Control device for electric vehicle

Abstract

To provide a control device for an electric vehicle which can reproduce a manual shift operation of an MT vehicle in a pseudo manner, and can avoid inconsistency between the manual shift operation and an operation state of the electric vehicle, thereby allowing a driving operation to be appropriately performed.SOLUTION: A control device for an electric vehicle can control driving force according to a shift position selected by a shift device operated by a manual operation. The shift device has: a shift gate in which a plurality of shift positions are each connected to a first home; and an operation lever which is moved by operation force of the manual operation along the shift gate, and performs a momentary action to return to a position of the first home when the operation force is cancelled. The shift device selects the shift position to which the operation lever has been moved. The electric vehicle is controlled on the basis of an electric signal transmitted from the shift device. A display device is caused to display the shift position selected by the shift device (step S4).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a control device for an electric vehicle having at least a motor as a driving power source.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an electric vehicle that pseudo-realizes a manual shifting operation of a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission (MT vehicle). The electric vehicle described in this Patent Document 1 includes a shift device and a clutch device for reproducing the manual shifting operation of the MT vehicle, and a control device for controlling the operation of the electric vehicle. The shift device selects an arbitrary virtual gear stage mode from a plurality of virtual gear stage modes in which the torque characteristics with respect to the rotational speed of the motor are stepwise different when operated by the driver. The clutch device is operated by the driver in conjunction with the operation of the shift device. Then, the control device calculates the rotational speed of the virtual engine based on the virtual gear stage mode selected by the shift device and the operation amount of the clutch device, and causes the calculated rotational speed to be displayed on a display device.

[0003] Note that Patent Document 2 describes a shift operation device for a vehicle equipped with a multi-stage automatic transmission. In the vehicle described in this Patent Document 2, with the engine as the driving power source, the output torque of the engine is input to the multi-stage automatic transmission via an automatic clutch. And the shift operation device described in this Patent Document 2 includes an operation lever for performing a shift range change and a shift change (downshift, upshift). When the operation lever is in the range change mode position, the R range is set when the driver operates the operation lever forward, and the D range is set when the driver operates the operation lever backward. When the operation lever is in the manual shift mode position, a downshift is performed when the driver operates the operation lever forward, and an upshift is performed when the driver operates the operation lever backward. In the manual shift mode, the operating reaction force when the operation lever is operated in the front-rear direction is larger than that in the range change mode.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the shift operation device described in Patent Document 2 above, in the front-back movement direction of the operation lever, the operation lever performs a momentary operation, and between the range switching mode and the manual shift mode, the operation lever is configured to perform an alternate operation. The momentary operation is a so-called self-return type operation method in which when the operating force for moving the operation lever is released, the operation lever returns to a predetermined neutral position. The alternate operation is a so-called self-holding type operation method in which when the operating force of the operation lever is released, the position of the operation lever at that time (after operation) is held, or an operation method called a stationary method.

[0006] On the other hand, in the electric vehicle described in Patent Document 1, the main focus is on reproducing the operation feeling of manual shifting in a conventional MT vehicle. For this purpose, a pseudo shift device and a clutch device are provided. The shift device is configured to operate in the same manner as an actual shift device for a manual transmission, and is an operation device that operates in the alternate operation method (or stationary method) as described above. Therefore, the shift device described in Patent Document 1 has virtual shift positions (virtual gear stages) arranged on a so-called H-pattern in the same manner as a shift device mounted on a conventional MT vehicle, and the operation position of the operation lever (the position where the operation lever is held after operation) and the set virtual gear stage are in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0007] However, as described above, the shift device described in Patent Document 1 is provided pseudo - to select the virtual gear stage mode. Therefore, unlike the conventional shift device that uses a mechanical or physical mechanism, the shift device and the control device are electrically connected by a bi - wire. Thus, normally, based on the electrical signal (instruction signal) transmitted from the shift device, the control device regularly controls the vehicle and the driving power source (motor). However, when irregular behaviors or operations are observed in the vehicle or the driving power source, or when some abnormality occurs, the control device takes the lead in performing counter - control regardless of the instruction signal from the shift device. In such a case, there is a possibility that the correspondence between the operation position of the operation lever in the shift device and the control state of the vehicle or the driving power source by the control device will deviate. For example, during the running of the vehicle, when the rotational speed or temperature of the motor of the driving power source rises excessively, or when the operation of the battery or the inverter is restricted, the instruction signal from the shift device is rejected and overwritten by the counter - control of the control device. As a result, the operation position of the operation lever (virtual gear stage or pseudo - shift stage) and the control state of the motor (for example, the control state of the rotational speed and the output torque) do not match, and accordingly, there is a risk of giving the driver a sense of discomfort. There is also a risk of interfering with appropriate driving operations.

[0008] This invention was conceived by paying attention to the above - mentioned technical problems. It aims to pseudo - reproduce the manual shift operation in a vehicle equipped with a conventional manual transmission, and to avoid the inconsistency or disharmony between the pseudo - manual shift operation and the driving state of the electric vehicle, and to provide a control device for an electric vehicle that can perform appropriate driving operations.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control device for an electric vehicle, comprising a driving force source including at least a motor, and a shift device that operates by a driver's manual operation to select any one of a plurality of shift positions. The control device transmits the output torque of the driving force source to drive wheels to generate a driving force, and controls the driving force by controlling the output torque according to the shift position selected by the shift device. The shift device includes a shift gate connecting a first home position that does not belong to any of the plurality of shift positions and each shift position, and an operation lever that moves along the shift gate by the operating force of the manual operation and performs a momentary operation of returning to the position of the first home position when the operating force is released. The operation lever is configured to select the shift position arranged at the position where it has moved. The control device further includes a display device that displays predetermined information to inform the driver, and a controller that controls the electric vehicle. The controller controls the electric vehicle based on an electric signal transmitted from the shift device, and causes the display device to display the shift position selected by the shift device.

[0010] Further, the controller in the present invention may be provided with a virtual engine and a virtual transmission that are not actually mounted. The virtual engine torque output by the virtual engine is transmitted to the drive wheels via the virtual transmission to generate the driving force, and a plurality of virtual gear stages corresponding to the plurality of shift positions are selectively set by the virtual transmission. The output torque is controlled so that the driving force, which assumes the virtual driving force generated when the virtual engine torque is transmitted to the drive wheels via the virtual transmission set to the virtual gear stage corresponding to the shift position selected by the shift device, is generated.

[0011] In addition, in this invention, a plurality of ranges for determining the operating state of the electric vehicle are set, and the driving force is continuously controlled by controlling the output torque based on the required driving force determined from the vehicle speed and the driver's required driving amount, and an automatic mode in which the vehicle travels, and any one of the shift positions is selected by the manual operation, and the output torque is controlled according to the virtual gear stage corresponding to the selected shift position, so that the driving force is controlled in a stepped manner and a manual shift mode in which the vehicle travels, and it is possible to select, and the shift device in this invention further has a range gate connecting a second home not belonging to any of the plurality of ranges and each range, and a switching gate connecting the first home and the second home, and the operating lever moves along the switching gate by the operating force, and the manual shift mode is selected when the operating lever moves to the position of the first home, and the automatic mode is selected when the operating lever moves to the position of the second home, and in the automatic mode, any one of the plurality of ranges is selected when the operating lever moves along the range gate by the operating force, and when the operating lever moves along the range gate, the operating lever performs the momentary operation, and when the operating lever moves along the switching gate, the operating lever may be configured to perform an alternate operation (or a stationary operation) in which the position of the operating lever is held when the operating force is released.

[0012] In addition, the shift device in this invention may be configured such that when the operating lever moves along the switching gate, the operating line of the operating lever when entering and exiting the first home and the operating line of the operating lever when entering and exiting the second home intersect with each other.

[0013] In addition, the shift device in the present invention further includes an actuator that moves the operation lever from the first home position to the second home position in the switching gate. The controller in the present invention, when at least an operation intended to end the operation of the electric vehicle is performed in a state where the manual shift mode is selected, or when the selection of the manual shift mode is rejected in the control of the electric vehicle executed in parallel with the selection of the manual shift mode by the manual operation, may be configured to control the actuator to move the operation lever from the first home position to the second home position and forcibly switch from the manual shift mode to the automatic mode.

[0014] Furthermore, the present invention includes a simulated clutch pedal that operates by the driver's stepping operation. The shift device in the present invention is configured to perform the movement of the operation lever by the manual operation on the shift gate in association with the operation of the simulated clutch pedal by the stepping operation in a state where the manual shift mode is selected. The controller in the present invention is assumed to include a virtual clutch that is not actually mounted, transmit and cut off the virtual engine torque between the virtual engine and the virtual transmission by the virtual clutch, and operate the virtual clutch by the stepping operation of the simulated clutch pedal to change the virtual transmission torque capacity of the virtual clutch. The virtual transmission torque capacity is calculated based on the operation state of the simulated clutch pedal by the stepping operation, and the output torque is controlled so that the virtual driving force, which assumes the virtual driving force generated when the virtual engine torque is transmitted to the virtual transmission and the drive wheels with the calculated virtual transmission torque capacity, is generated.

[0015] Also, the controller in this invention may be configured to cause the display device to display the shift position after the change or rejection when the shift position selected by the manual operation is changed or rejected in the control of the electric vehicle executed in parallel with the selection of the shift position by the manual operation.

[0016] Furthermore, this invention is provided with an acoustic vibration device that generates sound or vibration to notify the driver of predetermined information. The controller in this invention may be configured to cause the acoustic vibration device to generate the sound or vibration when the shift position selected by the manual operation is changed or rejected in the control of the electric vehicle executed in parallel with the selection of the shift position by the manual operation, so that the driver recognizes that the change or rejection has been carried out.

[0017] And the controller in this invention may be configured to cause the acoustic vibration device to generate the sound or vibration when the selection of the shift position by the manual operation is accepted, so that the driver recognizes that the selection of the shift position has been successfully completed.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] The electric vehicle to be controlled in this invention uses at least one motor as a driving force source, and generates a driving force by the output torque of the driving force source to run. At this time, the output torque of the driving force source is controlled according to the shift position selectively set by the shift device, so that the driving force of the electric vehicle is controlled step by step. That is, in the electric vehicle to be controlled in this invention, by manually operating the shift device to switch the shift position, it is possible to perform a manual shifting operation like a conventional MT vehicle. Further, the shift device in this invention has a so-called H-pattern shift gate in which a plurality of shift positions and a first home serving as a neutral position are separately arranged, and by moving the operation lever along the shift gate, any one of the shift positions arranged at the movement destination of the operation lever is selected. The shift device is configured such that the operation lever makes a momentary movement, and when the driver releases the hand from the operation lever or weakens the force applied to the operation lever and the operating force is released, the operation lever returns to the position of the first home. Therefore, different from a conventional shift device that performs a so-called alternate operation (or a stationary method), the shift device and the controller in this invention are electrically connected by a so-called by-wire. And in the control device of the electric vehicle of this invention, the controller controls the electric vehicle based on the electrical signal transmitted from the shift device. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a mechanical or physical mechanism like a conventional shift device, and a highly flexible design and control can be implemented.

[0019] Furthermore, the electric vehicle to be controlled in the present invention is provided with a display device such as a display or a monitor, for example. The display device displays predetermined information to the driver, and in particular, displays the selected shift position. As described above, in the conventional shift device for a manual transmission, since the operation lever (shift lever) alternates, the driver can visually, or by tactile or positional sense, recognize the currently selected shift position from the position of the operation lever. On the other hand, in the shift device according to the present invention, since the operation lever makes a momentary movement, the currently selected shift position cannot be recognized from the position of the operation lever. Therefore, in the present invention, the above-described display device is provided, and the selected shift position is displayed on the display device even after the operation lever returns to the position of the first home at the neutral point. Therefore, even in the case of a shift device with a momentary operation method, the driver can surely recognize the current shift position.

[0020] Also, as described above, the control device of the electric vehicle of the present invention assumes a virtual gear stage corresponding to the shift position selected by the driver manually operating the shift device, and controls the driving force of the electric vehicle. The virtual gear stage is a gear stage set by a virtual transmission assuming a conventional manual transmission. The virtual transmission assumes that the virtual engine torque output by the virtual engine is transmitted to the drive wheels. Therefore, the driver can experience a pseudo-manual shift operation imitating a conventional MT vehicle by manually moving the operation lever along the shift gate and performing an operation of selecting a shift position.

[0021] In addition, the control device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention can select and run in an automatic mode and a manual shift mode. The automatic mode is a driving mode that automatically controls the driving force as a general electric vehicle. The manual shift mode is a driving mode that can reproduce a pseudo manual shift assuming the virtual engine and virtual transmission as described above. And, the shift device in the present invention switches between the automatic mode and the manual shift mode by the driver moving the operation lever along the switching gate. In the switching gate, the operation lever performs an alternate operation and the position of the operation lever after movement is held. Therefore, the driver can easily switch the driving mode by moving the operation lever in the switching gate. At the same time, since the operation lever performs an alternate operation in the switching gate, the driver can easily recognize the current driving mode from the position of the operation lever.

[0022] Also, in the shift device according to the present invention, the switching gate is configured such that the operation lever movement line when entering and exiting the first home in the manual shift mode intersects with the operation lever movement line when entering and exiting the second home in the automatic mode. For example, the switching gate is formed in an L-shaped pattern, and the first home and the first home are respectively arranged at both ends of the L-shaped pattern. Therefore, when moving the operation lever between the first home and the second home of the switching gate, the operation lever will necessarily change the moving direction at the portion where these two movement lines intersect (the corner portion of the L-shaped pattern). Therefore, it is possible to prevent an incorrect operation when switching the driving mode and an unintended switching of the driving mode by the driver.

[0023] Further, the shift device in this invention has an actuator that moves the operation lever on the switching gate. The actuator can forcibly move the operation lever from the first home position to the second home position, giving priority to the driver's manual operation. And the control device of the electric vehicle of this invention controls the actuator to forcibly switch the driving mode according to the control state of the electric vehicle. For example, when the ignition switch or the main switch is turned off, or when the parking range is selected, that is, when an operation intended to end the operation of the electric vehicle is performed, the driving mode is forcibly switched from the manual shift mode to the automatic mode. Therefore, after the operation of the electric vehicle is ended, the operation of the electric vehicle can be restarted each time with the driving mode set to the automatic mode. Also, for example, when the selection of the manual shift mode is rejected due to, for example, the control requirements of the motor as the driving power source or the running state of the electric vehicle, the driving mode is also forcibly switched from the manual shift mode to the automatic mode. Therefore, when there is a deviation between the driving mode selected by manual operation (manual shift mode) and the driving mode selected in terms of control (automatic mode), the actually set driving mode (automatic mode) and the position of the operation lever on the switching gate can always be made to coincide.

[0024] In addition, the electric vehicle to be controlled in this invention is equipped with a simulated clutch pedal. The simulated clutch pedal is a pseudo-operation unit that mimics the clutch pedal used in conventional MT vehicles and does not operate the actual clutch. However, the simulated clutch pedal in this invention is configured to be operated in conjunction with the operation of the operation lever of the shift device. For example, it is configured such that the operation lever can be moved when the simulated clutch pedal is depressed. And the control device of the electric vehicle of this invention changes the virtual transmission torque capacity of a virtual clutch assuming an actual clutch according to the operation of the simulated clutch pedal, and controls the driving force by reflecting the virtual transmission torque capacity. Therefore, the driver can experience a driving operation similar to that of a so-called three-pedal MT vehicle equipped with a conventional clutch pedal by operating the simulated clutch pedal together with the above-described shift device.

[0025] In addition, when the control device of the electric vehicle of this invention changes or rejects the selection of the shift position by manual operation in the manual shift mode, for example, due to control requirements of the motor as the driving force source or the running state of the electric vehicle, the shift position after the change or rejection is performed, that is, the shift position actually set in terms of control, is displayed on the display device. Therefore, even when there is a deviation between the shift position selected by the driver by manual operation in the manual shift mode and the shift position selected in terms of control, the shift position actually set is always displayed on the display device. Thus, the driver can always recognize the shift position actually set, and it is possible to avoid giving the driver a sense of discomfort due to the mismatch between the feeling of the driving operation and the actual driving state.

[0026] Further, as described above, when the control device for an electric vehicle of the present invention changes or rejects the selection of a shift position by manual operation in the manual shift mode, for example, it generates sound or vibration with an acoustic vibration device such as a speaker or a vibrator. Therefore, it is possible to surely make the driver recognize that the shift position selected by the driver's manual operation has been changed or rejected.

[0027] And when the control device for an electric vehicle of the present invention accepts the selection of a shift position by manual operation in the manual shift mode, for example, it generates sound or vibration with an acoustic vibration device such as a speaker or a vibrator. Note that the sound or vibration in this case can be distinguished from the sound or vibration generated when the selection of the shift position is changed or rejected as described above. Therefore, it is possible to surely make the driver recognize that the selection of the shift position by the driver's manual operation has been successfully completed.

[0028] Therefore, according to the control device for an electric vehicle of the present invention, it is possible to pseudo-reproduce the manual shift operation in a conventional MT vehicle. At the same time, it is possible to avoid the inconsistency or disharmony between the pseudo-manual shift operation and the driving state of the electric vehicle, and appropriately perform the driving operation of the electric vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention when embodied, and do not limit the present invention.

[0031] The vehicle to be controlled in the embodiments of the present invention is an electric vehicle having at least one motor as a driving force source. It may be an electric vehicle equipped with one or a plurality of motors as a driving force source. Alternatively, a so-called hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor as a driving force source may be used. In any of these electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles, the torque output by the motor of the driving force source is transmitted to the drive wheels to generate a driving force. The driving force is controlled based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal by the driver.

[0032] And the electric vehicle to be controlled in the embodiment of the present invention pseudo-reproduces the manual shifting operation in a conventional engine vehicle (MT vehicle) equipped with a manual transmission. Thereby, the electric vehicle to be controlled in the embodiment of the present invention is configured such that even though it is an electric vehicle, a driver can experience a driving operation similar to or close to that of a conventional MT vehicle.

[0033] FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of the configuration (drive system and control system) of the electric vehicle to be controlled in the embodiment of the present invention. The electric vehicle (hereinafter referred to as vehicle) Ve shown in FIG. 1 is an electric vehicle equipped with a motor 2 as a driving power source (POWER) 1. The vehicle Ve includes, as main components, drive wheels 3, a shift device 4, a display device 5, an acoustic vibration device 6, a detection unit 7, and a controller (ECU) 8. Note that the driving power source 1 in the embodiment of the present invention may include one or more motors (not shown) in addition to the motor 2. Alternatively, it may be a so-called hybrid drive unit (not shown) including the motor 2 and an engine (not shown), as well as a power split mechanism, a transmission mechanism, and the like (not shown).

[0034] The motor 2 is composed of, for example, a permanent magnet synchronous motor, an induction motor, or the like. The motor 2 has at least the function as a prime mover that is driven by supplying power to output torque. Further, the motor 2 may function as a generator that generates electric power when driven by receiving torque from the outside. That is, the motor 2 may be a so-called "motor generator" having both the function as a prime mover and the function as a generator. A battery (not shown) is connected to the motor 2 via an inverter (not shown). Therefore, the electric power stored in the battery can be supplied to the motor 2, and the motor 2 can function as a prime mover to output driving torque. Also, the motor 2 can be made to function as a generator by the torque transmitted from the drive wheels 3, and the regenerative electric power generated at that time can be stored in the battery. And the output rotation speed and output torque of the motor 2 are electrically controlled by a controller 8 described later. For example, a required driving force is calculated from the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 9 by the driver and the vehicle speed, and the output torque of the motor 2 is controlled based on the required driving torque (that is, the control target value of the motor 2) set corresponding to the required driving force.

[0035] As described later, in the embodiment of the present invention, in order to pseudo-reproduce the manual shift operation in a conventional MT vehicle, the required driving torque for the motor 2 is set corresponding to a plurality of shift stages (virtual shift stages described later) in which the torque characteristics of the motor 2 are stepwise different, for example, in the form of a map. Then, in the manual shift mode described later, a shift position corresponding to any one of the virtual shift stages is selected by the shift device 4, and the required driving torque corresponding to the selected shift position and the virtual shift stage is set.

[0036] The required driving torque of the motor 2 is set based on a map as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 below, for example.

[0037] The map shown in FIG. 2 indicates the required driving torque according to the vehicle speed (or the rotational speed of the motor 2) and the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 9, based on the basic torque characteristics of the motor 2. Note that FIG. 2 shows the required driving torque calculated, for example, in the automatic mode described later when the range selected by the shift device 4 is the D (drive) range.

[0038] The map shown in FIG. 3 indicates the required driving torque corresponding to a plurality of virtual shift stages set such that the torque characteristics of the motor 2 are different step by step. In the embodiment of the present invention, in order to pseudo-reproduce the manual shift operation in a conventional MT vehicle, in the manual shift mode described later, the required driving torque of the motor 2 as described above is set in the form of a map as shown in FIG. 3. The map of FIG. 3 indicates the required driving torque corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual shift stages, for example, when the operation amount (accelerator opening) of the accelerator pedal is 50%. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the required driving torque set at each of the virtual shift stages of "1st gear", "2nd gear", "3rd gear", "4th gear", "5th gear", and "6th gear" is shown in order from the top. Note that the virtual shift stages are a plurality of shift stages set by a stepped virtual transmission when it is assumed that the vehicle Ve is equipped with a virtual engine and a virtual transmission. Details of these virtual engine, virtual transmission, and virtual shift stages will be described later.

[0039] Note that the above-described accelerator pedal 9 is provided as an operation unit of an accelerator device (not shown) that generates the driving force of the vehicle Ve according to the driver's acceleration intention, and a conventionally general configuration is used. The accelerator device operates, for example, by operating an operation unit such as the accelerator pedal 9 or an accelerator lever (not shown) by the driver, and generates the driving force or acceleration of the vehicle Ve. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the accelerator device is configured to generate a driving force or acceleration according to the depression amount (operation amount) of the accelerator pedal 9.

[0040] In addition to the accelerator pedal 9 described above, a brake pedal 10 is provided as an operation unit of a brake device (not shown) that generates a braking force for the vehicle Ve according to the driver's intention to decelerate and brake. The brake device is operated, for example, by the driver's operation of an operation unit such as the brake pedal 10 or a brake lever (not shown), and generates a braking force (braking torque) for the vehicle Ve. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the brake device is configured to generate a braking force in response to the driver's depressing operation of the brake pedal 10.

[0041] Furthermore, in addition to the accelerator pedal 9 and the brake pedal 10 described above, a clutch pedal 11 is provided. The vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that the driver can experience a driving operation similar to that of a so-called three-pedal MT vehicle equipped with a conventional "clutch pedal". For this purpose, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a clutch pedal 11 corresponding to the "simulated clutch pedal" in the embodiment of the present invention is provided. The vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention is an electric vehicle and actually does not have a "manual transmission" installed as in a conventional "engine vehicle". Therefore, the vehicle Ve also does not have a "clutch" that interrupts the power transmission between the "engine" and the "manual transmission". This clutch pedal 11 is not actually for operating a "clutch", but is provided pseudo - to enable the driver to virtually experience the driving operation of a three-pedal MT vehicle even in an electric vehicle. Therefore, a clutch pedal 11 having a configuration that can provide the same operating feeling as the "clutch pedal" employed in a conventional three-pedal MT vehicle is applied.

[0042] Further, the clutch pedal 11 may be configured to move the operation lever 18 of the shift device 4 in association with the operation of the clutch pedal 11 by the driver's depressing operation in the manual shift mode described later. For example, when the clutch pedal 11 is depressed by a predetermined operation amount (depression amount) or more, the operation lever 18 may be configured to be operable. Further, for example, when the operation lever 18 is operated while the clutch pedal 11 is in a state where the operation amount is less than the predetermined operation amount, it may be configured to produce a state where the gears are pseudo-interfered with.

[0043] And in the control device of the electric vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that by depressing the clutch pedal 11, a virtual clutch described later is operated and the virtual transmission torque capacity of the virtual clutch is changed. The virtual clutch is assumed to transmit and cut off the virtual engine torque output by the virtual engine between the virtual engine and the virtual transmission described later.

[0044] The drive wheels 3 generate the driving force of the vehicle Ve when the output torque of the driving force source 1 (motor 2) is transmitted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the drive wheels 3 are connected to the motor 2 via a reduction gear 12, a differential gear 13, a drive shaft 14, and the like. Note that the vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention may be a front-wheel drive vehicle that transmits the output torque of the driving force source 1 to the front wheels (drive wheels 3) and generates the driving force by the front wheels 3 as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the vehicle Ve may be a rear-wheel drive vehicle that transmits the output torque of the driving force source 1 to the rear wheels 15 via, for example, a propeller shaft (not shown) and generates the driving force by the rear wheels 15. Alternatively, the vehicle Ve may be a four-wheel drive vehicle provided with a transfer mechanism (not shown) that transmits the output torque to both the front wheels 3 and the rear wheels 15 and generates the driving force by both the front wheels and the rear wheels.

[0045] The shift device 4 is an operating device that mainly operates by the driver's manual operation. The shift device 4 sets one of the torque characteristics of the motor 2 corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual gear stages as described above. The vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention is an electric vehicle, and actually does not mount a "transmission" as provided in a conventional "engine vehicle" with a "engine" as a driving force source. Therefore, the vehicle Ve originally does not require a "shift device" for performing the shifting operation of the "transmission". This shift device 4 is not for performing the shifting operation of an actual "transmission", but is provided pseudo -ly to enable the driver to experience the feeling of shifting by the same manual operation as in the conventional case even in an electric vehicle. Therefore, as will be described later, when it is assumed that the vehicle Ve is equipped with a virtual engine and a virtual transmission, the shift device 4 selects one of the plurality of shift positions corresponding to the plurality of virtual gear stages as described above in the manual shift mode described later. Further, this shift device 4 selects one of a plurality of ranges (for example, D range, R range, and N range) for setting the driving state of the vehicle Ve in the automatic mode described later. Furthermore, this shift device 4 switches the driving mode between the manual shift mode and the automatic mode described later.

[0046] Specifically, the shift device 4 has at least a manual operation unit 16 that is operated in the manual shift mode.

[0047] The manual shift mode is a driving mode in which the driver manually selects one of the plurality of shift positions and controls the output torque of the driving force source 1 (motor 2) according to the virtual gear stage corresponding to the selected shift position, thereby controlling the driving force of the vehicle Ve step - by - step to drive. The vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention travels at least in a state where this manual shift mode is set.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 4, the manual operation unit 16 is composed of a shift gate 17 and an operation lever 18. As will be described later, when the shift device 4 is configured to switch between a manual shift mode and an automatic mode, the manual operation unit 16 is operated in a state where the manual shift mode is selected.

[0049] The shift gate 17 is constituted by a guide groove (shift pattern) that connects a plurality of shift positions and a first home position H1 that does not belong to any of the plurality of shift positions and serves as a neutral point or a return point. In the manual operation unit 16, the operation lever 18 moves along this shift gate 17. At the same time, the operation lever 18 performs a momentary operation in the shift gate 17 and returns to the position of the first home position H1 as will be described later.

[0050] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the shift gate 17 is formed in a so-called H-pattern shift pattern. Specifically, the shift gate 17 is formed from six tip portions 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f and a neutral groove 17g that connects these tip portions 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f. The first (1st), second (2nd), third (3rd), fourth (4th), fifth (5th), and sixth (6th) shift positions are respectively arranged at each of the tip portions 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f. And the first home position H1, which is the return point or the neutral point of the operation lever 18, is configured to be located at the central portion of the neutral groove 17g, that is, at the intermediate portion 17h between the third shift position (tip portion 17c) and the fourth shift position (tip portion 17d) in the example shown in FIG. 4.

[0051] The operation lever 18 is an operation unit operated by the driver. Specifically, the operation lever 18 moves along the above-mentioned shift gate 17 by the operating force of the driver's manual operation. That is, the operation lever 18 is configured to operate by tracing the so-called H-pattern shift pattern of the shift gate 17 as shown by the solid arrow A1 in FIG. 4. At the same time, the operation lever 18 is configured to perform a momentary operation of returning to the position of the first home H1 in the shift gate 17 when the operating force of the manual operation is released. The momentary operation is a so-called self-return type operation method in which the operation lever 18 returns to a predetermined neutral position (the first home H1) when the operating force for moving the operation lever 18 is released. The shift device 4 selects any one of the shift positions arranged at the tip 17a (or 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f) of the shift gate 17 where the operation lever 18 has moved. Then, after the operation lever 18 is moved to the position of any one of the shift positions by the operating force of the driver's manual operation, when the operating force of the manual operation acting on the operation lever 18 is released, the operation lever 18 returns to the position of the first home H1 each time.

[0052] In this way, the shift device 4 is configured such that the operation lever 18 performs a momentary operation by the driver's manual operation. When the operating force of the manual operation is released by the driver removing their hand from the operation lever 18 or weakening the force applied to the operation lever 18, the operation lever 18 returns to the position of the first home H1. Therefore, unlike the conventional "shift device" that performs a so-called alternate operation (or a stationary method), the shift device 4 and the controller 8 described later are electrically connected by a so-called by-wire. Then, the controller 8 performs calculations based on the electrical signals transmitted from the shift device 4 and controls the vehicle Ve based on the calculation results. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a mechanical or physical mechanism like the conventional "shift device", and a highly flexible design and control can be implemented.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle Ve may be configured to always travel in the above-described manual shift mode. That is, the driver may operate the vehicle Ve while always performing a pseudo-manual shift operation using the manual operation unit 16. In that case, the shift device 4 may be composed only of the manual operation unit 16 as shown in FIG. 4. Further, the vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention may be configured to switch between the above-described manual shift mode and the automatic mode and travel. The automatic mode is a driving mode in which the driving force of the vehicle Ve is automatically controlled as a general "electric vehicle". In the example shown in FIG. 1, the shift device 4 includes an automatic operation unit 19 in addition to the above-described manual operation unit 16 in order to selectively set by switching between the manual shift mode and the automatic mode.

[0054] In the automatic mode, a plurality of ranges that determine the driving state of the vehicle Ve are set. In the vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention, similar to a general "electric vehicle", as a plurality of ranges, a D (drive) range, an R (reverse) range, and an N (neutral) range are set. Then, the automatic mode is a driving mode in which, as a general "electric vehicle", when a driving range (D range and R range) is set, the output torque of the drive power source 1 (motor 2) is controlled based on the required driving force, and the driving force of the vehicle Ve is continuously or steplessly controlled to travel. The vehicle Ve travels in a state where either the above-described manual shift mode or the automatic mode is set.

[0055] The automatic operation unit 19 is operated in a state where the automatic mode is selected. As shown in FIG. 5, the automatic operation unit 19 is composed of a range gate 20 and a switching gate 21 together with the above-described operation lever 18. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the operation lever 18 is shared by the above-described manual operation unit 16 and the automatic operation unit 19. Therefore, the operation lever 18 is configured to be movable among the above-described shift gate 17, range gate 20, and switching gate 21.

[0056] The range gate 20 is constituted by guide grooves that connect a plurality of ranges for setting the driving state of the vehicle Ve and a second home H2 that does not belong to any of these ranges and serves as a neutral point or a return point. In the automatic operation unit 19, the operation lever 18 moves along this range gate 20. At the same time, within this range gate 20, the operation lever 18 performs a momentary operation and returns to the position of the second home H2.

[0057] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the range gate 20 is formed from a linear range groove 20a and a neutral groove 20b connected to the middle portion of the range groove 20a. A D range is arranged at the tip 20c of one side (the lower side in FIG. 5) of the range groove 20a, and an R range is arranged at the tip 20d of the other side (the upper side in FIG. 5) of the range groove 20a. Then, an N range is arranged at the tip 20e of one side (the right side in FIG. 5) of the neutral groove 20b, and the second home H2, which is the return point or neutral point of the operation lever 18, is configured to be located at the tip 20f of the other side (the left side in FIG. 5) of the neutral groove 20b.

[0058] The automatic operation unit 19 is configured such that the operation lever 18 operates by tracing the range gate 20 as indicated by the solid arrow A2 in FIG. 5. At the same time, in this automatic operation unit 19, the operation lever 18 is also configured to perform a momentary operation of returning to the position of the second home H2 in the range gate 20 when the operating force of the manual operation is released. The shift device 4 selects any one of the ranges arranged at the tip 20c (or 20d, 20e) where the operation lever 18 has moved in this range gate 20. Then, after the operation lever 18 is moved to the position of any one of the ranges by the operating force of the driver's manual operation, when the operating force of the manual operation acting on the operation lever 18 is released, the operation lever 18 returns to the position of the second home H2 each time.

[0059] The switching gate 21 is constituted by a guide groove connecting the position of the first home H1 in the shift gate 17 of the manual operation unit 16 and the position of the second home H2 in the range gate 20 of the automatic operation unit 19.

[0060] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the switching gate 21 is formed from a first switching groove 21a and a second switching groove 21b. The first switching groove 21a is arranged on the same straight line as the neutral groove 17g of the shift gate 17 and is connected to the neutral groove 17g. The first switching groove 21a is connected to the first home H1 arranged in the neutral groove 17g. The arrows A3 and A4 shown by the broken lines in FIG. 5 are the moving directions when the operation lever 18 moves along the first switching groove 21a of the switching gate 21, and are the first operation line 21c of the operation lever 18 when the operation lever 18 enters and exits the first home H1.

[0061] On the other hand, the second switching groove 21b is disposed at a position orthogonal to the neutral groove 20b of the range gate 20 and is connected to the neutral groove 20b. The second switching groove 21b is connected to the second home position H2 disposed in the neutral groove 20b. Arrows A5 and A6 shown by broken lines in FIG. 5 indicate the moving directions when the operation lever 18 moves along the second switching groove 21b of the switching gate 21, and form the second operation line 21d of the operation lever 18 when the operation lever 18 enters and exits the second home position H2. Therefore, when the operation lever 18 moves along the switching gate 21, the operation line of the operation lever 18 (i.e., the first operation line 21c) when the operation lever 18 enters and exits the first home position H1 and the operation line of the operation lever 18 (i.e., the second operation line 21d) when the operation lever 18 enters and exits the second home position H2 are configured to intersect each other.

[0062] And when the operation lever 18 moves along the switching gate 21 by the driver's manual operation, the shift device 4 is configured such that the operation lever 18 performs an alternate operation (or a stationary operation). The alternate operation is a so-called self-holding type operation method or an operation method called a stationary method in which the position of the operation lever 18 at that time (after the operation) is held when the operating force of the operation lever 18 is released.

[0063] Thus, in the shift device 4, at the switching gate 21, the operation lever 18 performs an alternate operation and the position of the operation lever 18 after the movement is held. Therefore, the driver can easily switch the driving mode of the vehicle Ve by moving the operation lever 18 at the switching gate 21. At the same time, when the operation lever 18 performs an alternate operation at the switching gate 21, the driver can easily recognize the current driving mode from the position of the operation lever 18.

[0064] Also, as described above, the shift device 4 is configured such that the first operation line 21c of the operation lever 18 when entering and exiting the first home H1 in the manual shift mode and the second operation line 21d of the operation lever 18 when entering and exiting the second home H2 in the automatic mode intersect with each other. Therefore, when moving the operation lever 18 between the first home H1 and the second home H2 of the switching gate 21, the operation lever 18 will necessarily change the moving direction at the corner portion 21e where these two operation lines 21c and 21d intersect. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an incorrect operation when switching the driving mode and an unintended switching of the driving mode by the driver. Further, the shift device 4 may be provided with a mechanism that requires an additional operation by the driver when moving the operation lever 18 with the switching gate 21. For example, a mechanism (not shown) that enables the movement of the operation lever 18 by pressing a release button (not shown), or a mechanism (not shown) that enables the movement of the operation lever 18 by performing an operation of pulling up or pushing down a collar (not shown) provided on the operation lever 18 may be provided. With such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the above-described incorrect operations and unintended switching by the driver.

[0065] Note that the shift device 4 may provide a step in the magnitude of the reaction force against the operating force when moving the operation lever 18 that performs a momentary operation from the first home position H1 to the position 17a (or 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f) of each shift position by means of the shift gate 17. For example, the reaction force when moving the operation lever 18 immediately before the position 17a (or 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f) of each shift position is made greater than the reaction force when moving the operation lever 18 around the position of the first home position H1 of the shift gate 17. Similarly, the shift device 4 may provide a step in the magnitude of the reaction force against the operating force when moving the operation lever 18 that performs a momentary operation from the second home position H2 to the position 20c (or 20d, 20e) of each range by means of the range gate 20. For example, the reaction force when moving the operation lever 18 immediately before the position 20c (or 20d, 20e) of each range is made greater than the reaction force when moving the operation lever 18 around the position of the second home position H2 of the range gate 20. With such a configuration, the driver can recognize from the tactile or operational sensation that the operation lever 18 has been operated up to near the position where each shift position or each range is selected based on the change in the magnitude of the reaction force when moving the operation lever 18.

[0066] Further, the shift device 4 is configured such that the shift from the automatic mode to the manual shift mode is possible only when the D range is set in the automatic mode, that is, the operation lever 18 can be moved from the second home position H2 to the first home position H1. As described above, in the manual shift mode, each shift position when the vehicle Ve is traveling forward is selected. Therefore, by switching from the D range in the automatic mode to the manual shift mode, the driving mode of the vehicle Ve can be smoothly shifted.

[0067] Furthermore, the shift device 4 has, in the above-described switching gate 21, an "actuator" that moves the operation lever 18 from the first home position H1 to the second home position H2. In the example shown in FIG. 1, as the "actuator" in the embodiment of the present invention, an electric actuator 22 that is driven by an electric motor (not shown) and moves the operation lever 18 is provided. The electric actuator 22 is controlled by a controller 8 described later. When the electric actuator 22 operates, the operation lever 18 is forcibly moved from the first home position H1 to the second home position H2. That is, the driving mode of the vehicle Ve is forcibly switched from the manual shift mode to the automatic mode. For example, when an ignition switch (not shown) or a main switch (not shown) is turned off, or when a P (parking) range (not shown) is selected, that is, when an operation is performed with the intention of ending the driving of the vehicle Ve by the driver, the electric actuator 22 is operated to forcibly switch the driving mode of the vehicle Ve to the automatic mode. Therefore, after the driving of the vehicle Ve is ended, the driving of the vehicle Ve can always be smoothly restarted with the driving mode set to the automatic mode.

[0068] Also, for example, when the selection of the manual shift mode is rejected by the control executed by the controller 8 described later in conjunction with the selection of the manual shift mode by manual operation due to, for example, the control requirements of the motor 2 or the driving state of the vehicle Ve, the electric actuator 22 is operated to forcibly switch the driving mode of the vehicle Ve to the automatic mode. Therefore, when the driving mode selected manually (manual shift mode) and the driving mode selected in terms of control (automatic mode) deviate from each other, the actually set driving mode (automatic mode) and the position of the operation lever 18 in the switching gate 21 can always be made to coincide with each other.

[0069] The display device 5 displays predetermined information to inform the driver. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the display device 5 is, for example, a digital display 23, and displays the numerical value of the shift position selected by the shift device 4 to let the driver recognize it. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the digital display 23 is built into the pseudo tachometer 24 that indicates the virtual engine speed of the virtual engine described later. Note that the display device 5 in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the digital display 23 as described above, and any device can be used as long as it can let the driver recognize the shift position. For example, it may be a monitor (not shown) that displays the image of the display device 5, a display lamp (not shown), or the like. Alternatively, a display (not shown) of a navigation system or the like provided in the vehicle Ve may be used in combination.

[0070] As described above, since the shift lever 18 of the shift device 4 performs a momentary operation and always returns to the first home position H1, the currently selected shift position cannot be recognized from the position of the shift lever 18. On the other hand, in the control device of the electric vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention, this display device 5 is provided, and the selected shift position is displayed on the display device 5 even after the shift lever 18 returns to the position of the first home position H1. Therefore, even if the shift device 4 is of the momentary operation type, the driver can surely recognize the current shift position.

[0071] Furthermore, the display device 5 in the embodiment of the present invention is controlled by a controller 8 described later, and when the controller 8 sets a shift position, the shift position set for control is displayed. The control device of the electric vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention may change or reject, for example, the selection of the shift position by manual operation in the manual shift mode by the control executed by the controller 8 in parallel with the selection of the shift position by manual operation, due to, for example, the control requirements of the motor 2 or the running state of the vehicle Ve. In such a case, the shift position after the change or rejection is performed, that is, the shift position actually set for control is displayed on the display device 5. Therefore, even if there is a deviation between the shift position selected by the driver by manual operation in the manual shift mode and the shift position selected for control, the shift position actually set is always displayed on the display device 5. Therefore, the driver can always recognize the shift position actually set, and it is possible to avoid giving the driver a sense of discomfort when the feeling of the driving operation does not match the actual driving state.

[0072] The acoustic vibration device 6 generates sound or vibration to notify the driver of predetermined information. Specifically, the acoustic vibration device 6 is, for example, a speaker (not shown) or a vibrator (not shown). The acoustic vibration device 6 is controlled by a controller 8 described later, and when the selection of the shift position by manual operation in the manual shift mode is changed or rejected for control, a warning sound or a warning vibration is generated. Therefore, the driver can surely recognize that the shift position selected by manual operation has been changed or rejected.

[0073] Further, when the acoustic vibration device 6 accepts the selection of the shift position by manual operation in the manual shift mode, it generates an effect sound or a vibration of a signal. In that case, the effect sound or the vibration of the signal is made different from the warning sound or the warning vibration that occurs when the shift position selected by the driver by manual operation is changed or rejected as described above. Therefore, it is possible to surely make the driver recognize that the selection of the shift position by the driver's manual operation has been successful.

[0074] The detection unit 7 is a device or apparatus for acquiring various data and information necessary for controlling the vehicle Ve. For example, it includes a power supply unit, a microcomputer, sensors, and an input / output interface, etc. In particular, the detection unit 7 in the embodiment of this invention detects various data for controlling the driving force source 1 (motor 2) in relation to the shift position selected by the shift device 4, and for controlling the display device 5, the acoustic vibration device 6, the electric actuator 22, and the like.

[0075] Specifically, the detection unit 7 includes an accelerator position sensor 7a that detects the operation amount (depression amount, accelerator opening degree, etc.) of the accelerator pedal 9 by the driver, a shift position sensor 7b that detects the operation position (shift position) of the shift device 4 by the driver, a clutch position sensor 7c that detects the operation amount (depression amount, depression angle, etc.) of the clutch pedal 11 by the driver, a wheel speed sensor 7d for detecting the vehicle speed, a motor rotation speed sensor (or resolver) 7e that detects the rotation speed of the motor 2, a motor torque sensor 7f that detects or calculates the torque of the motor 2, a brake sensor 7g that detects the operation amount (depression amount, braking force, etc.) of the brake pedal 10 by the driver, and an acceleration sensor 7h for detecting the acceleration of the vehicle Ve, etc. In addition, the detection unit 7 has, for example, a motor temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the motor 2, an SOC sensor (not shown) that detects the state of charge (SOC) of the battery (not shown), and a battery temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature of the battery. And the detection unit 7 is electrically connected to a controller 8 described later, and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the detection value or calculation value of various sensors, devices, apparatuses, etc. as described above to the controller 8 as detection data.

[0076] The controller 8 is an electronic control device mainly composed of, for example, a microcomputer. The controller 8 in the embodiment of the present invention controls the vehicle Ve and, in particular, controls the drive power source 1 (motor 2) in relation to the shift position selected by the shift device 4. It also controls the display device 5, the acoustic vibration device 6, and the electric actuator 22, etc. respectively.

[0077] Specifically, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 7, the controller 8 has, as an example of a main arithmetic unit, a virtual engine speed calculation unit 8a, a virtual engine torque calculation unit 8b, a torque transmission gain calculation unit 8c, a virtual clutch torque capacity (virtual transmission torque capacity) calculation unit 8d, a virtual transmission gear ratio (virtual gear position) calculation unit 8e, and a virtual transmission output torque calculation unit 8f. Input signals such as the detection value of the accelerator position sensor 7a, the detection value of the shift position sensor 7b, the detection value of the clutch position sensor 7c, the detection value of the wheel speed sensor 7d, and the detection value of the motor speed sensor 7e are input to the controller 8. The controller 8 outputs control command values such as the control command value of the drive power source 1 (motor 2), the control command value of the display device 5 (display 23), the control command value of the electric actuator 22 (actuator), and the control command value of the acoustic vibration device 6 (speaker) as control signals.

[0078] Input signals of various data as described above are input to the controller 8, and the controller 8 performs calculations using the input various data and data and calculation formulas stored in advance. Then, the controller 8 outputs the calculation result as a control command signal and is configured to control the drive power source 1 (motor 2), the display device 5, the acoustic vibration device 6, and the electric actuator 22 as described above. Note that FIGS. 1 and 7 show an example in which one controller 8 is provided, but a plurality of controllers may be provided for each device or equipment to be controlled or for each control content.

[0079] Further, the controller 8 in the embodiment of the present invention assumes a virtual engine, a virtual transmission, and a virtual engine that are not actually mounted on the vehicle Ve, and sets them hypothetically in arithmetic processing. Also, the virtual engine torque output by the virtual engine is transmitted to the drive wheels 3 via the virtual transmission to generate the driving force of the vehicle Ve, and a plurality of virtual gear stages corresponding to the plurality of shift positions selected by the shift device 4 are selectively set by the virtual transmission, the virtual clutch transmits and blocks the virtual engine torque between the virtual engine and the virtual transmission, and it is assumed that the virtual clutch is operated by the stepping operation of the clutch pedal 11 to change the virtual transmission torque capacity of the virtual clutch, and it is set hypothetically in arithmetic processing. Then, the controller 8 assumes the virtual driving force generated when the virtual engine torque is transmitted to the drive wheels via the virtual transmission that has set the virtual gear stage corresponding to the shift position selected by the shift device 4, or controls the output torque of the driving force source 1 (motor 2) so that the actual driving force corresponding to the virtual driving force is generated. Further, the controller 8 calculates the virtual transmission torque capacity of the virtual clutch based on the operating state of the clutch pedal 11 by the driver's stepping operation, and assumes the virtual driving force generated when the virtual engine torque is transmitted to the drive wheels 3 via the virtual transmission with the calculated virtual transmission torque capacity, or controls the output torque of the driving force source 1 (motor 2) so that the actual driving force corresponding to the virtual driving force is generated.

[0080] As described above, the vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention pseudo-reproduces the manual shifting operation in a conventional MT vehicle, and even in an electric vehicle not equipped with a manual transmission, the driver can experience a driving operation similar to or close to that of a conventional MT vehicle. Then, as described above, in the manual shift mode, the shift device 4 in which the operation lever 18 makes a momentary operation, and a configuration is adopted in which the shift device 4 and the controller 8 are electrically connected by so-called by-wire. Therefore, there has been a problem that the shift position selected by the shift device 4 by the driver's manual operation and the shift position set for control by the controller 8 deviate. Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, an example of the basic control executed by the controller 8 is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8.

[0081] The control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is executed when the vehicle Ve is running. As described above, when the vehicle Ve in the embodiment of the present invention is configured to select and set an automatic mode and a manual shift mode as driving modes, it is executed in a state where the manual shift mode is selected. Therefore, in the flowchart of FIG. 8, first, in step S1, it is determined whether the driving mode of the vehicle Ve is set to the manual shift mode. As described above, based on the position of the operation lever 18 of the shift device 4, that is, based on the detection value of the shift position sensor 7b, the currently selected driving mode can be determined.

[0082] If it is determined as "No" in this step S1 because the driving mode of the vehicle Ve is not set to the manual shift mode, that is, the automatic mode is selected, the routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is temporarily terminated without executing the control of each subsequent step.

[0083] On the other hand, when the manual shift mode is selected as the driving mode of the vehicle Ve and it is determined as "Yes" in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2.

[0084] In step S2, in the manual shift mode, the shift position selected by the driver's manual operation on the shift device 4 is read.

[0085] Subsequently, in step S3, it is determined by the controller 8 whether the shift position selected by the shift device 4 has been rejected or overwritten / changed. As described above, for example, due to control requirements of the motor 2 or the driving state of the vehicle Ve, etc., the control executed by the controller 8 may reject the shift position selected by the shift device 4 and return it to the previous shift position for control purposes, or change it to another shift position different from the selected shift position. Therefore, in this step S3, it is determined whether there is a situation where the above shift positions do not match, and in the following steps S4 and S5, an appropriate shift position according to the current situation is displayed.

[0086] If it is determined as "No" in this step S3 because the controller 8 has not rejected or changed the shift position, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0087] In step S4, the shift position selected by the driver's manual operation on the shift device 4 is displayed on the display device 5. Then, thereafter, the routine shown in this flowchart of FIG. 8 is terminated once.

[0088] On the other hand, if it is determined as "Yes" in step S3 because the controller 8 has rejected or changed the shift position, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0089] In step S5, the controller 8 causes the display device 5 to display the rejected or overwritten / modified shift position. Then, the routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is terminated once.

[0090] As described above, in the control device for an electric vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle Ve to be controlled can perform a manual shifting operation like a conventional MT vehicle by manually operating the shift device 4 to switch the shift position in the manual shift mode. At this time, the shift device 4 has a so-called H-pattern shift gate 17 in which a plurality of shift positions and a first home position H1 serving as a neutral position are separately arranged. By moving the operation lever 18 along the shift gate 17, any one of the shift positions arranged at the movement destination of the operation lever 18 is selected. The shift device 4 is configured such that the operation lever 18 makes a momentary movement, and when the operating force of the operation lever 18 is released, the operation lever 18 returns to the position of the first home H1. Therefore, the shift device 4 in the embodiment of the present invention is connected to the controller 8 by so-called by-wire. Therefore, in the control device for an electric vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention, compared with the conventional "shift device" that operates alternately, it is not necessary to use a conventional mechanical or physical mechanism, so a highly flexible design and control can be implemented.

[0091] And the vehicle Ve to be controlled in the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a display device 5 for displaying the shift position. As described above, since the shift lever 18 of the shift device 4 in the embodiment of the present invention performs a momentary operation, the driver cannot recognize the currently selected shift position from the position of the shift lever 18. In contrast, the control device of the electric vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention interlocks the shift device 4 and the display device 5 so that even after the shift lever 18 returns to the position of the first home H1 at the neutral point, the selected shift position is displayed on the display device 5. Therefore, even for the shift device 4 with the momentary operation method, the driver can surely recognize the current shift position.

[0092] Furthermore, when the control device of the electric vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention changes or rejects the selection of the shift position by manual operation in the manual shift mode due to, for example, the control requirements of the motor 2 or the running state of the vehicle Ve, the shift position after the change or rejection is performed, that is, the shift position actually set in terms of control is displayed on the display device 5. Therefore, even when the shift position selected by the driver's manual operation in the manual shift mode deviates from the shift position set in terms of control, the shift position actually set is always displayed on the display device 5. Therefore, the driver can always accurately recognize the shift position actually set, and it is possible to avoid giving the driver a sense of discomfort due to the mismatch between the feeling of the driving operation and the actual driving state.

[0093] Therefore, according to the control device of the electric vehicle in the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to pseudo-reproduce the manual shift operation in a conventional MT vehicle. At the same time, it is possible to avoid the mismatch or disharmony between the pseudo-manual shift operation and the driving state of the vehicle Ve, and appropriately perform the driving operation of the vehicle Ve.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0094] 1 Driving force source (POWER) 2 Motors 3 Driving Wheels (Front Wheels) 4 Shift Device 5 Display Device 6 Acoustic Vibration Device 7 Detection Unit 7a Accelerator Position Sensor (of the Detection Unit) 7b Shift Position Sensor (of the Detection Unit) 7c Clutch Position Sensor (of the Detection Unit) 7d Wheel Speed Sensor (of the Detection Unit) 7e Motor Rotation Speed Sensor (of the Detection Unit) 7f Motor Torque Sensor (of the Detection Unit) 7g Brake Sensor (of the Detection Unit) 7h Acceleration Sensor (of the Detection Unit) 8 Controller (ECU) 8a Virtual Engine Rotation Speed Calculation Unit (of the Controller) 8b Virtual Engine Torque Calculation Unit (of the Controller) 8c Torque Transmission Gain Calculation Unit (of the Controller) 8d Virtual Clutch Torque Capacity (Virtual Transmission Torque Capacity) Calculation Unit (of the Controller) 8e Virtual Transmission Gear Ratio (Virtual Gear Stage) Calculation Unit (of the Controller) 8f Virtual Transmission Output Torque Calculation Unit (of the Controller) 9 Accelerator Pedal 10 Brake Pedal 11 Clutch Pedal 12 Reduction Gear 13 Differential Gear 14 Drive Shaft 15 Rear Wheels 16 Manual Operation Unit 17 Shift Gate 17a Tip of the Shift Gate (First Shift Position) 17b Tip of the Shift Gate (Second Shift Position) 17c Tip of the Shift Gate (Third Shift Position) 17d Tip of the Shift Gate (Fourth Shift Position) 17e Tip of (shift gate) (5th shift position) 17f Tip of (shift gate) (6th shift position) 17g Neutral groove of (shift gate) 17h Middle part of (shift gate) (1st home) 18 Operating lever 19 Automatic operation part 20 Range gate 20a Range groove of (range gate) 20b Neutral groove of (range gate) 20c Tip of (range gate) (D range) 20d Tip of (range gate) (R range) 20e Tip of (range gate) (N range) 20f Tip of (range gate) (2nd home) 21 Switching gate 21a 1st switching groove of (switching gate) 21b 2nd switching groove of (switching gate) 21c 1st operating line of (switching gate) 21d 2nd operating line of (switching gate) 21e Corner part of (switching gate) 22 Electric actuator (actuator) 23 Digital display (display device) 24 Pseudo tachometer H1 1st home H2 2nd home Ve Vehicle (electric vehicle)

Claims

1. A control device for an electric vehicle, comprising at least a driving force source including a motor, and a shift device that operates by a manual operation of a driver to select any one of a plurality of shift positions, transmitting the output torque of the driving force source to driving wheels to generate a driving force, and controlling the driving force by controlling the output torque according to the shift position selected by the shift device, wherein the shift device has a shift gate connecting a first home position that does not belong to any of the plurality of shift positions and each of the shift positions, and an operation lever that moves along the shift gate by the operating force of the manual operation and performs a momentary operation of returning to the position of the first home position when the operating force is released, and is configured to select the shift position arranged at the position where the operation lever has moved, and includes a display device that displays predetermined information to inform the driver, and a controller that controls the electric vehicle, wherein the controller controls the electric vehicle based on an electric signal transmitted from the shift device, and causes the display device to display the shift position selected by the shift device A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized by the above.

2. The control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is provided with a virtual engine and a virtual transmission that are not actually mounted, transmits the virtual engine torque output by the virtual engine to the driving wheels via the virtual transmission to generate the driving force, and selectively sets a plurality of virtual gear stages corresponding to the plurality of shift positions in the virtual transmission, and controls the output torque so that the driving force assumed to be generated when the virtual engine torque is transmitted to the driving wheels via the virtual transmission set to the virtual gear stage corresponding to the shift position selected by the shift device is generated A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized by the above.

3. The control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 2, A plurality of ranges for determining the driving state of the electric vehicle are set, and an automatic mode in which the driving force is controlled to travel by controlling the output torque based on the required driving force, and any one of the shift positions is selected by the manual operation, and the driving force is controlled to travel by controlling the output torque according to the virtual gear stage corresponding to the selected shift position, and a manual shift mode, can be selected, The shift device is further provided with a range gate connecting the second home not belonging to any of the plurality of ranges and each range, and a switching gate connecting the first home and the second home, when the operating lever moves along the switching gate by the operating force, and the manual shift mode is selected when the operating lever moves to the position of the first home, and the automatic mode is selected when the operating lever moves to the position of the second home, in the automatic mode, any one of the plurality of ranges is selected when the operating lever moves along the range gate by the operating force, when the operating lever moves along the range gate, the operating lever performs the momentary operation, and when the operating lever moves along the switching gate, the operating lever is configured to perform the alternate operation in which the position of the operating lever is held when the operating force is released A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized in that.

4. A control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 3, The shift device is when the operating lever moves along the switching gate, the operating line of the operating lever when the operating lever enters and exits the first home and the operating line of the operating lever when the operating lever enters and exits the second home intersect with each other A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized in that.

5. A control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 4, The shift device is further provided with an actuator for moving the operating lever from the first home to the second home in the switching gate, The controller is When at least an operation intended to end the operation of the electric vehicle is performed while the manual shift mode is selected, or when the selection of the manual shift mode is rejected in the control of the electric vehicle executed in parallel with the selection of the manual shift mode by the manual operation, the actuator is controlled to move the operation lever from the first home position to the second home position, and the manual shift mode is switched to the automatic mode. A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized by the above. **Claim 6** The control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 5, comprising a simulated clutch pedal that operates by the driver's depressing operation, wherein the shift device is configured to perform the movement of the operation lever on the shift gate by the manual operation in a state where the manual shift mode is selected in association with the operation of the simulated clutch pedal by the depressing operation. The controller is assumed to include a virtual clutch that is not actually mounted, transmit and cut off the virtual engine torque between the virtual engine and the virtual transmission by the virtual clutch, and operate the virtual clutch by the depressing operation of the simulated clutch pedal to change the virtual transmission torque capacity of the virtual clutch. The virtual transmission torque capacity is calculated based on the operating state of the simulated clutch pedal by the depressing operation, and the output torque is controlled so that the virtual driving force generated when the virtual engine torque is transmitted to the virtual transmission and the drive wheels with the calculated virtual transmission torque capacity is generated. A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized by the above. **Claim 7** The control device for an electric vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the controller causes the display device to display the shift position after the change or rejection when the shift position selected by the manual operation is changed or rejected in the control of the electric vehicle executed in parallel with the selection of the shift position by the manual operation. A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized by the above. **Claim 8** The control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 7, comprising an acoustic vibration device that generates sound or vibration to notify the driver of predetermined information, wherein the controller In the control of the electric vehicle executed in parallel with the selection of the shift position by the manual operation, when the shift position selected by the manual operation is changed or rejected, the acoustic vibration device generates the voice or the vibration, so that the driver recognizes that the change or the rejection has been carried out. A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized in that.

9. A control device for an electric vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the controller when the selection of the shift position by the manual operation is accepted, the acoustic vibration device generates the voice or the vibration, so that the driver recognizes that the selection of the shift position has been completed. A control device for an electric vehicle, characterized in that.

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