Combination vehicle

Abstract

To provide a combination vehicle configured to effectively suppress pushing out from a towed vehicle at the time of decelerating travel or travel on a downhill.SOLUTION: A combination vehicle 1 includes a towing vehicle 10 and a towed vehicle 50. The towing vehicle 10 includes a first motor 30 configured to drive with regenerative power by torque transmitted from driving wheels 12 of the towing vehicle 10 at the time of decelerating or travel on a downhill. The towed vehicle 50 includes a second motor 60 configured to drive with regenerative power by torque transmitted from driving wheels 51 of the towed vehicle 50 at the time of decelerating or travel on a downhill. The combination vehicle includes a control unit 70 configured to control the first motor 30 and the second motor 60 such that regenerative torque T2 of the second motor 60 is larger than regenerative torque T1 of the first motor 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an articulated vehicle, and more particularly to an articulated vehicle in which a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle are provided with motors as drive sources. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a combination vehicle in which a tractor, which is a towing vehicle, is provided with an engine and a motor as a drive source, and a trailer, which is a towed vehicle, is provided with a motor as a drive source. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-184584 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, in a combination vehicle having a tractor and a trailer, there is a problem that the tractor is pushed out from the trailer when decelerating or traveling downhill, making it difficult to ensure sufficient vehicle stability. For this reason, it is desirable to effectively prevent the tractor from being pushed out from the trailer when decelerating or traveling downhill in a combination vehicle.

[0005] The technology disclosed herein has an object to effectively prevent a towed vehicle from being pushed out when decelerating or traveling downhill in an articulated vehicle that includes a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle.

[0006] The technology disclosed herein is A combination vehicle including a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, The towing vehicle includes a first motor that is regeneratively driven by a rotational force transmitted from a drive wheel of the towing vehicle when the towing vehicle is decelerating or traveling downhill, The towed vehicle is equipped with a second motor that is regeneratively driven by rotational force transmitted from a drive wheel of the towed vehicle when the towed vehicle is decelerating or traveling downhill, a control unit that controls the first motor and the second motor so that a regenerative torque of the second motor is greater than a regenerative torque of the first motor when the vehicle is decelerating or traveling downhill; It is characterized by: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing an articulated vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first braking force setting map and a second braking force setting map according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a routine for processing the push-out prevention control according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] An articulated vehicle according to this embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] [Overall configuration] 1 is a schematic overall configuration diagram showing an articulated vehicle 1 according to this embodiment. The articulated vehicle 1 includes a tractor 10 as a towing vehicle and a trailer 50 as a towed vehicle. The tractor 10 and the trailer 50 are connected to each other via a coupler (not shown).

[0010] The tractor 10 includes steering wheels 11 (front wheels) and driving wheels 12 (rear wheels). A braking device B that applies a braking force to the tractor 10 is provided on one or both of the steering wheels 11 and the driving wheels 12.

[0011] The tractor 10 is equipped with an engine 20 and a first motor 30 as drive sources. The output shaft of the engine 20 is detachably connected to the input shaft of the first motor 30 via a clutch device C or the like. The output shaft of the first motor 30 is connected to the drive wheels 12 via a transmission, a propeller shaft, a differential gear, an axle shaft, and the like, all of which are omitted from the drawings.

[0012] The tractor 10 includes a first battery 31 and a first power converter 32. The first battery 31 is connected to the first motor 30 via the first power converter 32. The first power converter 32 converts DC power from the first battery 31 into AC power and supplies it to the first motor 30. When AC power is supplied to the first motor 30, the driving force of the first motor 30 is transmitted to the drive wheels 12. When the clutch device C is in a disengaged state, the tractor 10 runs using the driving force of the first motor 30, and when the clutch device C is in an engaged state, the tractor 10 runs using the driving force of the engine 20 and the first motor 30.

[0013] On the other hand, when the combined vehicles 1 are decelerating or traveling downhill, the first motor 30 regeneratively drives as a generator by the rotational force transmitted from the drive wheels 12. The AC power generated by the first motor 30 is converted to DC power by the first power converter 32 and stored in the first battery 31. At this time, the regenerative torque generated by the first motor 30 is transmitted to the drive wheels 12 as a braking force.

[0014] The trailer 50 includes drive wheels 51. The trailer 50 also includes a second motor 60 as a drive source. The output shaft of the second motor 60 is connected to the drive wheels 51 via a propeller shaft, a differential gear, an axle shaft, and the like, all of which are omitted from the drawings.

[0015] The trailer 50 includes a second battery 61 and a second power converter 62. The second battery 61 is connected to the second motor 60 via the second power converter 62. The second power converter 62 converts DC power from the second battery 61 into AC power and supplies it to the second motor 60. When AC power is supplied to the second motor 60, the driving force of the second motor 60 is transmitted to the drive wheels 51.

[0016] On the other hand, when the combined vehicles 1 are decelerating or traveling downhill, the second motor 60 regeneratively drives as a generator by the rotational force transmitted from the drive wheels 51. The AC power generated by the second motor 60 is converted to DC power by the second power converter 62 and stored in the second battery 61. At this time, the regenerative torque generated by the second motor 60 is transmitted to the drive wheels 51 as a braking force.

[0017] The second battery 61 is connected to the first motor 30 and the first battery 31 via the first power converter 32. The power stored in the second battery 61 is supplied to the first motor 30 and the first battery 31 according to the remaining charge (State Of Charge: hereinafter, SOC).

[0018] The tractor 10 has an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 70. The ECU 70 is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an interface device I / F, etc. The CPU is a processor that executes various programs stored in the ROM. The ROM is a non-volatile memory that stores data and the like required for the CPU to execute the various programs. The RAM is a volatile memory that provides a working area into which the various programs are expanded when the CPU executes them. The interface device I / F is a communication device for communicating with an external device.

[0019] The ECU 70 is a central device that performs various controls of the combined vehicles 1. The ECU 70 is communicatively connected to the braking device B, the engine 20, the clutch C, the first motor 30, the first battery 31, the first power converter 32, the second motor 60, the second battery 61, the second power converter 62, the internal sensor device 80, and the like.

[0020] The internal sensor device 80 is a type of sensor that detects the state of the combination vehicle 1. Specifically, the internal sensor device 80 includes a wheel speed sensor 81, an accelerator sensor 82, a brake sensor 83, an acceleration sensor 84, an SOC sensor 85, and the like.

[0021] The wheel speed sensor 81 detects the traveling speed of the combined vehicle 1. The accelerator sensor 82 detects the amount of operation of an accelerator pedal (not shown) by the driver. The brake sensor 83 detects the amount of operation of a brake pedal (not shown) by the driver. The acceleration sensor 84 detects the acceleration of the combined vehicle 1. The SOC sensor 85 detects the SOC of each of the batteries 31, 61. The internal sensor device 80 transmits the states of the combined vehicle 1 detected by each of the sensors 81-85 to the ECU 70 at a predetermined cycle.

[0022] However, a problem with a combination vehicle 1 including a tractor 10 and a trailer 50 is that the tractor 10 is pushed out by the trailer 50 when decelerating or traveling downhill, making it difficult to ensure sufficient vehicle stability. Therefore, when the combination vehicle 1 is decelerating or traveling downhill, the ECU 70 executes push-out prevention control to effectively prevent the tractor 10 from being pushed out of the trailer 50 by making the regenerative torque T2 generated by the second motor 60 on the trailer 50 side greater than the regenerative torque T1 generated by the first motor 30 on the tractor 10 side. Details of the push-out prevention control will be described below.

[0023] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first braking force setting map M1 and a second braking force setting map M2 according to this embodiment. The first braking force setting map M1 and the second braking force setting map M2 are stored in, for example, a ROM of the ECU 70, and are maps that are referenced based on the required deceleration Dr of the combined vehicle 1. In the first braking force setting map M1 and the second braking force setting map M2, the horizontal axis represents the required deceleration Dr, and the vertical axis represents a breakdown of braking force generation.

[0024] The first braking force setting map M1 is a map that is referenced when the combined vehicle 1 decelerates or travels downhill when at least one of the first battery 31 and the second battery 61 is not fully charged. The required deceleration Dr for the combined vehicle 1 may be obtained based on the detection results of the wheel speed sensor 81, the accelerator sensor 82, the brake sensor 83, etc. Whether the batteries 31, 61 are fully charged may be obtained based on the detection result of the SOC sensor 85. Whether the combined vehicle 1 is decelerating may be obtained based on the detection result of the brake sensor 83. Whether the combined vehicle 1 is traveling downhill may be obtained based on the detection result of the acceleration sensor 84. Note that if the combined vehicle 1 is equipped with a GPS and a map database, whether the combined vehicle 1 is traveling downhill may be obtained based on position information from the GPS and the map database.

[0025] In the first braking force setting map M1, in an area E1 where the required deceleration Dr is equal to or less than a first predetermined value Dr1, only the regenerative torque T2 of the second motor 60 is set as the braking force generation breakdown. In other words, the combined vehicles 1 are decelerated using only the regenerative torque T2 generated by the second motor 60 on the trailer 50 side. This makes it possible to effectively prevent the combined vehicles 1 from being pushed out from the trailer 50, and makes it possible to maintain vehicle stability when decelerating or traveling downhill.

[0026] In the first braking force setting map M1, in an area E2 where the required deceleration Dr is greater than the first predetermined value Dr1 and is equal to or less than the second predetermined value Dr2, the regenerative torque T2 of the second motor 60 and the regenerative torque T1 of the first motor 30 are set as the braking force generation details. In an area E3 where the required deceleration Dr is greater than the second predetermined value Dr2, the regenerative torque T2 of the second motor 60, the regenerative torque T1 of the first motor 30, and the braking force SB (service brake) of the braking device B are set as the braking force generation details. In both areas E2 and E3, the regenerative torque T2 of the second motor 60 is set to be greater than the regenerative torque T1 of the first motor 30. This makes it possible to effectively prevent the vehicle from being pushed out of the trailer 50, and to maintain vehicle stability during deceleration and downhill driving.

[0027] The second braking force setting map M2 is a map that is referenced when the combined vehicles 1 decelerate or travel downhill when both the first battery 31 and the second battery 61 are fully charged. In the second braking force setting map M2, the regenerative torque T2 of the second motor 60 and the braking force SB of the braking device B are set in the braking force generation details.

[0028] Here, when the first battery 31 and the second battery 61 are fully charged, if the second motor 60 is driven as a generator for regeneration, the supply destination of the electric power generated by the second motor 60 becomes an issue. In this embodiment, the ECU 70 supplies the electric power generated by the second motor 60 to the first motor 30 on the tractor 10 side, and powers the first motor 30. At this time, the ECU 70 brings the clutch device C into an engaged state. That is, the electric power generated by the second motor 60 is consumed by rotating the engine 20. As a result, even when the first battery 31 and the second battery 61 are fully charged, the second motor 60 can be driven for regeneration, and pushing out of the trailer 50 can be effectively prevented.

[0029] Next, a processing routine for push-out prevention control by the CPU of the ECU 70 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. This routine is started, for example, when the combination vehicle 1 starts traveling.

[0030] In step S100, the ECU 70 determines whether the combination vehicle 1 is decelerating or traveling downhill. If the determination result is positive (Yes), the ECU 70 proceeds to processing in step S110. On the other hand, if the determination result is negative (No), the ECU 70 returns from this routine.

[0031] In step S110, the ECU 70 acquires the required deceleration Dr of the combined vehicle 1. Next, in step S120, the ECU 70 determines whether or not the first battery 31 and the second battery 61 are both fully charged. If the determination result is negative (No), that is, if at least one of the first battery 31 and the second battery 61 is not fully charged, the ECU 70 proceeds to processing in step S130. On the other hand, if the determination result is positive (Yes), that is, if both the first battery 31 and the second battery 61 are fully charged, the ECU 70 proceeds to processing in step S150.

[0032] In step S130, the ECU 70 executes the push-out prevention control based on the first braking force setting map M1, and then returns from this routine. In step S150, the ECU 70 executes the push-out prevention control based on the second braking force setting map M2. In addition, in step S160, the ECU 70 engages the clutch device C and rotates the engine 20 to consume the power generated by the second motor 60. Then, the ECU 70 returns from this routine. The processing of steps S150 and S160 may be performed in any order, and may be performed simultaneously.

[0033] Although the articulated vehicle according to this embodiment has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the object of the present disclosure.

[0034] For example, in the above embodiment, one trailer 50, which is the towed vehicle, is shown, but two or more trailers 50 may be used. In this case, too, by making the regenerative torque on each trailer side greater than the regenerative torque on the tractor 10 side, it is possible to achieve the same effects as in the above embodiment.

Claims

[Claim 1] A combination vehicle including a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, The towing vehicle includes a first motor that is regeneratively driven by a rotational force transmitted from a drive wheel of the towing vehicle when the towing vehicle is decelerating or traveling downhill, The towed vehicle is provided with a second motor that is regeneratively driven by a rotational force transmitted from a drive wheel of the towed vehicle when the towed vehicle is decelerating or traveling downhill, a control unit that controls the first motor and the second motor so that a regenerative torque of the second motor is greater than a regenerative torque of the first motor when the vehicle is decelerating or traveling downhill; A combination vehicle characterized by:

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