Electric vehicle

Abstract

To provide an electric vehicle allowing a driver to enjoy various acceleration feelings of the vehicle.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle includes: a driving operation member used for driving the electric vehicle; a processing circuit; and a memory storing a database for managing a plurality of vehicle models obtained by modeling a plurality of virtual vehicles having different acceleration characteristics with respect to a driving operation of a driver. The processing circuit is configured to: read a vehicle model of a target virtual vehicle selected from the plurality of virtual vehicles by the driver from the database; acquire an operating state of the driving operation member and a traveling state of the electric vehicle; calculate a virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle with respect to an operation of the driving operation member by using the vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle, based on the operating state of the driving operation member and the traveling state of the electric vehicle; and control the electric motor such that the acceleration of the electric vehicle becomes equal to the virtual acceleration.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for reproducing various driving sensations in an electric vehicle by controlling the motor torque of an electric motor have been considered. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for pseudo-reproducing, in an electric vehicle, a torque change at the time of a shift change in a vehicle equipped with a stepped transmission by controlling the motor torque.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As one of the elements characterizing the driving sensation of a vehicle, the acceleration feeling of the vehicle with respect to a driving operation can be mentioned. The acceleration feeling of a vehicle is an important point for a driver to enjoy driving the vehicle. In particular, it is assumed that the preference for the acceleration feeling of a vehicle varies from driver to driver. Also, it is assumed that a driver wants to enjoy various acceleration feelings of a vehicle according to their mood. However, conventionally, in one vehicle, a driver has been able to enjoy only a single acceleration feeling.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems. One object of the present disclosure is to provide an electric vehicle in which a driver can enjoy various acceleration feelings of a vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source. The electric vehicle includes a driving operation member used for driving the electric vehicle, a processing circuit, and a memory storing a database that manages a plurality of vehicle models that model a plurality of virtual vehicles having different acceleration characteristics with respect to the driving operation of the driver. The processing circuit reads out from the database the vehicle model of a target virtual vehicle selected by the driver from among the plurality of virtual vehicles, acquires the operation state of the driving operation member and the running state of the electric vehicle, calculates the virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle with respect to the operation of the driving operation member based on the operation state of the driving operation member and the running state of the electric vehicle using the vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle, and is configured to control the electric motor so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle is the virtual acceleration.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the electric vehicle of the present disclosure, the virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle is calculated using the vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle selected by the driver from among the plurality of virtual vehicles. Then, the electric motor is controlled so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle is the calculated virtual acceleration. Thereby, in the electric vehicle, it is possible to give the driver a sense of acceleration as if driving the target virtual vehicle. Consequently, the driver can enjoy the sense of acceleration of various vehicles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 Configuration of the powertrain of an electric vehicle FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an electric vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. First, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the powertrain of the electric vehicle 100 will be described.

[0011] The electric vehicle 100 includes an electric motor (M) 2 as a power source for running. The electric motor 2 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor. The output shaft 3 of the electric motor 2 is connected to one end of a propeller shaft 5 via a gear mechanism 4. The other end of the propeller shaft 5 is connected to a drive shaft 7 in front of the vehicle via a differential gear 6.

[0012] The electric vehicle 100 includes drive wheels 8 that are front wheels and driven wheels 12 that are rear wheels. The drive wheels 8 are respectively provided at both ends of the drive shaft 7.

[0013] The electric vehicle 100 includes a battery (BATT) 14 and an inverter (INV) 16. The battery 14 stores electric energy for driving the electric motor 2. That is, the electric vehicle 100 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that runs on the electric energy stored in the battery 14. The inverter 16 is, for example, a voltage source inverter and controls the torque of the electric motor 2 by PWM control.

[0014] 2 Configuration of the control system of an electric vehicle Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the control system of the electric vehicle 100 will be described.

[0015] The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with 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. The battery management system 10 has a function of estimating the state of charge (SOC) of the battery 14.

[0016] The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 30. At least one of the wheel speed sensors (not shown) provided on each of the left and right front wheels 8 and the left and right rear wheels 12 is used as the vehicle speed sensor 30. The electric vehicle 100 is also equipped with an accelerator pedal stroke sensor 32. The accelerator pedal stroke sensor 32 is provided on the accelerator pedal 22 and outputs a signal indicating the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 22, that is, the accelerator opening. Furthermore, the electric vehicle 100 is equipped with a brake pedal stroke sensor 34. The brake pedal stroke sensor 34 is provided on the brake pedal 24 and outputs a signal indicating the operation amount of the brake pedal 24, that is, the brake opening. The accelerator pedal 22 and the brake pedal 24 are driving operation members used for driving the electric vehicle 100. The electric vehicle 100 is also equipped with a rotational speed sensor 40. The rotational speed sensor 40 is provided on the electric motor 2 and outputs a signal indicating the rotational speed of the electric motor 2.

[0017] The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with a human machine interface (HMI) 20 and an in-vehicle speaker 21 as an interface with the driver. The HMI 20 presents information to the driver and receives input from the driver. The HMI 20 includes, for example, a touch panel display. At this time, the HMI 20 displays information on the touch panel display and receives input from the driver by a touch operation on the touch panel display. In addition, the HMI 20 may be composed of a meter display, a steering switch, etc. The in-vehicle speaker 21 is a sound generator that artificially generates sound in the vehicle interior and provides information to the driver. The in-vehicle speaker 21 can further output a pseudo engine sound described later.

[0018] The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with a control device 101. Sensors and devices to be controlled 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 battery management system 10, vehicle speed sensor 30, accelerator pedal stroke sensor 32, brake pedal stroke sensor 34, and rotational speed sensor 40, various other sensors are mounted on the electric vehicle 100.

[0019] The control device 101 is typically an electronic control unit (ECU). The control device 101 may be a combination of multiple ECUs. The control device 101 includes at least a processing circuit 102 and a memory 103. The memory 103 includes a RAM for temporarily recording data, and a ROM for storing a program 104 executable by the processing circuit 102 and various data 105 related to the program. The program 104 is composed of a plurality of instructions. The processing circuit 102 reads the program 104 and data 105 from the memory 103 and executes them, and generates a control signal based on the signals acquired from each sensor.

[0020] The processing circuit 102 may be realized to include at least one of a general-purpose processor, an application-specific processor, an integrated circuit, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a conventional circuit, and combinations thereof. The processing circuit 102 is hardware programmed to realize the functions described below, or hardware that executes the functions described below. The processing circuit 102 may include any hardware known as being programmed to realize the functions described below, or executing the functions described below.

[0021] 3 Control Modes The control device 101 has two control modes, a normal mode and an on-demand mode, for the control of the electric vehicle 100. The normal mode is a control mode that performs normal control as a BEV. The on-demand mode is a control mode that accepts from the driver the selection of a virtual vehicle from among a plurality of virtual vehicles, and performs control so as to reproduce the target virtual vehicle whose acceleration characteristics with respect to the driver's driving operation are selected. That is, in the on-demand mode, the control device 101 controls the electric vehicle 100 so that the driver can obtain an acceleration feeling as if driving the target virtual vehicle. Each of the plurality of virtual vehicles related to the on-demand mode is assumed to be various vehicles with different acceleration characteristics from each other. In particular, each virtual vehicle may be assumed to be a real vehicle, or may be assumed to be a vehicle that does not actually exist. Generally, the difference in acceleration characteristics is due to the difference in the configuration of the power train from the drive source to the drive wheels or the difference in the control method of the power train. Therefore, it can also be said that each of the plurality of virtual vehicles has a difference in at least a part of the configuration or control method related to the power train from each other.

[0022] The selection of the control mode by the driver can be configured to be performed by operating the HMI 20. For example, the driver selects the control mode by touching the touch panel display of the HMI 20.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a tree diagram showing an example of the selection of the control mode by the driver. For example, on the touch panel display of the HMI 20, a selection screen for the driver is displayed as follows according to the tree shown in FIG. 2.

[0024] On the initial screen of the touch panel display, an option "Control Mode" is displayed. When the option "Control Mode" is selected, next, options "Normal Mode" and "On-Demand Mode" are displayed on the touch panel display. When the option "Normal Mode" is selected, the control mode of the electric vehicle 100 switches to the normal mode. The HMI 20 sends a signal to the control device 101 to set the control mode to the normal mode. When the option "On-Demand Mode" is selected, the control mode of the electric vehicle 100 switches to the on-demand mode. The HMI 20 sends a signal to the control device 101 to set the control mode to the on-demand mode.

[0025] When the option "On-Demand Mode" is selected, further, options "CONV" and "HEV" are displayed on the touch panel display as selectable virtual vehicle classifications. CONV is a classification indicating a conventional vehicle. HEV is a classification indicating a hybrid electric vehicle. When the option "CONV" is selected, next, options "Virtual Vehicle A1", "Virtual Vehicle A2", and "Virtual Vehicle B1" are displayed on the touch panel display. Virtual Vehicle A1, Virtual Vehicle A2, and Virtual Vehicle B1 are selectable virtual vehicles classified as CONV. Similarly, when the option "HEV" is selected, next, options "Virtual Vehicle C1" and "Virtual Vehicle C2" are displayed on the touch panel display. Virtual Vehicle C1 and Virtual Vehicle C2 are selectable virtual vehicles classified as HEV. The names of the virtual vehicles displayed in each option may be more specific names that are easier for the driver to imagine the vehicle type, product name, etc. When each of these options is selected, the corresponding virtual vehicle becomes the target virtual vehicle. For example, when the option "Virtual Vehicle A2" is selected, Virtual Vehicle A2 becomes the target virtual vehicle. The HMI 20 sends a signal indicating the selected target virtual vehicle to the control device 101.

[0026] In the above description, the classification of selectable virtual vehicles is an example, and the display of classification options may be changed as appropriate. For example, according to the selectable virtual vehicle, options indicating a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or a fuel cell electric vehicle may be added. Also, for example, options based on other classifications such as classifications according to the type of internal combustion engine mounted (inline 4 supercharged engine, flat 6 engine, V12 engine, etc.) may be displayed. Alternatively, when the option "demand mode" is selected, the touch panel display may display options for selectable virtual vehicles without displaying classification options.

[0027] As described above, the driver can select a control mode by operating the HMI 20. The control device 101 controls the electric vehicle 100 according to the selected control mode.

[0028] The control device 101 functions as a motor control device that generates a control signal for torque control of the electric motor 2 and a sound control device that generates a control signal for outputting a pseudo engine sound from the in-vehicle speaker 21. Specifically, when the processing circuit 102 executes the program 104 stored in the memory 103, the control device 101 functions as at least a motor control device and a sound control device. Hereinafter, motor control by the control device 101 (motor control device) and sound control by the control device 101 (sound control device) will be described respectively.

[0029] 4 Motor Control FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the motor control device 101a. The motor control device 101a calculates the target driving force of the electric vehicle 100 with respect to the driver's driving operation, and generates a control signal for PWM control of the inverter 16 based on the target driving force.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the motor control device 101a includes a control mode switching unit 110, a target driving force calculation unit 120, a motor torque command map 130, a switching switch 140, a control signal calculation unit 150, a vehicle model 200, and a vehicle model database D10. Signals from the HMI 20, vehicle speed sensor 30, accelerator pedal stroke sensor 32, and rotational speed sensor 40 are input to the motor control device 101a. The motor control device 101a processes these signals and calculates the target driving force of the electric vehicle 100.

[0031] A control mode signal is input to the control mode switching unit 110 from the HMI 20. The control mode signal includes information regarding the control mode selected by the driver. The control mode switching unit 110 acquires the control mode selected by the driver from the control mode signal. The control mode switching unit 110 operates the switching switch 140 according to whether the selected control mode is the on-demand mode or the normal mode. The switching switch 140 switches the calculated target driving force. That is, the target driving force calculated in the motor control device 101a differs according to the control mode. Hereinafter, the calculation of the target driving force in the motor control device 101a will be described for each of the on-demand mode and the normal mode.

[0032] 4.1 On-Demand Mode When the control mode is the on-demand mode, the motor control device 101a calculates the target driving force using the vehicle model 200 and the target driving force calculation unit 120. The vehicle model 200 is read from the vehicle model database D10 by the control mode switching unit 110.

[0033] The vehicle model database D10 is a database that manages a plurality of vehicle models that model a plurality of virtual vehicles. The vehicle model database D10 may be stored in the memory 103. Each vehicle model is a model that simulates the acceleration characteristics that should be realized by the driver's driving operation when the electric vehicle 100 is assumed to be a virtual vehicle. The vehicle model database D10 may download new vehicle models at any time to add selectable virtual vehicles.

[0034] The acceleration characteristics of the vehicle with respect to the driver's driving operation can be expressed by how the driving force output by the vehicle's power train acts on the virtual vehicle upon input of the driving operation. Therefore, in each vehicle model, at least the power train from the drive source of the virtual vehicle to the drive wheels is modeled. Each vehicle model further models the resistance force generated on the virtual vehicle according to the driving environment and the mechanical characteristics (e.g., vehicle weight) of the virtual vehicle body in order to calculate the action on the virtual vehicle.

[0035] Each vehicle model has changeable parameters related to the acceleration characteristics. For example, parameters include vehicle weight, tire diameter, each gear ratio, engine maximum torque, engine torque responsiveness, shift timing, etc.

[0036] When the control mode is the on-demand mode, the control mode switching unit 110 further acquires information on the target virtual vehicle from the control mode signal from the HMI 20. The control mode switching unit 110 refers to the vehicle model database D10 and reads out the vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle. The read vehicle model becomes the vehicle model 200 used for calculating the target driving force. That is, the vehicle model 200 is the vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle. Further, the control mode switching unit 110 sets the parameter 201 of the vehicle model 200 according to the target virtual vehicle. The acceleration characteristics related to the target virtual vehicle are represented by the vehicle model 200 in combination with the vehicle model 200 and the parameter 201. For example, the control mode switching unit 110 reads out the vehicle model 200 and sets the parameter 201 as shown in the following table according to the target virtual vehicle selected by the driver. As shown below, the same vehicle model may be read out for different target virtual vehicles. For example, when the types of the power trains are the same and the models are common, and each target virtual vehicle can be represented by changing the parameter 201.

Table 1

[0037] The motor control device 101a calculates the virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle with respect to the operation of the driving operation member of the electric vehicle 100 using the vehicle model 200 read out in this way. At least the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 30 and the accelerator opening detected by the accelerator pedal stroke sensor 32 are input to the vehicle model 200. The vehicle speed is one of the driving states of the electric vehicle 100. The accelerator opening is one of the operation states of the driving operation member of the electric vehicle 100. Signals from other sensors such as information on the driving environment may be input to the vehicle model 200 according to the configuration of the model. The vehicle model 200 is configured to calculate the virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle in response to these inputs.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 4, an example of the processing in the vehicle model 200 will be described. The vehicle model 200 includes a control model 210 that simulates a control system for calculating the required operation output for the powertrain of the target virtual vehicle, and a plant model 220 that simulates the physical constraints on the required operation output of the powertrain. It is assumed that the control model 210 and the plant model 220 have different specifications for each type of powertrain. For example, in the case of CONV and HEV, it is assumed that both the control model 210 and the plant model 220 are different. The configurations of the control model 210 and the plant model 220 shown in FIG. 4 show an example when the target virtual vehicle is an automatic transmission vehicle (AT vehicle) equipped with an internal combustion engine.

[0039] The control model 210 includes a target virtual driving force calculation unit 211 and a required operation output calculation unit 212. The target virtual driving force calculation unit 211 calculates the target value of the virtual driving force (target virtual driving force) output by the powertrain of the target virtual vehicle. For example, the target virtual driving force calculation unit 211 calculates the target virtual driving force using a map that gives the target virtual driving force for a combination of the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed. The required operation output calculation unit 212 calculates the required operation output for the powertrain so as to satisfy the target virtual driving force. Examples of the calculated required operation output include the target engine torque of the internal combustion engine and the target gear position of the transmission.

[0040] The plant model 220 includes an internal combustion engine model 221, a transmission model 222, a drive system model 223, and a vehicle / environment model 224.

[0041] The internal combustion engine model 221 is a model of the internal combustion engine of the target virtual vehicle. The internal combustion engine model 221 simulates, for example, the operation of the internal combustion engine in response to the input of the target engine torque. The internal combustion engine model 221 outputs the virtual engine speed and the virtual engine torque. Parameters that can be changed according to the target virtual vehicle in the internal combustion engine model 221 are, for example, the engine maximum torque, the engine torque responsiveness, etc.

[0042] The transmission model 222 is a model of the transmission of the target virtual vehicle. The transmission model 222 simulates, for example, the operation of the transmission with respect to the input of the target gear position. The transmission model 222 outputs a virtual transmission output torque from the virtual engine torque output by the internal combustion engine model 221 and the gear ratio determined by the virtual gear position. The transmission model 222 includes a stepped transmission model that simulates a stepped transmission and a continuously variable transmission model that simulates a continuously variable transmission. Either the stepped transmission model or the continuously variable transmission model is selected according to the target virtual vehicle. Parameters that can be changed according to the target virtual vehicle in the transmission model 222 are, for example, each gear ratio, shift timing, etc. In the case of the stepped transmission model, the gear ratio means the gear ratio of each gear stage.

[0043] The drive train model 223 is a model of the drive train of the target virtual vehicle. The drive train model 223 models, for example, the mechanical structure from the transmission to the drive wheels. The drive train model 223 calculates the drive wheel torque using the virtual transmission output torque output by the transmission model 222 and a predetermined reduction ratio, and outputs the virtual driving force of the target virtual vehicle. Parameters that can be changed according to the target virtual vehicle in the drive train model 223 are, for example, the reduction ratio, the maximum allowable torque of the propeller shaft, etc.

[0044] The vehicle-environment model 224 is a model of the mechanical characteristics of the vehicle body of the target virtual vehicle and the driving environment of the target virtual vehicle. The vehicle-environment model 224 calculates the running resistance applied to the target virtual vehicle, and calculates the virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle from the virtual driving force output from the drive train model 223 and the mechanical characteristics of the vehicle body of the target vehicle. Parameters that can be changed according to the target virtual vehicle in the vehicle-environment model 224 are, for example, vehicle weight, tire diameter, CD value, etc.

[0045] In this way, the motor control device 101a calculates the virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle with respect to the operation of the driving operation member of the electric vehicle 100 using the vehicle model 200.

[0046] Each vehicle model may be created so that the details of the model differ from each other according to the event to be emphasized. For example, when the transmission of the vehicle model is a stepped transmission and it is desired to emphasize the shock or response associated with the gear and clutch engagement change during kickdown, the transmission model 222 may be configured to reproduce the gear mechanism such as the planetary - Ravigneaux of the transmission, the inertia of each element, and the change in the transmission path during clutch engagement and disengagement. Conversely, when it is desired to reduce the computational load, the transmission model 222 may be simply configured to reproduce only the gear ratio.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 3 again, the target driving force calculation unit 120 takes the calculated virtual acceleration as an input and calculates the target driving force for making the acceleration of the electric vehicle 100 the virtual acceleration. For example, the target driving force calculation unit 120 converts the virtual acceleration a into the target driving force F veh by the following formula. Here, m is the vehicle weight of the electric vehicle 100, and F load is the actual running resistance acting on the electric vehicle 100. The following formula is a simple inverse model of the electric vehicle 100.

Equation

[0048] When the control mode is the on - demand mode, the target driving force calculated by the target driving force calculation unit 120 is input to the control signal calculation unit 150. The control signal calculation unit 150 generates a control signal for the inverter 16 so as to apply the input target driving force to the electric vehicle 100. By operating according to the control signal acquired by the inverter 16, motor control in the on - demand mode is realized.

[0049] As described above, in the on-demand mode, the virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle is calculated using the vehicle model 200 of the target virtual vehicle selected by the driver. Then, the motor control of the electric motor 2 is performed so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle 100 is the calculated virtual acceleration. Thereby, in the electric vehicle 100, it is possible to give the driver a sense of acceleration as if driving the target virtual vehicle. Subsequently, the driver can enjoy the acceleration feelings of various vehicles.

[0050] 4.2 Normal Mode When the control mode is the normal mode, the motor control device 101a calculates the target driving force using the motor torque command map 130.

[0051] The motor torque command map 130 is a map that determines the target driving force from the accelerator opening and the rotational speed of the electric motor 2. Each parameter of the motor torque command map 130 receives the signal from the accelerator pedal stroke sensor 32 and the signal from the rotational speed sensor 40. The motor torque command map 130 outputs the target driving force corresponding to these signals.

[0052] When the control mode is the normal mode, the target driving force calculated by the motor torque command map 130 is input to the control signal calculation unit 150. The control signal calculation unit 150 generates a control signal for the inverter 16 so as to apply the input target driving force to the electric vehicle 100. By operating according to the control signal acquired by the inverter 16, the motor control in the normal mode is realized.

[0053] As described above, in the normal mode, the driver can drive by performing normal driving operations on the BEV.

[0054] 5 Sound Control FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the sound control device 101b. The sound control device 101b can generate artificially generated sounds from the in-vehicle speaker 21. One of the artificial sounds is a pseudo engine sound imitating the engine sound in a virtual vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine.

[0055] Similar to the case of motor control, the control mode switching unit 110 acquires the control mode selected by the driver from the control mode signal from the HMI 20. The control mode switching unit 110 transmits the acquired control mode to the pseudo engine sound generation unit 160. Further, when the control mode is the on-demand mode, the control mode switching unit 110 also acquires information on the target virtual vehicle from the control mode signal. The control mode switching unit 110 transmits the information on the target virtual vehicle to the pseudo engine sound generation unit 160.

[0056] The pseudo engine sound generation unit 160 functions when the control mode is the on-demand mode and the target virtual vehicle is a virtual vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine. At this time, the control mode switching unit 110 refers to the vehicle model database D10, reads out the vehicle model 200 that is the vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle, and sets the parameter 201 according to the target virtual vehicle. Then, the pseudo engine sound generation unit 160 generates a pseudo engine sound based on the virtual engine torque and the virtual engine speed calculated using the vehicle model 200.

[0057] The pseudo engine sound generation unit 160 refers to the memory 103 and acquires the sound source of the pseudo engine sound of the internal combustion engine of the target virtual vehicle. The memory 103 may store the sound sources of the pseudo engine sounds for each virtual vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine.

[0058] The pseudo engine sound generation unit 160 includes a process 161 for calculating the engine sound pressure and a process 162 for calculating the engine sound frequency. In process 161, the sound pressure of the pseudo engine sound is calculated from the virtual engine torque using the sound pressure map M11. The sound pressure map M11 is created such that the higher the virtual engine torque, the higher the sound pressure. In process 162, the frequency of the virtual engine sound is calculated from the virtual engine speed using the frequency map M12. The frequency map M12 is created such that the higher the virtual engine speed, the higher the frequency. The virtual engine torque and the virtual engine speed change according to the operation of the driving operation member by the driver.

[0059] The sound control device 101b outputs the pseudo engine sound generated by the pseudo engine sound generation unit 160 from the in-vehicle speaker 21. By performing sound control related to the pseudo engine sound in this way by the sound control device 101b, when the control mode is the on-demand mode, a sense of reality as if the driver is further driving the target virtual vehicle can be given to the driver.

[0060] 6 Display control The control device 101 may be configured to execute display control for causing the HMI 20 to display the virtual engine speed and the virtual gear stage of the target virtual vehicle when the control mode is the on-demand mode. Thereby, a further sense of reality as if the driver is driving the target virtual vehicle can be given to the driver.

[0061] 7 Others The electric vehicle 100 according to the above embodiment is a front-wheel drive vehicle that drives the front wheels with one electric motor 2. However, the technical features according to this embodiment are also applicable to an electric vehicle in which two electric motors are arranged in the front and rear to drive the front and rear wheels respectively. It is also applicable to an electric vehicle equipped with in-wheel motors on each wheel.

[0062] The technical features according to this embodiment are widely applicable not only to battery electric vehicles but also to electric vehicles that use an electric motor as a driving power device. For example, the technical features according to this embodiment are applicable to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) that have a mode of traveling only with the driving force of an electric motor. Also, it is applicable to fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) that supply electric energy generated by a fuel cell to an electric motor.

Explanation of Signs

[0063] 2 Electric motor 21 In-vehicle speaker 22 Accelerator pedal 100 Electric vehicle 101 Control device 102 Processing circuit 103 Memory 200 Vehicle model 201 Parameter 210 Control model 220 Plant model

Claims

1. An electric vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source, A driving operation member used for driving the electric vehicle; A processing circuit; A memory that stores a database that manages a plurality of vehicle models that are modeled based on a plurality of virtual vehicles having different acceleration characteristics in response to a driving operation by a driver; Equipped with The processing circuitry includes: reading from the database a vehicle model of a target virtual vehicle selected by the driver from among the plurality of virtual vehicles; Acquire the operation state of the driving operation member and the running state of the electric vehicle; calculating a virtual acceleration of the target virtual vehicle in response to the operation of the driving operation member using a vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle based on the operation state of the driving operation member and the running state of the electric vehicle; The electric motor is controlled so that the acceleration of the electric vehicle becomes the virtual acceleration. It is configured as follows: An electric vehicle characterized by

2. 2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The processing circuitry includes: calculating a target driving force of the electric vehicle for making the acceleration of the electric vehicle the virtual acceleration; A motor torque output by the electric motor is changed so as to impart the target driving force to the electric vehicle. It is configured as follows: An electric vehicle characterized by

3. 2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, Each of the plurality of vehicle models includes: a control model simulating a control system that calculates a required operating output for a powertrain of a corresponding virtual vehicle; a plant model that simulates physical constraints on the required operating output of the powertrain of the corresponding virtual vehicle; Includes An electric vehicle characterized by

4. 4. The electric vehicle according to claim 3, The control model is configured to calculate the required operation output in response to inputs of the operation states of the driving operation members and the running state of the electric vehicle. An electric vehicle characterized by

5. 4. The electric vehicle according to claim 3, The plant model is configured to output the virtual acceleration of the corresponding virtual vehicle from a virtual driving force output by the powertrain of the corresponding virtual vehicle in response to the required operation output. An electric vehicle characterized by

6. 2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, each of the plurality of vehicle models has one or more parameters related to the acceleration characteristics; The processing circuitry is configured to modify the one or more parameters of a vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle in response to the target virtual vehicle. An electric vehicle characterized by

7. 2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, Further comprising a speaker for generating sound in the vehicle interior; the plurality of virtual vehicles includes a virtual vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine; The processing circuitry further comprises: When the target virtual vehicle is a virtual vehicle equipped with the internal combustion engine, generating a pseudo engine sound of the internal combustion engine using a vehicle model of the target virtual vehicle; The pseudo engine sound is output from the speaker. It is configured as follows: An electric vehicle characterized by

8. 8. An electric vehicle according to claim 1, The driving operation member includes an accelerator pedal, The operation state of the driving operation member includes an accelerator opening degree of the accelerator pedal, The running state of the electric vehicle includes a vehicle speed of the electric vehicle. An electric vehicle characterized by

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