Control device of four-wheel drive vehicle

Abstract

To provide a control device of a four-wheel drive vehicle that can improve ride comfort of a seat selected by a user of a front seat and a rear seat, during automatic operation and during running in a selected comfort mode.SOLUTION: When a driver selects, as a specific seat, either of a front seat and a rear seat during automatic operation and during running in a selected comfort mode, a driving device ECU 80 of a vehicle 10 controls front / rear wheel driving force allocation so that ride comfort of the seat other than the specific seat deteriorates but ride comfort of the specific seat improves. This enables ride comfort of the specific seat selected by the driver to improve, during automatic operation and during running in the selected comfort mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for a four-wheel drive vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a vehicle control device that has a driver preference mode in which at least some of the driving preference items, such as the distance from the vehicle ahead, the degree of acceleration / deceleration, the degree of lane change, the driving lane, etc., are set to desired values ​​by the driver (=user) when a control that supports automatic driving, such as an auto cruise control, is executed. For example, there is one described in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-28560 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose how to improve the ride comfort of a particular seat, either the front seat or the rear seat, in a four-wheel drive vehicle.

[0005] The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a control device for a four-wheel drive vehicle that can improve the ride comfort of a specific seat selected by the user, either the front seat or the rear seat, during automatic driving and when a specified comfort mode is selected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gist of the present invention is a control device for a four-wheel drive vehicle which, when the vehicle is in automatic driving mode and a specified comfort mode is selected, and the user selects one of the front or rear seats as a specified specific seat, controls the front and rear drive force distribution so that the ride comfort of seats other than the specified seat is reduced while the ride comfort of the specified seat is improved. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the control device for a four-wheel drive vehicle of the present invention, when a user selects one of the front and rear seats as a specific seat, the front and rear drive force distribution is controlled so that the ride comfort of the specific seat is improved while the ride comfort of the seats other than the specific seat is reduced. As a result, the ride comfort of the specific seat selected by the user is improved during automatic driving and when the vehicle is traveling in a specified comfort mode. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle equipped with a drive unit ECU according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and is also a functional block diagram showing essential parts of control functions for various controls in the vehicle. [Diagram 2] 2 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a control operation of a drive device ECU shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle equipped with a drive unit ECU according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and is also a functional block diagram showing the main parts of control functions for various controls in the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in each embodiment, the drawings are appropriately simplified or modified, and the dimensional ratios and shapes of each part are not necessarily drawn accurately. EXAMPLES

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle 10 equipped with a drive device ECU 80 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and is also a functional block diagram showing the main parts of control functions for various controls in the vehicle 10.

[0011] The vehicle 10 includes an engine 12, a pair of front wheels 14, a pair of rear wheels 16, a first power transmission path between the engine 12 and the pair of front wheels 14, a second power transmission path between the engine 12 and the pair of rear wheels 16, etc. The vehicle 10 also includes a hydraulic control circuit 38, a vehicle state sensor 60, a surrounding recognition sensor 62, a driver operation sensor 64, and an electronic control device 70. The driver operation sensor 64 includes an automatic driving changeover switch 64a, a comfort mode setting switch 64b, and a specific seat setting switch 64c. The vehicle 10 corresponds to the "four-wheel drive vehicle" in the present invention.

[0012] The engine 12 is a power source for driving, and is a well-known internal combustion engine. The engine torque Te [Nm], which is the output torque of the engine 12, is controlled by an electronic control device 70. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the terms torque, driving force, power, and force (= power) are synonymous. The pair of front wheels 14 are main drive wheels, and are drive wheels both during two-wheel drive driving (= 2WD driving) and four-wheel drive driving (= 4WD driving). The pair of rear wheels 16 are auxiliary drive wheels, and are driven wheels during 2WD driving and drive wheels during 4WD driving. The first power transmission path is provided with an automatic transmission 18, a front wheel differential 20, a pair of front wheel axles 22, and the like, in this order from the engine 12 side, and these are well-known configurations. The second power transmission path includes an automatic transmission 18, a transfer 24 which is a front / rear wheel power distribution device that distributes a portion of the power of the engine 12 transmitted to the pair of front wheels 14 to the pair of rear wheels 16, a propeller shaft 28 which transmits the power from the engine 12 distributed by the transfer 24 to the pair of rear wheels 16 during 4WD driving, a rear wheel differential 32, a pair of couplings 36, and a pair of rear wheel axles 34, all of which are well-known components.

[0013] 1 shows the transfer case 24 in a state in which the vehicle is running in 4WD mode. The power of the engine 12 distributed by the transfer case 24 is transmitted to the pair of rear wheels 16 via the propeller shaft 28, a rear wheel differential 32, a pair of couplings 36, and a pair of rear wheel axles 34. The pair of couplings 36 are each a well-known electronically controlled coupling. The pair of couplings 36 have their respective transmission torque capacities controlled.

[0014] In the vehicle 10, for example, when the transfer 24 is in a state capable of distributing a portion of the power of the engine 12 to the pair of rear wheels 16 and the transmission torque capacity of the pair of couplings 36 is controlled to a value greater than zero, the driving force is also transmitted to the pair of rear wheels 16 in accordance with the transmission torque capacity of the pair of couplings 36. This realizes 4WD driving. In 4WD driving, the transmission torque capacity of the pair of couplings 36 is controlled to adjust the torque distribution between the pair of front wheels 14 and the pair of rear wheels 16. The torque distribution between the pair of front wheels 14 and the pair of rear wheels 16 is the same as the "front / rear driving force distribution" described below.

[0015] The vehicle 10 can select a driving mode alternatively between a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode. The manual driving mode is a driving method based on the manual operation of the driver, and the automatic driving mode is a driving method not based on the manual operation of the driver. The automatic driving mode is a driving mode in which the vehicle 10 is controlled to travel toward a target position based on a target position (= target position information) and a current position (= current position information) that are set in advance without depending on the operation by the driver. Note that "automatic driving" in the present invention refers to a driving mode in which at least steering and acceleration / deceleration are controlled without depending on at least the operation by the driver.

[0016] The selection between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode is performed, for example, based on the driver operating the automatic driving changeover switch 64a provided near the driver's seat. When the driver operates the automatic driving changeover switch 64a to the ON side (= automatic driving side), the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode. When the driver operates the automatic driving changeover switch 64a to the OFF side (= manual driving side), or when the driver operates any of the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal (not shown) during automatic driving, the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode.

[0017] The vehicle 10 can alternatively select, for example, a predetermined comfort mode and a non-comfort mode. The predetermined comfort mode is selected based on, for example, the driver operating a comfort mode setting switch 64b provided near the driver's seat. When the driver operates the comfort mode setting switch 64b to the on side (= set side), the mode is switched from the non-comfort mode to the comfort mode. When the driver operates the comfort mode setting switch 64b to the off side (= release side), the mode is switched from the comfort mode to the non-comfort mode. Compared to the non-comfort mode, the predetermined comfort mode is a mode that places more importance on ride comfort than on improving power performance. Specifically, the "ride comfort" improves when the vibration is small and decreases when the vibration is large.

[0018] The vehicle 10 can select a specific seat preferential mode that improves the ride comfort of one of the front seats and the rear seats while the vehicle 10 is in automatic driving mode in 4WD driving and the comfort mode is selected. The selection of the specific seat preferential mode is performed, for example, based on the driver operating a specific seat setting switch 64c provided near the driver's seat. For example, when the driver operates the specific seat setting switch 64c to the front seat preferential side, the standard mode is switched to the front seat preferential mode. For example, when the driver operates the specific seat setting switch 64c to the rear seat preferential side, the standard mode is switched to the rear seat preferential mode. The front seat preferential mode is a mode that emphasizes and improves the ride comfort of the front seats compared to the rear seat preferential mode, and the rear seat preferential mode is a mode that emphasizes and improves the ride comfort of the rear seats compared to the front seat preferential mode. The driver corresponds to the "user" in the present invention, and the "user" may include passengers in addition to the driver. The "front seat" in the front seat preferential mode and the "rear seat" in the rear seat preferential mode each correspond to the "seat selected by the user" in the present invention.

[0019] When the front seat preferential mode and the rear seat preferential mode are set, specifically, the front / rear driving force distribution is changed. The "front / rear driving force distribution" is the distribution ratio between the front wheel driving force (= the driving force for driving transmitted to the pair of front wheels 14) and the rear wheel driving force (= the driving force for driving transmitted to the pair of rear wheels 16). When the front / rear driving force distribution is changed, the displacement amount (= the magnitude of vibration) of each suspension changes, and the vertical displacement amount of each seat around the center of gravity of the vehicle 10 changes, and the jerk (= the time derivative of acceleration) changes. For example, when the front seat preferential mode is set, the ratio of the front wheel driving force in the front / rear driving force distribution is made smaller and the ratio of the rear wheel driving force is made larger, compared to the rear seat preferential mode, so that the displacement amount of the front wheel side suspension is smaller and the displacement amount of the rear wheel side suspension is larger. As a result, the front seats receive a smaller amount of displacement from the vehicle body, improving the ride comfort, while the rear seats receive a larger amount of displacement from the vehicle body, deteriorating the ride comfort. For example, when the rear seat preferential mode is set, the ratio of front wheel drive force in the front / rear drive force distribution is increased and the ratio of rear wheel drive force is decreased, compared to the front seat preferential mode, thereby improving the ride comfort in the rear seats and deteriorating the ride comfort in the front seats.

[0020] The electronic control device 70 includes a plurality of ECUs that function as control devices for controlling various parts of the vehicle 10. Note that ECU stands for Electronic Control Unit, and is abbreviated to the initial letters of each word.

[0021] The electronic control device 70 includes a drive device ECU 80 and an automatic driving ECU 90, which are capable of inputting and outputting data to and from each other. The drive device ECU 80 is an ECU for controlling the drive device, which controls the engine 12, the automatic transmission 18, the transfer 24, and the pair of couplings 36. The drive device ECU 80 corresponds to the "control device" in the present invention. The automatic driving ECU 90 is an ECU for executing automatic driving control. Each ECU includes a so-called microcomputer equipped with, for example, a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input / output interface, etc., and the CPU executes various controls of the vehicle 10 by performing signal processing according to a program stored in the ROM in advance while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM.

[0022] The autonomous driving ECU 90 receives various signals based on detection values ​​from various sensors (e.g., a vehicle state sensor 60, a surrounding recognition sensor 62, a driver operation sensor 64, etc.) (e.g., (1) an engine rotation speed Ne [rpm] which is the rotation speed of the engine 12, a throttle valve opening θth [%], a shift state signal Ssftsta which indicates the shift range of the automatic transmission 18, a vehicle speed V [km / h], a GPS (Global Positioning System), etc.). The following information is input to the navigation system 64: (1) various information representing the vehicle state, such as the friction coefficient μ of the road surface on which the vehicle 10 is traveling, based on vehicle position information based on GPS signals transmitted from satellites and a car navigation device including information about the road; (2) various information relating to the surroundings of the vehicle 10, such as the presence or absence of obstacles around the vehicle 10 and other vehicles traveling in front, behind, on the left and right of the vehicle 10; and (3) various information relating to operations by the driver, such as the steering angle Sste [rad] of the steering wheel, the accelerator opening θacc [%] corresponding to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal, the brake operation amount Sbrk [%] corresponding to the amount of depression of the brake pedal, the shift position signal POSsh representing the operating position of the shift lever, the driving mode setting signal Ssw1 input from the automatic driving changeover switch 64a, the comfort setting signal Ssw2 input from the comfort mode setting switch 64b, and the specific seat setting signal Ssw3 input from the specific seat setting switch 64c. The surrounding recognition sensor 62 is composed of a plurality of sensors, such as an infrared sensor, a camera, and a medium- to long-range radar, and the vehicle state sensor 60 and the driver operation sensor 64 are composed of a plurality of sensors that detect various specifications, for example.

[0023] In the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs an automatic driving control signal Sauto to the drive unit ECU 80 to realize driving in the automatic driving mode based on various signals based on detection values ​​by the vehicle state sensor 60, the surrounding recognition sensor 62, the driver operation sensor 64, etc. The automatic driving control signal Sauto includes target values ​​for controlling the vehicle state during driving, such as the engine torque Te, the gear ratio of the automatic transmission 18, and the steering angle Sste of the steering wheel. In the case of driving during automatic driving in 4WD driving and with the comfort mode selected, the automatic driving control signal Sauto includes information on the driving mode setting signal Ssw1, the comfort setting signal Ssw2, and the specific seat setting signal Ssw3. In the case of manual driving mode, the automatic driving ECU 90 does not output the automatic driving control signal Sauto to the drive unit ECU 80.

[0024] The drive unit ECU 80 receives various information indicating the vehicle state and various information related to the driver's operation from the vehicle state sensor 60 and the driver operation sensor 64, respectively, and also receives an automatic driving control signal Sauto from the automatic driving ECU 90 during the automatic driving mode. The drive unit ECU 80 outputs various command signals (e.g., an engine control signal Se for controlling the engine 12, a shift control signal Sat for controlling the shift of the automatic transmission 18, a transfer control signal Str for alternatively selecting 2WD driving or 4WD driving, torque control signals Sc1, Sc2 for controlling the transmission torque capacity of the pair of couplings 36, etc.) to each device (e.g., the engine 12, the hydraulic control circuit 38, the transfer 24, the pair of couplings 36, etc.) provided in the vehicle 10.

[0025] Next, we will explain the control of the front and rear drive force distribution during automatic driving in 4WD mode with comfort mode selected.

[0026] The drive device ECU 80 functionally comprises an engine control unit 80a, a gear shift control unit 80b, an automatic driving determination unit 80c, a comfort determination unit 80d, a specific seat determination unit 80e, an allocation amount calculation unit 80f, an allocation amount determination unit 80g, and a coupling control unit 80h.

[0027] In the automatic driving mode, the engine control unit 80a controls the engine 12 and the gear shift control unit 80b controls the automatic transmission 18 based on the automatic driving control signal Sauto. In the manual driving mode, the engine control unit 80a controls the engine 12 and the gear shift control unit 80b controls the automatic transmission 18 based on various information indicating the vehicle state (e.g., vehicle speed V) and various information related to the operation by the driver (e.g., accelerator opening θacc).

[0028] The autonomous driving determination unit 80c determines whether or not the autonomous driving mode has been selected, that is, whether or not the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode.

[0029] The comfort determination unit 80d determines, based on the comfort setting signal Ssw2, whether or not the vehicle is traveling in the comfort mode.

[0030] The specific seat determination unit 80e determines whether or not a specific seat preferential mode is set based on the specific seat setting signal Ssw3. When it is determined that the vehicle is in automatic driving mode and the comfort mode is selected, and it is determined that the specific seat preferential mode set by the driver is present, the allocation amount calculation unit 80f calculates the allocation amount X of the front / rear driving force allocation based on the specific seat preferential mode set by the driver. The allocation amount X is the allocation ratio between the front wheel driving force and the rear wheel driving force, and is the same as the front / rear driving force allocation. When the allocation amount calculation unit 80f calculates the allocation amount X, the allocation amount determination unit 80g determines whether or not the allocation amount X is realized as the actual front / rear driving force allocation of the vehicle 10. When the allocation amount determination unit 80g determines that the allocation amount X is realized as the actual front / rear driving force allocation of the vehicle 10, the coupling control unit 80h does not change the front / rear driving force allocation of the vehicle 10. If the distribution amount determination unit 80g determines that the distribution amount X is not realized as the actual front / rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10, the coupling control unit 80h executes control to change the front / rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10 to the distribution amount X.

[0031] Fig. 2 is an example of a flowchart illustrating the control operation of the drive unit ECU 80 shown in Fig. 1. The flowchart in Fig. 2 is repeatedly executed while the vehicle 10 is running in 4WD mode.

[0032] First, in step (hereinafter, step will be omitted) S10, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is in automatic driving mode. If the determination in S10 is YES, it is determined in S20 whether or not the vehicle is traveling with the comfort mode selected. If the determination in S20 is YES, it is determined in S30 whether or not there is a specific seat preferential mode set by the driver. If the determination in S30 is YES, in S40, a distribution amount X is calculated based on the specific seat preferential mode set by the driver, and it is determined whether or not the distribution amount X is realized as the actual front-rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10. If the determination in S40 is YES, in S50, the front-rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10 is not changed. If the determination in S40 is NO, in S60, control is executed to change the front-rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10 to the distribution amount X. If the determination in S30 is NO, in S70, the front-rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10 is controlled to be a front-rear driving force distribution based on a standard mode that is preset as a standard in the comfort mode. When the determination in S10 is NO or when the determination in S20 is NO, in either case, control is performed in S80 so that the front and rear drive force distribution is a predetermined distribution in the non-comfort mode. After execution of S50 to S80, the process returns in either case.

[0033] According to this embodiment, when the vehicle is in automatic driving mode in 4WD driving and the comfort mode is selected, if the driver selects one of the front and rear seats as a specific seat, the front and rear drive force distribution is controlled so that the ride comfort of the specific seat is improved while the ride comfort of the seats other than the specific seat is reduced. As a result, the ride comfort of the specific seat selected by the driver is improved during automatic driving in 4WD driving and the comfort mode is selected. EXAMPLES

[0034] 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle 110 equipped with a drive device ECU 180 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and is also a functional block diagram showing the main parts of the control functions for various controls in the vehicle 110. This embodiment differs from the above-described first embodiment in terms of vehicle configuration, and therefore the control functions are different. Therefore, the following description will focus on the parts that are different from the first embodiment, and parts that are substantially common in function to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0035] The vehicle 110 includes well-known components such as the engine 12, the power split mechanism 150, the generator Gen, the front wheel electric motor MGfr, the front wheel differential 20, a pair of front wheel axles 22, a pair of front wheels 14, the rear wheel electric motor MGre, the rear wheel differential 32, a pair of rear wheel axles 34, and a pair of rear wheels 16, which are connected as shown in Fig. 3. The vehicle 110 is configured so that power can be supplied between the generator Gen, the front wheel electric motor MGfr, the front wheel inverter INVfr, the rear wheel electric motor MGre, the rear wheel inverter INVre, the battery 152, and the boost converter 154, as shown in Fig. 3. In this manner, the vehicle 110 is a well-known four-wheel drive vehicle in which the front wheel drive force and the rear wheel drive force can be controlled independently, and corresponds to the "four-wheel drive vehicle" of the present invention.

[0036] The vehicle 110 includes an electronic control device 170. The electronic control device 170 includes a drive device ECU 180 and an automatic driving ECU 90. The drive device ECU 180 corresponds to the "control device" in the present invention. The drive device ECU 180 is substantially the same as the drive device ECU 80 in the first embodiment, but differs in that the drive device ECU 180 does not include a shift control unit 80b and an electric motor control unit 180h is provided instead of the coupling control unit 80h due to the difference in the vehicle configuration from the first embodiment. The drive device ECU 180 outputs various command signals (e.g., an engine control signal Se, a generator control signal Sgen for torque control of the generator Gen, an MGfr control signal Smgfr for drive control of the front wheel electric motor MGfr, an MGre control signal Smgre for drive control of the rear wheel electric motor MGre, etc.) to each device (e.g., the engine 12, the front wheel inverter INVfr, the rear wheel inverter INVre, etc.) provided in the vehicle 10. If it is determined that the vehicle is in automatic driving mode with 4WD driving and comfort mode selected, and if it is determined that a specific seat preferential mode set by the driver is present, and if the distribution amount determination unit 80g determines that the distribution amount X is not realized as the actual front / rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10, the motor control unit 180h executes control to change the front / rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10 to the distribution amount X by controlling the outputs of the generator Gen, the front wheel electric motor MGfr, and the rear wheel electric motor MGre, respectively. If the distribution amount determination unit 80g determines that the distribution amount X is realized as the actual front / rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10, the motor control unit 180h does not change the front / rear driving force distribution of the vehicle 10.

[0037] According to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0038] The above-described embodiments of the present invention are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention, and the present invention can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements thereto based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0039] In the above-described first embodiment, the vehicle 10 is a part-time 4WD, but the present invention is also applicable to a full-time 4WD. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10, 110: Vehicle (four-wheel drive vehicle), 80, 180: Drive unit ECU (control unit)

Claims

[Claim 1] A control device for a four-wheel drive vehicle, When the vehicle is in an autonomous driving mode and a predetermined comfort mode is selected, if the user selects one of the front and rear seats as a predetermined specific seat, the front and rear drive force distribution is controlled so that the ride comfort of the seats other than the specific seat is reduced while the ride comfort of the specific seat is improved. A control device for a four-wheel drive vehicle comprising:

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