Controller of vehicle to be towed

Abstract

To provide a controller of a vehicle to be towed in which oil shortage of a power transmission system is suppressed when the vehicle to be towed is towed in a state where driving wheels are grounded without performing a part replacement not to transmit driving force from the driving wheels to the power transmission system of the vehicle to be towed.SOLUTION: A controller of a vehicle to be towed that is towed in a state where driving wheels are grounded is given in which circulation control is performed to circulate oil in a power transmission system of the vehicle to be towed before the vehicle to be towed travels while being towed, and then the controller notifies that towing preparation is ready.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for a towed vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that prevents the rotation of the wheels from being transmitted to the drive shaft when the electric vehicle is being towed, with the aim of preventing damage to the electric motor and electrical components associated with the electric motor in the electric vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-006772 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a vehicle whose power transmission system does not have an electric oil pump, if the vehicle continues to be towed for a long period of time with the drive wheels on the ground, the driving force from the drive wheels will be transmitted to the power transmission system (transmission mechanism, etc.), which may cause a shortage of oil to lubricate the power transmission system, resulting in problems such as seizure in the power transmission system.

[0005] Therefore, by applying the technology of Patent Document 1 to such vehicles, it is possible to prevent the driving force from the drive wheels from being transmitted to the power transmission system when the vehicle is being towed, thereby suppressing oil shortages in the power transmission system.

[0006] However, in this case, the drive flange must be replaced with a towed drive flange to prevent the driving force from the drive wheels from being transmitted to the power transmission system, which may complicate the work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one embodiment of a control device for a towed vehicle is a control device for a towed vehicle that is towed with its drive wheels on the ground, and before the towed vehicle begins its towed journey, it performs circulation control to circulate oil in the power transmission system equipped in the towed vehicle, and then notifies the vehicle that towing preparations are complete. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one embodiment of the control device for a towed vehicle, when the towed vehicle is towed with its drive wheels on the ground, oil shortage in the power transmission system can be suppressed without having to replace parts to prevent the driving force from the drive wheels from being transmitted to the power transmission system of the towed vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of processing by an ENGECU included in a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] (Configuration of Hybrid Vehicle 1) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a hybrid vehicle 1 according to one embodiment. The hybrid vehicle 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes an engine 10, a first motor generator 52, and a second motor generator 54 as power sources for driving the hybrid vehicle 1.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, an engine 10 has four cylinders #1 to #4. A throttle valve 14 is provided in an intake passage 12 of the engine 10. Air drawn into the intake passage 12 flows into each combustion chamber 18 of the four cylinders #1 to #4 as an intake valve 16 opens. Fuel is injected into the combustion chamber 18 from an in-cylinder injection valve 22. The mixture of air and fuel in the combustion chamber 18 is combusted as a result of spark discharge from an ignition plug 24. The combustion energy generated at this time is converted into the rotational energy of a crankshaft 26.

[0013] When the exhaust valve 28 opens, exhaust gas generated by combustion in the combustion chamber 18 is discharged into an exhaust passage 30. A three-way catalyst 32 having an oxygen storage capacity and a GPF (gasoline particulate filter) 34 are provided in the exhaust passage 30. In this embodiment, an example of the GPF 34 is a filter that collects PM and supports the three-way catalyst.

[0014] The crankshaft 26 is mechanically connected to a carrier C of a planetary gear mechanism 50 that constitutes a power split device. A rotating shaft 52a of a first motor generator 52 is mechanically connected to a sun gear S of the planetary gear mechanism 50. In addition, a rotating shaft 54a of a second motor generator 54 and a drive shaft 61 for transmitting driving force to driving wheels 60 are mechanically connected to a ring gear R of the planetary gear mechanism 50.

[0015] The first inverter 56 and the second inverter 58 convert the DC voltage output from the battery 59 into an AC voltage. The first inverter 56 applies the AC voltage to the first motor generator 52. The second inverter 58 applies the AC voltage to the second motor generator 54. In this embodiment, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion secondary battery is used as the battery 59.

[0016] The ENGECU 70 controls the engine 10. For example, the ENGECU 70 controls the throttle valve 14, the in-cylinder injection valve 22, the spark plug 24, and the like in order to control the torque of the engine 10, the ratio of exhaust components, and the like.

[0017] In order to control the engine 10, the ENGECU 70 refers to the intake air volume Ga detected by the air flow meter 80, the output signal Scr of the crank angle sensor 82, the upstream detection value Afu which is the detection value of the upstream air-fuel ratio sensor 84 provided upstream of the three-way catalyst 32, the downstream detection value Afd which is the detection value of the downstream air-fuel ratio sensor 86 provided downstream of the three-way catalyst 32, the pressure Pex of the exhaust gas flowing into the GPF 34 which is detected by the exhaust pressure sensor 88, and the water temperature THW which is detected by the water temperature sensor 90.

[0018] The ENGECU 70 includes a CPU 72, a ROM 74, and a peripheral circuit 76, which are communicatively connected by a communication line 78. The peripheral circuit 76 includes a circuit for generating a clock signal that defines the internal operation, a power supply circuit, a reset circuit, etc. The ENGECU 70 realizes control of the engine 10 by the CPU 72 executing a program stored in the ROM 74. The ENGECU 70 is further communicatively connected to the MGECU 100 and the HVECU 120.

[0019] The MGECU 100 controls the rotation speed of the first motor generator 52 by controlling the first inverter 56. The MGECU 100 also controls the rotation speed of the second motor generator 54 by controlling the second inverter 58. In order to control the first inverter 56 and the second inverter 58, the MGECU 100 refers to an output signal Sm1 of a first rotation angle sensor 110 that detects the rotation angle of the first motor generator 52 and an output signal Sm2 of a second rotation angle sensor 112 that detects the rotation angle of the second motor generator 54.

[0020] The MGECU 100 includes a CPU 102, a ROM 104, and a peripheral circuit 106, which are communicatively connected by a communication line 108. The MGECU 100 realizes control of the first motor generator 52 and the second motor generator 54 by the CPU 102 executing a program stored in the ROM 104.

[0021] The HVECU 120 controls a hybrid system including the engine 10, the first motor generator 52, and the second motor generator 54 via the ENGECU 70 and the MGECU 100. In order to control the hybrid system, the HVECU 120 refers to an accelerator operation amount ACCP detected by an accelerator opening sensor 130 and an output signal Sp of an output side rotation angle sensor 132 that detects the rotation angle of the ring gear R.

[0022] The HVECU 120 includes a CPU 122, a ROM 124, and a peripheral circuit 126, which are communicatively connected by a communication line 128. The HVECU 120 realizes control of the hybrid system by the CPU 122 executing a program stored in the ROM 124.

[0023] (An example of processing procedures using ENGECU70) FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of processing by the ENGECU 70 included in the hybrid vehicle 1 according to an embodiment.

[0024] The hybrid vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is an example of a "towed vehicle" and may be towed with the drive wheels 60 in contact with the ground.

[0025] In the hybrid vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the planetary gear mechanism 50 (an example of a "power transmission system") does not include an electric oil pump. The planetary gear mechanism 50 has a configuration in which oil is pumped by a mechanical oil pump (not shown) attached to the input shaft of the planetary gear mechanism 50. The input shaft of the planetary gear mechanism 50 is connected to the crankshaft 26 of the engine 10. For this reason, when the hybrid vehicle 1 is towed with the engine 10 stopped, the mechanical oil pump cannot be operated and the planetary gear mechanism 50 cannot be lubricated.

[0026] Therefore, if the hybrid vehicle 1 continues to be towed for a long period of time with the drive wheels 60 on the ground, the driving force from the drive wheels 60 is transmitted to the planetary gear mechanism 50 via the drive shaft 61, which may cause a shortage of oil to lubricate the planetary gear mechanism 50, resulting in problems such as seizure in the planetary gear mechanism 50.

[0027] Therefore, in the hybrid vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the ENGECU 70 executes the series of processes shown in Figure 2, thereby preventing oil shortage in the planetary gear mechanism 50 when being towed without having to replace parts to prevent the driving force from the drive wheels 60 from being transmitted to the planetary gear mechanism 50 via the drive shaft 61.

[0028] In this embodiment, the ENGECU 70 is the "control device for the towed vehicle" that executes the series of processes shown in Fig. 2. However, this is not limited to this, and another device provided in the hybrid vehicle 1 may be the "control device for the towed vehicle" that executes the series of processes shown in Fig. 2.

[0029] First, the ENGECU 70 determines whether or not the flat towing mode is ON (step S201). Here, the flat towing mode is a mode that indicates whether or not the hybrid vehicle 1 is in a towed state, and is ON when the hybrid vehicle 1 is in a towed state, and is OFF when the hybrid vehicle 1 is not in a towed state. The flat towing mode is manually switched by a user's operation on an input device (e.g., a touch panel, MID, etc.) provided in the hybrid vehicle 1, for example.

[0030] In step S201, if it is determined that the flat towing mode is not ON (step S201: NO), the ENGECU 70 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0031] In step S201, when it is determined that the flat towing mode is ON (step S201: YES), the ENGECU 70 determines whether or not the IG-OFF time (ignition OFF time) is less than a predetermined time (step S202).

[0032] If it is determined in step S202 that the IG-OFF time is less than the predetermined time (step S202: YES), the ENGECU 70 determines whether the previous trip engine operation time is less than the predetermined time (step S203).

[0033] Here, the previous trip engine operating time is the operating time of the engine 10 during the previous driving, and is stored in a memory or the like provided in the ENGECU 70 by the ENGECU 70 at the end of the previous driving, for example.

[0034] In step S203, if it is determined that the previous trip engine operating time is less than the predetermined time (step S203: YES), the ENGECU 70 notifies the user that towing preparation is complete (step S204), and ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0035] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 that the IG-OFF time is not less than the predetermined time (step S202: NO), or if it is determined in step S203 that the previous trip engine operation time is not less than the predetermined time (step S203: NO), the ENGECU 70 transitions the hybrid vehicle 1 to the READY-ON state (system ON state) (step S205) and operates the engine 10 (step S206). Here, for example, the ENGECU 70 operates the engine 10 for a suitable time determined in advance so that oil is sufficiently distributed throughout the planetary gear mechanism 50.

[0036] After that, the ENGECU 70 transitions the hybrid vehicle 1 to an IG-ON state (ignition ON state) (step S207). Furthermore, the ENGECU 70 notifies the user that the towing preparation is complete (step S208). After that, the ENGECU 70 ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0037] The method of notifying the user that towing preparation is complete may be any method, such as displaying the notification on a display screen or outputting a sound from a speaker.

[0038] As described above, the ENGECU 70 (control device for the towed vehicle) in one embodiment performs circulation control to circulate oil in the planetary gear mechanism 50 (power transmission system) equipped in the hybrid vehicle 1 before the hybrid vehicle 1 (towed vehicle) begins towed driving, and then notifies the vehicle that towing preparations are complete.

[0039] As a result, the ENGECU 70 according to one embodiment can ensure that oil is sufficiently distributed throughout the planetary gear mechanism 50 before the hybrid vehicle 1 (towed vehicle) begins to travel while being towed.

[0040] Therefore, according to one embodiment of the ENGECU 70, when the vehicle is towed with the drive wheels 60 in contact with the ground, it is possible to suppress oil shortage in the planetary gear mechanism 50 without having to replace parts to prevent the drive force from the drive wheels 60 from being transmitted to the planetary gear mechanism 50.

[0041] Furthermore, since the ENGECU 70 according to an embodiment can automatically perform circulation control without relying on user operation, there is no risk of the user forgetting to perform an operation, and circulation control can be performed reliably.

[0042] In addition, the ENGECU 70 according to one embodiment notifies the user that towing preparation is complete, thereby allowing the user to easily understand the appropriate timing to start towed driving.

[0043] In addition, in one embodiment, when the IG-OFF time is less than a predetermined time and the previous trip engine operating time is less than a predetermined time, the ENGECU 70 performs circulation control to circulate oil in the planetary gear mechanism 50 (power transmission system), and then notifies that towing preparation is complete.

[0044] As a result, the hybrid vehicle 1 according to the embodiment can suppress unnecessary execution of circulation control even when the planetary gear mechanism 50 is sufficiently filled with oil.

[0045] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Hybrid vehicle (towed vehicle) 10 Engine 26 Crankshaft 50 Planetary gear mechanism (power transmission system) 52 First motor generator 54 Second motor generator 60 Drive Wheel 61 Drive shaft 70 ENGECU (Towed vehicle control unit) 100 MGECU 120 HVECU

Claims

[Claim 1] A control device for a towed vehicle that is towed with drive wheels in contact with the ground, comprising: Before the towed vehicle starts towing, a circulation control is performed to circulate oil in a power transmission system provided in the towed vehicle, and then a notification is given that towing preparation is complete. A control device for a towed vehicle.

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