Electric automobile

Abstract

The invention provides an electric vehicle capable of enabling a driver to recognize whether the electric vehicle is traveling in a motor traveling mode or a shift traveling mode. And a control means for controlling the display means so as to display a simulated rotational speed, which is the rotational speed of the engine in the engine vehicle, that simulates the torque in the variable-speed travel mode when the variable-speed travel mode is selected by the mode selection means, and controlling the display means so as not to display the simulated rotational speed when the motor travel mode is selected by the mode selection means. As a result, it is possible for the driver to recognize whether the vehicle is traveling in the motor traveling mode or the shift traveling mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electric vehicles. Background Art

[0002] In the past, as such electric vehicles, electric vehicles have been proposed that include an electric motor that outputs power to a drive shaft connected to an axle, and a mode selection device that selects a driving mode from a plurality of driving modes including an electric motor driving mode and a speed-changing driving mode by a driver's operation (for example, see Patent Document 1). The electric motor driving mode is a driving mode in which the vehicle is driven while controlling the electric motor to output a required torque required for driving to the drive shaft. The speed-changing driving mode is a driving mode in which the vehicle is driven while controlling the electric motor so that the torque output to the drive shaft based on the driver's shifting operation becomes a torque that simulates the behavior of torque in an engine vehicle having an engine and a stepped transmission.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-036845 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] In the above-mentioned electric vehicle, it is sometimes difficult for the driver to recognize whether the vehicle is traveling in the motor travel mode or the speed change travel mode.

[0008] The main purpose of the electric vehicle disclosed in the present invention is to allow the driver to recognize whether the vehicle is traveling in the motor travel mode or the speed change travel mode.

[0009] Technical solutions to solve problems

[0010] In order to achieve the above main objectives, the electric vehicle disclosed herein adopts the following technical solutions.

[0011] The electric vehicle disclosed herein is mainly provided with: an electric motor that outputs torque to a drive shaft connected to an axle; a mode selection device that selects one of a plurality of driving modes including a motor driving mode and a speed-changing driving mode by a driver's operation, wherein the motor driving mode is a mode of driving while controlling the electric motor to output a required torque required for driving to the drive shaft, and the speed-changing driving mode is a mode of driving while controlling the electric motor so that the torque output to the drive shaft based on the driver's shift operation becomes a torque that simulates the behavior of torque in an engine vehicle having an engine and a step-variable transmission; a display device that displays information; and a control device that controls the electric motor to drive in the driving mode selected by the mode selection device and controls the display device, wherein the control device controls the display device to display a simulated rotation speed that is a rotation speed of the engine in the engine vehicle that simulates the behavior of torque in the speed-changing driving mode when the speed-changing driving mode is selected by the mode selection device, and controls the display device not to display the simulated rotation speed when the motor driving mode is selected by the mode selection device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 1 is a schematic structural diagram showing the structure of the electric vehicle 20 according to the present embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display on the display 42 in the motor travel mode.

[0014] Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the indicator 42 in the speed change travel mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 1 is a schematic structural diagram showing the structure of the electric vehicle 20 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the electric vehicle 20 includes a motor 32 for driving, an inverter 34, a battery 36, a speaker 40, a display (display device) 42, and an electronic control unit (control device, hereinafter referred to as "ECU") 50.

[0016] The motor 32 is a three-phase AC motor having a rotor with permanent magnets embedded in a rotor core and a stator with three-phase coils wound around a stator core. The rotor of the motor 32 is connected to the drive shaft 26, which is connected to the drive wheels 22a and 22b via the differential gear 24.

[0017] The inverter 34 is used to drive the motor 32. The inverter 34 is connected to the battery 36 via the power line 38, and has six transistors T11 to T16 as switching elements, and six diodes D11 to D16 connected in parallel with the six transistors T11 to T16. The transistors T11 to T16 are arranged in pairs of two so as to become the source side and the drain side with respect to the positive side line and the negative side line of the power line 38, respectively. The connection points of the two transistors in each pair are connected to the coils of the corresponding phases (U phase, V phase, W phase) of the motor 32. Therefore, when the voltage acts on the inverter 34, the ECU 50 adjusts the ratio of the conduction time of the paired transistors T11 to T16, thereby forming a rotating magnetic field in the three-phase coil, and the motor 32 is driven to rotate.

[0018] The battery 36 is configured as a lithium ion secondary battery or a nickel-metal hydride secondary battery, and is connected to the inverter 34 via a power line 38. The power line 38 is provided with a capacitor 39 for smoothing.

[0019] The speaker 40 is provided near the driver's seat. The speaker 40 is configured as a sound output device that outputs sound in a manner that can be recognized auditorily. The speaker 40 is controlled by the ECU 50 .

[0020] The display 42 is provided near the driver's seat. The display 42 is configured as a display device that displays various information in a visually recognizable manner. The display 42 is controlled by the ECU 50 .

[0021] ECU50 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, and an input / output port. ECU50 inputs the rotation position θm of the rotor of the motor 32 from the rotation position sensor 32a, the phase currents Iu and Iv of the U phase and the V phase of the motor 32 from the current sensors 32u and 32v, the voltage Vb of the battery 36 from the voltage sensor 36a, the current Ib of the battery 36 from the current sensor 36b, and the voltage VL of the power line 38 (capacitor 39) from the voltage sensor 39a. ECU50 also inputs a start signal from the start switch 60, the shift position SP, which is the operation position of the shift lever 61, from the shift position sensor 62, the accelerator opening Acc, which is the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 63, from the accelerator pedal sensor 64, and the brake pedal position BP, which is the amount of depression of the brake pedal 65, from the brake pedal sensor 66. The vehicle speed V from the vehicle speed sensor 67, the switch signal from the mode switching switch (mode selection device) 68, and the depression amount Da of the clutch pedal (simulated clutch pedal) 70 from the clutch pedal sensor 71 are also input. The shift lever 61 is a structure that simulates the shift device of a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission. The shift lever 61 can select a range of multiple shift ranges corresponding to the speed of the simulated manual transmission, such as the simulated 1st speed range to 6th speed range and neutral range as the shift position SP. The mode switching switch 68 outputs a mode switching instruction for switching between the motor driving mode and the speed change driving mode every time it is turned on. The motor driving mode and the speed change driving mode will be described later. The clutch pedal 70 is a structure that simulates the clutch pedal installed in the simulated engine vehicle. The configuration and operating feel of the clutch pedal 70 are configured in the same way as the clutch pedal of a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission. The control signal to the motor 32, the sound signal to the speaker 40, the display signal to the display 42, etc. are output from the ECU 50.

[0022] In the electric car 20 of the embodiment, ECU50 controls the motor 32 (inverter 34) so ​​that the vehicle can travel in a motor driving mode in which the required torque required for driving is output from the motor 32, or in a shift driving mode in which the behavior of the torque output from the motor 32 is used as the behavior of the torque in an engine vehicle having an engine and a manual transmission as a stepped transmission based on the driver's operation of the shift lever 61.

[0023] In the motor driving mode, regardless of the shift position SP and the depression amount Da of the clutch pedal 70, the driving required torque Td* required for driving (required by the drive shaft 26) is set as the torque command Tm* of the motor 32, and the transistors T11 to T16 of the inverter 34 are controlled so that the motor 32 is driven with the torque command Tm*. Here, the driving required torque Td* is set based on the accelerator opening Acc and the vehicle speed V.

[0024] In the speed change driving mode, the virtual engine speed (simulated speed) Ne, which is the engine speed in the simulated engine vehicle, is set using the speed Np of the drive shaft 26 (the speed Nm of the electric motor 32), the gear ratio (speed ratio) r corresponding to the shift position SP, and the slip ratio slip of the clutch pedal 70 based on the depression amount Da of the clutch pedal 70, and the virtual engine output torque Teout output from the engine of the simulated engine vehicle is set based on the accelerator opening Acc and the virtual engine speed Ne. Based on the slip ratio slip of the clutch pedal 70, the transmission rate of the torque from the engine to the manual transmission, that is, the torque transfer gain k, is multiplied by the virtual engine output torque Teout to calculate the transmission input torque Tmtin. The torque transfer gain k is set smaller when the depression amount Da of the clutch pedal 70 is large than when it is small, and is set to a value of 0 when the depression amount Da of the clutch pedal 70 is the maximum depression amount that makes the torque transfer gain k between the engine and the manual transmission become a value of 0. Then, the transmission input torque Tmtin is multiplied by the gear ratio (speed ratio) r corresponding to the shift position SP to calculate the transmission output torque Tmtout, and the transmission output torque Tmtout is set as the torque command Tm* of the motor 32, and the transistors T11 to T16 of the inverter 34 are controlled so that the motor 32 is driven with the torque command Tm*. Through such control, the motor 32 is controlled so that the behavior of the torque output from the motor 32 based on the driver's operation of the shift lever 61 (shift operation) is used as the behavior of the torque in the engine vehicle with an engine and a manual transmission. That is, the driving of the engine vehicle with an engine and a manual transmission can be simulated, and the driver can actually feel the feeling of driving the engine vehicle with an engine and a manual transmission.

[0025] In the speed-changing driving mode, the ECU 50 controls the speaker 40 so that the pre-recorded engine sound at each engine speed outputs a sound (engine sound) linked to the virtual engine speed Ne. The sound from the speaker 40 gives the driver a high-spirited feeling as if he is driving an engine car with an engine and a manual transmission.

[0026] Next, the operation of the electric car 20 according to the present embodiment configured as described above, particularly the display on the display 42, will be described.

[0027] Figure 24 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the display 42 in the motor driving mode. In the motor driving mode, the ECU 50 controls the display 42 to display the power meter 43 and the speed meter 44 side by side in the same size on the display 42. The power meter 43 displays the power output from the motor 30 by the power running drive of the motor 30 and the power output from the motor 30 by the regenerative drive of the motor 30. In the power meter 43, when the power output from the motor 30 increases during the power running drive of the motor 30, the pointer 43a of the power meter 43 changes from the origin position 43b to the "power (POWER)" area via the "energy saving (ECO)" area. The "energy saving (ECO)" area indicates the power range in which the power output from the motor 30 is suppressed and the reduction of the storage ratio of the battery 36 can be suppressed. When the power output from the motor 30 decreases, the pointer 43a of the power meter 43 changes toward the origin position 43b. In the power meter 43, when the motor 30 is regeneratively driven, if the power output from the motor 30 increases, the pointer 43a of the power meter 43 changes from the origin position 43b to indicate the "charging (CHRAGE)" area. Such a power meter 43 can make the driver recognize the power output from the motor 30, that is, the power for driving, or promote driving that suppresses the reduction of the storage ratio of the battery 36, or make the driver recognize that the battery 36 is being charged by the regenerative power of the motor 30. The speedometer 44 displays the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor 67. In the speedometer 44, when the vehicle speed V increases, the display 42 is controlled so that the pointer 44a indicates the scale corresponding to the vehicle speed V.

[0028] Figure 3 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the display 42 in the speed change driving mode. In the speed change driving mode, the ECU 50 controls the display 42 to display the tachometer 45 and the speedometer 44 side by side in the same size horizontally on the display 42, and to display the power meter 43 in the form of a bar below the speedometer 44. The tachometer 45 displays the virtual engine speed Ne. When the virtual engine speed Ne increases, as shown by the dotted line, the angle of the pointer 45a of the tachometer 45 changes. In the speed change driving mode, as described above, the speaker 40 outputs a sound (engine sound) linked to the virtual engine speed Ne. Through such a sound from the speaker 40 and the display of the tachometer 45, the driver feels as if he is driving an engine car with an engine and a manual transmission. In addition, the tachometer 45 is not displayed on the display 42 in the motor driving mode. Therefore, the driver can recognize that the vehicle is driving in the speed change driving mode through the display of the tachometer 45 on the display 42, that is, the display of the virtual engine speed Ne. This allows the driver to recognize whether the vehicle is traveling in the motor travel mode or the speed change travel mode.

[0029] In the electric car 20 of the embodiment described above, when the speed change driving mode is selected by the mode switching switch 68, the display 42 is controlled to display the hypothetical engine speed Ne, and when the electric motor driving mode is selected by the mode switching switch 68, the display 42 is controlled not to display the hypothetical engine speed Ne, thereby enabling the driver to identify whether the vehicle is driving in the electric motor driving mode or the speed change driving mode.

[0030] In the above embodiment, in the speed change driving mode, the ECU 50 displays the tachometer 45 and the speedometer 44 in the same size side by side horizontally on the display 42, and displays the power meter 43 in the form of a bar below the speedometer 44. However, in the speed change driving mode, the tachometer 45, the speedometer 44, and the power meter 43 may be displayed side by side horizontally in the same size on the display 42, or the sizes of the tachometer 45, the speedometer 44, and the power meter 43 may be different, or the power meter 43 may not be displayed.

[0031] In the above embodiment, the shift position SP is changed by the driver's operation of the shift lever 61. However, the present disclosure may also be applied to a case where two paddle switches are provided near the steering wheel and the shift position SP is changed by upshifting or downshifting based on paddle signals from the paddle switches.

[0032] The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the column of the technical solution for solving the problem is explained. In this embodiment, the motor 32 is equivalent to the "motor", the mode switching switch 68 is equivalent to the "mode selection device", the ECU 50 is equivalent to the "control device", and the display 42 is equivalent to the "display device".

[0033] In addition, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the column of the technical solution for solving the problem is an example of a way to specifically explain the embodiment for implementing the invention described in the column of the technical solution for solving the problem, and therefore does not limit the elements of the invention described in the column of the technical solution for solving the problem. That is, the interpretation of the invention described in the column of the technical solution for solving the problem should be based on the description in this column, and the embodiment is only a specific example of the invention described in the column of the technical solution for solving the problem.

[0034] Although the embodiments for implementing the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to such embodiments at all, and can of course be implemented in various forms within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0035] Industrial Applicability

[0036] The present disclosure can be used in the manufacturing industry of electric vehicles.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle having: The electric motor outputs torque to a drive shaft connected to the axle; a mode selection device for selecting, by operation of a driver, one of a plurality of driving modes including a motor driving mode and a speed-changing driving mode, wherein the motor driving mode is a mode of driving while controlling the motor so that the torque output to the drive shaft based on the driver's shift operation becomes a torque simulating the behavior of torque in an engine vehicle having an engine and a stepped transmission; A display device for displaying information; and a control device that controls the electric motor to travel in the travel mode selected by the mode selection device and controls the display device, wherein: When the speed change driving mode is selected through the mode selection device, the control device controls the display device to display the simulated speed of the engine in the engine vehicle, which simulates the behavior of the torque in the speed change driving mode, and a speedometer indicating the vehicle speed side by side horizontally, and displays a power meter below the speedometer, the power meter indicating the power output from the electric motor. When the electric motor driving mode is selected through the mode selection device, the display device is controlled to display the speedometer and the power meter without displaying the simulated speed.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The electric vehicle includes a sound output device that outputs sound in a manner that can be recognized auditorily. The control device controls the sound output device to output a sound linked to the simulated rotation speed when the speed change driving mode is selected by the mode selection device.

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