruction is determined to be the locking instruction. If the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, it means that the wheel speed difference is relatively large at this time and the locking mechanism cannot be locked, and the control instruction is determined to be the unlocking instruction.

[0100] Among them, the preset locking vehicle speed and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be determined during the in - vehicle calibration. Exemplarily, the preset locking vehicle speed can be 5 kph, and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be 70 rpm.

[0101] Thus, in the case where the vehicle mode is the non - automatic locking mode, the control instruction is determined according to the locking signal state, the current state of the locking mechanism, the vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference. In the case of manually controlling the locking or unlocking of the differential lock, the control instruction is also assisted to be determined according to the state of the locking mechanism, the vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference, reducing the errors caused by manual control.

[0102] In the case where the locking mechanism is equipped with a sensor that can feedback its own state, the current state of the locking mechanism can be obtained through the sensor that can feedback its own state. However, the cost of the sensor that can feedback its own state is relatively high. Therefore, the inventor of the present application proposes a method for determining the state of the locking mechanism under the condition of no sensor, specifically: the state estimation module 2 determines the state of the locking mechanism according to the locking instruction, the steering information, the wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed.

[0103] It should be particularly noted that the state estimation module 2 determines the state of the locking mechanism by means of estimation, rather than detection. However, since the control instruction, the steering information, the wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed used for estimating the state of the locking mechanism are all real information, the finally obtained estimated locking state is infinitely close to the true state of the locking mechanism.

[0104] Figure 4 is the logical schematic diagram of the state estimation module provided by the embodiment of the present application. The following combines Figure 2 and 4Describe the specific implementation method of the state estimation module 2:

[0105] Step S201, determine whether the control instruction is a locking instruction;

[0106] If the control instruction is a locking instruction, execute step S202; if the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, execute step S203;

[0107] Step S202, determine whether the steering information is the information of having steered;

[0108] If the steering information is the information of having steered, execute step S203; if the steering information is the information of not having steered, execute step S208;

[0109] Step S203, determine whether the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference;

[0110] If the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, execute step S204; if the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, execute step S207;

[0111] Step S204, determine whether the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed;

[0112] If the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, execute step S205; if the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, execute step S207;

[0113] Step S205, determine whether the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration;

[0114] If the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, execute step S206; if the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, execute step S207;

[0115] Step S206, determine that the state of the locking mechanism is the locked state;

[0116] Step S207, determine that the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state;

[0117] Step S208, determine whether the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference;

[0118] If the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference, execute step S204; if the wheel speed difference is less than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, execute step S209;

[0119] Step S209, determine that the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0120] That is to say, when the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is non-steering information, and the wheel speed difference is less than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0121] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is non-steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the locked state.

[0122] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is non-steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0123] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is non-steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0124] When the control instruction is a locking instruction and the steering information is non-steering information, if the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference, it is also necessary to determine whether the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed. If the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, it is also necessary to determine whether the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration. If the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, determine that the state of the locking mechanism is the locked state; otherwise, it is the unlocked state.

[0125] Among them, the preset locking vehicle speed and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be determined during the actual vehicle calibration. Exemplarily, the preset locking vehicle speed can be 5 kph, and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be 70 rpm.

[0126] Thus, when the control instruction is a locking instruction and the steering information is non-steering information, the state of the locking mechanism can be determined according to the wheel speed difference and the vehicle speed, preventing misjudgment of the state of the locking mechanism due to excessive instantaneous vehicle speed.

[0127] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is steering information, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0128] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is steering information, the wheel speed is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the locked state.

[0129] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is steering information, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0130] When the control instruction is a locking instruction, the steering information is the turned information, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0131] Since the state of the locking mechanism must be the unlocked state when the vehicle is turning, when the control instruction is a locking instruction, it is necessary to determine whether the steering information is the turned information. If it is determined that the steering information is the turned information, it is also necessary to determine whether the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference. If the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, it indicates that the wheel speed difference is large at this time, and the state of the locking mechanism is determined to be the unlocked state. If it is determined that the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, it is also necessary to determine whether the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed. If the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, it is also necessary to determine whether the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration. If the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is determined to be the locked state, otherwise it is the unlocked state.

[0132] Among them, the preset locking vehicle speed and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be determined during the on-vehicle calibration. Exemplarily, the preset locking vehicle speed can be 5 kph, and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be 70 rpm.

[0133] Since the vehicle speed at a certain moment may suddenly increase during the operation of the vehicle, and this vehicle speed is sudden. To avoid the influence of this situation on the state of the locking mechanism, when it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, it is also necessary to determine whether the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration. If it is greater than the preset duration, it indicates that the larger vehicle speed is not sudden. At this time, the state of the locking mechanism is determined to be the locked state. If it is less than or equal to the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is determined to be the unlocked state. Among them, the preset duration can be determined during the on-vehicle calibration. Exemplarily, the preset duration can be 5 s.

[0134] Thus, when the control instruction is a locking instruction and the steering information is the turned information, the state of the locking mechanism can be determined according to the wheel speed difference and the vehicle speed, preventing misjudgment of the state of the locking mechanism due to excessive instantaneous vehicle speed.

[0135] When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0136] When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the locked state.

[0137] When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0138] When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state.

[0139] Thus, when the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the state of the locking mechanism can be determined based on the wheel speed difference and the vehicle speed. Specifically, when the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, it is determined that the estimated locking state is the locked state; otherwise, it is the unlocked state.

[0140] In summary, the state estimation module can determine the state of the locking mechanism based on the control instruction, steering information, wheel speed difference, and vehicle speed, without using sensors, reducing the overall vehicle cost.

[0141] Figure 5 It is a logical schematic diagram of the wheel speed difference control module 3 provided by an embodiment of the present application. The following combines Figure 3 and 5 to illustrate the specific implementation manner of the wheel speed difference control module 3:

[0142] Step S301, determine whether the locking instruction is consistent with the state of the locking mechanism;

[0143] When the locking instruction is consistent with the state of the locking mechanism, execute step S302; when the locking instruction is inconsistent with the state of the locking mechanism, execute step S305;

[0144] Step S302, determine whether the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed;

[0145] When the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, execute step S303; when the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, execute step S305;

[0146] Step S303, determine whether the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference;

[0147] When the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, execute step S304; when the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, execute step S305;

[0148] Step S304, determine that the brake signal state is the active state;

[0149] Step S305, determine that the brake signal state is the inactive state.

[0150] That is, when the control instruction is inconsistent with the locking mechanism state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the braking signal state is determined to be the active state, where the braking signal state includes: the active state and the inactive state.

[0151] When the locking instruction is inconsistent with the estimated locking state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the braking signal state is determined to be the inactive state.

[0152] When the locking instruction is inconsistent with the estimated locking state and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the braking signal state is determined to be the inactive state.

[0153] When the locking instruction is consistent with the estimated locking state, the braking signal state is determined to be the inactive state.

[0154] To determine whether the locking mechanism is successfully locked or unlocked, it is necessary to compare the control instruction with the locking mechanism state, that is, to judge whether the control instruction is consistent with the locking mechanism state. If the control instruction is consistent with the locking mechanism state, it means that the locking mechanism has been successfully locked or unlocked according to the control instruction. At this time, there is no need to brake the single wheel of the vehicle anymore, and the braking signal state is determined to be the inactive state. Among them, the braking signal is used to brake the single wheel of the vehicle.

[0155] If the control instruction is inconsistent with the locking mechanism state, it means that the locking mechanism has not been successfully locked or unlocked. At this time, in order to ensure that the locking mechanism is locked or unlocked according to the control instruction, it is necessary to judge whether the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed. If it is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, it means that the vehicle has no steering requirement and no operation is required, and the activation state of the single-wheel braking control signal is determined to be the inactive state.

[0156] If the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, it means that the vehicle has a steering requirement. It is necessary to continue to judge whether the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference. If the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, it means that the current wheel speed difference does not support steering, and it is necessary to control the single wheel to brake to support steering. The braking signal state is determined to be the active state. If the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, it means that the current wheel speed difference supports steering, and there is no need to brake the single wheel of the vehicle anymore. Therefore, the braking signal state is determined to be the inactive state.

[0157] Among them, the preset locking vehicle speed and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be determined during the in-vehicle calibration. Exemplarily, the preset locking vehicle speed can be 5 kph, and the preset locking wheel speed difference can be 70 rpm.

[0158] After determining that the braking signal state is the activated state, the wheel speed difference control module sends the braking signal state to the vehicle controller area network CAN. Other controllers in the vehicle that can control the braking of a single wheel can obtain the single braking signal state from the vehicle CAN, so as to perform braking control on the single wheel.

[0159] Thus, by comparing the control instruction with the state of the locking mechanism, it is determined whether the locking mechanism has been successfully locked or unlocked. When the control instruction is inconsistent with the state of the locking mechanism, and when the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the braking signal state is determined to be the activated state, and the braking signal state is sent to the vehicle CAN, so that other controllers of the vehicle can perform braking on a single wheel based on the braking signal state obtained from the vehicle CAN, thereby generating a wheel speed difference to achieve the locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism, and solving the problem of difficult locking without a wheel speed difference.

[0160] In one example, the embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle, which includes any one of the differential lock controllers as described above. Thus, it is realized to automatically control the locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism of the differential lock, and brake a single wheel when there is no wheel speed difference, so that the vehicle can drive normally.

[0161] The above is the specific implementation manner of the differential lock controller and the vehicle provided by the embodiment of the present application. The control instruction is determined according to the vehicle mode, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, locking signal state and the current state of the locking mechanism, and the control instruction is sent to the locking mechanism to control the locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism automatically, without manual participation throughout the process, improving the driving experience; at the same time, without sensors, the state of the locking mechanism can be directly determined according to the steering information, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference and control instruction, reducing the overall vehicle cost; the braking signal of a single wheel is determined according to the vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, control instruction and the state of the locking mechanism, and the single wheel is braked when the locking or unlocking is not successfully performed according to the control instruction, so that there is a wheel speed difference between the left and right wheels, thereby realizing the locking or unlocking of the locking mechanism, and solving the problem of difficult locking or unlocking without a wheel speed difference.

[0162] As described above, the above is only the specific implementation manner of the present application. Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working process of the vehicle described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present application can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements, and these modifications or replacements should all be covered within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A differential lock controller, characterized in that, Including: A lock control calculation module, a state estimation module, and a wheel speed difference control module, The lock control calculation module is configured to determine a control command according to the vehicle mode, vehicle speed, wheel speed difference, lock signal state, and the current state of the locking mechanism. The vehicle mode includes an automatic locking mode and a non-automatic locking mode. The lock signal state includes an activated state and a non-activated state. The locking mechanism state includes a locked state and an unlocked state. The control command includes a locking command and an unlocking command. Among them, when the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the lock signal state is the activated state, the locking mechanism state is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control command is the locking command; The state estimation module is configured to determine the state of the locking mechanism according to the steering information, the vehicle speed, the wheel speed difference, and the control command. The steering information includes non-steering information and steered information. Among them, when the control command is the locking command, the steering information is non-steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state; The wheel speed difference control module is configured to determine the braking signal state of a single-side wheel according to the vehicle speed, the wheel speed difference, the control command, and the state of the locking mechanism. The braking signal state includes an activated state and a non-activated state. Among them, when the control command is inconsistent with the state of the locking mechanism, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, it is determined that the braking signal state is the activated state.

2. The differential lock controller according to claim 1, wherein The differential lock controller further includes: An acquisition module, configured to acquire the vehicle mode, the steering information, the vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference through a Controller Area Network (CAN) before determining the control command according to the vehicle mode, the vehicle speed, the wheel speed difference, and the current state of the locking mechanism, and acquire the lock signal state and the state of the locking mechanism through an external switch signal or CAN.

3. The differential lock controller according to claim 1, wherein, The lock control calculation module is used for: When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control command is the locking command, When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode and the state of the locking mechanism is the locked state, the control command is the locking command, When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control command is the unlocking command, When the vehicle mode is the automatic locking mode, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocked state, and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the control command is the unlocking command.

4. The differential lock controller according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lock control calculation module is used for: When the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal status is the active state, the locking mechanism status is the unlocked state, and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the control command is the unlocking command. When the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal status is the active state, the locking mechanism status is the unlocked state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the control command is the unlocking command. When the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode and the locking signal status is the non-active state, the control command is the unlocking command. When the vehicle mode is the non-automatic locking mode, the locking signal status is the active state, and the locking mechanism status is the locked state, the control command is the unlocking command.

5. The differential lock controller according to claim 1, characterized in that The state estimation module is used for: When the control command is the locking command, the steering information is the non-steering information, and the wheel speed difference is less than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the locking mechanism status is the unlocked state. When the control command is the locking command, the steering information is the non-steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the locking mechanism status is the locked state. When the control command is the locking command, the steering information is the non-steering information, the wheel speed difference is greater than the locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, the locking mechanism status is the unlocked state.

6. The differential lock controller according to claim 5, wherein, The state estimation module is used for: When the control command is the locking command, the steering information is the steering information, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, the locking mechanism status is the unlocked state. When the control command is the locking command, the steering information is the steering information, the wheel speed is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the locking mechanism status is the locked state. When the control command is the locking command, the steering information is the steering information, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the locking mechanism status is the unlocked state. When the control command is the locking command, the steering information is the steering information, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset duration, the locking mechanism status is the unlocked state.

7. The differential lock controller according to claim 1, wherein, The state estimation module is used for: When the control command is the unlocking command, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration of the vehicle speed being greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is greater than the preset duration, the locking mechanism status is the locked state.

8. The differential lock controller according to claim 1, characterized in that The state estimation module is used for: When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to a preset locking wheel speed difference, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocking state. When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, and the vehicle speed is less than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocking state. When the control instruction is an unlocking instruction, the wheel speed difference is less than the preset locking wheel speed difference, the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the duration for which the vehicle speed is greater than the preset locking vehicle speed is less than or equal to a preset duration, the state of the locking mechanism is the unlocking state.

9. The differential lock controller according to claim 1, wherein, The wheel speed difference control module is configured to: When the locking instruction is inconsistent with the estimated locking state, the vehicle speed is less than the preset locking vehicle speed, and the wheel speed difference is greater than or equal to the preset locking wheel speed difference, determine that the brake signal state is the unactivated state. When the locking instruction is inconsistent with the estimated locking state and the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the preset locking vehicle speed, determine that the brake signal state is the unactivated state. When the locking instruction is consistent with the estimated locking state, determine that the brake signal state is the unactivated state.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, The vehicle includes a differential lock controller according to any one of claims 1-9.

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