On-vehicle control device

Abstract

To improve drivability by suppressing shift of a transmission in response to a driving force increase request during automatic operation control.SOLUTION: An on-vehicle control device is mounted on an automobile including an engine, a transmission that changes speed of power of an engine and outputs the power to a drive shaft coupled to drive wheels, an electric motor that can input and output power to and from the drive shaft, a power storage device that can input and output power to and from the electric motor, and a steering device. The on-vehicle control device preferentially performs driving force increase from the electric motor without accompanying downshift of the transmission as compared with driving force increase accompanying the downshift of the transmission when a driving force increase request is made in order to bring a vehicle into a predetermined target state during automatic driving control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an in-vehicle control device, and more particularly, to an in-vehicle control device mounted on an automobile and executing a plurality of driving controls including automatic driving control and manual driving control.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of in-vehicle control device, when an increase in required driving force is predicted during the execution of automatic driving control, the vehicle speed is maintained or decelerated until the timing of the increase in required driving force, and the engine speed is increased within the waiting period until the timing of the increase in required driving force. Then, the torque of the engine is reduced in response to the increase in the engine speed, and a device that downshifts the gear stage of the automatic transmission has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this in-vehicle control device, by the above control, when an increase in required driving force is predicted during automatic driving, vibrations, noises, and shift shocks caused by downshifting are reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described in-vehicle control device, downshifting may occur even when an increase in required driving force due to a slight gradient or an increase in required driving force accompanying driving on a curve is predicted. In this case, the driver and passengers will be given unexpected shift shocks due to downshifting and noises due to an increase in engine speed, resulting in a decrease in drivability.

[0005] The in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure mainly aims to improve drivability by suppressing downshifting of the transmission in response to a driving force increase request during automatic driving control.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure has adopted the following means to achieve the above main object.

[0007] The in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure is mounted on an automobile including an engine, a transmission that shifts the power of the engine and outputs it to a drive shaft connected to drive wheels, an electric motor capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the drive shaft, a power storage device capable of inputting and outputting electric power to and from the electric motor, and a steering device, and controls the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by automatic driving and manual driving control that controls the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by manual driving, and is an in-vehicle control device that executes a plurality of driving controls including when a driving force increase request is made to bring the vehicle to a predetermined target state during the automatic driving control, the driving force increase from the electric motor without downshifting of the transmission is prioritized over the driving force increase with downshifting of the transmission. It is characterized by this.

[0008] The in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure is mounted on an automobile including an engine, a transmission that changes the power of the engine and outputs it to a drive shaft connected to drive wheels, an electric motor capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the drive shaft, a power storage device capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the electric motor, and a steering device, and executes a plurality of driving controls including an automatic driving control for controlling the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by automatic driving and a manual driving control for controlling the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by manual driving. When a driving force increase request is made to bring the vehicle into a predetermined target state during the automatic driving control, the in-vehicle control device gives priority to increasing the driving force from the electric motor without a downshift of the transmission over increasing the driving force with a downshift of the transmission. When such a driving force increase request is made, by giving priority to increasing the driving force from the electric motor without a downshift of the transmission over increasing the driving force with a downshift of the transmission, it is possible to suppress the downshift of the transmission, and it is possible to suppress the shift shock associated with the downshift of the transmission and the noise due to a rapid increase in the engine speed. As a result, drivability can be improved. Here, the predetermined target state includes the planned vehicle speed and acceleration of each section during automatic driving on the driving route, the vehicle speed and acceleration set by the user, the legal vehicle speed, and the like.

[0009] In the in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure, when the driving force increase request is made, when the predicted state predicted by the increase in the driving force from the electric motor is within the allowable range from the predetermined target state, the driving force is increased from the electric motor without a downshift of the transmission, and when the predicted state is outside the allowable range, the driving force may be increased from the engine with a downshift of the transmission. By doing so, when the predicted state is within the allowable range from the predetermined target state, the vehicle can travel without a downshift of the transmission, and when the predicted state is outside the allowable range from the predetermined target state, the vehicle can quickly travel to the predetermined target state with a downshift of the transmission.

[0010] In the in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure, when a driving force increase request is made, when the predicted state predicted by the driving force increase that can be increased without gear shifting from the engine and the driving force increase from the electric motor is within the allowable range from the predetermined target state, the driving force increase that can be increased without gear shifting from the engine and the driving force increase from the electric motor are performed. When the predicted state is outside the allowable range, the driving force increase from the engine may be performed with a downshift of the transmission. By doing so, when the predicted state is within the allowable range from the predetermined target state, the vehicle can travel without a downshift of the transmission, and when the predicted state is outside the allowable range from the predetermined target state, the vehicle with a downshift of the transmission can quickly travel in the predetermined target state.

[0011] In the in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure, the predicted state may be predicted within the range of the allowable output power that can be output from the power storage device. In this case, the predicted state may be predicted based on the required power of the electric motor that can increase the driving force from the electric motor and the allowable continuous time that can continuously output the required power of the electric motor from the power storage device within the range of the allowable output power that can be output from the power storage device.

[0012] Further, the second in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure is mounted on an automobile including an engine, a transmission that transmits the power of the engine and outputs it to a drive shaft connected to drive wheels, an electric motor that can input and output power to and from the drive shaft, a power storage device that can input and output power to and from the electric motor, and a steering device, and controls the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by automatic driving and manual driving. It is an in-vehicle control device that executes a plurality of driving controls including automatic driving control and manual driving control, when a driving force increase request for making the vehicle in a predetermined target state is made during the automatic driving control, the driving force increase by the electric motor is preferentially performed compared to the driving force increase by the engine. Characterized by this.

[0013] The second in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure is mounted on an automobile including an engine, a transmission that changes the power of the engine and outputs it to a drive shaft connected to drive wheels, an electric motor capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the drive shaft, a power storage device capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the electric motor, and a steering device, and controls the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by automatic driving and manual driving, including automatic driving control for controlling the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by automatic driving and manual driving control for controlling the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by manual driving. When a driving force increase request is made to set the vehicle to a predetermined target state during automatic driving control, the in-vehicle control device preferentially increases the driving force by the electric motor compared to the increase in the driving force by the engine. When such a driving force increase request is made, by preferentially increasing the driving force by the electric motor compared to the increase in the driving force by the engine, downshifting of the transmission can be suppressed, and shift shock associated with downshifting of the transmission and noise due to a sudden increase in the engine speed can be suppressed. As a result, drivability can be improved. Note that the predetermined target state is the same as that described above.

[0014] In the in-vehicle control device of the present disclosure, when the driving force increase request is made, it may be configured to preferentially increase the driving force from the electric motor without causing downshifting of the transmission rather than increasing the driving force with downshifting of the transmission compared to the manual driving control. By doing so, the vehicle can travel in a predetermined target state more smoothly than during manual driving control.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Next, embodiments (embodiments) for carrying out the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a hybrid vehicle 20 as an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the figure, the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment includes an engine 22, a motor 26, a battery 29, an automatic transmission 30, a brake device 32, a steering device 34, and an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “main ECU”) 40.

[0017] The engine 22 is configured as an internal combustion engine that outputs power using fuel such as gasoline or light oil from a fuel tank. The crankshaft 23 of this engine 22 is connected to the rotating shaft (rotor) of the motor 26 via a clutch K0. The engine 22 is controlled for operation by an engine electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “engine ECU”) 24.

[0018] Although not shown, the engine ECU 24 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports. Signals from various sensors necessary for controlling the operation of the engine 22 are input to the engine ECU 24 via the input port, for example, the crank angle θcr from a crank position sensor (not shown) that detects the rotational position of the crankshaft 23 of the engine 22, and a signal from a water temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the cooling water of the engine 22, the cooling water temperature Tw. Various control signals for controlling the operation of the engine 22 are output from the engine ECU 24 via the output port. The engine ECU 24 is connected to the main ECU 40 via a communication port. The engine ECU 24 calculates the rotational speed Ne of the engine 22 based on the crank angle θcr of the crankshaft 23 from the crank position sensor.

[0019] The motor 26 is configured as a synchronous generator motor and has a rotor with permanent magnets embedded in the rotor core and a stator with three-phase coils wound around the stator core. The rotating shaft to which the rotor of this motor 26 is fixed is connected to the crankshaft 23 of the engine 22 via the clutch K0 and is also connected to the input shaft of the automatic transmission 30. The motor 26 is rotationally driven by converting the DC power from the battery 29 into three-phase AC power and applying it to the three-phase coils of the motor 26 by switching control of a plurality of switching elements of the inverter 28 by a motor electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "motor ECU") 27.

[0020] The motor ECU 27 includes, although not shown, a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports. Signals from various sensors, for example, the rotational position θm from a rotational position sensor (not shown) that detects the rotational position of the rotor (rotating shaft 31) of the motor 26, and the phase currents Iu, Iv, etc. from current sensors that detect the phase currents of each phase of the motor 26 are input via the input ports. Control signals to the inverter 28 and the like are output from the motor ECU 27 via the output ports. The motor ECU 27 is connected to the main ECU 40 via a communication port. The motor ECU 27 calculates the rotational speed Nm of the motor 26 based on the rotational position θm of the rotor (rotating shaft) of the motor 26 from the rotational position sensor.

[0021] The clutch K0 is configured as, for example, a hydraulically driven friction clutch and is controlled by the main HVECU 40 to connect and disconnect the crankshaft 23 of the engine 22 and the rotating shaft of the motor 26.

[0022] The automatic transmission 30 includes a torque converter and a stepped (e.g., six-speed) automatic transmission. The torque converter is configured as a general fluid transmission device, and transmits the power of the input shaft connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 26 to the input shaft of the automatic transmission while amplifying the torque, or transmits it as it is without amplifying the torque. The automatic transmission forms forward and reverse gears from the first speed to the Nth speed by engaging and disengaging a plurality of friction engagement elements, and transmits power between its input shaft and the drive shaft 36 as the output shaft. The clutch K0 and the automatic transmission are supplied with hydraulic pressure of hydraulic oil from a mechanical oil pump or an electric oil pump whose pressure is regulated by a hydraulic control device (not shown). The hydraulic control device includes a valve body in which a plurality of oil passages are formed, a plurality of regulator valves, a plurality of linear solenoid valves, and the like. This hydraulic control device is controlled by the main ECU 40. The main ECU 40 applies the accelerator opening Acc and the vehicle speed V to the shift diagram of the six-speed shift illustrated in FIG. 2 to change the shift stage of the automatic transmission. In FIG. 2, the solid line is the upshift line, and the broken line is the downshift line. Upshifting is performed when crossing the upshift line from the left side to the right side, and downshifting is performed when crossing the downshift line from the right side to the left side.

[0023] The brake device 32 is configured as a well-known hydraulically driven brake device, and is configured to be able to apply a braking force caused by a brake pedal force when the brake pedal 58 is depressed or a braking force caused by hydraulic pressure adjustment to the drive wheels 38a, 38b and the driven wheels 38c, 38d. The brake device 32 is driven and controlled by an electronic control unit for brakes (hereinafter referred to as "brake ECU") 33. The brake ECU 33 includes, although not shown, a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, an input / output port, and a communication port. The brake ECU 33 controls the braking force caused by the brake pedal force by the brake device 32 and the braking force caused by hydraulic pressure adjustment. The brake ECU 33 communicates with the main ECU 40 via a communication port.

[0024] The steering device 34 has a steering wheel (not shown) and drive wheels 38a and 38b mechanically connected via a steering shaft, and includes a steering actuator. The steering device 34 steers the drive wheels 38a and 38b based on the driver's operation, and also steers the drive wheels 38a and 38b by driving the actuator based on a steering signal from the main ECU 40.

[0025] The main ECU 40 includes a microcomputer having a CPU 41, a ROM 42, a RAM 43, a flash memory 44, input / output ports (not shown), and communication ports. Signals from various sensors are input to the main ECU 40 via the input ports. Examples of the signals input to the main ECU 40 include an ignition signal from the ignition switch 50, the vehicle speed V from the vehicle speed sensor 51, the wheel speeds of each wheel from the wheel speed sensors 52, the acceleration α from the acceleration sensor 53, the yaw rate Yr from the yaw rate sensor 54, and the road surface gradient θr from the gradient sensor 55. Also, the accelerator opening Acc from the accelerator pedal position sensor 57 that detects the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 56, and the brake pedal position BP from the brake pedal position sensor 59 that detects the depression amount of the brake pedal 58 can be included. Signals from sensors that detect various states of the clutch K0 and the hydraulic control device of the automatic transmission 30, signals from sensors that detect various states of the steering device 34, etc. can also be included. The battery voltage Vb from a voltage sensor (not shown) connected to the output terminal of the battery 29, the battery current Ib from a current sensor, etc. can also be included.

[0026] From the main ECU 40, various control signals are output via the output ports. Examples of the control signals output from the main ECU 40 include a control signal to the hydraulic control device, a control signal to the steering device 34, a display control signal to the display device 80, and a communication control signal to the communication device 82. The main ECU 40 calculates the state of charge SOC of the battery 29, the input and output limits Win and Wout, etc., based on the battery voltage Vb from the voltage sensor connected to the output terminal of the battery 29 and the battery current Ib from the current sensor. The state of charge SOC is the ratio of the remaining capacity to the total capacity of the battery 29. The input limit Win is the maximum allowable power when charging the battery 29, and the output limit Wout is the maximum allowable power that can be output from the battery 29.

[0027] As described above, the main ECU 40 communicates with the engine ECU 24, the motor ECU 27, the brake ECU 33, etc. via the communication ports. Also, the main ECU 40 communicates with the shift electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "shift ECU") 60, the surrounding recognition electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as "surrounding recognition ECU") 65, and the navigation device 70 via the communication ports.

[0028] Although not shown, the shift ECU 60 includes a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports. A shift position signal from a shift position sensor 62 that detects the operation position of the shift lever 61 is input to the shift ECU 60 via the input port. Examples of the shift position include the parking position (P range), the neutral position (N range), the drive position (D range), the reverse position (R range), etc. The shift ECU 60 is connected to the surrounding recognition ECU 65 via the communication port in addition to the main ECU 40, and sets the shift position based on the shift position signal from the shift position sensor 62 and the control signal from the surrounding recognition ECU 65, or transmits the set shift position to the main ECU 40.

[0029] The surrounding recognition ECU 65 includes, although not shown, a microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, input / output ports, and communication ports. Various signals are input to the surrounding recognition ECU 65 via the input ports. Examples of the signals input to the surrounding recognition ECU 65 include signals indicating information about the host vehicle and its surroundings from the surrounding recognition device 66 (e.g., inter-vehicle distances D1 and D2 between the host vehicle and other vehicles in front of and behind the host vehicle, and the running position of the host vehicle in the lane on the road surface), and an automatic driving mode signal from the automatic driving switch 67. Examples of the surrounding recognition device 66 include a camera, a millimeter-wave radar, a quasi-millimeter-wave radar, an infrared laser radar, and a sonar. The automatic driving switch 67 is a switch for switching between a fully automatic driving mode in which all driving operations are automatically performed, a semi-automatic driving mode in which some driving operations are performed by the driver, and a manual driving mode in which the driver performs the driving operations. Examples of the semi-automatic driving mode include adaptive cruise control. Note that assist control for collision avoidance or reduction is performed in any driving mode. As described above, the surrounding recognition ECU 65 communicates with the main ECU 40 and the shift ECU 60 via the communication ports.

[0030] The navigation device 70 includes a main body 72 with a built-in control unit, a GPS antenna 74 that receives information about the current location of the host vehicle, and a display 76. The control unit of the main body 72 has a storage medium (such as a hard disk or SSD) in which map information and the like are stored, an input / output port, and a communication port. In the map information, service information (such as sightseeing information and parking lots) and road information for each driving section (such as between traffic lights and between intersections) are stored as a database. The road information includes distance information, width information, number of lanes information, area information (urban areas and suburbs), type information (general roads and highways), gradient information, legal speed, number of traffic lights, turning radius of each curve, and the like. The display 76 is configured as a touch panel type display that displays various information such as information about the current location of the host vehicle and the planned driving route to the destination, and allows the user to input various instructions. When the destination is set by the user's operation of the display 76, the main body 72 of the navigation device 70 sets a planned driving route from the current location of the host vehicle to the destination based on the map information stored in the main body 72, the current location of the host vehicle from the GPS antenna 74, and the destination, and displays the set planned driving route on the display 76 to provide route guidance.

[0031] Next, the operation of the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment configured in this way, particularly the operation when a request for an increase in driving force is made while the automatic driving control is being executed, will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when a driving force increase request is executed by the main ECU 40.

[0032] When the driving force increase request processing is executed, the main ECU 40 first determines whether or not the automatic driving control is being executed (step S100). When it is determined that the automatic driving control is not being executed, since it is outside the scope of this processing, normal gear selection control is performed (step S170), and this processing is terminated.

[0033] When it is determined in step S100 that the automatic driving control is being executed, it is determined whether or not a driving force increase request is being made (step S110). The driving force increase request is made when traveling on a slight uphill slope or when traveling on a curve in the travel planned route. When it is determined that the driving force increase request is not being made, since it is outside the scope of this process, normal shift stage selection control is performed (step S170), and this process ends.

[0034] When it is determined in step S110 that a driving force increase request is being made, the running resistance (energy required for running) and the required time for which a driving force increase is necessary are predicted from the travel planned route and the map information (step S120). Since the map information includes the road surface gradient and the radius of the curve of each travel section in the travel route, the running resistance can be calculated based on these, the planned vehicle speed Vplan, and the introduction of the hybrid vehicle 20. The planned vehicle speed Vplan is the target vehicle speed when traveling on each travel section of the travel planned route, and the vehicle speed set by the user for each travel section or the legal vehicle speed set for each travel section can be used. The required time is the time required to travel the section where a driving force increase is necessary at the planned vehicle speed Vplan.

[0035] Subsequently, the assistable amount by the motor 26 is predicted based on the increase in the running resistance (step S130). The increase in the running resistance can be obtained as the difference in the running resistance before and after the driving force increase request is made. The assistable amount can be represented by the outputable torque that can be output from the motor 26 within the range of the output limit Wout for the torque increase required for the increase in the running resistance, and the continuous time during which the outputable torque can be output from the motor 26 obtained based on the state of charge SOC and the output limit Wout.

[0036] Subsequently, the predicted vehicle speed Vest when the driving force increase is assisted by the motor 26 without downshifting the automatic transmission 30 based on the assistable amount of the motor 26 is calculated (step S140). That is, the vehicle speed V (predicted vehicle speed Vest) assumed when the output torque that can be output from the motor 26 is output over a continuous time period while restricting it within the range of the required time in a state where the current operating state of the engine 22 and the gear stage of the automatic transmission 30 are maintained is obtained.

[0037] Next, it is determined whether or not the value obtained by subtracting the predicted vehicle speed Vest from the planned vehicle speed Vplan is less than the threshold value Vref (step S150). The threshold value Vref is predetermined as the upper limit value of the deviation of the vehicle speed V within an allowable range from the planned vehicle speed Vplan, and values such as 3 km / h or 5 km / h can be used. When it is determined that the value obtained by subtracting the predicted vehicle speed Vest from the planned vehicle speed Vplan is less than the threshold value Vref, downshift suppression control is executed to supplement the driving force increase request with the output from the motor 26 without performing a downshift of the automatic transmission 30 (step S160), and this process is terminated. As a result, since the automatic driving is continued without performing a downshift of the automatic transmission 30, it is possible to suppress a shift shock due to a downshift and noise due to a sudden increase in the rotational speed of the engine 22. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value obtained by subtracting the predicted vehicle speed Vest from the planned vehicle speed Vplan is greater than or equal to the threshold value Vref, normal gear stage selection control is performed (step S170), and this process is terminated.

[0038] In the main ECU 40 installed in the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment, when a driving force increase request is made during the execution of the automatic driving control, the assistable amount of the motor 26 is obtained, and when the predicted vehicle speed Vest obtained from the assistable amount is within the allowable range of the planned vehicle speed Vplan (within the range less than the threshold value Vref), downshift suppression control is executed to supplement the driving force increase request with the output from the motor 26 without performing a downshift of the automatic transmission 30. That is, when a driving force increase request is made during the execution of the automatic driving control, the driving force increase from the motor 26 is prioritized without a downshift of the automatic transmission 30 as compared with the driving force increase accompanied by a downshift of the automatic transmission 30. Thereby, it is possible to suppress a shift shock due to an upshift of the automatic transmission 30 and noise due to a sudden increase in the engine speed 22, and improve drivability.

[0039] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment, when a driving force increase request is made during the execution of the automatic driving control, if the predicted vehicle speed Vest based on the assistable amount of the motor 26 with the current operating state of the engine 22 and the gear position of the automatic transmission 30 maintained is within the allowable range of the planned vehicle speed Vplan (within the range less than the threshold value Vref), downshift suppression control is executed to supplement the driving force increase request with the output from the motor 26 without performing a downshift of the automatic transmission 30. However, it may be possible to supplement the driving force increase request without performing a downshift of the automatic transmission 30 by increasing the torque of the engine 22 while maintaining the gear position of the automatic transmission 30 and assisting with the motor 26. An example of the processing at the time of a driving force increase request in this case is shown in FIG. 4. The processing at the time of a driving force increase request in FIG. 4 is the same as the processing at the time of a driving force increase request in FIG. 3 except that the processing of step S135 is added, the calculation method of the processing for calculating the predicted vehicle speed Vest when the driving force is increased without downshifting the automatic transmission 30 in step S140 is different, and the downshift suppression control in step S160 is different.

[0040] In the process for when drive force increase is requested in FIG. 4, when predicting the assistable amount of the motor 26 in step S130, an output torque increase amount for increasing the output torque from the engine 22 within a non-downshift range is calculated (step S135). The output torque increase amount of the engine 22, using the shift diagram of FIG. 2, is the increase amount of the output torque of the engine 22 within the range where the accelerator opening Acc can be increased without crossing the broken-line downshift line from the right side to the left side from the current accelerator opening Acc and vehicle speed V (the torque increase amount of the engine 22 corresponding to the increase amount of the accelerator opening Acc). Subsequently, based on the assistable amount of the motor 26 and the output torque increase amount of the engine 22, the automatic transmission 30 is assisted in increasing the drive force by the motor 26 without downshifting, and the predicted vehicle speed Vest when increasing the output torque of the engine 22 within the range of the output torque increase amount of the engine 22 is calculated (step S140). It is determined whether the value obtained by subtracting the predicted vehicle speed Vest from the planned vehicle speed Vplan is less than the threshold value Vref (step S150). When it is determined that the value obtained by subtracting the predicted vehicle speed Vest from the planned vehicle speed Vplan is less than the threshold value Vref, downshift suppression control is executed to supplement the drive force increase request with the output from the motor 26 and the increase in the output torque of the engine 22 without performing a downshift of the automatic transmission 30 (step S160), and this process ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that the value obtained by subtracting the predicted vehicle speed Vest from the planned vehicle speed Vplan is greater than or equal to the threshold value Vref, normal gear selection control is implemented (step S170), and this process ends.

[0041] Even when executing the process for when drive force increase is requested in the modification example illustrated in FIG. 4 like this, it is possible to suppress shift shocks due to upshifting of the automatic transmission 30 and noises due to a rapid increase in the rotational speed of the engine 22, etc., and it is possible to improve drivability.

[0042] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment, when a driving force increase request is made during the execution of the automatic driving control, if the predicted vehicle speed Vest based on the assistable amount of the motor 26 in the state of maintaining the current operating state of the engine 22 and the gear position of the automatic transmission 30 is within the allowable range of the planned vehicle speed Vplan, downshift suppression control is executed to supplement the driving force increase request with the output from the motor 26 without performing a downshift of the automatic transmission 30. However, when a driving force increase request is made during the execution of the automatic driving control, downshift suppression control may be executed when the predicted state of the vehicle such as the vehicle speed or acceleration predicted based on the assistable amount of the motor 26 in the state of maintaining the current operating state of the engine 22 and the gear position of the automatic transmission 30 is within the allowable range of the target state that is the planned target (such as the vehicle speed being within the threshold range or the acceleration being within the threshold range).

[0043] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment, when a driving force increase request is made during the execution of the automatic driving control and the predicted vehicle speed Vest is within the allowable range of the planned vehicle speed Vplan, downshift suppression control is executed to supplement the driving force increase request with the output from the motor 26 without performing a downshift of the automatic transmission 30. In this case, unlike the case of manual driving control, the driving force increase request may be covered by the output from the motor 26.

[0044] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment, a stepped automatic transmission 30 is provided, but the automatic transmission 30 may be a continuously variable transmission.

[0045] In the hybrid vehicle 20 of the embodiment, the motor 26 and the automatic transmission 30 are connected to the crankshaft 23 of the engine 22 via the clutch K0. However, they may be connected to the crankshaft 23 of the engine 22 without passing through the clutch K0. In addition to the configuration in which the motor 26 and the automatic transmission 30 are connected to the crankshaft 23 of the engine 22 via the clutch K0, a second motor may be attached to the axles connected to the wheels 38c and 38d. Further, instead of the motor 26, in-wheel motors directly attached to the drive wheels 38a and 38b may be provided. That is, any configuration may be adopted as long as the vehicle includes an engine, a transmission that shifts the power of the engine and outputs it to a drive shaft connected to the drive wheels, an electric motor capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the drive shaft, a power storage device capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the electric motor, and a steering device.

[0046] The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the section of means for solving the problems will be described. In the embodiment, the engine 22 corresponds to the "engine", the automatic transmission 30 corresponds to the "transmission", the motor 26 corresponds to the "electric motor", the battery 29 corresponds to the "power storage device", the steering device 34 corresponds to the "steering device", the hybrid vehicle 20 corresponds to the "vehicle", and the main ECU 40, the engine ECU 24, the motor ECU 27, and the brake ECU 33 correspond to the "in-vehicle control device".

[0047] Note that the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the section of means for solving the problems is an example for specifically explaining the form for implementing the invention described in the section of means for solving the problems in the embodiment, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the section of means for solving the problems. That is, the interpretation of the invention described in the section of means for solving the problems should be made based on the description in that section, and the embodiment is merely a specific example of the invention described in the section of means for solving the problems.

[0048] As described above, the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been explained using the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments at all, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0049] The present invention can be used in the manufacturing industry of automobiles and the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0050] 20 Hybrid vehicle, 22 Engine, 23 Crankshaft, 24 Engine electronic control unit (Engine ECU), 32 Brake device, 33 Brake electronic control unit (Brake ECU), 34 Steering device, 36 Drive shaft, 37 Differential gear, 38a, 38b Driving wheels, 38c, 38d Driven wheels, 40 Main electronic control unit (Main ECU), 41 CPU, 42 ROM, 43 RAM, 44 Flash memory, 50 Ignition switch, 51 Vehicle speed sensor, 52 Wheel speed sensor, 53 Acceleration sensor, 54 Yaw rate sensor, 55 Gradient sensor, 56 Accelerator pedal, 57 Accelerator pedal position sensor, 58 Brake pedal, 59 Brake pedal position sensor, 60 Shift electronic control unit (Shift ECU), 61 Shift lever, 62 Shift position sensor, 65 Peripheral recognition electronic control unit (Peripheral recognition ECU), 66 Peripheral recognition device, 67 Autopilot switch, 70 Navigation device, 72 Body, 74 GPS antenna, 76 Display, 80 Display device, 82 Communication device.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle control device that is mounted on a vehicle including an engine, a transmission that changes the power of the engine and outputs it to a drive shaft connected to drive wheels, an electric motor capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the drive shaft, a power storage device capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the electric motor, and a steering device, and that executes a plurality of driving controls including an automatic driving control for controlling the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by automatic driving and a manual driving control for controlling the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by manual driving, when a driving force increase request is made to set the vehicle to a predetermined target state during the automatic driving control, the driving force increase from the electric motor is prioritized over the driving force increase accompanied by a downshift of the transmission compared to the driving force increase accompanied by a downshift of the transmission. An in-vehicle control device characterized by the above.

2. The in-vehicle control device according to Claim 1, when the driving force increase request is made, when the predicted state predicted by the driving force increase from the electric motor is within the allowable range from the predetermined target state, the driving force increase from the electric motor is performed without a downshift of the transmission, and when the predicted state is outside the allowable range, the driving force increase from the engine is performed with a downshift of the transmission. An in-vehicle control device.

3. The in-vehicle control device according to Claim 1, when the driving force increase request is made, when the predicted state predicted by the driving force increase that can be increased from the engine without a shift and the driving force increase from the electric motor is within the allowable range from the predetermined target state, the driving force increase that can be increased from the engine without a shift and the driving force increase from the electric motor are performed, and when the predicted state is outside the allowable range, the driving force increase from the engine is performed with a downshift of the transmission. An in-vehicle control device.

4. The in-vehicle control device according to Claim 2 or 3, predicting the predicted state within the range of the allowable output power that can be output from the power storage device. An in-vehicle control device.

5. The in-vehicle control device according to Claim 4, predicting the predicted state based on the necessary power of the electric motor that can increase the driving force from the electric motor and the allowable continuous time that can continuously output the necessary power of the electric motor from the power storage device within the range of the allowable output power that can be output from the power storage device. An in-vehicle control device.

6. An in-vehicle control device that includes an engine, a transmission that shifts the power of the engine and outputs it to a drive shaft connected to drive wheels, an electric motor capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the drive shaft, a power storage device capable of inputting and outputting power to and from the electric motor, and a steering device, and that executes a plurality of driving controls including an automatic driving control for controlling the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by automatic driving and a manual driving control for controlling the engine, the transmission, the electric motor, and the steering device so that the vehicle travels by manual driving. When a driving force increase request is made to set the vehicle to a predetermined target state during the automatic driving control, the driving force increase by the electric motor is preferentially performed compared to the driving force increase by the engine. An in-vehicle control device characterized by this.

7. The in-vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 6, When the driving force increase request is made, the driving force increase from the electric motor without downshifting the transmission is preferentially performed compared to the driving force increase accompanied by downshifting the transmission in the manual driving control. An in-vehicle control device.

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