Electric vehicle, control device, and control method

Abstract

The invention relates to an electric vehicle, a control device and a control method. The electric vehicle is provided with one or more processors that control the output of the electric motor on the basis of the operation state of the driving operation member and the traveling state of the electric vehicle, and that control the gears of the transmission in accordance with a shift rule. The first gear shifting rule is a gear shifting rule when the electric vehicle is not in the on-demand mode. When the electric vehicle is in the on-demand mode, the one or more processors set the shift rule as a second shift rule. The second shift schedule is configured so as to suppress a change to the gear stage on the high-speed side compared to the first shift schedule.

Description

Electric vehicles, control devices and control methods Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an electric vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source, a control device for the electric vehicle, and a control method thereof. Particularly, this disclosure relates to an electric vehicle equipped with a transmission that, according to gear selection, changes the output of the electric motor and transmits it to the drive wheels. Background Technology

[0002] Electric motors can be controlled by adjusting the applied voltage and magnetic field to output the desired motor torque. Based on this, we can consider technologies that reproduce various driving sensations in electric vehicles by appropriately controlling the electric motors.

[0003] One of the elements that characterizes the driving experience is the driver's sense of acceleration. This sense of acceleration is a crucial factor in the driving pleasure a driver experiences. In particular, preferences for acceleration vary from driver to driver. Furthermore, drivers sometimes want to enjoy the acceleration of various moving objects based on their mood.

[0004] Therefore, the inventors of this disclosure are researching an "on-demand mode" that simulates the acceleration sensation of multiple virtual mobile bodies within an electric vehicle using multiple models obtained by modeling multiple virtual mobile bodies. In the on-demand mode, the electric motor is controlled to reproduce the acceleration characteristics of a selected virtual mobile body when driven within the electric vehicle.

[0005] However, in the past, electric vehicles equipped with transmissions have been considered. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-178741 discloses a technology for improving driving performance by shortening shift times in electric vehicles equipped with transmissions. By incorporating a transmission into an electric vehicle, the power performance of the electric vehicle can be improved.

[0006] In addition, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-191366 is a document that represents the level of technology in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Consider the scenario where an electric vehicle equipped with a transmission operates in on-demand mode. In on-demand mode, the electric vehicle is controlled to reproduce the acceleration characteristics of a virtual vehicle relative to the driver's actions. On the other hand, the transmission is controlled according to a predetermined shifting schedule within the electric vehicle. Therefore, downshifting occurs based on the driver's actions, potentially compromising the reproducibility of the virtual vehicle's acceleration characteristics. For example, consider the following scenario: during a stable transition from medium to high speed, the driver forcefully downshifts by pressing the accelerator pedal, causing the electric vehicle to accelerate rapidly.

[0008] This disclosure provides a technique for improving the reproducibility of acceleration characteristics of a virtual moving body in an electric vehicle equipped with a transmission, a control device for the electric vehicle, and a control method.

[0009] A first embodiment of this disclosure relates to an electric vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source. The electric vehicle includes: a driving control unit configured for driving; a transmission configured to change the output of the electric motor according to gear positions and transmit it to the drive wheels of the electric vehicle; and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to control the output of the electric motor based on the operating state of the driving control unit and the driving state of the electric vehicle. The one or more processors are configured to communicate with one or more storage devices. The one or more storage devices are configured to manage multiple on-demand models obtained by modeling multiple virtual moving bodies whose characteristics differ from those of the driving environment relative to the driver's driving operations. The one or more processors are configured to control the gear positions of the transmission according to a first shift rule when the electric vehicle is not in on-demand mode. The one or more processors are configured to, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, control the gear position of the transmission according to a second shift rule, retrieve an object-on-demand model corresponding to the object virtual mobile body selected from the plurality of virtual mobile bodies from the one or more storage devices, calculate the virtual acceleration of the object virtual mobile body relative to the driver's driving operation using the object-on-demand model based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle, and control the output of the electric motor so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle becomes the virtual acceleration. The second shift rule is configured to, compared with the first shift rule, suppress the change of gear to the high-speed side.

[0010] The electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure may also include the one or more storage devices.

[0011] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, the second shift rule can also be configured such that as long as the maximum value of the driving force that the electric vehicle can output at the current speed of the electric vehicle can be maintained, the shift to the high-speed side will not be performed.

[0012] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, the second shifting rule can also be configured such that the gear with the largest gear ratio is always the one that operates regardless of the operating state of the driving control component and the driving state of the electric vehicle.

[0013] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the electric vehicle is in a fuel efficiency priority state that requires fuel efficiency to be prioritized, and during the period when the electric vehicle is in the fuel efficiency priority state, control the gear of the transmission according to the first shift rule.

[0014] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors may also be configured to obtain the state of charge of the battery of the electric vehicle, and determine that the electric vehicle is in the fuel efficiency priority mode when the state of charge of the battery is below a threshold.

[0015] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors may be configured to determine whether the electric vehicle is in a high-speed driving implementation state that requires high-speed driving, and during the period when the electric vehicle is in the high-speed driving implementation state, control the gear of the transmission according to the first shift rule.

[0016] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors may be configured to control the gear of the transmission according to the first shifting rule instead of the second shifting rule when the object virtual mobile body corresponds to any one of the one or more specific mobile bodies.

[0017] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors may also be configured to calculate a target driving force of the electric vehicle for making the acceleration of the electric vehicle the virtual acceleration, and to change the motor torque output by the electric motor so as to provide the target driving force to the electric vehicle.

[0018] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, each of the plurality of on-demand models may also have parameters related to the characteristics of the driving environment. When the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors may also be configured to set the parameters of the object on-demand model according to the object virtual mobile body.

[0019] The electric vehicle according to the first embodiment of this disclosure may also include a speaker. Furthermore, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors may be configured to, based on the operating state of the driving operation components and the driving state of the electric vehicle, use the object-on-demand model to generate virtual sounds that the driver should be able to hear in the object virtual moving body for the driver's driving operations, and output the virtual sounds from the speaker.

[0020] In the electric vehicle of the first embodiment of this disclosure, the plurality of virtual mobile bodies may also include an engine vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine. When the object virtual mobile body is the engine vehicle, the virtual sound may also be a simulated engine sound generated by the internal combustion engine of the object virtual mobile body.

[0021] The second aspect of this disclosure relates to a control device for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle comprising: an electric motor serving as a drive source; a driving operation component configured for driving; and a transmission configured to change the output of the electric motor according to a gear and transmit it to the drive wheels of the electric vehicle. The control device includes one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to control the output of the electric motor based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle. The one or more processors are configured to communicate with one or more storage devices. The one or more storage devices are configured to manage multiple on-demand models obtained by modeling multiple virtual moving bodies whose characteristics differ from those of the driver's driving operations. The one or more processors are configured to control the gears of the transmission according to a first shift rule when the electric vehicle is not in on-demand mode. The one or more processors are configured to, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, control the gear position of the transmission according to a second shift rule, retrieve an object-on-demand model corresponding to the object virtual mobile body selected from the plurality of virtual mobile bodies from the one or more storage devices, calculate the virtual acceleration of the object virtual mobile body relative to the driver's driving operation using the object-on-demand model based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle, and control the output of the electric motor so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle becomes the virtual acceleration. The second shift rule is configured to, compared with the first shift rule, suppress the change of gear to the high-speed side.

[0022] The third aspect of this disclosure relates to a control method for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle comprising: an electric motor serving as a drive source; a driving operation component configured for driving; a transmission configured to change the output of the electric motor according to a gear and transmit it to the drive wheels of the electric vehicle; and a control device. The control method includes controlling the output of the electric motor based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle. The control method includes communicating with one or more storage devices. The one or more storage devices are configured to manage multiple on-demand models obtained by modeling multiple virtual moving bodies whose characteristics differ from those of the driving environment relative to the driver's driving operations. The control method includes controlling the gear of the transmission according to a first shift rule when the electric vehicle is not in on-demand mode. The control method includes: when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, controlling the gear position of the transmission according to a second shift rule; retrieving an object-on-demand model corresponding to an object virtual mobile body selected from a plurality of virtual mobile bodies from one or more storage devices; calculating the virtual acceleration of the object virtual mobile body relative to the driver's driving operation using the object-on-demand model based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle; and controlling the output of the electric motor so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle becomes the virtual acceleration. The second shift rule is configured to suppress gear changes towards higher speeds compared to the first shift rule.

[0023] According to this disclosure, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the transmission gears are controlled according to a second shift rule. Furthermore, the second shift rule is configured to suppress gear changes towards higher speeds compared to the first shift rule when the electric vehicle is not in on-demand mode. This suppresses downshifts to gears not present in the movement of the virtual moving object due to driver input. As a result, the reproducibility of the acceleration characteristics of the virtual moving object in on-demand mode is improved. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same elements, and wherein:

[0025] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the structure of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figure 2 is a tree diagram showing an example of the selection inputs accepted by the HMI for the control modes of an electric vehicle with respect to the implementation method.

[0027] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of a control device that functions as a drive control device.

[0028] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the acceleration characteristics of a virtual moving object reproduced in an electric vehicle.

[0029] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the computation unit in normal mode.

[0030] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the first gear shift pattern.

[0031] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of the on-demand computing unit.

[0032] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of impaired reproducibility of the acceleration characteristics of a virtual moving object.

[0033] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the second shift pattern.

[0034] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of an on-demand model.

[0035] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the drive control device in the embodiment.

[0036] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the on-demand mode calculation unit in the modified example.

[0037] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the drive control device in the modified example.

[0038] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the drive control device in the shift pattern setting process.

[0039] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of a control device that functions as an on-board equipment control device. Detailed Implementation

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the various figures, the same or equivalent parts are labeled with the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are simplified or omitted.

[0041] 1. Structure of the power system of an electric vehicle

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an electric vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. First, the structure of the power system of the electric vehicle 100 will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0043] The electric vehicle 100 has an electric motor (M) 2 as a driving source for travel. The electric motor 2 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor. An inverter (INV) 16 is installed in the electric motor 2. The output shaft of the electric motor 2 is connected to a transmission (T / M) 18. A reducer may also be provided between the output shaft of the electric motor 2 and the transmission 18. The transmission 18 is connected to a differential gear 6 via a drive shaft 5. The differential gear 6 is connected to left and right drive wheels 8 via left and right drive shafts 7. The drive wheels 8 can be front wheels or rear wheels. Through these structures, the transmission 18 has the function of changing the output of the electric motor 2 according to the gear and transmitting it to the drive wheels 8 of the electric vehicle 100. The gear shifting of the transmission 18 is controlled by a control device 101, described later. In particular, the control device 101 controls the gears of the transmission 18 according to the shifting rules.

[0044] The inverter 16, electric motor 2, reducer, and differential gear 6 can also be integrated as an e-drive axle. In this case, the electric vehicle 100 does not have a drive shaft 5, and the e-drive axle is connected to the drive shaft 7. Alternatively, as another variation, the electric vehicle 100 can also be a four-wheel drive system. For example, the electric vehicle 100 can also be configured to have a transfer case connected to the output shaft of the transmission 18, distributing the output of the transmission 18 to the front and rear wheels via the transfer case.

[0045] Inverter 16 is connected to battery (BATT) 14. Inverter 16 is, for example, a voltage-source inverter that controls the motor torque of electric motor 2 via PWM control. That is, electric vehicle 100 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that uses electric motor 2 as a drive source and operates using the electrical energy stored in battery 14.

[0046] 2. Structure of the control system of electric vehicles

[0047] Next, the structure of the control system of the electric vehicle 100 will be described with reference to FIG1.

[0048] The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 30. The vehicle speed sensor 30 outputs a signal indicating the speed of the electric vehicle 100. At least one of the wheel speed sensors (not shown) respectively located on the left and right front wheels and the left and right rear wheels is used as the vehicle speed sensor 30.

[0049] The electric vehicle 100 also includes an accelerator position sensor 32. The accelerator position sensor 32 is located on the accelerator pedal 22 and outputs a signal indicating the operating state of the accelerator pedal 22. The operating state of the accelerator pedal 22 typically includes the accelerator opening degree and the accelerator opening speed. It should be noted that the electric vehicle 100 may also have a manually operated lever-type or dial-type accelerator control device instead of the accelerator pedal 22. In this case, the accelerator position sensor 32 also outputs a signal indicating the operating state of these accelerator control devices.

[0050] The electric vehicle 100 also includes a brake position sensor 34. The brake position sensor 34 is located on the brake pedal 24 and outputs a signal indicating the operating state of the brake pedal 24. The operating state of the brake pedal 24 typically includes the brake opening degree and the brake opening speed.

[0051] The accelerator pedal 22 and the brake pedal 24 are driving operation components for driving the electric vehicle 100. In addition, the electric vehicle 100 may also have various driving operation components such as a steering wheel for steering-related driving.

[0052] The electric vehicle 100 also has a speed sensor 40. The speed sensor 40 is located in the electric motor 2 and outputs a signal indicating the speed of the electric motor 2.

[0053] The electric vehicle 100 also includes a battery management system (BMS) 10. The battery management system 10 is a device that monitors the cell voltage, current, temperature, etc. of the battery 14. In particular, the battery management system 10 has the function of estimating the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 14.

[0054] The electric vehicle 100 also features a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) 20. The HMI 20 provides the driver with various information via display or sound, and also accepts various inputs from the driver. The HMI 20 consists of displays (e.g., multi-information displays, instrument displays, multimedia displays), touchscreens, switches (e.g., turn signals, multimedia switches, door switches), touchpads, speakerphones, microphones, etc. For example, the HMI 20 displays various information on the displays and accepts input from the driver regarding the displayed content through touchscreen operations.

[0055] The electric vehicle 100 also includes a speaker 21. The speaker 21 includes at least an interior speaker that generates sound within the passenger compartment of the electric vehicle 100. Alternatively, the speaker 21 may also include an exterior speaker that generates sound outside the electric vehicle 100. The electric vehicle 100 may also have both an interior speaker and an exterior speaker as the speaker 21. The speaker 21 may also be configured as part of an HMI 20. The output of the speaker 21 is controlled by the control device 101, described later.

[0056] The electric vehicle 100 also features an instrument cluster 23. The instrument cluster 23 displays various information. Examples of instruments in the instrument cluster 23 include a speedometer, total odometer, tachometer, trip odometer, and remaining battery charge meter. The instrument cluster 23 can also be integrated into an HMI 20. The display of the instrument cluster 23 is controlled by the control device 101, described later.

[0057] The electric vehicle 100 includes a control device 101. Various sensors and controlled objects mounted on the electric vehicle 100 are connected to the control device 101 via an in-vehicle network such as a controller area network (CAN). In addition to the vehicle speed sensor 30, accelerator position sensor 32, brake position sensor 34, and speed sensor 40, various other sensors can be mounted on the electric vehicle 100 and connected to the control device 101 via the in-vehicle network.

[0058] The control device 101 generates control signals for various controls of the electric vehicle 100 based on signals obtained from various sensors. The control device 101 is typically an electronic control unit (ECU). The control device 101 may also be a combination of multiple ECUs. The control device 101 includes one or more processors 102 (hereinafter referred to as processor 102) and one or more storage devices 103 (hereinafter referred to as storage device 103).

[0059] Processor 102 performs various processes. Processor 102 may be composed of, for example, a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a CPU (central processing unit), a GPU (graphics processing unit), an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), a FPGA (field-programmable gate array), an integrated circuit, conventional circuitry, or a combination of one or more of these. Processor 102 may also be referred to as a processing circuit. The processing circuit is hardware programmed to implement the functions of control device 101, or hardware that performs the functions of control device 101.

[0060] Storage device 103 stores various information required for processing by processor 102. Storage device 103 may be composed of storage media such as RAM (random access memory), ROM (read-only memory), SSD (solid-state drive), or HDD (hard disk drive). Storage device 103 stores a computer program 104 executable by processor 102 and various data 105. Computer program 104 consists of multiple instruction codes describing the processing that causes processor 102 to execute. Computer program 104 is stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The functions of control device 101 are realized through the cooperation of processor 102 and storage device 103 executing computer program 104.

[0061] The control device 101 of this embodiment has at least two control modes for controlling the electric vehicle 100: a normal mode and an on-demand mode. The control of the electric vehicle 100 performed by the control device 101 changes depending on the selected control mode. The control modes of the electric vehicle 100 will be described below.

[0062] 3 Control modes of electric vehicles

[0063] As described above, the electric vehicle 100 has at least two control modes: a normal mode and an on-demand mode. The normal mode is the control mode that enables the electric vehicle 100 to operate as a typical BEV. On the other hand, the on-demand mode is the control mode that reproduces the driving environment characteristics of a virtual mobile body (hereinafter referred to as "object virtual mobile body") selected from a plurality of virtual mobile bodies within the electric vehicle 100. When the electric vehicle 100 is in on-demand mode, the control device 101 controls the electric vehicle 100 so that the driver can obtain a driving environment similar to that of driving an object mobile body. In particular, the driving environment characteristics of the virtual object mobile body reproduced in on-demand mode include the acceleration characteristics of the virtual mobile body relative to the driver's driving operations. Details regarding the control of the electric vehicle 100 in both the normal mode and on-demand mode will be described later.

[0064] In on-demand mode, multiple virtual mobile bodies include various mobile bodies whose driving environment characteristics differ from those of a driver's driving operations. A "mobile body" is a general term for any vehicle that a driver can operate by manipulating driving control components. Virtual mobile bodies are typically vehicles with driving environment characteristics different from an electric vehicle 100. However, virtual mobile bodies can also be various forms of transportation such as motorcycles or trams. Each virtual mobile body can be a virtual mobile body assuming a real mobile body, or a virtual mobile body assuming a mobile body that does not exist in reality. Differences in acceleration characteristics, as a driving environment characteristic, usually arise from differences in the structure of the power transmission system from the drive source to the drive wheels, and differences in the control methods of the power transmission system. Therefore, multiple virtual mobile bodies can also be considered to include various mobile bodies with differences in at least some elements related to the structure and control methods of the power transmission system. Hereinafter, for simplicity, it is assumed that each virtual mobile body is a vehicle.

[0065] The control mode is selected by the driver operating the HMI20. The HMI20 is configured to accept the control mode selection input from the driver. Furthermore, the HMI20 is configured to accept the driver's selection input regarding the on-demand mode for the virtual moving object.

[0066] Figure 2 is a tree diagram illustrating an example of the selection inputs accepted by the HMI20. For example, the HMI20 accepts selection inputs from the driver via a display or touchscreen, as shown in the tree diagram in Figure 2, as described below.

[0067] First, the HMI20 displays a setup menu screen on the monitor or touchscreen based on the driver's input. The initial screen of the setup menu displays the options "Control Mode" and "Object Virtual Movement." The "Control Mode" option is used to accept the driver's selection input for the control mode. The "Object Virtual Movement" option is used to accept the driver's selection input for the object virtual movement.

[0068] When the "Control Mode" option is selected, the "Normal Mode" and "On-Demand Mode" options are then displayed on the settings menu screen. When "Normal Mode" is selected, the HMI20 determines the control mode of the electric vehicle 100 as Normal Mode. When "On-Demand Mode" is selected, the HMI20 determines the control mode of the electric vehicle 100 as On-Demand Mode. Thus, the HMI20 accepts the control mode selection input from the driver.

[0069] On the other hand, when the option "Object Virtual Mobile Body" is selected, the options "CONV" and "HEV" are then displayed on the settings menu screen. The options "CONV" and "HEV" represent the categories of multiple virtual mobile bodies selectable in on-demand mode. CONV represents conventional vehicles with existing internal combustion engines. HEV represents hybrid electronic vehicles. When the option "CONV" is selected, the options "Virtual Mobile Body A1," "Virtual Mobile Body A2," and "Virtual Mobile Body B1" are then displayed on the settings menu screen. Virtual Mobile Body A1, Virtual Mobile Body A2, and Virtual Mobile Body B1 are virtual mobile bodies classified as CONV among the multiple selectable virtual mobile bodies. Similarly, when the option "HEV" is selected, the options "Virtual Mobile Body C1" and "Virtual Mobile Body C2" are then displayed on the settings menu screen. Virtual Mobile Body C1 and Virtual Mobile Body C2 are virtual mobile bodies classified as HEV among the multiple selectable virtual mobile bodies. When any of these options is selected, the HMI20 identifies the selected virtual mobile body as the object virtual mobile body. For example, if option "Virtual Mobile Body A2" is selected, the HMI20 identifies virtual mobile body A2 as the object virtual mobile body. Thus, the HMI20 accepts the selection input of the object virtual mobile body from the driver.

[0070] The above description uses multiple categories of virtual vehicles as an example, and the options related to these categories can be changed accordingly. For example, the options related to the categories could also include options representing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Additionally, the options related to the categories could also represent other categories, such as those related to the type of drive source (e.g., turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine, V12 engine, battery, fuel cell). Alternatively, when the "On-Demand Mode" option is selected, the settings menu screen can display options related to virtual vehicles instead of those related to categories.

[0071] Furthermore, the names displayed on the settings menu screen for each option can be appropriately provided with consideration for the driver's ease of understanding. For example, in the options related to virtual vehicles, the displayed name could be a specific name that the driver can easily imagine, such as a car model or product name.

[0072] As explained above, the driver can select a control mode by operating the HMI20. The control device 101 controls the electric vehicle 100 according to the selected control mode.

[0073] In this embodiment, the control device 101 functions as a drive control device that controls the drive of the electric vehicle 100 by controlling the output of the electric motor 2 and the gear position of the transmission 18 according to the driver's driving operation. Specifically, the control device 101 functions as a drive control device by executing the computer program 104 for drive control stored in the storage device 103 by the processor 102. The control of the electric vehicle 100 by the drive control device will be described below.

[0074] 4 Drive Control Device

[0075] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of the drive control device 101a. The drive control device 101a calculates the target driving force TF and the target gear TG of the electric vehicle 100 based on the driver's driving operations. Then, the drive control device 101a controls the electric motor 2 and the transmission 18 to achieve the calculated target driving force TF and target gear TG.

[0076] Signals from the HMI 20 and sensor system 50 are input to the drive control unit 101a. Sensor system 50 includes a vehicle speed sensor 30, an accelerometer position sensor 32, a brake position sensor 34, a speed sensor 40, and a battery management system 10. Sensor system 50 may also include: a steering angle sensor for detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel; a yaw rate sensor for detecting the yaw rate of the electric vehicle 100; an IMU (inertial measurement unit) for detecting the attitude of the electric vehicle 100; and sensors (e.g., cameras, radar, LiDAR) for detecting the surrounding environment of the electric vehicle 100.

[0077] The signals input from HMI20 to drive control unit 101a include signals indicating the control mode selected by the driver and signals indicating the virtual moving object selected by the driver. The signals input from sensor system 50 to drive control unit 101a include signals indicating the vehicle speed of electric vehicle 100, signals indicating the operating state of accelerator pedal 22, signals indicating the operating state of brake pedal 24, signals indicating the rotational speed of electric motor 2, and signals indicating the state of charge (SOC) of battery 14.

[0078] The drive control device 101a includes a mode information acquisition unit 110, a normal mode calculation unit 120, an on-demand mode calculation unit 130, an adjustment unit 140, an electric motor control unit 150, and a transmission control unit 160 as functional blocks. These functional blocks are implemented through the cooperation of the processor 102 that executes the computer program 104 and the storage device 103.

[0079] The mode information acquisition unit 110 receives a signal from the HMI 20 and obtains information about whether a normal mode or an on-demand mode has been selected. Additionally, the mode information acquisition unit 110 acquires information about the selected virtual mobile entity from a plurality of virtual mobile entities. The mode information acquisition unit 110 sends the selected control mode information to the mediation unit 140. Furthermore, the mode information acquisition unit 110 sends the selected virtual mobile entity information to the on-demand mode calculation unit 130.

[0080] The normal mode calculation unit 120 calculates the target driving force NF (hereinafter referred to as "normal target driving force NF") and the target gear NG (hereinafter referred to as "normal target gear NG") for the normal mode based on signals from the sensor system 50. The normal target driving force NF and the normal target gear NG are the target driving force and target gear for enabling the electric vehicle 100 to operate as a normal BEV, respectively. Details of the processing performed by the normal mode calculation unit 120 will be described later. The normal mode calculation unit 120 sends the calculated normal target driving force NF and normal target gear NG to the adjustment unit 140.

[0081] The on-demand mode calculation unit 130 obtains information about the target virtual moving body from the mode information acquisition unit 110. Furthermore, based on signals from the sensor system 50, the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 calculates the target driving force OF (hereinafter referred to as "on-demand target driving force OF") and the target gear OG (hereinafter referred to as "on-demand target gear OG") as the on-demand mode. The on-demand target driving force OF is the target driving force used to reproduce the acceleration characteristics of the virtual moving body relative to the driver's driving operation in the electric vehicle 100. Details of the processing performed by the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 will be described later. The on-demand mode calculation unit 130 sends the calculated on-demand target driving force OF and on-demand target gear OG to the adjustment unit 140.

[0082] The adjustment unit 140 adjusts the target driving force TF for controlling the electric motor 2 and the target gear TG for controlling the transmission 18 according to the selected control mode. The adjustment unit 140 performs processing 141 for adjusting the target driving force TF and processing 142 for adjusting the target gear TG.

[0083] In process 141, during the period when the on-demand mode is selected, the adjustment unit 140 sends the on-demand target driving force OF calculated by the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 to the electric motor control unit 150. Additionally, during the period when the normal mode is selected, the adjustment unit 140 sends the normal target driving force NF calculated by the normal mode calculation unit 120 to the electric motor control unit 150. In process 141, the adjustment unit 140 may also gradually change the target driving force TF sent to the electric motor control unit 150 when the control mode is switched. For example, when the control mode is switched from the normal mode to the on-demand mode, the adjustment unit 140 may set the value of the target driving force TF as the value that gradually changes from the normal target driving force NF to the on-demand target driving force OF during a certain switching period.

[0084] In processing 142, during the period when the on-demand mode is selected, the adjustment unit 140 sends the on-demand target gear OG calculated by the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 to the transmission control unit 160. Additionally, during the period when the normal mode is selected, the adjustment unit 140 sends the normal target gear NG calculated by the normal mode calculation unit 120 to the transmission control unit 160.

[0085] It should be noted that the drive control device 101a can also be configured to not perform the processing involved in the normal mode calculation unit 120 during the period when the on-demand mode is selected. Similarly, the drive control device 101a can also be configured to not perform the processing involved in the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 during the period when the normal mode is selected. By configuring it as described above, the processing load of the drive control device 101a in each control mode can be reduced.

[0086] The electric motor control unit 150 controls the electric motor 2 to achieve the target driving force TF sent from the regulating unit 140. More specifically, the electric motor control unit 150 generates a control signal for the inverter 16 based on the target driving force TF. Furthermore, the electric motor control unit 150 changes the motor torque output by the electric motor 2 through PWM control based on the inverter 16.

[0087] The transmission control unit 160 controls the transmission 18 to achieve the target gear TG sent from the adjustment unit 140. More specifically, the transmission control unit 160 generates a control signal for the transmission 18 based on the target gear TG. The transmission 18 changes gears according to the control signal from the transmission control unit 160.

[0088] Thus, the drive control unit 101a calculates the target driving force TF and target gear TG of the electric vehicle 100 according to the control mode, and controls the electric motor 2 and the transmission 18 to achieve the calculated target driving force TF and target gear TG. Specifically, according to the drive control unit 101a, during the period when the on-demand mode is selected, the electric motor 2 is controlled to reproduce the acceleration characteristics of the virtual moving object in the electric vehicle 100. On the other hand, during the period when the normal mode is selected, the acceleration characteristics of the electric vehicle 100 become the acceleration characteristics of a typical BEV.

[0089] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the acceleration characteristic VC of a virtual moving object reproduced in an electric vehicle 100. Additionally, in Figure 4, for comparison, an example of the output characteristic MF representing the acceleration (driving force) that the electric vehicle 100 can output is shown. The output characteristic MF varies depending on the gear position of the transmission 18. Specifically, the larger the gear ratio of the transmission 18, the greater the maximum acceleration (driving force) of the electric vehicle 100. On the other hand, the larger the gear ratio of the transmission 18, the lower the maximum speed of the electric vehicle 100. In Figure 4, for the case where the transmission 18 has three gears (1st, 2nd, 3rd), three output characteristics MF-1 (dashed line), MF-2 (single-dot line), and MF-3 (dotted line) are shown for each gear. The gear ratios of output characteristics MF-1, MF-2, and MF-3 increase sequentially. That is, output characteristics MF-1, MF-2, and MF-3 are the output characteristics MF when the transmission 18 is in gear 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. Each output characteristic MF can also be considered as the acceleration characteristics of the electric vehicle 100 during the period when the normal mode is selected.

[0090] During the period when the on-demand mode is selected, the acceleration characteristics of the electric vehicle 100 reproduce the acceleration characteristics VC of the virtual mobile object. Therefore, the acceleration characteristics of the electric vehicle 100 during the period when the on-demand mode is selected vary to various modes corresponding to the virtual mobile object by changing the virtual mobile object. As a result, in on-demand mode, the driver can enjoy the acceleration sensation of various virtual mobile objects in the electric vehicle 100.

[0091] The following is a detailed description of the processing performed by the normal mode calculation unit 120 and the on-demand mode calculation unit 130.

[0092] 4.1 Normal Mode Calculation Unit

[0093] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the normal mode calculation unit 120. The normal mode calculation unit 120 calculates the normal target driving force NF and the normal target gear NG. The normal mode calculation unit 120 includes a normal target driving force calculation unit 122 and a normal target gear calculation unit 123 as functional blocks.

[0094] The target driving force calculation unit 122 calculates the target driving force NF based on signals from the sensor system 50 using a mapping M11. The mapping M11 provides the target driving force NF using the operating state of the driving control components and the driving state of the electric vehicle 100 as parameters. For example, the mapping M11 provides the target driving force NF using the accelerator pedal 22's accelerator opening and the electric motor 2's rotational speed as parameters. Furthermore, the mapping M11 can also be configured to provide the target driving force NF using the brake pedal 24's brake opening and the battery 14's state of charge (SOC) as parameters. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the processing involved in the target driving force calculation unit 122 can be appropriately modified. The processing involved in the target driving force calculation unit 122 can employ appropriate methods known in conventional BEVs for calculating the target driving force. The normal mode calculation unit 120 outputs the target driving force NF calculated by the target driving force calculation unit 122.

[0095] Normally, the target gear calculation unit 123 acquires various signals from the sensor system 50. Additionally, the normally target gear calculation unit 123 acquires the normally target driving force NF calculated by the normally target driving force calculation unit 122. Next, the normally target gear calculation unit 123 calculates the normally target gear NG according to the first shift rule 301. The first shift rule 301 is a shift rule that specifies the shift timing in normal mode (where the control mode is not on-demand mode), and can be pre-stored as data 105 in the storage device 103. Based on the shift rule, the operating range of each gear within the range of acceleration (driving force) achievable by the electric vehicle 100 is determined relative to the current vehicle speed and target driving force of the electric vehicle 100. The shift rule can also be given by a shift line diagram. The first shift rule 301 is appropriately configured considering the fuel efficiency and maintenance performance of the electric vehicle 100.

[0096] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the first shift rule 301. Figure 6 illustrates an example of the first shift rule 301 for a transmission 18 with three gears (1st, 2nd, and 3rd), similar to the case shown in Figure 4. Figure 6 shows the usage area RU for each gear determined by the first shift rule 301. Usage area RU-1 is the usage area RU for the 1st gear. Usage area RU-2 is the usage area RU for the 2nd gear. Usage area RU-3 is the usage area RU for the 3rd gear. As shown in Figure 6, the gear used relative to the current vehicle speed and target driving force of the electric vehicle 100 can be determined based on the usage area RU determined by the first shift rule 301. In particular, the shift timing occurs when traversing the usage area RU.

[0097] Normal target gear calculation unit 123 calculates the normal target gear NG according to the first shift rule 301 shown in FIG6, using the gear determined based on the current vehicle speed of electric vehicle 100 and normal target driving force NF as the normal target gear NG. Normal mode calculation unit 120 outputs the normal target gear NG calculated by normal target gear calculation unit 123.

[0098] As explained above, the normal mode calculation unit 120 calculates the normal target driving force NF and the normal target gear NG. Next, the processing performed by the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 will be described.

[0099] 4.2 On-Demand Computing Department

[0100] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of the on-demand mode calculation unit 130. The on-demand mode calculation unit 130 calculates the on-demand target driving force OF and the on-demand target gear OG. The on-demand mode calculation unit 130 includes a virtual driving environment calculation unit 131, an on-demand target driving force calculation unit 132, and an on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 as functional blocks. Furthermore, the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 is configured to access the on-demand model database D10.

[0101] The on-demand model database D10 is a database that manages multiple on-demand models 200 obtained by modeling multiple virtual mobile bodies. The on-demand model database D10 can be stored as data 105 in the storage device 103. Furthermore, each on-demand model 200 managed by the on-demand model database D10 can be updated at any time. Additionally, new on-demand models 200 can be downloaded from the on-demand model database D10 at any time. It should be noted that the on-demand model database D10 can also be stored on an external server, etc. In this case, when using each on-demand model 200 of the on-demand model database D10, the on-board device and the external server can communicate to obtain (download) the required on-demand model 200. In the example shown in Figure 7, the on-demand model database D10 manages three on-demand models 200-A, 200-B, and 200-C. Each on-demand model 200 is a model that simulates the driving environment of a virtual mobile body relative to the driver's driving operations, taking the operating state of the driving operation components and the driving state of the electric vehicle 100 as inputs. In particular, each on-demand model 200 is configured to simulate the acceleration characteristics of a virtual mobile body. That is, each on-demand model 200 is configured to at least simulate the driving force provided to the virtual mobile body relative to the driver's driving operation and the acceleration and deceleration of the virtual mobile body caused by the action of the driving force. The simulation results of the acceleration and deceleration of the virtual mobile body based on each on-demand model 200 include the virtual acceleration VA of the virtual mobile body.

[0102] Typically, each on-demand model 200 includes a control model simulating the control system associated with the powertrain of the virtual mobile body, and an equipment model simulating the acceleration and deceleration of the virtual mobile body based on control signals from the control model. In this case, the equipment model includes a model of the powertrain system that operates based on control signals from the control model, and a model for simulating the motion of the virtual mobile body caused by the action of virtual driving forces from the powertrain system model. An example of the structure of the on-demand model 200 will be described later.

[0103] Each on-demand model 200 also has parameters 201 related to the movement of the virtual moving body in the simulation. Examples of parameters 201 include weight, wheel diameter, gear ratio, maximum torque of the drive source, drive torque response, and shift pattern. The content of parameters 201 can also vary for each on-demand model 200. The on-demand model 200 represents a virtual moving body model through a combination of its parameter 201 settings. For example, as shown in the table below, each virtual moving body represents a virtual moving body model through a combination of the on-demand model 200 and the parameter 201 settings. As shown in the table below, the same on-demand model 200 can also correspond to different virtual moving bodies. This is because the types of powertrain systems are the same, and the state of each virtual moving body can be represented by changing the settings of parameter 201.

[0104] [Table 1]

[0105] The virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 obtains information about the target virtual mobile body from the mode information acquisition unit 110. Based on the obtained information, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 refers to the on-demand model database D10 and reads the on-demand model 200 (target on-demand model) corresponding to the target virtual mobile body. Then, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 sets the parameter 201 of the read on-demand model 200 according to the target virtual mobile body. For example, when the target virtual mobile body is "virtual mobile body B1" in the above table, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 refers to the on-demand model database D10 and reads the on-demand model 200-B. Next, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 sets the parameter 201-B of the on-demand model 200-B to the set value B1.

[0106] The virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 uses the read object-on-demand model to simulate a virtual driving environment for the virtual moving object in relation to the driver's driving operations. More specifically, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 receives signals from the sensor system 50 to obtain information on the operating states of driving operation components input to the object-on-demand model and information on the driving state of the electric vehicle 100. For example, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 obtains the accelerator opening degree of the accelerator pedal 22 and the vehicle speed of the electric vehicle 100. Furthermore, depending on the structure of the object-on-demand model, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 can also obtain information such as the accelerator opening speed of the accelerator pedal 22, the brake opening degree and brake opening speed of the brake pedal 24, the steering angle of the steering wheel, and the yaw rate of the electric vehicle 100. Next, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 simulates the virtual driving environment for the virtual moving object by inputting the obtained information into the object-on-demand model. In particular, the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 calculates the virtual acceleration VA of the virtual moving object in relation to the driver's driving operations through the simulation of the virtual driving environment of the virtual moving object. The virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 sends the calculated virtual acceleration VA to the on-demand target driving force calculation unit 132.

[0107] When the on-demand target driving force calculation unit 132 obtains the virtual acceleration VA, it calculates the driving force used to make the acceleration of the electric vehicle 100 become the virtual acceleration VA as the on-demand target driving force OF. For example, as shown in the following formula, the on-demand target driving force calculation unit 132 uses a simple inverse model of the electric vehicle 100 to convert the virtual acceleration VA into the on-demand target driving force OF. In the following formula, m is the weight of the electric vehicle 100, and F... load This is the actual driving resistance applied to the electric vehicle 100. The on-demand mode calculation unit 130 outputs the on-demand target driving force OF calculated by the on-demand target driving force calculation unit 132.

[0108] [Mathematical Expression 1]

[0109] OF=m*VA-F load

[0110] The on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 acquires various signals from the sensor system 50. Additionally, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 acquires the on-demand target driving force OF calculated by the on-demand target driving force calculation unit 132. Next, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 calculates the on-demand target gear OG based on the acquired information.

[0111] Here, it is also possible to consider configuring the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 to calculate the on-demand target gear OG according to the same first shift rule 301 as the normal mode. However, if the on-demand target gear OG is calculated according to the first shift rule 301, a downshift may occur depending on the driver's driving operation, resulting in a gear that does not appear in the movement of the virtual moving object. As a result, the reproducibility of the acceleration characteristic VC of the virtual moving object may be impaired.

[0112] Figure 8 illustrates an example of how downshifting can impair the reproducibility of the acceleration characteristics of a virtual moving object. Figure 8 shows the accelerator opening, the virtual acceleration VA of the virtual moving object (dotted line), the acceleration of the electric vehicle 100 (solid line), and the time variation of the gear position. In the example shown in Figure 8, at time t0, the driver forcibly downshifts by pressing the accelerator pedal 22. As a result, from time t1, the virtual acceleration VA increases significantly. Furthermore, along with this increase in virtual acceleration VA, at time t1, a downshift occurs from 2nd to 1st. Due to this downshift, the acceleration of the electric vehicle 100 stagnates, and between time t1 and time t2, a deviation occurs between the acceleration of the electric vehicle 100 and the virtual acceleration VA. If downshifting occurs in this manner, the reproducibility of the acceleration characteristics of the virtual moving object may be impaired.

[0113] Therefore, in this embodiment, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 is configured to calculate the on-demand target gear OG according to a second shift rule 302, which is different from the first shift rule 301. The second shift rule 302 is a shift rule that specifies the shift timing in the on-demand mode, and can be pre-stored as data 105 in the storage device 103. In particular, the second shift rule 302 is configured to suppress gear changes towards the high-speed side compared to the first shift rule 301. Specifically, the second shift rule 302 can be configured as follows.

[0114] The first specific example is: A second shift rule 302 is constructed such that as long as the maximum driving force output by the electric vehicle 100 can be maintained at the current vehicle speed, a gear change to the higher speed side is not performed. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the second specific example of the second shift rule 302. Figure 9 shows a case where the transmission 18 has three gears (1st, 2nd, and 3rd), similar to the first shift rule 301 shown in Figure 6. In the example shown in Figure 9, region RU-1 is used to extend to the vehicle speed V1 at which the maximum driving force can be maintained in the 1st gear. Similarly, region RU-2 is used to extend to the vehicle speed V2 at which the maximum driving force can be maintained in the 2nd gear. It can be seen that the second shift rule 302 shown in Figure 9, compared to the first shift rule 301 shown in Figure 6, suppresses gear changes to the higher speed side.

[0115] The second specific example is: A second shift rule 302 is configured such that regardless of the operating state of the driving control components or the driving state of the electric vehicle 100, the gear with the highest gear ratio is always present. That is, according to the second specific example, the gear of the transmission 18 is fixed at the gear with the highest gear ratio. For example, as shown in Figure 4, when the transmission 18 has three gears (1st, 2nd, 3rd), the gear is fixed at 1st. By configuring the second shift rule 302 in this way, changes to gears towards higher speeds can also be suppressed.

[0116] By calculating the on-demand target gear OG according to a second shift rule 302, which differs from the first shift rule 301, gear changes towards the high-speed side are suppressed in on-demand mode. This suppresses downshifts to gears not present in the movement of the virtual moving object due to driver input. Consequently, the reproducibility of the acceleration characteristics of the virtual moving object is improved.

[0117] The on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 calculates the on-demand target gear OG according to the second shift rule 302 shown in Figure 9, using the gear determined based on the current vehicle speed of the electric vehicle 100 and the on-demand target driving force OF as the on-demand target gear OG. The on-demand mode calculation unit 130 outputs the on-demand target gear OG calculated by the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133.

[0118] As explained above, the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 calculates the on-demand target driving force OF and the on-demand target gear OG.

[0119] 4.2.1 Structural Example of the On-Demand Model

[0120] The following describes an example of the structure of the on-demand model 200 managed by the on-demand model database D10. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the on-demand model 200. The on-demand model 200 includes a control model 210 and a device model 220. The control model 210 simulates the control system related to the power transmission system of the virtual mobile body. The device model 220 simulates the acceleration and deceleration of the virtual mobile body based on the control signals from the control model 210. The device model 220 includes a model of the power transmission system that operates based on the control signals from the control model 210 and a model for simulating the movement of the virtual mobile body caused by the action of the virtual driving force of the power transmission system model. The control model 210 can also be described as simulating the control system used to calculate the required output of the power transmission system of the virtual mobile body. In addition, the device model 220 can also be described as simulating the physical constraints on the required output of the power transmission system.

[0121] The specifications of the control model 210 and the equipment model 220 can vary depending on the type of powertrain system. For example, the structures of the control system, transmission, and drive system differ in CONV and HEV. Therefore, the on-demand model 200 for CONV and the on-demand model 200 for HEV have different specifications for the control model 210 and equipment model 220, respectively. The example shown in Figure 10 specifically illustrates the case where the virtual vehicle is an automatic transmission (AT) vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine.

[0122] Control model 210 includes a target virtual driving force calculation unit 211 and a demand output calculation unit 212. The target virtual driving force calculation unit 211 calculates the virtual driving force (target virtual driving force) required by the powertrain system of the virtual moving body based on the accelerator opening and vehicle speed. For example, the target virtual driving force calculation unit 211 uses a mapping of the target virtual driving force provided by the combination of accelerator opening and vehicle speed for calculation. The demand output calculation unit 212 calculates the demand output for the powertrain system to meet the calculated target virtual driving force. The calculated demand output includes the target engine torque of the internal combustion engine and the target gear of the transmission. Control model 210 sends the calculated demand output to device model 220.

[0123] Equipment model 220 includes an internal combustion engine model 221, a transmission model 222, a drive system model 223, and a vehicle / environment model 224. The internal combustion engine model 221, transmission model 222, and drive system model 223 are models of the power transmission system from the drive source to the drive wheels. The vehicle / environment model 224 is a model used to simulate the motion of a virtual moving body caused by the virtual driving force of the power transmission system model.

[0124] Internal combustion engine model 221 is a model of the internal combustion engine of the virtual moving body. Internal combustion engine model 221, for example, simulates the action of the internal combustion engine relative to the input torque of the target engine. Internal combustion engine model 221 outputs virtual engine speed VNe and virtual engine torque VTe. Parameters 201 in internal combustion engine model 221 that can be changed according to the object virtual moving body include, for example, maximum engine torque and engine torque responsiveness.

[0125] The transmission model 222 is a model of the transmission of the virtual moving body. For example, the transmission model 222 simulates the action of the transmission relative to the input of the target gear. The transmission model 222 outputs the virtual transmission output torque based on the virtual engine torque VTe output by the internal combustion engine model 221 and the gear ratio determined by the virtual gear. The transmission model 222 includes a stepped transmission model simulating a stepped transmission and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) model simulating a continuously variable transmission. Either the stepped transmission model or the CVT model is selected based on the target virtual moving body. Parameters 201 that can be changed in the transmission model 222 according to the target virtual moving body include, for example, the gear ratio and shift pattern. In the case of the stepped transmission model, the gear ratio refers to the ratio of the number of teeth in each gear.

[0126] Drive system model 223 is a model of the drive system of the virtual moving body. Drive system model 223, for example, models the mechanical structure from the transmission to the drive wheels. Drive system model 223 uses the output torque of the virtual transmission from transmission model 222 and a specified reduction ratio to calculate the drive wheel torque and output the virtual driving force of the virtual moving body. Parameters 201 that can be changed in drive system model 223 according to the virtual moving body include, for example, the reduction ratio and the maximum allowable torque of the drive shaft.

[0127] Vehicle / environment model 224 is a model representing the mechanical characteristics and driving environment of the virtual mobile body. Vehicle / environment model 224 calculates the driving resistance acting on the virtual mobile body based on its driving environment. Then, vehicle / environment model 224 simulates the acceleration and deceleration of the virtual mobile body based on the virtual driving force output from drive system model 223, the calculated driving resistance, and the mechanical characteristics of the virtual mobile body. Vehicle / environment model 224 outputs a virtual acceleration VA based on the acceleration and deceleration of the virtual mobile body. Parameters 201 that can be changed in vehicle / environment model 224 according to the virtual mobile body include, for example, weight, wheel diameter, and CD value.

[0128] As explained above, an on-demand model 200 can be constructed. The on-demand model 200 shown in Figure 10 is an example. The on-demand model 200 can also be configured to be a part of the model in greater detail depending on the phenomenon that needs to be emphasized. For example, consider the case where you want to emphasize the shock or response that accompanies the engagement and disengagement of the gears and clutches of the transmission during forced downshifting. In this case, the transmission model 222 can also be configured to reproduce in detail the planetary or Ravina type gear mechanism of the transmission, the inertia of each component, and the changes in the transmission path when the clutch is engaged or disengaged. On the other hand, if you want to reduce the computational load in the on-demand model 200, the transmission model 222 can also be simply configured to reproduce only the gear ratio.

[0129] 4.3 Processing Flow

[0130] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the drive control device 101a (more specifically, the processor 102) based on the above-described functional structure. The processing flow shown in Figure 11 is executed repeatedly at a predetermined processing cycle.

[0131] In step S110, the drive control device 101a acquires various information. For example, the drive control device 101a acquires information about the virtual moving object from the mode information acquisition unit 110. In addition, the drive control device 101a acquires information about the operating status of the driving operation components and the driving status of the electric vehicle 100 from the sensor system 50.

[0132] Next, in step S120, the drive control device 101a determines whether the control mode of the electric vehicle 100 is on-demand mode. If the electric vehicle 100 is not in on-demand mode (step S120; No), the process proceeds to step S130. If the electric vehicle 100 is in on-demand mode (step S120; Yes), the process proceeds to step S160.

[0133] In step S130 (normal mode), the drive control unit 101a calculates the normal target driving force NF based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle 100. Next, in step S140, the drive control unit 101a calculates the normal target gear NG according to the first shift rule 301. Then, in step S150, the drive control unit 101a controls the output of the electric motor 2 and the gear position of the transmission 18 based on the normal target driving force NF and the normal target gear NG.

[0134] In step S160 (on-demand mode), the drive control device 101a refers to the on-demand model database D10 and reads the on-demand model 200 (object on-demand model) corresponding to the object virtual moving body. Next, in step S170, the drive control device 101a uses the object on-demand model to calculate the virtual acceleration VA of the object virtual moving body relative to the driver's driving operation. Next, in step S180, the drive control device 101a calculates the on-demand target driving force OF for making the acceleration of the electric vehicle 100 the virtual acceleration VA. Next, in step S190, the drive control device 101a calculates the on-demand target gear OG according to the second shift rule 302. Next, in step S200, the drive control device 101a controls the output of the electric motor 2 and the gear of the transmission 18 based on the on-demand target driving force OF and the on-demand target gear OG.

[0135] Thus, the drive control device 101a of this embodiment performs the processing. It should be noted that, in the above processing flow, if the on-demand mode continues since the last processing, the drive control device 101a may also skip the processing involved in step S160 by using the object on-demand model obtained in the last processing.

[0136] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the on-demand target gear OG is calculated in on-demand mode according to the second shift rule 302. Here, the second shift rule 302 is configured to suppress gear changes towards the high-speed side compared to the first shift rule 301 in normal mode. This suppresses downshifts to gears not present in the movement of the virtual moving object due to the driver's driving operation. As a result, the reproducibility of the acceleration characteristics of the virtual moving object in on-demand mode is improved.

[0137] 4.4 Variations of the On-Demand Calculation Unit

[0138] The on-demand calculation unit 130 may also adopt a variation of the following description. In the following description, parts that are repeated above are appropriately omitted.

[0139] In the above description, in the on-demand mode calculation unit 130, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 is configured to calculate the on-demand target gear OG according to the second shift rule 302. As described above, this structure can improve the reproducibility of the acceleration characteristics of the virtual moving object in on-demand mode. On the other hand, it can be considered that the second shift rule 302 is worse in terms of fuel efficiency and maintenance performance compared to the first shift rule 301. Therefore, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 can also be configured to calculate the on-demand target gear OG according to the first shift rule 301 instead of the second shift rule 302 under specified conditions.

[0140] As a condition for calculating the target gear OG according to the first shift rule 301, the following (1) to (3) can be considered.

[0141] (1) When the electric vehicle 100 is in a state that requires prioritizing fuel efficiency (hereinafter referred to as "fuel efficiency priority state")

[0142] (2) When the electric vehicle 100 is in a condition requiring high-speed driving (hereinafter referred to as "high-speed driving condition")

[0143] (3) When the object virtual moving body corresponds to any one of one or more specific moving bodies

[0144] By calculating the on-demand target gear OG according to the first shift rule 301 under condition (1), fuel efficiency in on-demand mode can be suppressed. Whether the electric vehicle 100 is in a fuel efficiency priority state can be determined, for example, based on the SOC of the battery 14. In this case, when the SOC of the battery 14 is below a predetermined threshold, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 determines that the electric vehicle 100 is in a fuel efficiency priority state. In addition, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 can also determine whether the electric vehicle 100 is in a fuel efficiency priority state based on input from the driver. For example, during the period when the driver indicates fuel efficiency priority, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 determines that the electric vehicle 100 is in a fuel efficiency priority state.

[0145] By calculating the on-demand target gear OG according to the first shift rule 301 under condition (2), driving performance during high-speed driving in on-demand mode can be ensured. Whether the electric vehicle 100 is in a high-speed driving implementation state can be determined, for example, based on the location information of the electric vehicle 100. In this case, when the electric vehicle 100 is driving on a highway, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 determines that the electric vehicle 100 is in a high-speed driving implementation state. Alternatively, when the electric vehicle 100 is driving on a road with a speed limit above a specified speed, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 determines that the electric vehicle 100 is in a high-speed driving implementation state. In addition, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 can also determine whether the electric vehicle 100 is in a high-speed driving implementation state based on input from the driver. For example, during the period when the driver instructs high-speed driving priority, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 determines that the electric vehicle 100 is in a high-speed driving implementation state.

[0146] Condition (3) assumes that the acceleration characteristic VC of the virtual moving body is close to the typical acceleration characteristic of the electric vehicle 100. That is, the specific moving body is typically a virtual moving body with an acceleration characteristic VC that is close to the typical acceleration characteristic of the electric vehicle 100. In this case, even if the on-demand target gear OG is calculated according to the first shift rule 301, the deviation from the acceleration characteristic VC of the virtual moving body is small. Therefore, by calculating the on-demand target gear OG according to the first shift rule 301 under condition (3), fuel efficiency, maintenance performance, etc. can be prioritized while maintaining the reproducibility of the acceleration characteristic of the virtual moving body. One or more specific moving bodies can be predetermined by the computer program 104.

[0147] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the on-demand mode calculation unit 130 in a modified example. The processing in the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 differs from that shown in Figure 7 in the functional structure shown in Figure 12.

[0148] In a modified example, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 is further configured to obtain information about the target virtual moving body from the mode information acquisition unit 110. Furthermore, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 is configured to execute a process P10 that sets a shift rule for calculating the on-demand target gear OG. In process P10, when the predetermined conditions are met (e.g., conditions (1) to (3) mentioned above), the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 sets the shift rule to the first shift rule 301. On the other hand, when the predetermined conditions are not met, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 sets the shift rule to the second shift rule 302. Then, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 calculates the on-demand target gear OG according to the set shift rule.

[0149] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating the processing flow of the modified drive control device 101a (more specifically, processor 102) performing the processing. The processing flow shown in Figure 13 is executed repeatedly at a predetermined processing cycle.

[0150] In the processing flow shown in Figure 13, compared with the processing flow shown in Figure 11, when the drive control device 101a is in on-demand mode (step S120; Yes), it further performs shift rule setting processing (step S300) after step S160. Then, after step S180, instead of step S190, in step S191, the drive control device 101a calculates the on-demand target gear OG according to the set shift rule.

[0151] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the process flow of the drive control device 101a performing the process in the process (shift rule setting process) involved in step S300 shown in Figure 13.

[0152] In step S310, the drive control device 101a determines whether the object-on-demand model corresponds to any one of the one or more specific models. If the object-on-demand model corresponds to any one of the one or more specific models (step S310; Yes), the drive control device 101a sets the shift rule to the first shift rule 301 (step S320). If the object-on-demand model does not correspond to any one of the one or more specific models (step S310; No), the process proceeds to step S330.

[0153] In step S330, the drive control device 101a determines whether the electric vehicle 100 is in a fuel efficiency priority mode or a high-speed driving mode. If the electric vehicle 100 is in a fuel efficiency priority mode or a high-speed driving mode (step S330; Yes), the drive control device 101a sets the shift rule to the first shift rule 301 (step S320). If the electric vehicle 100 is neither in a fuel efficiency priority mode nor a high-speed driving mode (step S330; No), the drive control device 101a sets the shift rule to the second shift rule 302.

[0154] As explained above, according to the modified example, the on-demand target gear calculation unit 133 is configured to calculate the on-demand target gear OG according to the first shift rule 301 instead of the second shift rule 302 under specified conditions. Therefore, fuel efficiency and maintenance performance can be prioritized based on the condition of the electric vehicle 100 and the virtual moving body of the target.

[0155] 5. Onboard equipment control device

[0156] In this embodiment, the control device 101 functions as an in-vehicle equipment control device for controlling the speaker 21 and the instrument panel 23. Specifically, the control device 101 functions as an in-vehicle equipment control device by executing a computer program 104 for in-vehicle equipment control stored in the storage device 103 by the processor 102. In particular, when the electric vehicle 100 is in on-demand mode, the in-vehicle equipment control device controls the speaker 21 and the instrument panel 23 according to the driving environment of the virtual mobile object. Hereinafter, the control of the electric vehicle 100 by the in-vehicle equipment control device when the electric vehicle 100 is in on-demand mode will be described.

[0157] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional structure of the vehicle equipment control device 101b. When the electric vehicle 100 is in on-demand mode, the vehicle equipment control device 101b controls the speaker 21 and the instrument panel 23 according to the driving environment of the virtual moving object.

[0158] Signals from the HMI 20 and sensor system 50 are input to the vehicle control unit 101b. Signals input from the HMI 20 to the vehicle control unit 101b include signals indicating the control mode selected by the driver and signals indicating the virtual moving object selected by the driver. Signals input from the sensor system 50 to the vehicle control unit 101b include signals indicating the vehicle speed of the electric vehicle 100, signals indicating the operating state of the accelerator pedal 22, signals indicating the operating state of the brake pedal 24, signals indicating the rotational speed of the electric motor 2, and signals indicating the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 14.

[0159] The vehicle-mounted equipment control unit 101b includes a mode information acquisition unit 110, a virtual driving environment calculation unit 131, a virtual sound generation unit 170, a speaker control unit 180, and an instrument control unit 190 as functional blocks. These functional blocks are implemented through the cooperation of a processor 102 that executes the computer program 104 and a storage device 103. The mode information acquisition unit 110 can be the same as that described in FIG3. The virtual driving environment calculation unit 131 can be the same as that described in FIG7.

[0160] The virtual sound generation unit 170 generates virtual sounds that the driver should hear in the target virtual mobile vehicle in response to the driver's driving operations. For example, when the target virtual mobile vehicle is a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine (engine vehicle), the virtual sound is the engine sound (simulated engine sound) produced by the internal combustion engine of the target virtual mobile vehicle. Alternatively, for example, the virtual sound is the sound of the drive system of the target virtual mobile vehicle. The virtual sound generation unit 170 refers to the storage device 103 to obtain the sound source of the virtual sound associated with the target virtual mobile vehicle. The storage device 103 can store the sound sources of virtual sounds associated with each target virtual mobile vehicle. In addition, the virtual sound generation unit 170 obtains the information required to generate the virtual sound from the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131. For example, when the virtual sound is a simulated engine sound, the virtual sound generation unit 170 obtains the virtual engine speed VNe and the virtual engine torque VTe from the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131. Then, the virtual sound generation unit 170 generates the virtual sound based on the sound source and the information obtained from the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131.

[0161] The virtual sound generation unit 170 performs processing 171, which calculates the sound pressure level of the virtual sound, and processing 172, which calculates the frequency of the virtual sound. For example, when the virtual sound is a simulated engine sound, in processing 171, sound pressure mapping is used to calculate the sound pressure level of the simulated engine sound based on the virtual engine torque VTe. Typically, the sound pressure mapping is created such that the higher the virtual engine torque VTe, the higher the sound pressure level. In processing 172, frequency mapping is used to calculate the frequency of the virtual sound based on the virtual engine speed VNe. Typically, the frequency mapping is created such that the higher the virtual engine speed VNe, the higher the frequency. The virtual sound generation unit 170 sends the generated virtual sound data to the speaker control unit 180.

[0162] The speaker control unit 180 controls the output of the speaker 21 based on the sound data sent from the virtual sound generation unit 170. As a result, virtual sound is output from the speaker 21.

[0163] The instrument control unit 190 controls the instrument cluster 23 to display information (hereinafter referred to as "virtual display information") that should be shown to the driver in response to the driver's driving operations on the virtual moving object. For example, when the virtual moving object is an engine vehicle, the virtual display information is the virtual engine speed VNe and virtual gear information of the virtual moving object. The instrument control unit 190 obtains information related to the virtual display information from the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131. For example, when the virtual moving object is an engine vehicle, the instrument control unit 190 obtains the virtual engine speed VNe and virtual gear from the virtual driving environment calculation unit 131. Then, the instrument control unit 190 controls the display of the instrument cluster 23 based on the obtained information. Thus, the virtual display information is displayed on the instrument cluster 23.

[0164] Thus, according to the vehicle equipment control device 101b, when the electric vehicle 100 is in on-demand mode, virtual sound is output from the speaker 21 and virtual display information is displayed on the instrument panel 23. This further enhances the driver's sense of realism, providing a virtual moving object-like driving experience.

[0165] 6 Other

[0166] The technical features of this embodiment are not limited to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and can be widely applied to any electric vehicle that uses an electric motor as its drive source. For example, the technical features of this embodiment can be applied to HEVs or PHEVs that operate solely using the driving force of an electric motor. Additionally, it can also be applied to fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) that supply electricity generated by a fuel cell to the electric motor.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle, characterized in that, include: An electric motor, serving as a drive source; a driving control unit configured for driving; a transmission configured to change the output of the electric motor according to the gear position and transmit it to the drive wheels of the electric vehicle; and one or more processors configured to: control the output of the electric motor based on the operating state of the driving control unit and the driving state of the electric vehicle; communicate with one or more storage devices configured to manage multiple on-demand models obtained by modeling multiple virtual moving bodies that differ from the driving environment characteristics relative to the driver's driving operations; and, when the electric vehicle is not in on-demand mode, follow a first switching... The transmission uses a second shift rule to control the gear positions. When the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the transmission uses a second shift rule to control the gear positions. The second shift rule is configured to suppress gear changes towards higher speeds compared to the first shift rule. An on-demand object model corresponding to the selected virtual mobile body from the plurality of virtual mobile bodies is obtained from one or more storage devices. Based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle, the virtual acceleration of the virtual mobile body relative to the driver's driving operation is calculated using the on-demand object model. The output of the electric motor is controlled so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle becomes the virtual acceleration.

2. The electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electric vehicle also includes the one or more storage devices.

3. The electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second shift rule is configured such that as long as the maximum value of the driving force that the electric vehicle can output can be maintained at the current speed of the electric vehicle, the shift to the high-speed side will not be performed.

4. The electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second shifting rule is configured such that, regardless of the operating state of the driving control component or the driving state of the electric vehicle, it always becomes the gear with the largest gear ratio.

5. The electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the electric vehicle is in a fuel efficiency priority state that requires prioritizing fuel efficiency, and during the period when the electric vehicle is in the fuel efficiency priority state, control the gear of the transmission according to the first shift rule.

6. The electric vehicle as described in claim 5, characterized in that, When the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors are configured to obtain the state of charge of the electric vehicle's battery, and determine that the electric vehicle is in the fuel efficiency priority mode when the state of charge of the battery is below a threshold.

7. The electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether the electric vehicle is in a high-speed driving implementation state that requires high-speed driving, and during the period when the electric vehicle is in the high-speed driving implementation state, control the gear of the transmission according to the first shift rule.

8. The electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors are further configured to control the gear of the transmission according to the first shift rule, rather than the second shift rule, when the object virtual mobile body corresponds to any one of the one or more specific mobile bodies.

9. The electric vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, When the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors are configured to calculate a target driving force for the electric vehicle to make the acceleration of the electric vehicle become the virtual acceleration, and to change the motor torque output by the electric motor in order to provide the target driving force to the electric vehicle.

10. The electric vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of on-demand models has parameters related to the characteristics of the driving environment, and when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors are configured to set the parameters of the object on-demand model according to the object virtual mobile body.

11. The electric vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The electric vehicle also includes a speaker, wherein, when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, the one or more processors are further configured to generate, based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle, a virtual sound that the driver should be able to hear in the object virtual moving body using the object on-demand model, and output the virtual sound from the speaker.

12. The electric vehicle as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that, The plurality of virtual mobile bodies include engine vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines. When the object virtual mobile body is the engine vehicle, the virtual sound is a simulated engine sound generated by the internal combustion engine of the object virtual mobile body.

13. A control device for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle comprising: an electric motor serving as a drive source; a driving operation component configured for driving; and a transmission configured to change the output of the electric motor according to a gear and transmit it to the drive wheels of the electric vehicle, characterized in that, The control device of the electric vehicle includes one or more processors, which are configured to: control the output of the electric motor based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle; communicate with one or more storage devices, which are configured to manage multiple on-demand models obtained by modeling multiple virtual moving bodies with different driving environment characteristics relative to the driver's driving operation; when the electric vehicle is not in on-demand mode, control the gear of the transmission according to a first shift rule; when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, control the gear of the transmission according to a second shift rule, which is configured to suppress the change of the gear towards the high-speed side compared with the first shift rule; obtain the object on-demand model corresponding to the object virtual moving body selected from the multiple virtual moving bodies from the one or more storage devices; calculate the virtual acceleration of the object virtual moving body relative to the driver's driving operation using the object on-demand model based on the operating state of the driving operation component and the driving state of the electric vehicle; and control the output of the electric motor so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle becomes the virtual acceleration.

14. A control method for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle comprising: an electric motor serving as a drive source; a driving operation component configured for driving; a transmission configured to change the output of the electric motor according to a gear and transmit it to the drive wheels of the electric vehicle; and a control device, characterized in that... The control method for the electric vehicle includes: controlling the output of the electric motor based on the operating state of the driving control component and the driving state of the electric vehicle; communicating with one or more storage devices, the one or more storage devices being configured to manage multiple on-demand models obtained by modeling multiple virtual mobile bodies with different driving environment characteristics relative to the driver's driving operations; when the electric vehicle is not in on-demand mode, controlling the gear of the transmission according to a first shift rule; when the electric vehicle is in on-demand mode, controlling the gear of the transmission according to a second shift rule, the second shift rule being configured to suppress changes to the gear towards the high-speed side compared to the first shift rule; obtaining an object on-demand model corresponding to an object virtual mobile body selected from the multiple virtual mobile bodies from the one or more storage devices; calculating the virtual acceleration of the object virtual mobile body relative to the driver's driving operations using the object on-demand model based on the operating state of the driving control component and the driving state of the electric vehicle; and controlling the output of the electric motor so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle becomes the virtual acceleration.

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