Electric automobile

Abstract

To suppress a deterioration in drivability due to insufficient driving force in a scene where large driving force is required, in an electric automobile including an electric motor as a driving source.SOLUTION: A vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is an electric automobile including an electric motor 6 as a driving source. The vehicle 100 includes: an accelerator pedal 52 used for driving thereof; and in addition, a pseudo shifter 50 imitating an H-type shifter used for shift operation of a manual shift-type internal combustion engine vehicle. Further, the vehicle 100 includes a transfer case 8 capable of switching between high gear and low gear when a shift device 10 is operated by a driver. A control device 101 of the vehicle 100 controls a motion of the vehicle 100 in response to operation of the accelerator pedal 52, according to a shift position selected in the pseudo shifter 50 and a gear stage selected in the transfer case 8.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Publication No. 6,787,507 discloses prior art relating to an electric vehicle that can simulate the manual gear shifting operation of a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission powered by an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as a manual gear shifting internal combustion engine vehicle) by controlling an electric motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6787507 [Patent Document 2] JP 2022-030840 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the above-mentioned conventional technology, it is possible to experience the operation of a manually-shifted internal combustion engine vehicle with an electric vehicle. However, since the manual transmission operated in the above-mentioned conventional technology is merely virtual, the driving force of the electric vehicle can only be changed within a driving force range determined by the maximum torque of the electric motor and the reduction ratio from the electric motor to the drive wheels. Therefore, there is a concern that the drivability will be reduced due to insufficient driving force when a situation requiring a large driving force is encountered.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present disclosure is to suppress a decrease in drivability due to insufficient driving force in situations where a large driving force is required in an electric vehicle having an electric motor as a driving source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides an electric vehicle to achieve the above object. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the electric vehicle includes a driving operation member used for driving the electric vehicle, and a pseudo speed change operation member that imitates an operation member used for speed change operation of a manually-shifted internal combustion engine vehicle. The electric vehicle further includes a transmission provided between the electric motor and the driving wheels. The transmission is a transmission that can be manually switched between a normal gear ratio and a low-speed gear ratio by the driver. The transmission may be, for example, a transfer case that can select a four-wheel drive low gear, a four-wheel drive high gear, and a two-wheel drive high gear. The electric vehicle includes a control device. The control device controls the operation of the electric vehicle in response to the operation of the driving operation member according to the operation state of the pseudo speed change operation member and the gear ratio selected by the transmission.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the driving operation member may include an accelerator pedal, and the pseudo gear shift operation member may include a pseudo shifter simulating a shifter of a manual transmission. The control device may be configured to change the torque of the electric motor according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, the shift position selected by the operation of the pseudo shifter, and the gear ratio selected by the transmission. The pseudo shifter may be capable of selecting a plurality of shift positions, each of which is assigned a different value of virtual gear ratio. Each of the virtual gear ratios may be set such that there is no overlap in the overall gear ratio obtained by multiplying the virtual gear ratio by the gear ratio of the transmission among all combinations of the virtual gear ratio and the gear ratio selected by the transmission.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the driving operation member may include an accelerator pedal, and the pseudo gear shift operation member may include a pseudo shifter simulating a shifter of a manual transmission and a pseudo clutch operation device simulating a clutch operation device. The control device may be configured to change the torque of the electric motor according to the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, the shift position selected by the operation of the pseudo shifter, the operation amount of the pseudo clutch operation device, and the gear ratio selected by the transmission. The pseudo shifter may be capable of selecting a plurality of shift positions each assigned with a different value of virtual gear ratio. Each of the virtual gear ratios may be set such that there is no overlap in the overall gear ratio obtained by multiplying the virtual gear ratio by the gear ratio of the transmission among all combinations of the virtual gear ratio and the gear ratio selected by the transmission.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the vehicle may further include a sound generator that artificially generates a sound in the vehicle cabin. The sound generator may be configured to at least one of increase the sound pressure of the sound as the operation amount of the pseudo clutch operating device increases and increase the frequency of the sound as the operation amount of the pseudo clutch operating device increases. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the vehicle of the present disclosure, the driver can operate the driving operation member and the pseudo gear shift operation member to drive the electric vehicle as if it were a manually-shifted internal combustion engine vehicle. The driver can manually operate the transmission to switch the gear ratio from the normal gear ratio to a low-speed gear ratio, thereby generating a driving force in the electric vehicle that is greater than that when the electric vehicle is driven in the normal gear. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in drivability due to a lack of driving force when a large driving force is required. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle model according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3]5 is a diagram showing an example of setting of an overall gear ratio determined by a virtual gear ratio and an actual gear ratio of a manual transmission; FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing driving force characteristics in four-wheel drive high gear and driving force characteristics in four-wheel drive low gear. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sound pressure map according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle model according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a sound pressure correction coefficient map according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] 1. First embodiment 1-1.Vehicle power system configuration 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 100 according to a first embodiment. First, the configuration of the power system of the vehicle 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0013] The vehicle 100 is equipped with an electric motor (M) 6 as a power source for traveling. The vehicle 100 also has a battery (BATT) 2 and an inverter (INV) 4. The battery 2 stores electric energy for driving the electric motor 6. In other words, the vehicle 100 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that runs on the electric energy stored in the battery 2. The electric motor 6 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor. The inverter 4 is, for example, a voltage type inverter, and controls the torque of the electric motor 6 by PWM control.

[0014] The vehicle 100 is equipped with a transfer case (T / C) 8. An output shaft of an electric motor 6 is connected to the transfer case 8. The transfer case 8 is connected to a rear differential gear 14 by a rear propeller shaft 12. The rear differential gear 14 is connected to left and right rear wheels 18 by left and right rear drive shafts 16. The transfer case 8 is also connected to a front differential gear 22 by a front propeller shaft 20. The front differential gear 22 is connected to left and right front wheels 26 by left and right front drive shafts 24.

[0015] The transfer case 8 is a device that switches between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. The transfer case 8 is connected to a shift device 10 provided in the vehicle cabin. The shift device 10 has a lever (not shown). The driver operates the lever of the shift device 10 to mechanically switch between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. When four-wheel drive is selected, the driving force of the electric motor 6 is distributed to the rear propeller shaft 12 and the front propeller shaft 20 in the transfer case 8, and the driving force is transmitted to the rear wheels 18 and the front wheels 26. In this case, both the rear wheels 18 and the front wheels 26 become the drive wheels. When two-wheel drive is selected, the front propeller shaft 20 is disconnected from the power transmission path in the transfer case 8, and the driving force of the electric motor 6 is transmitted only to the rear wheels 18. In this case, only the rear wheels 18 become the drive wheels.

[0016] The transfer case 8 is equipped with a transmission mechanism for switching between a high-speed gear and a low-speed gear. The high-speed gear is a regular gear having a regular gear ratio, and the low-speed gear is a gear for large driving force having a low-speed gear ratio larger than the regular gear ratio. Switching between the high-speed gear and the low-speed gear can be performed when four-wheel drive is selected. When two-wheel drive is selected, the high-speed gear, which is a regular gear, is used. When four-wheel drive is selected, switching between the high-speed gear and the low-speed gear is performed mechanically by the driver operating the lever of the shift device 10. By operating the lever of the shift device 10, the driver can switch between two-wheel drive in high gear and four-wheel drive in high gear, and between four-wheel drive in high gear and four-wheel drive in low gear via neutral.

[0017] 1-2. Vehicle control system configuration Next, the configuration of the control system of the vehicle 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0018] The vehicle 100 is equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 40. At least one of wheel speed sensors (not shown) provided on each of the left and right front wheels 26 and the left and right rear wheels 18 is used as the vehicle speed sensor 40. The vehicle 100 is also equipped with an accelerator position sensor 42. The accelerator position sensor 42 is provided on an accelerator pedal 52, and outputs a signal indicating the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 52, i.e., the accelerator opening degree.

[0019] Accelerator pedal 52 is a driving operation member used to drive vehicle 100. In addition to accelerator pedal 52, the driving operation members include a brake pedal (not shown). In addition to these driving operation members, vehicle 100 is equipped with pseudo gear shift operation members that imitate operation members used for gear shifting in a manually-shifted internal combustion engine vehicle. The pseudo gear shift operation members include the pseudo shifter 50 described below.

[0020] The pseudo shifter 50 is a dummy different from an actual shifter. The pseudo shifter 50 has a structure similar to a shifter equipped in a conventional manual-speed internal combustion engine vehicle. For example, the pseudo shifter 50 may have a structure similar to a shift lever (shift stick) provided on a console, or a structure similar to a shift paddle attached to a steering wheel. Here, the pseudo shifter 50 has a structure similar to a shift lever, and can be moved between shift positions along an H-shaped gate. Since the vehicle 100 does not have an actual transmission, the shift positions of the pseudo shifter 50 are virtual shift positions. In the example shown in FIG. 1, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth gears are provided as virtual shift positions. In a conventional manual-speed internal combustion engine vehicle, first gear is the shift position with the largest gear ratio, and the gear ratios decrease in the order of second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth gears.

[0021] The vehicle 100 includes a shift position sensor 46. The shift position sensor 46 is provided in the pseudo shifter 50, and outputs a signal indicating a virtual shift position selected by the pseudo shifter 50. The vehicle 100 also includes a gear stage sensor 44. The gear stage sensor 44 is provided in the shift device 10, and outputs a signal indicating a gear stage of the transfer case 8 selected by a lever operation. Hereinafter, a gear stage that realizes two-wheel drive in a high-speed gear is called a two-wheel drive high gear and is denoted by H2. A gear stage that realizes four-wheel drive in a high-speed gear is called a four-wheel drive high gear and is denoted by H4. And, a gear stage that realizes four-wheel drive in a low-speed gear is called a four-wheel drive low gear and is denoted by L4. And, neutral is denoted by N.

[0022] The vehicle 100 includes a control device 101. Sensors and devices to be controlled mounted on the vehicle 100 are connected to the control device 101 via an in-vehicle network. The vehicle speed sensor 40, the accelerator position sensor 42, the gear stage sensor 44, and the shift position sensor 46 are examples of sensors mounted on the vehicle 100. 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 an interface, a memory, and a processor (not shown). The interface is connected to the in-vehicle network. The memory includes a RAM for temporarily recording data, and a ROM for storing programs executable by the processor and various data related to the programs. The program is composed of multiple instructions. The processor reads and executes the program and data from the memory, and generates a control signal based on a signal acquired from each sensor. The control device 101 may include one or more processors. One or more processors constitute a circuit.

[0023] The control device 101 includes a motor control device 110 and a sound control device 120. In detail, a program stored in a memory is executed by a processor, so that the processor functions as at least the motor control device 110 and the sound control device 120. The processor functioning as the motor control device 110 and the processor functioning as the sound control device 120 may be separate processors or may be the same processor.

[0024] Motor control The control target of the motor control device 110 is the inverter 4. A virtual shift position of the pseudo shifter 50 obtained from a signal of the shift position sensor 46 is input to the motor control device 110. The motor control device 110 executes process P111 based on the virtual shift position. In process P111, a virtual gear ratio of the vehicle 200 is determined using a vehicle model (described later) that models a manually variable internal combustion engine vehicle. The virtual gear ratio is a gear ratio of the transmission that is virtually realized by torque control of the electric motor 6 using the vehicle model.

[0025] The gear stage of the transfer case 8 obtained from the signal of the gear stage sensor 44 is input to the motor control device 110. The motor control device 110 executes process P112 based on the gear stage of the transfer case 8 and the virtual gear ratio determined in process P111. In process P112, an overall gear ratio from the electric motor 6 to the transfer case 8 is calculated. The overall gear ratio is a gear ratio obtained by multiplying the gear ratio of the transfer case 8 determined by the gear stage by the virtual gear ratio.

[0026] The motor control device 110 further receives as input the vehicle speed obtained from the signal of the vehicle speed sensor 40 and the accelerator opening obtained from the signal of the accelerator position sensor 42. The motor control device 110 executes process P113 based on the vehicle speed, the accelerator opening, and the overall gear ratio calculated in process P112. In process P113, the torque to be generated in the electric motor 6 is calculated using a vehicle model. The motor control device 110 inputs the vehicle speed, the accelerator opening, and the overall gear ratio to the vehicle model, and controls the inverter 4 so that the electric motor 6 generates the torque obtained from the vehicle model.

[0027] Here, the vehicle model used by the motor control device 210 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle model MOD01 is composed of a transmission model MOD11 and an engine model MOD12. The engine virtually realized by the vehicle model MOD01 is called a virtual engine, and the transmission virtually realized is called a virtual transmission. The virtual transmission is modeled in the transmission model MOD11. The virtual engine is modeled in the engine model MOD12.

[0028] The transmission model MOD11 calculates a virtual gear ratio. The virtual gear ratio is a gear ratio in the virtual transmission that is determined by the virtual shift position. The virtual gear ratio is set for each virtual shift position. The maximum virtual gear ratio is set for the first gear, and the virtual gear ratios are smaller in the order of second gear, third gear, fourth gear, fifth gear, and sixth gear. The transmission model MOD11 calculates a virtual transmission torque using the virtual gear ratio and a virtual engine torque, which will be described later. The virtual transmission torque is a virtual torque output from the virtual transmission. The motor control device 110 controls the inverter 4 so that the output torque of the electric motor 6 is changed according to the virtual transmission torque. The virtual transmission torque changes discontinuously according to the switching of the virtual gear ratio. This discontinuous change in the virtual transmission torque generates a torque shock in the vehicle 100, and the vehicle is made to look like it has a stepped transmission.

[0029] The engine model MOD12 calculates a virtual engine speed and a virtual engine torque. The virtual engine speed is calculated from the vehicle speed and the overall gear ratio. The virtual engine torque is calculated from the virtual engine speed and the accelerator opening. In the engine model MOD12, the relationship between the virtual engine speed and the virtual engine torque is specified for each accelerator opening. The torque characteristics of the engine model MOD12 can be set to characteristics assuming a gasoline engine or to characteristics assuming a diesel engine. In addition, it can be set to characteristics assuming a naturally aspirated engine or to characteristics assuming a supercharged engine.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the setting of the overall gear ratio determined by the virtual gear ratio of the virtual transmission and the actual gear ratio of the transfer case 8. The slope of each straight line shown in the graph corresponds to the overall gear ratio. The actual gear ratio of the transfer case 8 is mechanically determined, whereas the virtual gear ratio of the virtual transmission can be freely changed by software. Each virtual shift position is assigned a different value of the virtual gear ratio. This allows various combinations of gear ratios to be realized between the virtual transmission and the transfer case 8. In the example shown in FIG. 3, each virtual gear ratio is set so that there is no overlap in the overall gear ratio between all combinations of the virtual gear ratio and the actual gear ratio of the transfer case 8. With such a setting, the driver can enjoy driving with different gear ratios in all combinations of the shift position of the pseudo shifter 50 and the gear stage of the transfer case 8.

[0031] 4 is a diagram showing the driving force characteristics when H4 is selected and when L4 is selected. Since the transfer case 8 is a real transmission, switching from H4 to L4 reduces the maximum speed, but allows the vehicle 100 to generate a large driving force that cannot be obtained with the normal gear ratio at all shift positions of the pseudo shifter 50. Therefore, the driver can enjoy driving on general roads and expressways by using H4, which can cover a wide range from low to high speeds, and can also enjoy driving off-road and on steep uphill roads by using L4, which can provide a large driving force.

[0032] 1-4. Sound control Returning to FIG. 1 again, sound control by the sound control device 120 will be described. The object of control by the sound control device 120 is the amplifier 30. The amplifier 30 changes the sound pressure of the speaker 32 installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100. An artificially generated sound is output from the speaker 32. The sound control device 120 can generate various sounds. One of the artificial sounds is a pseudo engine sound that imitates the engine sound of a conventional engine vehicle. The sound control device 120 changes the sound pressure of the pseudo engine sound generated from the speaker 32 by controlling the amplifier 30. The sound control device 120, together with the speaker 32 and the amplifier 30, constitutes a sound generator.

[0033] The gear stage of the transfer case 8 obtained from the signal of the gear stage sensor 44 is input to the sound control device 120. The sound control device 120 executes process P121 based on the gear stage. In process P121, a sound pressure map to be used for controlling the amplifier 30 is selected. The sound pressure maps include a low gear map that is selected when the gear stage is L4, and a high gear map that is selected when the gear stage is H4 and when the gear stage is H2. The sound control device 120 selects a sound pressure map according to the current gear stage of the transfer case 8.

[0034] The sound control device 120 further receives as inputs the virtual shift position of the pseudo shifter 50 obtained from the signal of the shift position sensor 46, the vehicle speed obtained from the signal of the vehicle speed sensor 40, and the accelerator opening obtained from the signal of the accelerator position sensor 42. Using the sound pressure map selected in process P121, the sound control device 120 executes process P122 based on the virtual shift position, vehicle speed, and accelerator opening. In process P122, a sound pressure according to the virtual shift position, vehicle speed, and accelerator opening is calculated using the sound pressure map. The sound control device 220 controls the amplifier 30 to realize the sound pressure calculated in process P122.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a sound pressure map according to the first embodiment. In the sound pressure map M01, sound pressure data is set for a vehicle speed such that the sound pressure increases as the vehicle speed increases. Also, sound pressure data is set for a virtual shift position such that the sound pressure increases as the virtual gear ratio increases. The difference between the low-speed gear map M11 and the high-speed gear map M12 is the magnitude of sound pressure for the same vehicle speed. When compared at the same vehicle speed and the same virtual shift position, both maps M11 and M12 are created so that the low-speed gear map M11 has a higher sound pressure and the high-speed gear map M12 has a lower sound pressure. In process P122, the sound pressure is calculated from the vehicle speed using the sound pressure map selected in process P121 from the low-speed gear map M11 and the high-speed gear map M12.

[0036] 1-5. Variations Next, a modified example of the vehicle according to this embodiment will be described. In the modified example, the amplifier 30 shown in FIG. 1 is replaced with a frequency modulator (FMC). The object of control of the sound control device in the modified example is the frequency modulator. The frequency modulator changes the frequency of the pseudo engine sound emitted from the speaker 32. The sound control device changes the frequency of the pseudo engine sound emitted from the speaker 32 by controlling the frequency modulator. The sound control device controls the frequency modulator using a frequency map. The frequency map is created so that the frequency calculated in the map for low gear is higher than the frequency calculated in the map for high gear when compared at the same vehicle speed. In the modified example, the sound control device, together with the speaker and the frequency modulator, constitutes a sound generator.

[0037] As a modification of the power system, a transmission that allows the driver to manually switch between three or more shift positions may be provided instead of the transfer case 8. If the transmission can be operated manually by the driver, it may be a manual transmission in which the driver operates the clutch, a semi-automatic transmission in which a machine operates the clutch instead of the driver, a dual clutch transmission, or a continuously variable transmission. Any transmission may be used as long as the driver can manually switch between at least a normal gear ratio and a low-speed gear ratio for obtaining a large driving force.

[0038] 2. Second embodiment 2-1. Vehicle control system configuration Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 200 according to the second embodiment. Among the components of the vehicle 200 shown in Fig. 6, those having the same functions as those of the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. Since the configuration of the power system of the vehicle 200 is the same as that of the vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted, and the configuration of the control system of the vehicle 200 will be described.

[0039] Vehicle 200 further includes a pseudo clutch pedal 60 in addition to the configuration of vehicle 100 according to the first embodiment. Similar to pseudo shifter 50, pseudo clutch pedal 60 is also a pseudo gear shift operation member that imitates an operation member used for gear shifting in a manually-shifted internal combustion engine vehicle.

[0040] The pseudo clutch pedal 60 is a dummy that is different from an actual clutch pedal. The pseudo clutch pedal 60 has a structure similar to a clutch pedal equipped in a conventional manually variable-speed internal combustion engine vehicle. For example, the pseudo clutch pedal 60 is equipped with a reaction force mechanism that generates a reaction force against the driver's depression. The position when no depression force is applied is the start end position of the pseudo clutch pedal 60, and the position when the pseudo clutch pedal is depressed to the farthest is the end position of the pseudo clutch pedal 60. The driver can operate the pseudo clutch pedal 60 from the start end position to the end position against the reaction force from the reaction force mechanism.

[0041] Although the pseudo clutch pedal 60 is a pedal-type operating device operated by foot, a lever-type operating device or a dial-type operating device operated by hand may also be provided as the pseudo clutch operating device. The pseudo clutch operating device can be of various structures as long as the driver can operate it from the start position to the end position against a reaction force and can experience the same operating sensation by foot or hand as the clutch pedal provided in a conventional manually variable-speed internal combustion engine vehicle.

[0042] Vehicle 200 is equipped with a clutch position sensor 48. Clutch position sensor 48 is provided on pseudo clutch pedal 60, and outputs a signal indicating the amount of depression of pseudo clutch pedal 60. Since vehicle 200 is not equipped with an actual clutch, the operation amount of pseudo clutch pedal 60, i.e., the clutch opening degree, is a virtual clutch opening degree. Vehicle 200 also is equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 40, an accelerator position sensor 42, a gear stage sensor 44, and a shift position sensor 46. In addition to these sensors, vehicle 200 is also equipped with many other sensors.

[0043] The vehicle 200 is equipped with a control device 201. Sensors and devices to be controlled mounted on the vehicle 200 are connected to the control device 201 via an in-vehicle network. Like the control device 101 according to the first embodiment, the control device 201 is typically an electronic control unit and includes an interface, a memory, and a processor (not shown). The control device 101 may include one or more processors. The one or more processors form a circuit.

[0044] The control device 201 includes a motor control device 210 and a sound control device 220. In detail, a program stored in a memory is executed by the processor, so that the processor functions as at least the motor control device 210 and the sound control device 220. The processor functioning as the motor control device 210 and the processor functioning as the sound control device 220 may be separate processors or may be the same processor.

[0045] 2-2.Motor control The control target of the motor control device 210 is the inverter 4. The motor control device 210 receives the virtual shift position of the pseudo shifter 50 obtained from the signal of the shift position sensor 46 and the gear stage of the transfer case 8 obtained from the signal of the gear stage sensor 44. The motor control device 210 executes a process P211 based on the virtual shift position. In the process P211, a virtual gear ratio of the vehicle 200 is determined using a vehicle model (described later) that models a manually-shifted internal combustion engine vehicle. Next, the motor control device 210 executes a process P212 based on the gear stage of the transfer case 8 and the virtual gear ratio determined in the process P211. In the process P212, the overall gear ratio is calculated by multiplying the gear ratio of the transfer case 8 determined by the gear stage by the virtual gear ratio.

[0046] In addition, the motor control device 210 receives a virtual clutch opening of the pseudo clutch pedal 60 obtained from a signal from the clutch position sensor 48. The motor control device 210 executes process P213 based on the virtual clutch opening. In process P213, a virtual clutch torque capacity is calculated using a vehicle model.

[0047] The motor control device 210 further receives as input the vehicle speed obtained from the signal of the vehicle speed sensor 40 and the accelerator opening obtained from the signal of the accelerator position sensor 42. The motor control device 210 executes process P214 based on the vehicle speed, the accelerator opening, the overall gear ratio calculated in process P212, and the virtual clutch torque capacity calculated in process P213. In process P214, the torque to be generated in the electric motor 6 is calculated from the vehicle speed, the accelerator opening, the overall gear ratio, and the virtual clutch torque capacity using a vehicle model. The motor control device 210 controls the inverter 4 so that the electric motor 6 generates the torque obtained from the vehicle model.

[0048] Here, the vehicle model used by the motor control device 210 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the vehicle model MOD02 is made up of a transmission model MOD11, an engine model MOD12, and a clutch model MOD13. A clutch virtually realized by the vehicle model MOD02 is called a virtual clutch. A virtual clutch is modeled in the clutch model MOD13. The contents of the transmission model MOD11 and the engine model MOD12 are the same as those of the vehicle model MOD01 according to the first embodiment.

[0049] The clutch model MOD13 calculates a virtual clutch torque capacity. The virtual clutch torque capacity means the clutch torque capacity of the virtual clutch. In the clutch model MOD13, a virtual clutch torque capacity is given with respect to the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 60. The depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 60 is 0% at the start position of the pseudo clutch pedal 60, and is 100% at the end position of the pseudo clutch pedal 60. In the example shown in FIG. 7, when the depression amount is in the range of 0% to 20%, the virtual clutch torque capacity is the maximum value. When the depression amount is in the range of 20% to 50%, the virtual clutch torque capacity decreases according to the depression amount. And, when the depression amount is in the range of 0% to 20%, the virtual clutch torque capacity becomes zero. In the clutch model MOD13, a virtual clutch torque input from the virtual clutch to the virtual transmission is calculated based on a comparison between the virtual clutch torque capacity and the virtual engine torque calculated by the engine model MOD12. In this embodiment, the transmission model MOD11 calculates the virtual transmission torque using the virtual gear ratio and the virtual clutch torque.

[0050] 2-3. Sound control Returning to Fig. 6, the sound control by the sound control device 220 will be described. The object of control by the sound control device 220 is the amplifier 30. The sound control device 220 controls the amplifier 30 to change the sound pressure of the pseudo engine sound generated from the speaker 32. The sound control device 220, together with the speaker 32 and the amplifier 30, constitutes a sound generator.

[0051] The gear stage of the transfer case 8 obtained from the signal of the gear stage sensor 44 is input to the sound control device 220. The sound control device 220 executes process P221 based on the gear stage. In process P221, a sound pressure map to be used for controlling the amplifier 30 is selected. The sound pressure map used in process P221 is the same as the sound pressure map M01 according to the first embodiment. The sound control device 120 selects the sound pressure map corresponding to the current gear stage of the transfer case 8 from the map M11 for low gears and the map M12 for high gears.

[0052] The sound control device 220 further receives the virtual shift position of the pseudo shifter 50 obtained from the signal of the shift position sensor 46, the vehicle speed obtained from the signal of the vehicle speed sensor 40, the accelerator opening obtained from the signal of the accelerator position sensor 42, and the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 60 obtained from the signal of the clutch position sensor 48. The sound control device 220 executes the process P222 using the sound pressure map selected in the process P121 and a sound pressure correction coefficient map described later. In the process P222, the sound pressure according to the virtual shift position, the vehicle speed, and the accelerator opening is calculated using the sound pressure map. Furthermore, the sound pressure correction coefficient according to the clutch pedal depression amount is calculated using the sound pressure correction coefficient map. In the process P222, the sound pressure is corrected by multiplying the sound pressure by the sound pressure correction coefficient. The sound control device 220 controls the amplifier 30 so as to realize the sound pressure after correction using the sound pressure correction coefficient.

[0053] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a sound pressure correction coefficient map according to the second embodiment. In the sound pressure correction coefficient map M13, a sound pressure correction coefficient is set for the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 60 so that the sound pressure correction coefficient increases as the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 60 increases. In the above-mentioned clutch model MOD13, the virtual clutch torque capacity decreases as the pseudo clutch pedal 60 is depressed. In a specific example, when the pseudo clutch pedal 60 is depressed in a scene where the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed in balance with the vehicle running resistance, the virtual clutch torque capacity begins to be insufficient for the virtual engine torque when the depression amount is about 20%. Then, the virtual clutch is in a half-engaged state until the pseudo clutch pedal 60 is depressed to about 50%, and when the pseudo clutch pedal 60 is further depressed, the virtual clutch is in a released state. In this way, as the state of the virtual clutch transitions from engaged to half-engaged to released, the virtual engine speed increases, and the sound pressure of the pseudo engine sound emitted from the speaker 32 increases.

[0054] 2-4.Modifications The modified example of the first embodiment can also be applied to this embodiment. That is, in FIG. 6, the amplifier 30 may be replaced with a frequency modulator, and the sound control device 220 may be replaced with a control device for the frequency modulator. The sound pressure map may be replaced with a frequency map, and the sound pressure correction coefficient map may be replaced with a frequency correction coefficient map. In the frequency correction coefficient map, a frequency correction coefficient is set with respect to the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 60 so that the frequency correction coefficient increases as the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 60 increases. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 2 battery, 4 inverter, 6 electric motor, 8 transfer case, 10 shift device, 30 amplifier, 32 speaker, 40 vehicle speed sensor, 42 accelerator position sensor, 44 gear stage sensor, 46 shift position sensor, 48 clutch position sensor, 50 pseudo shifter, 52 accelerator pedal, 60 pseudo clutch pedal, 100 vehicle, 101 control device, 110 motor control device, 120 sound control device, 200 vehicle, 201 control device, 210 motor control device, 220 sound control device

Claims

1. An electric vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source, A driving operation member used for driving the electric vehicle; A pseudo speed change operation member that imitates an operation member used for speed change operation of a manually-shifted internal combustion engine vehicle; a transmission that is provided between the electric motor and drive wheels and that can be manually switched between a normal gear ratio and a low-speed gear ratio by a driver; a control device that controls the operation of the electric vehicle in response to the operation of the driving operation member in accordance with the operation state of the pseudo speed change operation member and the gear ratio selected by the transmission. An electric vehicle characterized by

2. 2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The transmission is a transfer case that can select a four-wheel drive low gear, a four-wheel drive high gear, and a two-wheel drive high gear. An electric vehicle characterized by

3. 2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The driving operation member includes an accelerator pedal, The pseudo gear shift operation member includes a pseudo shifter that imitates a shifter of a manual transmission, The control device is configured to change the torque of the electric motor in response to an amount of operation of the accelerator pedal, a shift position selected by operation of the pseudo shifter, and a gear ratio selected by the transmission. An electric vehicle characterized by

4. 2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, The driving operation member includes an accelerator pedal, The pseudo speed change operation member is A pseudo shifter that mimics the shifter of a manual transmission, A pseudo clutch operating device that simulates a clutch operating device, The control device is configured to change the torque of the electric motor in accordance with the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal, the shift position selected by operation of the pseudo shifter, the amount of operation of the pseudo clutch operation device, and the gear ratio selected by the transmission. An electric vehicle characterized by

5. 5. The electric vehicle according to claim 3, The pseudo shifter is capable of selecting a plurality of shift positions, A different virtual gear ratio is assigned to each of the plurality of shift positions, Each of the virtual gear ratios is set so that there is no overlap in the overall gear ratio obtained by multiplying the virtual gear ratio by the gear ratio of the transmission among all combinations of the virtual gear ratio and the gear ratio selected by the transmission. An electric vehicle characterized by

6. 5. The electric vehicle according to claim 4, Further comprising a sound generator for artificially generating sound in the vehicle interior; The sound generator is configured to at least one of increase the sound pressure of the sound as the operation amount of the pseudo clutch operation device increases and increase the frequency of the sound as the operation amount of the pseudo clutch operation device increases. An electric vehicle characterized by

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