Vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle that even when adopting an electrically-driven step moved to expansion / storage positions in tandem with opening / closing motions of a door, can suppress temperature increases around the door and of the electrically-driven step to reduce discomfort of an occupant.SOLUTION: A vehicle is provided with: an engine; a battery that can be charged and discharged; an electrically-driven fan 18 that can cool cooling water in the engine by blowing air; a door 12 which is arranged at a side part of the vehicle or at a rear part of the vehicle and can be opened and closed; and an electrically-driven step 14 whose position is moved in tandem with opening motion and closing motion of the door 12, which is expanded to outside in a vehicle width direction or to the rear side of the vehicle, when the door is opened. The battery can be switched to a charging mode in which the battery is charged by output of the engine. In the charging mode, when it is determined that the door 12 is opened, the output of the electrically-driven fan 18 is reduced for a predetermined time, and the expansion of the electrically-driven step 14 is maintained for another predetermined time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle, and more particularly to control of a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) when the vehicle is stopped. [Background technology]

[0002] In some vehicles, steps are provided below the side or rear doors to assist passengers in getting on and off the vehicle. In particular, in recent years, electric steps that can be moved between a deployed position and a stowed position in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door have been adopted for vehicles with high vehicle height.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle door opening and closing structure. A vehicle to which this vehicle door opening and closing structure is applied is provided with a door that is electrically opened and closed by a door opening and closing mechanism, a step that is deployed and stored in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door, and a kick sensor that is installed on the underside of the step and detects the foot of a user. This vehicle door opening and closing structure allows a user to operate the door and get on and off the vehicle even in a situation where the user cannot open or close the door directly with his or her hands, and it is said that the step improves the ease of getting on and off. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-127145 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in vehicles that employ electric steps that can be moved to deployed and stowed positions in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door, the function of linking the door and the electric step does not necessarily increase the convenience or comfort of the occupants.

[0006] In the PHEV, there is a function that can start the engine and charge the generated electricity to the battery regardless of the running state of the vehicle by switching to a mode called "charge mode". In this charge mode, the engine output is increased to charge the battery, so the engine water temperature and exhaust heat rise. In particular, when the vehicle is stopped, the heat cannot be dissipated by the vehicle wind speed, so the system in the vehicle controls the electric fan to increase the rotation speed as the engine water temperature rises. This control increases the rotation speed of the electric fan and increases the amount of air flowing around the exhaust pipe whose temperature has risen, cooling the exhaust pipe. On the other hand, since part of the air blown by the electric fan is directed toward the electric step, the air with a higher temperature flows to the electric step and its surrounding components, which causes the disadvantage that the temperature of the electric step itself in the stored state rises. In addition, generally, depending on the rotation direction of the electric fan, the air flow under the floor when the vehicle is stopped is directed to the side of the vehicle (for example, toward the right door), and the temperature of the right electric step rises. Furthermore, since the electric step is housed under the floor of the vehicle, particularly under the door, the temperature rises not only around the door but also around the electric step.

[0007] For example, when an occupant gets in or out of the vehicle in the charge mode, the engine's waste heat flows around the door and electric step as the electric fan speed increases, and the occupant may feel uncomfortable when touching the heated electric step. Also, when an occupant gets in the vehicle again after getting out, the electric step stored under the vehicle is deployed again as the door is opened, but the temperature of the stored electric step and its surrounding parts has risen. Therefore, the temperature of the deployed electric step rises, and the occupant may feel uncomfortable when using the electric step. In other words, the opening and closing of the door and the electric step (i.e., deployment and storage) are linked, which may impair the comfort of the occupant.

[0008] Therefore, in this specification, a vehicle is realized that can reduce the discomfort felt by occupants that may occur due to the high temperature around the door and the electric step when getting in and out of the vehicle, even when an electric step that moves to an extended position and a stored position in conjunction with the door opening and closing operations is adopted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The vehicle disclosed in this specification comprises an engine, a rechargeable battery, an electric fan capable of cooling the engine's coolant by blowing air, a door provided on the side or rear of the vehicle and capable of being opened and closed, and an electric step whose position is moved in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door, and which deploys outward in the vehicle width direction or toward the rear of the vehicle when the door is opened, the battery is switchable to a charge mode in which it is charged by the output of the engine, and when it is determined that the door has been opened in the charge mode, the output of the electric fan is reduced for a predetermined time and the deployment of the electric step is maintained for another predetermined time. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the vehicle disclosed in this specification, when a predetermined condition is met, the output of the electric fan is reduced and the electric step is maintained in its deployed state, thereby lowering the temperature of the electric step. This reduces discomfort to passengers that may be caused by high temperatures around the door or the electric step when getting on or off the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic position of an electric step when a vehicle door is opened or closed; FIG. [Diagram 2] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed by a control unit of the vehicle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is an image diagram of temperature transition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, a vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings. In Fig. 1, "Fr", "Up", and "Rh" indicate the front, upper, and right side of the vehicle, respectively.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the position of an electric step when the door of a vehicle is open or closed. The vehicle 10 shown in Fig. 1 is a PHEV, and includes a door 12 and an electric step 14. The vehicle 10 has a door interlocking function, and deploys and retracts the electric step 14 as the door 12 is opened or closed.

[0014] The door 12 is an openable / closable part provided on the side or rear of the vehicle 10, and is provided on the side of the vehicle 10 in this example as shown in FIG. 1. The electric step 14 is a plate-shaped part whose thickness direction is the vertical direction of the vehicle and whose length direction is the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is supported on the body of the vehicle 10 by a support member (not shown). The electric step 14 is moved in position in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the door 12, and when the door 12 is opened, it is deployed outward in the vehicle width direction. In FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is displayed vertically, and as shown, the upper figure is a diagram of "during the door opening operation" and the lower figure is a diagram of "during the door closing operation". As shown in the diagram of "during the door opening operation" in FIG. 1, when the door 12 is opened (the opening operation is indicated by a black arrow in FIG. 1), the electric step 14 is deployed outward in the vehicle width direction (in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 1). On the other hand, as shown in the "door closing operation" diagram in Fig. 1, when the door 12 is closed (the closing operation is indicated by the dark ink arrow in Fig. 1), the electric step 14 is stored on the inside in the vehicle width direction (the direction of the white arrow in Fig. 1). That is, the electric step 14 is stored under the floor of the vehicle 10, and in particular, under the door 12. Note that in Fig. 1, because some parts of the electric step 14 are hidden by the door 12 and the vehicle floor and cannot be seen, it is shown as a light ink portion surrounded by a dashed line as a hidden line, indicating that a part or all of it is stored under the vehicle 10.

[0015] The vehicle 10 further includes a control unit 16 and an electric fan 18. In Fig. 1, the control unit 16 and the electric fan 18 are shown as schematic blocks indicated by dashed lines. The flow of high-temperature air under the floor caused by the electric fan 18 is indicated by dashed arrows. The control unit 16 is an electronic control unit that includes at least a CPU that performs various arithmetic processing, and a memory that stores control programs and data. The control unit 16 controls the operation of each part of a system (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10, and performs operations such as opening and closing the doors, deploying and retracting the electric step 14, and operating the electric fan 18.

[0016] Next, the control of the vehicle 10 performed by the control unit 16 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of a process performed by the control unit of the vehicle.

[0017] The control unit 16 first determines whether the position of the shift lever is in the "P" range, which is one of the driving modes (i.e., whether the vehicle 10 is stopped or not) (S10). If the position of the shift lever is in the P range, heat cannot be dissipated by the vehicle wind speed. Therefore, the control unit 16 can determine whether the situation is such that the temperature around the door 12 or the electric step 14 may rise, depending on the position of the shift lever. If the position of the shift lever is not in the P range (No in S10), the process proceeds to S18.

[0018] On the other hand, when the position of the shift lever is in the P range (Yes in S10), the control unit 16 determines whether or not the driving mode is the charge mode (S12). In the charge mode, as described above, the engine output is increased to charge the battery, so the engine water temperature and exhaust heat rise. That is, by detecting whether or not the vehicle 10 is in the charge mode, the control unit 16 can determine whether or not the temperature around the door 12 or the electric step 14 may rise. If the driving mode is not the charge mode (No in S12), the process proceeds to S18.

[0019] On the other hand, when the driving mode is the charge mode (Yes in S12), the control unit 16 counts how long the state in which the shift lever is in the P range and the vehicle 10 is in the charge mode (hereinafter referred to as "P range and charge mode"). Then, the control unit 16 determines whether the elapsed time in the P range and charge mode is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (S14). For example, in this example, the predetermined time is 20 minutes. In this way, when the state in the P range and charge mode is equal to or longer than 20 minutes, the control unit 16 can determine that the temperature around the door 12 and the electric step 14 has risen sufficiently (i.e., to a level that makes the occupant feel uncomfortable). When the state in the P range and charge mode has not elapsed for equal to or longer than the predetermined time (No in S14), the process proceeds to S18.

[0020] On the other hand, if the state of P range and charge mode has continued for a predetermined time or more (Yes in S14), the control unit 16 determines whether the door 12 is open (S16). In other words, if the door 12 is open, it means that the electric step 14 is in the deployed position, so the control unit 16 can determine the state of the electric step 14 by detecting the state of the door 12. If the door 12 is not open (No in S16), the process proceeds to S18. In the above conditions that lead to S18, it cannot be said that the temperature around the door 12 or the electric step 14 is particularly likely to rise, so the control unit 16 does not perform control to lower the temperature around the door 12 or the electric step 14 (S18).

[0021] On the other hand, if the door 12 is open (Yes in S16), the control unit 16 proceeds to S20 and S28, and executes the processes in the respective steps.

[0022] First, the control unit 16 limits the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 (S20). Specifically, a control function called a PWM control function controls the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 and switches the duty ratio to 50%. This "duty ratio of 50%" means that the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 is halved. Therefore, the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 decreases and the air volume decreases, so that the air volume flowing around the exhaust pipe described above also decreases. A part of the air blown by the electric fan 18 is directed toward the door 12 and the electric step 14, but the amount of high-temperature air flowing through the door 12 and the electric step 14 also decreases due to the reduction in the air volume flowing around the exhaust pipe. As a result, the increase in temperature around the door 12 and the electric step 14 can be suppressed.

[0023] Next, the control unit 16 judges whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 was limited (S22). For example, in this example, the predetermined time is set to two minutes. In this way, if the state in which the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 is limited continues for two minutes or more, the control unit 16 can judge that the increase in temperature around the door 12 and the electric step 14 is suppressed (in other words, the temperature around the door 12 and the electric step 14 has dropped to a level that does not cause discomfort to the occupants). Therefore, if the predetermined time has elapsed since the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 was limited (Yes in S22), the control unit 16 returns the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 to the normal state (S24). On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed since the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 was limited (No in S22), the control unit 16 continues to limit the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 (S26).

[0024] Furthermore, the control unit 16 maintains the open state of the electric step 14 (S28). In a conventional electric step that is moved between the deployed position and the stored position in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door, the electric step is also moved to the stored position in conjunction with the closing of the door. On the other hand, in this example, under conditions that would lead to S28, the control unit 16 maintains the open state of the electric step 14 for a predetermined time, and reduces the temperature of the electric step 14.

[0025] Next, the control unit 16 judges whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the electric step 14 was kept in the open state (S30). For example, in this example, the predetermined time is 20 minutes. In this way, if 20 minutes or more have elapsed with the electric step 14 in the unfolded state, the control unit 16 can determine that the temperature of the electric step 14 has sufficiently dropped. Therefore, if a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the electric step 14 was kept in the open state (Yes in S30), the control unit 16 moves the electric step 14 to a closed state (i.e., a stored position) (S32). On the other hand, if a predetermined time or more has not elapsed since the electric step 14 was kept in the open state (No in S30), the control unit 16 maintains the electric step 14 in the unfolded state (S34).

[0026] Next, referring to FIG. 3, the limit of the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 described in S20 above and the change before and after the countermeasure will be described. FIG. 3 is an image diagram of temperature transition. In FIG. 3, the graphs are displayed vertically, and as shown, the upper diagram is a diagram of "before the countermeasure" and the lower diagram is a diagram of "after the countermeasure". As described above, this "countermeasure" is to limit the rotation speed of the electric fan 18. The diagrams of "before the countermeasure" and "after the countermeasure" show the temperature of the electric step 14 and the temperature around the door 12 before and after the vehicle 10 is stopped, and the duty ratio of the electric fan 18. As shown in the diagram of "before the countermeasure", if the duty ratio of the electric fan 18 is maintained at 100% (line D1) even after the vehicle 10 is stopped, the temperature of the electric step 14 and the temperature around the door 12 rise (line C1). The temperature indicated by the line C1 is so high that the occupant feels uncomfortable when using the electric step 14. On the other hand, as shown in the "After Countermeasures" diagram, when the duty ratio of the electric fan 18 is limited to 50% (line D2) after the vehicle 10 is stopped, the temperature of the electric step 14 and the temperature around the door 12 rise (line C2), but compared to line C1 before the countermeasures, the temperature rise is only about half. In other words, comparing the upper and lower diagrams in Fig. 3, it can be seen that limiting the rotation speed of the electric fan 18 has the effect of suppressing the rise in the temperature of the electric step 14 and the temperature around the door 12.

[0027] The above description is merely an example, and in the vehicle disclosed in this specification, when a predetermined condition is met, the output of the electric fan is reduced and the electric step is controlled to maintain the deployment, and other configurations may be changed as appropriate. For example, in the embodiment, the duty ratio is set to 50%, but is not limited to this. If the rotation speed of the electric fan is set to 0, for example, there is a disadvantage that the air conditioning function is not effective, so it is necessary to avoid setting the duty ratio to an extremely low value. On the other hand, a value other than 50% may be used as long as the duty ratio has the effect of suppressing the rise in the temperature of the electric step 14 and the temperature around the door 12 while maintaining the air conditioning function. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] 10 Vehicle, 12 Door, 14 Electric step, 16 Control unit, 18 Electric fan.

Claims

[Claim 1] The engine, A rechargeable battery; an electric fan capable of cooling the engine cooling water by blowing air; A door provided on a side or rear part of the vehicle and capable of being opened and closed; An electric step whose position is moved in conjunction with the opening and closing operations of the door, and which is deployed outward in the vehicle width direction or toward the rear of the vehicle when the door is opened; Equipped with The battery is switchable to a charge mode in which the battery is charged by an output of the engine, When it is determined that the door is opened during the charge mode, Reducing the output of the electric fan for a predetermined period of time; maintaining the deployment of said motorized steps for another predetermined period of time; A vehicle characterized by:

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