Vehicle control system and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control system and a vehicle that change the upper limit of torque of an engine without updating software that controls the vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control system comprises: a mobile terminal that has application software associated with a vehicle equipped with an engine installed thereon; and an in-vehicle control apparatus that stores a plurality of torque upper limit maps for each version of the application software and communicates with the mobile terminal, each map defining the upper limit of torque of the engine. The in-vehicle control apparatus changes a first torque upper limit map among the plurality of torque upper limit maps to a second torque upper limit map among the plurality of torque upper limit maps based on an update of the version of the application software installed on the mobile terminal, and uses the second torque upper limit map to control the vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control system and a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Vehicles are equipped with a control device called an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control device has a control unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control device also has a memory unit that stores one or more programs. The control unit executes one or more programs stored in the memory unit to realize the functions of the control device. To improve the functionality of the control device, it has been proposed to update the programs stored in the memory unit by rewriting them with newer versions.

[0003] For example, a method for updating a program (hereinafter referred to as software) that controls a vehicle, such as an engine control program, has been proposed. In this update method, once the download of an installation package for a new version of the software is completed, a notification that a software update process is available is sent to the information terminal of the vehicle user. Thereafter, the update process is started when the information terminal accepts a predetermined operation by the user, such as an operation to at least agree to start the update process, and the vehicle is locked (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-033188 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, before the software that controls the vehicle is actually updated, preliminary processes such as downloading an installation package and notifying an information terminal that a software update is being performed are performed. However, the occurrence of such preliminary processes makes it difficult to perform a smooth software update. For example, if the upper limit of engine torque is changed through a software update, if the preliminary processes described above occur every time the upper limit of torque is changed, it may take a long time for the software to actually be updated.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control system and a vehicle that change the upper limit of engine torque without updating software that controls the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle control system of the present invention includes a mobile terminal on which application software associated with a vehicle equipped with an engine is installed, and an on-board control device that stores multiple torque upper limit maps for each version of the application software, each of which defines the upper limit of torque of the engine, and communicates with the mobile terminal, wherein the on-board control device changes a first torque upper limit map from among the multiple torque upper limit maps to a second torque upper limit map from among the multiple torque upper limit maps based on an update to the version of the application software installed on the mobile terminal, and uses the second torque upper limit map to control the vehicle.

[0008] In the aforementioned configuration, the on-board control device may change the first torque upper limit map to the second torque upper limit map every time the version is updated.

[0009] In the above configuration, the on-board control device may change the first torque upper limit map to the second torque upper limit map when a request is received from the mobile terminal while the vehicle is stopped to switch to a circuit mode that improves the driving performance of the vehicle only on a circuit.

[0010] The vehicle of the present invention comprises an engine, a storage device installed on a mobile terminal that stores a plurality of torque upper limit maps, each of which defines an upper limit of torque for the engine, for each version of application software associated with the vehicle in which the engine is installed, and a control device that communicates with the mobile terminal and, based on an update to the version of the application software installed on the mobile terminal, changes a first torque upper limit map from among the plurality of torque upper limit maps to a second torque upper limit map from among the plurality of torque upper limit maps, and uses the second torque upper limit map to control the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the upper limit of engine torque can be changed without updating the software that controls the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is an example of a vehicle control system. [Figure 2] 1A is an example of a correspondence table stored in a mobile terminal, and FIG. 1B is an example of a hardware configuration of an engine ECU. [Figure 3] (a) is an example of a first torque upper limit map, (b) is an example of a second torque upper limit map, and (c) is an example of a third torque upper limit map. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a processing sequence diagram illustrating an example of an operation of the vehicle control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle control system ST includes a vehicle 10, a server 20, and a mobile terminal 30. In Fig. 1, a smartphone is shown as an example of the mobile terminal 30, but a tablet terminal may be used instead of a smartphone. By linking the vehicle 10, the server 20, and the mobile terminal 30, the vehicle control system ST provides a driver 10D of the vehicle 10 with a service limited to a circuit C1.

[0015] For example, when vehicle 10 enters circuit C1 and driver 10D operates mobile terminal 30 in office C2 within circuit C1 to launch a circuit app, mobile terminal 30 obtains GPS information including the current location of vehicle 10 via server 20. The circuit app is application software installed on mobile terminal 30 and is associated with vehicle 10. The circuit app is used when controlling vehicle 10 in circuit mode.

[0016] The vehicle 10 includes a DCM (Data Communication Module) 11 as a wireless communication device connected to an antenna ATN, a DCM-ECU 12, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) 13. The GPS 13 determines the position of the vehicle 10 and stores GPS information including the determined position. The DCM-ECU 12 acquires the GPS information from the GPS 13 and transmits the GPS information to the server 20 via radio waves WL via the DCM 11 and the antenna ATN. Therefore, when the server 20 requests the vehicle 10 to transmit GPS information, the server 20 can acquire the GPS information from the vehicle 10. The GPS information reaches the server 20 via a mobile base station BS and a communication network NW. The communication network NW includes the Internet and / or a LAN (Local Area Network). When a mobile terminal 30 requests the server 20 to transmit GPS information, the server 20 transmits the GPS information to the mobile terminal 30 via the communication network NW and the mobile base station BS via radio waves WL. This allows the mobile terminal 30 to acquire the GPS information of the vehicle 10.

[0017] The server 20 also stores map information (hereinafter referred to as circuit information) including the location or area of ​​the circuit C1. When the mobile terminal 30 requests the server 20 to transmit the circuit information, the server 20 transmits the circuit information to the mobile terminal 30 by radio waves WL via the communication network NW and the mobile base station BS. This allows the mobile terminal 30 to obtain the circuit information.

[0018] When the mobile terminal 30 acquires the GPS information and the circuit information, it determines whether or not the current location of the vehicle 10 is within the circuit C1 based on the circuit information and the GPS information. If the location of the vehicle 10 is not within the circuit C1, the mobile terminal 30 denies the transition to the circuit mode and notifies the driver 10D of this on the screen.

[0019] On the other hand, if the vehicle 10 is located within the circuit C1, the mobile terminal 30 presents the driver 10D with precautions that may arise from switching to the circuit mode and requests the driver 10D to consent to the switchover. In this way, the circuit mode determines whether the vehicle 10 is located within the circuit C1 or not based on the circuit information and GPS information. Therefore, the circuit mode differs from the sports mode (or sports driving mode) in which the driving performance is improved simply by switching a switch provided inside the vehicle 10 without making such a determination.

[0020] When the mobile terminal 30 receives consent to the transition from the driver 10D, it transmits circuit mode request information (hereinafter referred to as a request ID (Identifier)) including the consent to the transition to the server 20. The request ID is identification information that requests the vehicle 10 to transition to the circuit mode. A request ID is prepared and defined for each version of the circuit app. Therefore, when the version of the circuit app is updated, a different and independent request ID is transmitted based on the version update.

[0021] When the request ID is transmitted from the mobile terminal 30, the server 20 generates switching information including the request ID and transmits it to the vehicle 10. As will be described in detail later, the switching information is information for switching the driving performance of the vehicle 10 to driving performance specialized for driving on the circuit C1. For example, the server 20 transmits the switching information to the vehicle 10 by SMS (Short Message Service).

[0022] In the vehicle 10, the DCM-ECU 12 receives the switching information from the server 20 via the DCM 11 and the antenna ATN. The vehicle 10 includes an engine 14, an engine ECU 15, a display device 16, and a meter ECU 17. The engine ECU 15 is an example of an on-board control device. The display device 16 is provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10.

[0023] When the DCM-ECU 12 receives the switching information, it transmits the switching information to the engine ECU 15 using a CAN (Controller Area Network) signal. When the engine ECU 15 receives the switching information, it changes the control of the engine 14 based on the request ID included in the switching information. For example, the engine ECU 15 changes multiple torque upper limit maps (hereinafter simply referred to as torque maps) that define the upper limit of the torque of the engine 14 based on the request ID. This allows the engine 14 to operate in a circuit mode that can output high torque. In this way, the circuit mode improves the driving performance of the vehicle 10 compared to the normal driving mode.

[0024] Furthermore, when the engine ECU 15 changes the control of the engine 14, it transmits meter display control information to the meter ECU 17. The meter display control information is information for controlling the display of a tachometer provided on the display device 16. For example, when the engine ECU 15 changes the torque map, it generates meter display control information and transmits it to the meter ECU 17. The meter ECU 17 controls the display of the tachometer based on the meter display control information. When use of the circuit mode is selected, the boundary rotation speed between a first meter display area indicating the rotation speed of the engine 14 and a second meter display area adjacent to the first meter display area on the high rotation speed side is raised to the high rotation speed side.

[0025] As a result, the meter display transitions from a state in which the normal driving mode is set to a state in which the mode is set to the circuit mode. As a result, the driver 10D can recognize that the circuit mode has been selected. In this way, by selecting the use of the circuit mode, the vehicle control system ST can provide the driver 10D with a service that conveys the enjoyment of motorsports.

[0026] Next, the mobile terminal 30 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the mobile terminal 30 includes a non-volatile memory (NVM) 31. The NVM 31 stores a correspondence table between a version ID that identifies the version of the circuit app and a request ID. For example, the version ID "Ver1" is associated with the request ID "#1." The version ID "Ver2" is associated with the request ID "#2." This allows the mobile terminal 30 to send the request ID "#2" when the version of the circuit app is updated, for example, from the version ID "Ver1" to the version ID "Ver2."

[0028] Next, the engine ECU 15 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2(b) and 3. The hardware configurations of the DCM-ECU 12 and the meter ECU 17 described above are basically the same as the hardware configuration of the engine ECU 15, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. The engine ECU 15 communicates indirectly with the mobile terminal 30 via the DCM-ECU 12, the server 20, etc.

[0029] The engine ECU 15 is a hardware circuit including a CPU 15A, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 15B, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 15C, and an input / output I / F (Interface) 15D. The CPU 15A is an example of a control device such as a processor, and communicates indirectly with the mobile terminal 30. The ROM 15C is an example of a storage device. The CPU 15A, RAM 15B, ROM 15C, and input / output I / F 15D are connected to one another by an internal bus 15E. Although omitted in FIG. 2(b), the input / output I / F 15D is connected to the DCM-ECU 12, the engine 14, and the meter ECU 17. A computer is realized by cooperation of at least the CPU 15A and the RAM 15B.

[0030] The software stored in advance in the ROM 15C is stored in the RAM 15B by the CPU 15A. The stored software is executed by the CPU 15A, causing the CPU 15A to execute a series of processes described below. The software may be one that corresponds to the process sequence diagram described below.

[0031] The ROM 15C also stores, for each request ID, a plurality of torque maps that respectively define the upper limit of torque of the engine 14. Since a request ID is prepared and defined for each version of the circuit app, it can be said that the ROM 15C stores a plurality of torque maps for each version of the circuit app.

[0032] For example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), a first torque map MP1 is stored in ROM 15C as one of multiple torque maps. The first torque map MP1 is associated with request ID "#1." In the first torque map MP1, the upper torque limit is defined as a constant torque "TQ1" between engine speeds "NE1" and "NE2." When the engine speed is lower than engine speed "NE1," the upper torque limit increases. When the engine speed is higher than engine speed "NE2," the upper torque limit decreases. In this way, the first torque map MP1 is defined as a trapezoidal shape excluding the lower base.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3(b), a second torque map MP2 is stored in the ROM 15C as one of the multiple torque maps. The second torque map MP2 is associated with a request ID "#2." In the second torque map MP2, the upper torque limit is defined as a constant torque "TQ2" that is greater than the torque "TQ1" between the engine speeds "NE1" and "NE2."

[0034] In the second torque map MP2, when the engine speed is lower than engine speed "NE1," the upper limit of torque increases in stages. Specifically, when the engine speed is lower than engine speed "NE0," the upper limit of torque increases at a gradient similar to that of the first torque map MP1. On the other hand, between engine speed "NE0" and engine speed "NE1," the upper limit of torque increases at a gradient steeper than that of the first torque map MP1.

[0035] Furthermore, when the engine speed becomes higher than engine speed "NE2," the upper torque limit decreases in stages. Specifically, when the engine speed becomes higher than engine speed "NE3," the upper torque limit decreases with the same gradient as that of the first torque map MP1. On the other hand, between engine speed "NE2" and engine speed "NE3," the upper torque limit decreases with a gradient that is steeper than that of the first torque map MP1. In this way, the second torque map MP2 is defined with a different shape from that of the first torque map MP1.

[0036] Additionally, as shown in FIG. 3(c), a third torque map MP3 is stored in the ROM 15C as one of the multiple torque maps. The third torque map MP3 is associated with request ID "#3." In the third torque map MP3, the upper torque limit is defined as a constant torque "TQ3" that is greater than torque "TQ2" between engine speeds "NE1" and "NE2."

[0037] In the third torque map MP3, when the engine speed is lower than engine speed "NE1," the upper limit of torque increases in stages. Specifically, when the engine speed is lower than engine speed "NE0," the upper limit of torque increases at a gradient similar to that of the first torque map MP1. On the other hand, between engine speed "NE0" and engine speed "NE1," the upper limit of torque increases at a gradient steeper than that of the second torque map MP2.

[0038] Furthermore, when the engine speed becomes higher than engine speed "NE2," the upper torque limit decreases in stages. Specifically, when the engine speed becomes higher than engine speed "NE3," the upper torque limit decreases with the same gradient as that of the first torque map MP1. On the other hand, between engine speed "NE2" and engine speed "NE3," the upper torque limit decreases with a gradient steeper than that of the second torque map MP2. In this way, the third torque map MP3 is defined to have a shape different from both the first torque map MP1 and the second torque map MP2.

[0039] Next, the operation of the vehicle control system ST will be described with reference to FIG.

[0040] First, the mobile terminal 30 waits until the circuit app is launched (step S1: NO). For example, the mobile terminal 30 waits until the driver 10D performs a predetermined operation on the circuit app icon displayed on the mobile terminal 30 to instruct the circuit app to be launched. When the predetermined operation is performed on the circuit app icon while the vehicle 10 is stopped and the circuit app is launched (step S1: YES), the mobile terminal 30 requests determination information from the server 20 and the DCM-ECU 12 (step S2). The determination information is information for determining whether the vehicle 10 is located within the circuit C1.

[0041] For example, the mobile terminal 30 directly requests the server 20 for the determination information. On the other hand, the mobile terminal 30 indirectly requests the determination information from the DCM-ECU 12. That is, the mobile terminal 30 requests the determination information from the DCM-ECU 12 via the server 20. When the determination information is requested from the mobile terminal 30, the server 20 transmits circuit information as the determination information to the mobile terminal 30 (step S3). When the determination information is requested from the mobile terminal 30 via the server 20, the DCM-ECU 12 transmits GPS information as the determination information to the mobile terminal 30 via the server 20 (step S4).

[0042] After acquiring the GPS information and the circuit information, the mobile terminal 30 determines whether the current location of the vehicle 10 is within the circuit C1 (step S5). If the current location is not within the circuit C1 (step S5: NO), the mobile terminal 30 skips the subsequent processing. In this case, the mobile terminal 30 refuses to transition to the circuit mode, and control of the vehicle 10 in the circuit mode is discontinued.

[0043] On the other hand, if the current location is within the circuit C1 (step S5: YES), the mobile terminal 30 determines whether or not there has been consent to the transition to the circuit mode (step S6). For example, the mobile terminal 30 presents to the driver 10D on the screen of the mobile terminal 30 warnings regarding the transition to the circuit mode, and requests the driver 10D to consent to the transition. The warnings include, for example, an explanation regarding deterioration of the engine 14. If the driver 10D performs an operation to reject the transition to the circuit mode, the mobile terminal 30 determines that there has been no consent to the transition to the circuit mode (step S6: NO). In this case, the mobile terminal 30 rejects the transition to the circuit mode, and control of the vehicle 10 in the circuit mode is discontinued.

[0044] On the other hand, if the driver 10D performs an operation to consent to the transition to the circuit mode (for example, pressing the "OK" button as shown in FIG. 1), the mobile terminal 30 determines that consent to the transition to the circuit mode has been given (step S6: YES). In this case, the mobile terminal 30 transmits a request ID to the server 20 (step S7). More specifically, the mobile terminal 30 checks the version ID that identifies the version of the circuit app currently installed on the mobile terminal 30, and identifies and transmits the request ID that corresponds to the version ID. For example, if the version of the circuit app identified by the version ID "Ver2" is installed on the mobile terminal 30, the mobile terminal 30 transmits the request ID "#2".

[0045] When the server 20 receives the request ID, it transmits the switching information to the DCM-ECU 12 (step S8). More specifically, when the server 20 receives the request ID, it generates switching information including the received request ID and transmits the switching information to the DCM-ECU 12. When the DCM-ECU 12 receives the switching information, it transfers the switching information to the engine ECU 15 (step S9).

[0046] When the engine ECU 15 receives the switching information, it changes the torque map and immediately uses the changed torque map (step S10). More specifically, when the engine ECU 15 receives the switching information, it extracts a request ID from the switching information and identifies and selects the torque map corresponding to the extracted request ID. For example, if the request ID "#2" is extracted, the engine ECU 15 identifies and selects the second torque map MP2 associated with the request ID "#2".

[0047] Here, if the first torque map MP1 is being used to control the vehicle 10 before receiving the switching information, the engine ECU 15 changes the first torque map MP1 to the second torque map MP2, and uses the second torque map MP2 to control the vehicle 10. Note that if the request ID "#3" is extracted while the second torque map MP2 is being used to control the vehicle 10, the engine ECU 15 changes the second torque map MP2 to the third torque map MP3 and uses it.

[0048] As described above, according to this embodiment, the engine ECU 15 includes multiple torque maps, so that the upper torque limit of the engine 14 can be changed without updating software that controls the vehicle 10, such as engine control software. The engine ECU 15 can change the torque map in conjunction with each version update of the circuit app. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since there is no software update, the processing time required for pre-processing or the like required for software update is avoided. Therefore, the vehicle control system ST can smoothly change the torque map based on software updates.

[0049] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 10 vehicles 14 Engine 15 Engine ECU 15A CPU 15C ROM 20 servers 30 Mobile Devices

Claims

1. a mobile terminal having application software associated with a vehicle equipped with the engine installed thereon; an on-board control device that stores a plurality of torque upper limit maps for each version of the application software, each map defining an upper limit of torque of the engine, and that communicates with the mobile terminal; the on-vehicle control device changes a first torque upper limit map among the plurality of torque upper limit maps to a second torque upper limit map among the plurality of torque upper limit maps based on an update of the version of the application software installed on the mobile terminal, and uses the second torque upper limit map to control the vehicle. A vehicle control system comprising:

2. the on-board control device changes the first torque upper limit map to the second torque upper limit map every time the version is updated; 2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1.

3. the on-board control device changes the first torque upper limit map to the second torque upper limit map when a transition to a circuit mode that improves the driving performance of the vehicle only on a circuit is requested from the mobile terminal while the vehicle is stopped; 3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The engine and a storage device that is installed on a mobile terminal and that stores a plurality of torque upper limit maps, each of which defines an upper limit of torque of the engine, for each version of application software associated with the vehicle in which the engine is installed; a control device that communicates with the mobile device, and changes a first torque upper limit map among the plurality of torque upper limit maps to a second torque upper limit map among the plurality of torque upper limit maps based on an update of the version of the application software installed on the mobile device, and uses the second torque upper limit map to control the vehicle; A vehicle equipped with:

Images