Control device for vehicle, control program for vehicle and control method for vehicle

Abstract

To inhibit a vehicle driver from experiencing discomfort in the case of shift change via neutral.SOLUTION: A control device for a vehicle includes an execution device and a storage device. The storage device stores predetermined specified speed and prescribed speed with respect to each gear stage of a manual transmission. The execution device specifies an actual gear stage in the manual transmission. When engine speed is equal to or higher than the prescribed speed corresponding to the actual gear stage and is lower than the specified speed corresponding to the actual gear stage, the execution device executes first light emitting processing for causing part of a plurality of light emitting sections to emit light (S51). When the engine speed is equal to or higher than the specified speed corresponding to the actual gear stage, the execution device executes second light emitting processing for causing all of the plurality of the light emitting sections to emit light (S52). When the actual gear stage is neutral, the execution device executes light turning-off processing for causing all of the plurality of light emitting sections to turn off light regardless of whether or not execution conditions for the first light emitting processing and the second light emitting processing are satisfied (S26).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control program, and a vehicle control method. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an internal combustion engine, a transmission, an indicator, and a control device. The internal combustion engine transmits power to the vehicle's drive wheels via the transmission. The indicator includes multiple light-emitting diodes. The control device stores a predetermined rotational speed and a specified rotational speed for each gear position of the transmission. The specified rotational speed indicates an engine rotational speed, which is the rotational speed of the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, that is suitable for shifting from the current gear position to a higher gear position. The predetermined rotational speed is a value lower than the specified rotational speed by a certain value. The control device then identifies an actual gear position, which is the actual gear position of the transmission, and a specified rotational speed corresponding to that actual gear position. The control device then executes a process to illuminate some of the multiple light-emitting diodes when the engine rotational speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined rotational speed. The control device also executes a process to illuminate all of the multiple light-emitting diodes when the engine rotational speed is equal to or greater than the specified rotational speed corresponding to the actual gear position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-265566 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Suppose a vehicle such as that described in Patent Document 1 employs a manual transmission as its transmission. In this case, when a manual transmission is used, the gear shift occurs from the previous gear via neutral to a higher gear. However, the vehicle described in Patent Document 1 does not anticipate a gear shift via neutral, so there is room for further consideration regarding indicator control in such a case. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A vehicle control device for solving the above problem is a control device applied to a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, a manual transmission, and an indicator including a plurality of light emitting elements, and includes an execution device and a storage device, wherein the storage device stores, for each gear stage of the manual transmission, a specified rotation speed that is predetermined as a value suitable for shifting from the gear stage of the manual transmission to a higher gear stage, and a predetermined rotation speed that is predetermined as a value lower than the specified rotation speed, for an engine rotation speed that is the rotation speed of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, and the execution device stores, for each gear stage of the manual transmission, a specified rotation speed that is predetermined as a value lower than the specified rotation speed, a first light-emitting process for causing some of the light-emitting elements to emit light when the engine rotation speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage and less than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage; a second light-emitting process for causing all of the light-emitting elements to emit light when the engine rotation speed is equal to or greater than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage; and a light-off process for turning off all of the light-emitting elements when the actual gear stage is in neutral, regardless of whether the execution conditions for the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process are met.

[0006] A vehicle control program for solving the above problem is applied to a control device of a vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine, a manual transmission, and an indicator including a plurality of light-emitting elements, the control device including an execution device and a storage device, the storage device storing, for each gear stage of the manual transmission, a specified rotation speed that is predetermined as a value suitable for shifting from the gear stage of the manual transmission to a higher gear stage, and a predetermined rotation speed that is predetermined as a value lower than the specified rotation speed, for each gear stage of the manual transmission, with respect to an engine rotation speed that is the rotation speed of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, and the execution device storing, The system executes a specification process for specifying an actual gear stage, which is the actual gear stage in a manual transmission; a first light-emitting process for illuminating some of the plurality of light-emitting elements when the engine rotation speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage and less than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage; a second light-emitting process for illuminating all of the plurality of light-emitting elements when the engine rotation speed is equal to or greater than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage; and a light-off process for turning off all of the plurality of light-emitting elements when the actual gear stage is in neutral, regardless of whether the execution conditions for the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process are met.

[0007] A vehicle control method for solving the above problem is applied to a control device for a vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine, a manual transmission, and an indicator including a plurality of light-emitting elements, the control device including an execution device and a storage device, the storage device storing, for each gear stage of the manual transmission, a specified rotation speed that is predetermined as a value suitable for shifting from the gear stage of the manual transmission to a higher gear stage, and a predetermined rotation speed that is predetermined as a value lower than the specified rotation speed, for each gear stage of the manual transmission, with respect to an engine rotation speed that is the rotation speed of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, and the execution device storing, for each gear stage of the manual transmission, a specified rotation speed that is predetermined as a value lower than the specified rotation speed, The control system executes a specification process for specifying an actual gear stage, which is the actual gear stage in a variable speed transmission; a first light-emitting process for illuminating some of the plurality of light-emitting elements when the engine rotation speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage and less than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage; a second light-emitting process for illuminating all of the plurality of light-emitting elements when the engine rotation speed is equal to or greater than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear stage; and a light-off process for turning off all of the plurality of light-emitting elements when the actual gear stage is in neutral, regardless of whether the execution conditions for the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process are met. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the above configuration, when a gear shift occurs, even if the gear shifts from the previous gear to a higher gear via neutral, the first light emission process and the second light emission process are not executed if the actual gear is neutral. Therefore, when a gear shift occurs via neutral, for example, the indicator is prevented from temporarily displaying a display corresponding to neutral. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle from feeling uncomfortable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between vehicle speed and engine rotation speed due to gear shifting. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a front view of the indicator. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the light emission control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Vehicle Overview> An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. First, a schematic configuration of a vehicle 100 will be described.

[0011] 1, the vehicle 100 includes an internal combustion engine 10, a clutch 20, a manual transmission 30, a differential 41, and a plurality of drive wheels 42. The vehicle 100 also includes an accelerator pedal 61, a shift lever 62, and a clutch pedal 63.

[0012] The internal combustion engine 10 includes four cylinders 11 and a crankshaft 12. The cylinders 11 are spaces for burning a mixture of fuel and intake air. The crankshaft 12 rotates as the mixture is burned in the cylinders 11.

[0013] The crankshaft 12 of the internal combustion engine 10 is connected to the manual transmission 30 via the clutch 20. The connection state of the clutch 20 is switched between an engaged state and a released state depending on the amount of operation of the clutch pedal 63 operated by the driver of the vehicle 100. Here, the engaged state is a state in which power can be transmitted between the crankshaft 12 of the internal combustion engine 10 and the manual transmission 30. Furthermore, the released state is a state in which power cannot be transmitted between the crankshaft 12 of the internal combustion engine 10 and the manual transmission 30.

[0014] The manual transmission 30 includes an input shaft 31 and an output shaft 32. A first end of the input shaft 31 is connected to the crankshaft 12 via the clutch 20. A second end of the input shaft 31 is connected to a first end of the output shaft 32 via a plurality of gears included in the manual transmission 30. A second end of the output shaft 32 is connected to left and right drive wheels 42 via a differential 41. The differential 41 transmits the power transmitted to the differential 41 to the left and right drive wheels 42 while allowing a difference in rotational speed to occur between the left and right drive wheels 42.

[0015] The manual transmission 30 establishes one of a plurality of gear stages in response to the operation of a shift lever 62 operated by the driver of the vehicle 100. In this embodiment, the plurality of gear stages of the manual transmission 30 include "first gear," "second gear," "third gear," "fourth gear," "fifth gear," "sixth gear," "neutral," and "reverse." Here, "first gear" to "sixth gear" as the gear stages of the manual transmission 30 are gear stages for the vehicle 100 to travel forward. Furthermore, "reverse" as the gear stage of the manual transmission 30 is a gear stage for the vehicle 100 to travel backward. Furthermore, "neutral" as the gear stage of the manual transmission 30 is a gear stage in which power cannot be transmitted between the input shaft 31 and the output shaft 32.

[0016] When the manual transmission 30 has one of the gear stages "1st gear" to "6th gear," the manual transmission 30 sets a predetermined gear ratio according to each gear stage. Here, the gear ratio of the manual transmission 30 is the ratio between the rotation speed of the input shaft 31 and the rotation speed of the output shaft 32. Specifically, the gear ratio of the manual transmission 30 is the ratio indicating the number of times the input shaft 31 rotates when the output shaft 32 rotates once. Therefore, the larger the gear ratio, the higher the speed at which the input shaft 31 rotates relative to the output shaft 32. In the manual transmission 30, the higher the gear stage, the smaller the gear ratio. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2 , for example, when compared at the same engine rotation speed NE, the higher the gear stage of the manual transmission 30, the higher the vehicle speed SP, which is the speed of the vehicle 100. Note that the engine rotation speed NE is the rotation speed of the crankshaft 12.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 is equipped with an accelerator operation amount sensor 71, a lever position sensor 72, a clutch operation amount switch 73, a crank angle sensor 74, a vehicle speed sensor 75, and an indicator 80.

[0018] The accelerator operation amount sensor 71 is located near the accelerator pedal 61. The accelerator operation amount sensor 71 detects the accelerator operation amount ACC, which is the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal 61 operated by the driver of the vehicle 100. The lever position sensor 72 is located near the shift lever 62. The lever position sensor 72 detects the lever position LP, which is the operating position of the shift lever 62. In this embodiment, the lever position sensor 72 detects any one of "1st gear," "2nd gear," "3rd gear," "4th gear," "5th gear," "6th gear," "neutral," and "reverse" as the lever position LP.

[0019] The clutch operation amount switch 73 is located near the clutch pedal 63. The clutch operation amount switch 73 outputs an ON signal when the operation amount of the clutch pedal 63 is equal to or greater than a predetermined specified operation amount. On the other hand, the clutch operation amount switch 73 outputs an OFF signal when the operation amount of the clutch pedal 63 is less than the predetermined specified operation amount. Here, the specified operation amount is a threshold value for determining whether the operation amount of the clutch pedal 63 is sufficient to put the clutch 20 into a released state. Therefore, when the clutch operation amount switch 73 outputs an ON signal, the clutch 20 is in a released state. The crank angle sensor 74 detects the crank angle SC, which is the angular position of the crankshaft 12. The vehicle speed sensor 75 detects the vehicle speed SP, which is the speed of the vehicle 100.

[0020] The indicator 80 is located near the driver's seat of the vehicle 100. As shown in FIG. 3 , the indicator 80 includes a first liquid crystal display (LCD) 81, a second liquid crystal display (LCD) 82, and a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 83. The first LCD 81 is a liquid crystal display for displaying the engine rotation speed NE. For example, when the engine rotation speed NE is 5802 rpm, the first LCD 81 displays a number such as "5802." In this embodiment, the second LCD 82 is located below the vehicle 100 with respect to the first LCD 81. The second LCD 82 is a liquid crystal display for displaying the lever position LP, which is the operating position of the shift lever 62. For example, when the gear position of the manual transmission 30 is "second gear," the second LCD 82 displays a number such as "2." In this embodiment, the plurality of LEDs 83 are located to the right of the vehicle 100 with respect to the first LCD 81. The plurality of LEDs 83 are also arranged along the left and right sides of the vehicle 100. The plurality of light-emitting diodes 83 are devices for prompting the driver of the vehicle 100 to shift between gear stages of the manual transmission 30. In this embodiment, the indicator 80 includes seven light-emitting diodes 83. The light-emitting diodes 83 are an example of a light-emitting unit. In addition, in FIG. 3, only some of the plurality of light-emitting diodes 83 are labeled with reference numerals. The up / down and left / right directions of the vehicle 100 are directions when viewed from the driver sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle 100.

[0021] 1, the vehicle 100 is equipped with a control device 90. The control device 90 acquires various information from an accelerator operation amount sensor 71, a lever position sensor 72, a clutch operation amount switch 73, a crank angle sensor 74, and a vehicle speed sensor 75.

[0022] The control device 90 includes an execution device 91 and a storage device 92. An example of the execution device 91 is a CPU. The storage device 92 includes a read-only ROM, a readable / writable volatile RAM, and a readable / writable non-volatile storage. The storage device 92 stores various programs and various data in advance. Specifically, the storage device 92 stores a control program 92A in advance as one of the various programs. The storage device 92 also stores a reference table TZ in advance as one of the various data. The reference table TZ is a table for identifying a predetermined rotation speed NEA and a specified rotation speed NEB, which will be described later. The specific configuration of the reference table TZ will be described later. The execution device 91 executes the control program 92A stored in the storage device 92 to perform various processes, which will be described later. In other words, the execution device 91 executes the control program 92A stored in the storage device 92 to perform various processes related to the control method of the vehicle 100.

[0023] The execution unit 91 of the control device 90 calculates a target driving force, which is a target value of the driving force of the vehicle 100, based on the accelerator operation amount ACC and the vehicle speed SP. Next, the execution unit 91 calculates a target output, which is a target value of the output of the internal combustion engine 10, based on the target driving force and the gear position of the manual transmission 30, etc. Then, the execution unit 91 outputs a control signal corresponding to the target output to the internal combustion engine 10. As a result, the internal combustion engine 10 is controlled according to the target output.

[0024] An execution unit 91 of the control device 90 calculates the engine rotation speed NE, which is the rotation speed of the crankshaft 12, based on the crank angle SC. The execution unit 91 also controls the indicator 80 by outputting a control signal to the indicator 80.

[0025] <Light Emission Control> Next, the light emission control executed by the control device 90 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. This light emission control is control for operating the plurality of light emitting diodes 83 of the indicator 80 in accordance with the engine rotation speed NE and the gear position of the manual transmission 30. In this embodiment, the execution device 91 of the control device 90 starts the light emission control at each predetermined control cycle, with the necessary condition being that the lever position LP is one of "1st gear," "2nd gear," "3rd gear," "4th gear," "5th gear," "6th gear," or "neutral."

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4, when the execution device 91 of the control device 90 starts light emission control, it executes the processing of step S11. In step S11, the execution device 91 determines whether the vehicle 100 is moving. Specifically, the execution device 91 determines that the vehicle 100 is moving if the vehicle speed SP is equal to or greater than a predetermined specified vehicle speed SPA. On the other hand, the execution device 91 determines that the vehicle 100 is not moving if the vehicle speed SP is less than the predetermined specified vehicle speed SPA. Here, an example of the specified vehicle speed SPA is several kilometers per hour. In step S11, if the execution device 91 determines that the vehicle 100 is moving (S11: YES), the execution device 91 proceeds to step S21.

[0027] In step S21, the execution device 91 identifies the actual gear position GA, which is the actual gear position in the manual transmission 30. Specifically, the execution device 91 identifies the actual gear position GA based on the lever position LP. For example, when the lever position LP is "first gear," the execution device 91 identifies "first gear" as the actual gear position GA. Similarly to the above, when the lever position LP is one of "second gear" to "sixth gear," the execution device 91 identifies one of "second gear" to "sixth gear" as the actual gear position GA. Furthermore, when the lever position LP is "neutral," the execution device 91 identifies "neutral" as the actual gear position GA. After step S21, the execution device 91 advances the process to step S22.

[0028] In step S22, the execution device 91 determines whether the actual gear position GA is in neutral. If the execution device 91 determines in step S22 that the actual gear position GA is in neutral (S22: YES), the execution device 91 proceeds to step S26. In other words, when the vehicle 100 is traveling and the actual gear position GA is in neutral, the execution device 91 proceeds to step S26 regardless of whether the execution conditions for the first light emission process and the second light emission process described below are met.

[0029] In step S26, the executing device 91 outputs a control signal to the indicator 80 to turn off all seven light-emitting diodes 83. In this embodiment, the processing of step S26 corresponds to the light-off processing. After step S26, the executing device 91 ends the current light-emitting control.

[0030] On the other hand, if the execution device 91 determines in step S11 that the vehicle 100 is not traveling (S11: NO), the execution device 91 advances the process to step S31. In step S31, the execution device 91 identifies an actual gear position GA, which is the actual gear position in the manual transmission 30. The processing of this step S31 is the same as the processing of step S21 described above. In this embodiment, the processing of steps S21 and S31 each corresponds to the identification processing. After step S31, the execution device 91 proceeds to step S32.

[0031] In step S32, the execution device 91 determines whether the actual gear position GA is in neutral. If the execution device 91 determines in step S32 that the actual gear position GA is in neutral (S32: YES), the execution device 91 proceeds to step S40. In other words, even if the actual gear position GA is in neutral, if the vehicle 100 is not traveling, the execution device 91 does not execute the light-off process of step S26 described above, and instead allows the execution of the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process described below.

[0032] Furthermore, in step S22 described above, if the execution device 91 determines that the actual gear position GA is not neutral (S22: NO), the execution device 91 advances the processing to step S40.

[0033] In step S40, the execution device 91 identifies the predetermined rotation speed NEA and the specified rotation speed NEB corresponding to the actual gear position GA. Specifically, the execution device 91 identifies the predetermined rotation speed NEA and the specified rotation speed NEB corresponding to the actual gear position GA, for example, as follows. As a premise, the reference table TZ includes the predetermined rotation speed NEA and the specified rotation speed NEB for each gear position of the manual transmission 30. In other words, the storage device 92 stores predetermined predetermined rotation speeds NEA and specified rotation speeds NEB for each gear position of the manual transmission 30. Then, in step S40, the execution device 91 identifies the specified rotation speed NEB corresponding to the actual gear position GA by associating the actual gear position GA with the reference table TZ. Note that an example of the specified rotation speed NEB is approximately 6500 rpm. Furthermore, the execution device 91 identifies the predetermined rotation speed NEA corresponding to the actual gear position GA by associating the actual gear position GA with the reference table TZ. Here, the predetermined rotation speed NEA is a value lower than the specified rotation speed NEB. An example of the predetermined rotation speed NEA is approximately several thousand rpm. In this embodiment, the predetermined rotation speed NEB is the same for all actual gear positions GA. As a specific example, the predetermined rotation speed NEB when the actual gear position GA is "first gear" is the same as the predetermined rotation speed NEB when the actual gear position GA is "second gear". In this embodiment, the predetermined rotation speed NEA is higher as the actual gear position GA is higher. As a specific example, the predetermined rotation speed NEA when the actual gear position GA is "second gear" is higher than the predetermined rotation speed NEA when the actual gear position GA is "first gear". Similarly, the predetermined rotation speed NEA when the actual gear position GA is "third gear" is higher than the predetermined rotation speed NEA when the actual gear position GA is "second gear". In other words, the absolute value of the difference between the predetermined rotation speed NEA and the predetermined rotation speed NEB is smaller as the gear position of the manual transmission 30 is higher. In this embodiment, the specified rotation speed NEB is a value of the engine rotation speed NE that is suitable for shifting from the current gear to a higher gear of the manual transmission 30. After step S40, the execution unit 91 proceeds to step S41.

[0034] In step S41, the execution unit 91 determines whether the engine rotation speed NE is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed NEA corresponding to the actual gear position GA. In step S41, if the execution unit 91 determines that the engine rotation speed NE is equal to or greater than the predetermined rotation speed NEA corresponding to the actual gear position GA (S41: YES), the execution unit 91 proceeds to step S42.

[0035] In step S42, the execution unit 91 determines whether the engine rotation speed NE is less than the specified rotation speed NEB corresponding to the actual gear position GA. In step S42, if the execution unit 91 determines that the engine rotation speed NE is less than the specified rotation speed NEB corresponding to the actual gear position GA (S42: YES), the execution unit 91 proceeds to step S51. In other words, the execution unit 91 proceeds to step S51 if the engine rotation speed NE is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed NEA corresponding to the actual gear position GA and less than the specified rotation speed NEB corresponding to the actual gear position GA.

[0036] In step S51, the execution device 91 outputs a control signal to the indicator 80 to cause some of the seven light-emitting diodes 83 to emit light. Specifically, the execution device 91 causes more of the seven light-emitting diodes 83 to emit light, starting with the light-emitting diode 83 at the right end of the vehicle 100, as the engine rotation speed NE increases. For example, when the engine rotation speed NE is the same as the predetermined rotation speed NEA corresponding to the actual gear position GA, the execution device 91 causes only the light-emitting diode 83 at the right end of the vehicle 100, out of the seven light-emitting diodes 83, to emit light. Furthermore, when the engine rotation speed NE is slightly lower than the specified rotation speed NEB corresponding to the actual gear position GA, the execution device 91 causes a total of six light-emitting diodes 83, starting with the light-emitting diode 83 at the right end of the vehicle 100, to emit light. In other words, the execution device 91 causes a greater number of light-emitting diodes 83 to emit light as the engine rotation speed NE increases. Note that the maximum number of light-emitting diodes 83 that emit light in step S51 is six. In this embodiment, the process of step S51 corresponds to the first light emission process. After step S51, the execution device 91 ends the current light emission control.

[0037] On the other hand, in step S42, if the execution unit 91 determines that the engine rotation speed NE is equal to or greater than the specified rotation speed NEB corresponding to the actual gear position GA (S42: NO), the execution unit 91 advances the process to step S52.

[0038] In step S52, the execution device 91 outputs a control signal to the indicator 80 to cause all seven light-emitting diodes 83 to emit light. In other words, the execution device 91 causes all seven light-emitting diodes 83 to emit light, thereby prompting the driver of the vehicle 100 to shift gears. In this embodiment, the processing of step S52 corresponds to a second light-emitting processing. After step S52, the execution device 91 ends the current light-emitting control.

[0039] On the other hand, in step S32 described above, if the execution device 91 determines that the actual gear position GA is not neutral (S32: NO), the execution device 91 advances the processing to step S56.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above-described step S41, if the execution unit 91 determines that the engine rotation speed NE is lower than the predetermined rotation speed NEA corresponding to the actual gear position GA (S41: NO), the execution unit 91 advances the processing to step S56.

[0041] In step S56, the execution unit 91 turns off all of the seven light-emitting diodes 83 by outputting a control signal to the indicator 80. After step S56, the execution unit 91 ends the current light emission control.

[0042] <Operation of this embodiment> Assume that the vehicle 100 is traveling with the manual transmission 30 in third gear, for example. Assume that the driver of the vehicle 100 depresses the accelerator pedal 61, causing the engine speed NE to increase. In this situation, if the engine speed NE is less than a predetermined rotational speed NEA corresponding to third gear as the actual gear position GA, the execution unit 91 of the control device 90 turns off all of the seven light-emitting diodes 83 in step S56, as shown in FIG. 4 . Then, if the engine speed NE becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined rotational speed NEA corresponding to third gear as the actual gear position GA, the execution unit 91 of the control device 90 executes a first light-emitting process in which some of the seven light-emitting diodes 83 are illuminated in step S51. Furthermore, if the engine speed NE becomes equal to or greater than a specified rotational speed NEB corresponding to third gear as the actual gear position GA, the execution unit 91 of the control device 90 executes a second light-emitting process in which all of the seven light-emitting diodes 83 are illuminated in step S52. That is, the execution device 91 prompts the driver of the vehicle 100 to make a gear change by illuminating all seven light-emitting diodes 83 as described above. Thereafter, suppose that the driver of the vehicle 100 operates the shift lever 62 to change the gear positions of the manual transmission 30 in the order of third gear, neutral, and fourth gear. When shifting from the previous gear position to a higher gear position via neutral in this manner, if the actual gear position GA is in neutral, the indicator 80 may temporarily display a display content corresponding to neutral. For example, if the engine rotation speed NE becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined rotation speed NEA corresponding to neutral as the actual gear position GA when the actual gear position GA is in neutral, the indicator 80 may temporarily execute the first light-emitting process corresponding to neutral. If the indicator 80 temporarily displays a display content corresponding to neutral in this manner, the driver of the vehicle 100 may feel uncomfortable.

[0043] In this regard, if the execution device 91 determines in step S22 that the actual gear position GA is in neutral, the execution device 91 proceeds to step S26. In other words, if the vehicle 100 is traveling and the actual gear position GA is in neutral, the execution device 91 proceeds to step S26 regardless of whether the execution conditions for the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process described below are met. Then, in step S26, the execution device 91 executes a light-off process to turn off all seven light-emitting diodes 83.

[0044] <Effects of this embodiment> (1) According to this embodiment, during a gear change such as the one described above, even if the gear is changed from the previous gear to a higher gear via neutral, if the actual gear GA is neutral, the first light emission process and the second light emission process are not executed. This prevents the indicator 80 from temporarily displaying the display content corresponding to neutral during a gear change via neutral. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle 100 from feeling uncomfortable.

[0045] (2) In the vehicle 100, the higher the gear position of the manual transmission 30, the smaller the gear ratio. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the higher the gear position of the manual transmission 30, the smaller the change in engine speed NE relative to the change in vehicle speed SP. In other words, the higher the gear position of the manual transmission 30, the more gradual the change in engine speed NE. Here, it is assumed that the absolute value of the difference between the predetermined rotation speed NEA and the specified rotation speed NEB identified in step S40 is the same regardless of the gear position of the manual transmission 30. In this case, since the change in engine speed NE changes depending on the gear position of the manual transmission 30, the period from when the engine speed NE reaches the predetermined rotation speed NEA to when the engine speed NE reaches the specified rotation speed NEB tends to be longer the higher the gear position of the manual transmission 30. As a result, due to a change in the gear position of the manual transmission 30, the period from when the first light emission process starts to be executed in step S51 to when the second light emission process starts to be executed in step S52 changes.

[0046] In this regard, the absolute value of the difference between the predetermined rotation speed NEA and the specified rotation speed NEB is smaller the higher the gear position of the manual transmission 30. This prevents the period from when the engine rotation speed NE reaches the predetermined rotation speed NEA until when the engine rotation speed NE reaches the specified rotation speed NEB from becoming longer the higher the gear position of the manual transmission 30. As a result, it is possible to prevent changes in the period from when the first light emission process is executed in step S51 to when the second light emission process is executed in step S52 due to changes in the gear position of the manual transmission 30.

[0047] (3) For example, when the vehicle 100 is stopped, even if the actual gear position GA is in neutral, it may be desired to cause the light-emitting diode 83 of the indicator 80 to emit light in accordance with changes in the engine rotation speed NE. As a specific example, when the vehicle 100 is stopped, even if the actual gear position GA is in neutral, it may be desired to realize an effect in which the light-emitting diode 83 emits light in accordance with changes in the engine rotation speed NE in accordance with operation of the accelerator pedal 61 by the driver of the vehicle 100.

[0048] In this regard, if the execution device 91 determines in step S32 that the actual gear position GA is neutral, the execution device 91 proceeds to step S40. In other words, even if the actual gear position GA is neutral, if the vehicle 100 is not traveling, the execution device 91 allows the execution of the first light-emitting process of step S51 and the second light-emitting process of step S52 without executing the light-off process of step S26. As a result, for example, when the engine rotation speed NE becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined rotation speed NEA corresponding to neutral as the actual gear position GA, the light-emitting diode 83 of the indicator 80 can be made to emit light.

[0049] <Example of change> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the light emission control may be changed. For example, the method for identifying the actual gear position GA in step S21 may be changed. As a specific example, when the clutch operation amount switch 73 outputs an ON signal, the execution device 91 may identify "neutral" as the actual gear position GA regardless of the lever position LP. As above, the method for identifying the actual gear position GA in step S31 may be changed.

[0051] For example, the way in which the determination result of step S32 is reflected may be changed. As a specific example, if the execution device 91 determines in step S32 that the actual gear position GA is neutral (S32: YES), the execution device 91 may proceed to step S26. In other words, the execution device 91 may execute the light-off process of step S26 when the actual gear position GA is neutral, regardless of whether the vehicle 100 is traveling or not.

[0052] For example, the method for specifying the predetermined rotation speed NEA and the specified rotation speed NEB in step S40 may be changed. Specifically, the specified rotation speed NEB does not have to be the same for all actual gear positions GA, and may be a different value for each actual gear position GA. Also, specifically, the predetermined rotation speed NEA may be the same for all actual gear positions GA. Furthermore, specifically, the absolute value of the difference between the predetermined rotation speed NEA and the specified rotation speed NEB may be the same regardless of the gear position of the manual transmission 30. From the perspective of making the execution conditions for the first light emission process and the second light emission process when the actual gear position GA is neutral the same as when the actual gear position GA is first gear, it is preferable to use the same predetermined rotation speed NEA and specified rotation speed NEB as when the actual gear position GA is first gear.

[0053] For example, the way in which the plurality of light-emitting diodes 83 are caused to emit light in step S51 may be changed. As a specific example, the execution device 91 may cause the seven light-emitting diodes 83 to emit light in order, starting with the light-emitting diode 83 at the left end of the vehicle 100, as the engine rotation speed NE increases. Also, as a specific example, the execution device 91 may cause the same number of light-emitting diodes 83 to emit light, regardless of the engine rotation speed NE. In this case, the number of light-emitting diodes 83 to emit light may be selected within the range of one or more and less than seven.

[0054] In the above embodiment, the configuration of the vehicle 100 may be changed. For example, the configuration of the indicator 80 may be changed. As a specific example, the indicator 80 may include less than seven light-emitting diodes 83, or may include eight or more light-emitting diodes 83, as long as the indicator 80 includes two or more light-emitting diodes 83. Also, as a specific example, the arrangement of the multiple light-emitting diodes 83 may be changed. As an example, the multiple light-emitting diodes 83 may be lined up along the top and bottom of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, as a specific example, the indicator 80 may include a liquid crystal display instead of the multiple light-emitting diodes 83. In this case, the execution device 91 of the control device 90 may output a control signal to the indicator 80 to reproduce the multiple light-emitting diodes 83 on the liquid crystal display. In the above configuration, the liquid crystal display functions as a light-emitting unit.

[0055] For example, the configuration of the control device 90 may be changed. Specifically, the control device 90 may be configured as a circuit including one or more processors that execute various processes according to a computer program (software). The control device 90 may also be configured as a circuit including one or more dedicated hardware circuits, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), that execute at least some of the various processes, or a combination thereof. The processor includes a CPU and memory such as RAM and ROM. The memory stores program code or instructions configured to cause the CPU to execute processes. The memory, i.e., computer-readable medium, includes any medium accessible by a general-purpose or dedicated computer.

[0056] For example, the configuration of the control device 90 may be changed. As a specific example, the vehicle 100 may include a control device for controlling the indicator 80 in addition to a control device for controlling the internal combustion engine 10. In other words, the control device for performing light emission control does not need to be able to control other devices such as the internal combustion engine 10, as long as it can control the indicator 80. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10...internal combustion engine 11...cylinder 12...crankshaft 20...clutch 30...manual transmission 31...input shaft 32...output shaft 41...differential 42...drive wheels 61...accelerator pedal 62...shift lever 63...clutch pedal 71...accelerator operation amount sensor 72...lever position sensor 73...clutch operation amount switch 74...crank angle sensor 75...vehicle speed sensor 80...indicator 81...first liquid crystal unit 82...second liquid crystal unit 83...light-emitting diode 90...control device 91...execution device 92...storage device 92A...control program TZ...lookup table 100...vehicle

Claims

1. A control device applied to a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, a manual transmission, and an indicator including a plurality of light-emitting elements, an execution device and a storage device; The storage device includes: a predetermined engine rotation speed, which is a rotation speed of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, that is, a specified rotation speed determined in advance as a value suitable for shifting from a gear stage of the manual transmission to a higher gear stage, for each gear stage of the manual transmission; a predetermined rotation speed that is set in advance as a value lower than the specified rotation speed for each gear position of the manual transmission; The execution device an identification process for identifying an actual gear position that is an actual gear position in the manual transmission; a first light emission process that causes some of the light emitting units to emit light when the engine rotation speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position and lower than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position; a second light emission process for causing all of the light emitting units to emit light when the engine rotation speed is equal to or higher than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position; a light-off process for turning off all of the light-emitting units when the actual gear position is in neutral, regardless of whether or not the execution conditions for the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process are satisfied; Run Vehicle control device.

2. Even if the actual gear position is in neutral, if the vehicle is not running, the light-off process is not executed, and the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process are allowed to be executed. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. The absolute value of the difference between the predetermined rotation speed and the specified rotation speed is smaller as the gear stage of the manual transmission is higher. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The present invention is applied to a control device for a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, a manual transmission, and an indicator including a plurality of light-emitting elements, the control device comprises an execution device and a storage device; The storage device includes: a predetermined engine rotation speed, which is a rotation speed of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, that is, a specified rotation speed determined in advance as a value suitable for shifting from a gear stage of the manual transmission to a higher gear stage, for each gear stage of the manual transmission; a predetermined rotation speed that is set in advance as a value lower than the specified rotation speed for each gear position of the manual transmission; The execution device, an identification process for identifying an actual gear position that is an actual gear position in the manual transmission; a first light emission process that causes some of the light emitting units to emit light when the engine rotation speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position and lower than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position; a second light emission process for causing all of the light emitting units to emit light when the engine rotation speed is equal to or higher than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position; a light-off process for turning off all of the light-emitting units when the actual gear position is in neutral, regardless of whether or not the execution conditions for the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process are satisfied; Run Vehicle control program.

5. The present invention is applied to a control device for a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, a manual transmission, and an indicator including a plurality of light-emitting elements, the control device comprises an execution device and a storage device; The storage device includes: a predetermined engine rotation speed, which is a rotation speed of a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine, that is, a specified rotation speed determined in advance as a value suitable for shifting from a gear stage of the manual transmission to a higher gear stage, for each gear stage of the manual transmission; a predetermined rotation speed that is set in advance as a value lower than the specified rotation speed for each gear position of the manual transmission; The execution device: an identification process for identifying an actual gear position that is an actual gear position in the manual transmission; a first light emission process that causes some of the light emitting units to emit light when the engine rotation speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position and lower than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position; a second light emission process for causing all of the light emitting units to emit light when the engine rotation speed is equal to or higher than the specified rotation speed corresponding to the actual gear position; a light-off process for turning off all of the light-emitting units when the actual gear position is in neutral, regardless of whether or not the execution conditions for the first light-emitting process and the second light-emitting process are satisfied; Run How to control the vehicle.

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