Vehicle control device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that performs a first hardware protection control on the basis of a component-related parameter indicating the state or operating environment of a vehicle-mounted component when a driving mode is an automatic driving mode, and performs a second hardware protection control on the basis of a component-related parameter indicating the state or operating environment of the vehicle-mounted component when the driving mode is a manual driving mode. Second hardware protection control having higher protection performance of the in-vehicle component than the first hardware protection control is performed on the basis of the component-related parameter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device for a vehicle having an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technology has been proposed for protecting vehicle-mounted components by controlling the output torque to be limited when the oil temperature of the vehicle transmission is high (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-214408).

[0003] However, the inventors of the present disclosure have found that the necessity of component protection changes when the vehicle is running in a manual driving mode and when the vehicle is running in an automatic driving mode. Therefore, it is desirable to perform component protection suitable for the driving mode. Summary of the invention

[0004] A vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is used for a vehicle having an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode as driving modes, wherein:

[0005] When the driving mode is the automatic driving mode, a first hardware protection control is performed according to a component-related parameter indicating a state or an operating environment of an in-vehicle component,

[0006] When the driving mode is the manual driving mode, a second hardware protection control having a higher protection performance of the in-vehicle component than the first hardware protection control is executed according to the component-associated parameter.

[0007] According to the vehicle control device, in the manual driving mode, the protection performance of the vehicle components can be improved compared with the automatic driving mode, and in the automatic driving mode, the driving performance of the vehicle can be improved compared with the manual driving mode.

[0008] In the vehicle control device involved in the above-mentioned embodiment, it may be that:

[0009] The autonomous driving mode includes a manned autonomous driving mode and an unmanned autonomous driving mode.

[0010] The vehicle control device is configured so that, in the first hardware protection control, in the manned automatic driving mode, protection performance of the vehicle-mounted component is improved compared to that in the unmanned automatic driving mode.

[0011] According to the vehicle control device, in the manned automatic driving mode, the protection performance of the vehicle components can be improved compared with the unmanned automatic driving mode, and in the unmanned automatic driving mode, the driving performance of the vehicle can be improved compared with the manned automatic driving mode.

[0012] In the vehicle control device involved in the above-mentioned embodiment, it may be that:

[0013] The vehicle control device is capable of executing the automatic driving mode at a plurality of automatic driving levels,

[0014] The vehicle control device is configured to improve the protection performance of the vehicle-mounted component when the autonomous driving level is a first level compared to when the autonomous driving level is a second level higher than the first level.

[0015] According to this vehicle control device, when the autonomous driving level is low, the protection performance of vehicle-mounted components can be improved, and when the autonomous driving level is high, the driving performance of the vehicle can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like elements, and in which:

[0017] Figure 1 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a power transmission system of a vehicle.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of hardware protection control.

[0019] Figure 3 It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of vehicle-mounted components that are targets of hardware protection control, component-related parameters, and hardware protection limit values.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of hardware protection control in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Figure 1 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a power transmission system of a vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 has an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode as driving modes. The vehicle 100 includes an engine 10 as an internal combustion engine, a motor drive unit 20, a transmission 30, a differential device 40, a plurality of drive wheels 50, and a vehicle control device 80.

[0022] The transmission 30 includes a first clutch 31, an electric motor 32, a lockup clutch 33, and an automatic transmission 34. The first clutch 31 has a function of disconnecting the connection between the engine 10 and the electric motor 32. The electric motor 32 is driven by the motor drive unit 20 as needed to assist the driving force of the vehicle 100. In addition, the electric vehicle (EV) can also be driven by the electric motor 32 in a state where the engine 10 is completely separated by the first clutch 31. The motor drive unit 20 includes a battery 21 and an inverter 22. The electric motor 32 can also perform a regenerative action. The regenerative power generated by the inverter 22 charges the battery 21.

[0023] The lockup clutch 33 can maintain the connection state between the engine 10 and the automatic transmission 34 in a slip state. In the slip control of the lockup clutch 33, the engagement force can be adjusted by external force such as hydraulic pressure. The output shaft of the automatic transmission 34 is connected to the differential device 40. It should be noted that Figure 1 The structure of the speed change device 30 shown is an example, and the speed change device 30 may have other structures.

[0024] A wheel speed sensor 70 is provided at each of the drive wheels 50. An accelerator opening sensor 71 for measuring an accelerator opening ACC is provided at the accelerator pedal 61. A brake pedal sensor 72 for measuring a stepping amount BRA of the brake pedal 62 is provided at the brake pedal 62. A shift position sensor 73 for measuring a shift position LP is provided at the shift lever 63. A water temperature sensor 74 for measuring a cooling water temperature Tw and an intake air temperature sensor 75 for measuring an intake air temperature Ta are provided at the engine 10. An oil temperature sensor 76 for measuring an oil temperature To of a hydraulic circuit and a clutch temperature sensor 77 for measuring a clutch temperature Tc of the lockup clutch 33 are provided at the transmission 30. A battery temperature sensor 78 for measuring a battery temperature Tb is provided at the battery 21. A motor temperature sensor 79 for measuring a motor temperature Tm is provided at the electric motor 32. The measured values ​​measured by the various sensors 70 to 79 are input to the vehicle control device 80.

[0025] The vehicle control device 80 includes a vehicle control unit 81, an automatic driving control unit 82, a driving mode setting unit 83, and a hardware protection control unit 84. The vehicle control device 80 can be constructed using one or more electronic control units (ECUs). The ECU has a processor, RAM, and ROM, and a computer program is stored in the ROM. The functions of each part 81 to 84 can be implemented by executing a computer program stored in a non-volatile storage medium by the processor. It should be noted that part of the functions of these parts 81 to 84 can also be implemented by hardware circuits.

[0026] The vehicle control unit 81 performs various controls such as drive control, brake control, and steering angle control for driving the vehicle 100. The vehicle control unit 81 is used in both automatic driving and manual driving.

[0027] The automatic driving control unit 82 performs automatic driving of the vehicle 100. Specifically, the automatic driving control unit 82 sends a driving force command value indicating the driving force of the driving unit (engine or motor), a braking command value indicating the operating state of the braking mechanism, and a steering angle command value indicating the steering angle of the wheels to the vehicle control unit 81. The vehicle control unit 81 controls each control object mechanism according to the provided command values.

[0028] In the present disclosure, "autonomous driving" refers to driving that automatically performs at least a part of drive control, brake control, and steering angle control. That is, the term "autonomous driving" includes autonomous driving from level 1 to level 5. Level 1 and level 2 autonomous driving require monitoring by the driver (driver), and therefore are called "manned autonomous driving". Manned autonomous driving includes driving using adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist systems. Level 3, level 4, and level 5 autonomous driving do not require driver monitoring, and therefore are called "unmanned autonomous driving". In unmanned autonomous driving, the operating state of the drive unit, the operating state of the brake mechanism, and the steering angle of the wheel are automatically determined. "Manual driving" refers to driving in which the driver operates the accelerator pedal for drive unit control, the brake pedal for brake control, and the steering wheel for steering angle control.

[0029] The driving mode setting unit 83 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 100 to either a manual driving mode or an automatic driving mode. In the automatic driving mode, it is also set which level of automatic driving is to be performed. The switching of the driving mode can be performed, for example, by the passenger selecting an option displayed on the display. In addition, the switching of the driving mode can also be received from an external device via wireless communication.

[0030] The hardware protection control unit 84 performs hardware protection control of vehicle-mounted components. Hardware protection control is control performed to protect vehicle-mounted components and may also be referred to as “component protection control.” In this embodiment, protection control of powertrain system components is performed in particular.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of hardware protection control. Figure 2 The following is an example of the change of the component-related parameter Tp and the hardware protection limit value Lim. The component-related parameter Tp is a parameter indicating the state or operating environment of the vehicle-mounted component to be protected. A typical example of the component-related parameter Tp is the temperature of the vehicle-mounted component. The hardware protection limit value Lim is a characteristic value that is limited for hardware protection, such as output or torque.

[0032] The component-related parameter Tp includes a first threshold value T1 for determining the start timing of hardware protection and a second threshold value T2 for determining the end timing of hardware protection. The second threshold value T2 is set to a value smaller than the first threshold value T1.

[0033] The hardware protection limit value Lim includes a normal limit value Lim1 when hardware protection control is not executed and a protection enhancement limit value Lim2 when hardware protection control is executed. The protection enhancement limit value Lim2 is set to a value lower than the normal limit value Lim1.

[0034] Before time t1, the component-related parameter Tp is less than the first threshold value T1, so the normal limit value Lim1 is applied. At time t1, when the component-related parameter Tp becomes greater than the first threshold value T1, hardware protection control is started at time t2 after a preset delay time Δt, and the protection enhancement limit value Lim2 is applied as the hardware protection limit value. However, during the delay time Δt, when the component-related parameter Tp is less than the second threshold value T2, hardware protection control is not started, and the normal limit value Lim1 is maintained.

[0035] During the period from time t2 to time t3, the component-related parameter Tp is maintained above the second threshold value T2, so the protection enhancement limit value Lim2 is applied. After time t3, the component-related parameter Tp is less than the second threshold value T2, so the hardware protection control ends and the normal limit value Lim1 is applied. According to such hardware protection control, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of adverse conditions such as failure of vehicle-mounted components.

[0036] Figure 3 This is an explanatory diagram showing examples of vehicle-mounted components that are the subject of hardware protection control, component-related parameters Tp, and hardware protection limit values. Vehicle-mounted components that are the subject of hardware protection control include, for example, the engine 10, the clutch 33, the automatic transmission 34, the electric motor 32, and the battery 21. As the component-related parameter Tp of the engine 10, the case of using the intake air temperature Ta or the outside air temperature and the case of using the cooling water temperature Tw can be considered. The intake air temperature Ta or the outside air temperature is a parameter that represents the operating environment of the engine 10. The cooling water temperature Tw is a parameter that represents the state of the engine 10. Figure 3 In the example, the component-related parameter Tp of the vehicle-mounted components other than the engine 10 is a parameter indicating the state of each vehicle-mounted component. The hardware protection limit value is the output of each of the engine 10, the electric motor 32, and the battery 21, and is the torque for the clutch 33 and the automatic transmission 34. It should be noted that the hardware protection control can also be applied to only a part of these vehicle-mounted components. In addition, vehicle-mounted components other than these can also be the subject of hardware protection control.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of hardware protection control in the embodiment. Figure 4 The processing is preferably performed regularly at regular intervals. In this embodiment, the following three types of hardware protection control are used.

[0038] Hardware protection priority control: Among the three types of hardware protection controls, the control with the highest hardware protection performance and the lowest driving performance.

[0039] Hardware protection / driving performance combined control: Among the three types of hardware protection, hardware protection performance and driving performance are respectively controlled in the middle of the performance.

[0040] Driving performance priority control: Among the three types of hardware protection controls, the control with the highest driving performance and the lowest hardware protection performance.

[0041] In S10, the hardware protection control unit 84 determines whether the current driving mode of the vehicle 100 is the automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode. If it is the manual driving mode, the process proceeds to S30, and the hardware protection control unit 84 performs hardware protection priority control.

[0042] If the current driving mode is the automatic driving mode, the process proceeds to S20, where the hardware protection control unit 84 determines whether it is the unmanned automatic driving mode or the manned automatic driving mode. As described above, the unmanned automatic driving mode is the automatic driving of levels 3 to 5, and the manned automatic driving mode is the automatic driving of levels 1 to 2. If it is the manned automatic driving mode, the process proceeds to S40, where the hardware protection control unit 84 performs hardware protection / driving performance balance control.

[0043] If the current driving mode is the unmanned automatic driving mode, the process proceeds to S50 , where the hardware protection control unit 84 performs driving performance priority control.

[0044] As described above, in this embodiment, three types of hardware protection control can be used, namely hardware protection priority control, hardware protection / driving performance balance control, and driving performance priority control. In addition, when the driving mode is a manual driving mode, a hardware protection control with higher protection performance of the vehicle components than in the automatic driving mode is executed. It should be noted that the hardware protection / driving performance balance control and the driving performance priority control are equivalent to the "first hardware protection control" of the present disclosure, and the hardware protection priority control is equivalent to the "second hardware protection control" of the present disclosure.

[0045] In hardware protection control, as a method of improving hardware protection performance, for example, at least one of the following methods may be used.

[0046] Method M1: reducing the first threshold value T1 of the component-related parameter Tp.

[0047] When the method M1 is used, the first threshold T1 is set to the lowest value in the hardware protection priority control, is set to the highest value in the running performance priority control, and is set to an intermediate value in the hardware protection / running performance balanced control.

[0048] Method M2: Shorten the delay time Δt.

[0049] When the method M2 is used, the delay time Δt is set to the longest value in the hardware protection priority control, is set to the shortest value in the running performance priority control, and is set to an intermediate value in the hardware protection / running performance balance control.

[0050] Method M3: Reduce the protection enhancement limit value Lim2.

[0051] When the method M3 is used, the protection enhancement limit value Lim2 is set to the lowest value in the hardware protection priority control, to the highest value in the driving performance priority control, and to an intermediate value therebetween in the hardware protection / driving performance balanced control.

[0052] It should be noted that two or more methods among the methods M1 to M3 may be used, and methods other than these methods may also be used.

[0053] Thus, in the present embodiment, when the driving mode is the manual driving mode, hardware protection control with higher protection performance of the vehicle-mounted components than in the automatic driving mode is executed. The reason for this is that in the manual driving mode, the driving environment and the driver's operation are unknown, so it is necessary to assume the worst situation to execute the hardware protection control, and it is desirable to execute the hardware protection control with higher hardware protection performance. On the other hand, this is because in the automatic driving mode, the vehicle 100 drives according to the driving plan, so the driving environment is almost known, so the possibility of the vehicle-mounted components causing bad conditions such as failure is low, and it is desirable to improve the driving performance. In addition, this is because, in particular, in the unmanned automatic driving mode, the predictability of the driving environment is higher, so it is desirable to attach more importance to the driving performance. In particular, in the unmanned automatic driving mode of driving on a certain route, sometimes a speed change control is performed to follow the driving of a professional driver, and there is a strong tendency to attach importance to the driving performance. In such an unmanned automatic driving mode, the component-related parameter Tp is reduced immediately after exceeding the first threshold value T1 for a very short time, so it can be expected that the possibility of the vehicle-mounted components causing bad conditions such as failure is low.

[0054] It should be noted that it can also be omitted Figure 4 In S20, the same hardware protection control is performed for the automatic driving mode regardless of its level. In this case, the hardware protection control in the manual driving mode also preferably makes the protection performance of the vehicle-mounted components higher than the hardware protection control in the automatic driving mode.

[0055] In the present embodiment, the automatic driving mode is classified into a manned automatic driving mode as automatic driving of levels 1 to 2 and an unmanned automatic driving mode as automatic driving of levels 3 to 5, but the automatic driving mode may be classified into three or more modes. In this case, the hardware protection control unit 84 also preferably performs hardware protection control so that when the automatic driving level is the first level, the protection performance of the vehicle-mounted components is improved compared to when the automatic driving level is the second level higher than the first level. In this way, the protection performance of the vehicle-mounted components can be improved when the automatic driving level is lower.

[0056] As described above, in this embodiment, when the driving mode is the manual driving mode, hardware protection control is performed with a higher protection performance of the vehicle components than in the automatic driving mode. As a result, in the manual driving mode, the protection performance of the vehicle components can be improved compared to the automatic driving mode, and in the automatic driving mode, the driving performance of the vehicle can be improved compared to the manual driving mode.

[0057] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the vehicle provided with the power transmission system including the engine is described, but the present disclosure can also be applied to a battery electric vehicle such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV).

[0058] Other ways:

[0059] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented in various ways without departing from the scope of its main purpose. For example, the present disclosure can also be implemented by the following methods (aspects). In order to solve part or all of the problems of the present disclosure, or to achieve part or all of the effects of the present disclosure, the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each method described below can be appropriately replaced or combined. In addition, if the technical feature is not described as a necessary feature in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0060] The present disclosure may be implemented in various forms other than the vehicle control device and control method, for example, in the form of a computer program for executing vehicle control, a non-transitory recording medium recording the computer program, and the like.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device for a vehicle having an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode as driving modes, wherein: When the driving mode is the automatic driving mode, a first hardware protection control is performed according to a component-related parameter indicating a state or an operating environment of an in-vehicle component, When the driving mode is the manual driving mode, a second hardware protection control having a higher protection performance of the in-vehicle component than the first hardware protection control is executed according to the component-associated parameter.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The autonomous driving mode includes a manned autonomous driving mode and an unmanned autonomous driving mode. The vehicle control device is configured so that, in the first hardware protection control, in the manned automatic driving mode, protection performance of the vehicle-mounted component is improved compared to that in the unmanned automatic driving mode.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle control device is capable of executing the automatic driving mode at a plurality of automatic driving levels, The vehicle control device is configured to improve the protection performance of the vehicle-mounted component when the autonomous driving level is a first level compared to when the autonomous driving level is a second level higher than the first level.

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