Shift control device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a shift control device capable of avoiding or reducing a sense of incongruity by enabling shift operation matched with sensitivity or a sense of a driver.SOLUTION: This shift control device for the vehicle has a controller 5 for determining that a traveling position is selected by a shift lever when a time when a sensor 4 detects the shift lever reaches a predetermined determination time. The controller 5 further includes a determination time setting unit 5a that sets the predetermined length of time inputted from the inputting unit 6 as a determination time, and an instruction outputting unit 5b that outputs an instruction for setting a predetermined driving state assigned to the traveling position when the time during which the sensor 4 detects the gearshift lever reaches the determination time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for controlling the change (i.e., shift) of the torque transmission state from a driving force source to the driving wheels in a vehicle, and in particular to a shift control device configured to convert the shift operation into a signal and switch the torque transmission state based on that signal. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of this type of shift device is described in Patent Document 1. The device includes a manually operated shift lever, multiple positions to which the shift lever can be moved, and a gate that guides the shift lever to each position. These positions include neutral, which the shift lever returns to when the driver releases the shift lever; neutral, which blocks torque transmission to the drive wheels; drive, which allows forward driving; reverse, which allows reverse driving; and brake, which allows engine braking to be applied. The shift device is equipped with a sensor that outputs a signal in response to the shift lever. The sensor that detects the position selected by moving the shift lever is, for example, a momentary switch that outputs a detection signal while it is responding to the shift lever. The device described in Patent Document 1 determines that the position to which the momentary switch is attached has been selected by outputting a detection signal from the momentary switch for a predetermined period of time, and sets the torque transmission state (e.g., driving range) corresponding to that position. In the device described in Patent Document 1, the time required to determine whether the brake position has been selected is varied based on the operating speed of the shift lever (the time required to move the shift lever from the neutral position to the brake position). This is to avoid a delay in establishing the engine braking state and to avoid erroneous determination of the brake position selection. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-223501 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the so-called momentary shift device described in Patent Document 1, the selected position is determined when the duration of a detection signal from a sensor (momentary switch) installed in the shift device exceeds a predetermined determination time. This determination time is determined during the design of the shift device or its control device. However, drivers who operate shift devices have different preferences, habits, and even physical builds, and as a result, they may feel uncomfortable with the design-defined determination time. For example, drivers who prefer quick or agile operation and behavior may feel sluggish when the position is determined based on the design-defined determination time, i.e., when switching driving ranges. For drivers with weak arm strength, maintaining the shift lever in a predetermined position may be a burden. Conversely, drivers who prefer slow and reliable operation or who frequently use the shift lever may feel uncomfortable when selecting or switching positions because the shift lever is too fast.

[0005] The present invention has been made with a focus on the above-mentioned technical problems, and aims to provide a shift control device that enables shift operations that match the driver's sensibilities or intuition, thereby avoiding or reducing any sense of discomfort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a shift control device for a vehicle having a shift lever that is manually operated to move along a predetermined gate, and a plurality of positions connected by the gate, the plurality of positions including a neutral position in which the shift lever maintains its position when not manually operated, and at least one driving position for selecting a predetermined driving state, a sensor that detects movement of the shift lever, and a controller that determines that the driving position has been selected by the shift lever when the time during which the sensor detects the shift lever reaches a predetermined judgment time, wherein an input unit that inputs a predetermined length of time is connected to the controller, and the controller further comprises a judgment time setting unit that sets the predetermined length of time input from the input unit to the judgment time, and an instruction output unit that outputs an instruction to set the predetermined driving state assigned to the driving position when the time during which the sensor detects the shift lever reaches the judgment time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when the shift lever is moved to a predetermined drive position, the sensor detects the shift lever, and when the detection time reaches a determination time, it is determined that the drive position has been selected, and an instruction to set the drive state assigned to that drive position is output. Therefore, there is a delay from when the shift lever is moved to the drive position until the determination time has elapsed before the selected drive state is set, but this determination time is a time that is arbitrarily determined and input into the input unit, and is the length of time intended by the person operating the shift lever (or the driver of the vehicle), so the so-called delay until the determination time has elapsed does not cause discomfort, or the discomfort caused by this delay can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a shift device to which the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the positions. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a shift system including a controller, its functional configuration, and an input unit. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control executed in the present invention. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of control executed in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example of how the present invention can be implemented, and is not intended to limit the present invention.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, the shift device 1 in the embodiment described here may be a device having the configuration described in the aforementioned Patent Document 1, and has a shift lever 2 that is manually operated to move up and down and left and right in Fig. 1. This shift lever 2 is able to move along a guide hole called a gate 3, and in the example shown in Fig. 1, the shape of this gate 3 resembles the shape of a lowercase "h" reversed left to right.

[0011] Positions for selecting the drive state of the vehicle (not shown) are provided at corners, ends, or intermediate portions of the gate 3. The drive state here refers to the state of the drive force that determines the vehicle's travel, such as transmitting or interrupting torque from the drive force source to the drive wheels (not shown) and applying drive force in the forward or reverse direction. Therefore, the positions (or drive positions) selectable by the shift lever 2 include a drive (D) position for forward travel of the vehicle and setting a gear ratio according to the vehicle speed and required drive force, a neutral (N) position for interrupting the transmission of drive torque to the drive wheels (not shown), a reverse (R) position for reverse travel, a brake (B) position for applying the drive force source brake (so-called engine brake) when the vehicle is traveling forward, and a neutral (M) position for not specifying or selecting any of the drive states. Positions D, N, R, and B, other than the neutral position M, are each assigned a drive state (sometimes referred to as a drive range).

[0012] The arrangement of positions M, D, N, R, and B is as shown in Figure 2. If the up-down direction in Figure 2 corresponds to the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle and the left-to-right direction corresponds to the left-to-right direction of the vehicle, then brake position B is located behind neutral position M. Furthermore, neutral position N is located to the right of neutral position M, with reverse position R located in front of neutral position N and drive position D located behind it.

[0013] This shift device 1 is a momentary type device, and the shift lever 2 is configured to automatically return to and remain in neutral position M when the driver (not shown) releases it. The shift device 1 is also configured as a so-called shift-by-wire shift device that outputs information about the selected position as an electrical signal and automatically sets the drive state (driving range) assigned to that position based on that signal. Therefore, a sensor 4 is provided to detect the position selected by the shift lever 2.

[0014] This sensor 4 is a sensor that outputs a signal in response to the shift lever 2, and may be provided for each position, or may be a single sensor that is operated by a member interlocked with the shift lever 2 and outputs a signal for each position. The shift lever 2 is configured to stay in a predetermined position only while it is being manually operated, and to return to and stay in neutral position M when no external force is applied, such as when the shift lever is released. Therefore, the sensor 4 is configured to output a detection signal while the shift lever 2 is manually operated and is located at a predetermined position other than neutral position M. In other words, the sensor 4 is configured as a so-called momentary switch.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3 , a controller 5 is provided that determines a position selected by manually operating the shift lever 2 and issues an instruction to set a driving state assigned to the selected position. The controller 5 is an electronic control device mainly composed of a microcomputer, and is configured to perform calculations using input data, pre-stored data, etc., and output the results of the calculations as control command signals. The input data is the detection signal output from the sensor 4. The controller 5 is also connected to an input unit 6 that inputs a determination time for determining the position based on the detection signal input from the sensor 4. The input unit 6 may be, for example, a numeric keypad, and is a unit through which the driver inputs a desired length of time, and the input time is input as data to the controller 5. The input time is stored as data in the controller 5. The controller 5 also pre-stores driving states associated with positions other than the neutral position M. After determining the selected position, the controller 5 outputs an instruction signal to set the driving state assigned to that position.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the shift system, including the controller 5, its functional configuration, and the input unit 6. The controller 5 is functionally configured to include a determination time setting unit 5a and an instruction output unit 5b. The determination time setting unit 5a is configured to set the time input from the input unit 6 as a determination time that serves as a reference for determining the selected position. As described above, the sensor 4 outputs a detection signal only while it is sensitive to the shift lever 2. Therefore, a detection signal is output whether the shift lever 2 is intentionally operated to a predetermined position or whether the shift lever 2 is accidentally operated to a predetermined position. However, when the shift lever 2 is intentionally operated, the shift lever 2 typically remains in the selected position for a long time. Conversely, when the shift lever 2 is accidentally moved to a predetermined position, the shift lever 2 typically remains in that position for a short time. Therefore, a determination time is set to determine whether the predetermined position is selected based on the duration of the detection signal, and the determination time can be set to any length.

[0017] The instruction output unit 5b is configured to output a signal instructing the driving state assigned to the selected position when the determination of the selected position is established.

[0018] A cruise control unit 7 that sets the drive state, such as forward or reverse, or whether engine braking is enabled, based on the instruction signal is connected to the controller 5 so as to be able to communicate data. For a vehicle equipped with a transmission, the cruise control unit 7 is, for example, a transmission system including an electronic control unit for the transmission, and for an electric vehicle that uses a motor as a drive power source, the cruise control unit 7 is, for example, a power control system including an electronic control unit for the motor and an inverter. The controller 5 issues instructions to the cruise control unit 7 to set the selected drive state, and the cruise control unit 7 transmits a signal indicating the drive state that is actually set to the controller 5.

[0019] Furthermore, a monitor 8 is connected to the controller 5. This monitor 8 is used to notify the driver of the set driving state (driving range) and shift state by displaying graphics and text, and is provided on the console panel or instrument panel (neither of which are shown) of the vehicle.

[0020] In the example shown in FIG. 3, a vehicle fixing mechanism 9 is connected to the controller 5. The vehicle fixing mechanism 9 is a conventionally known mechanism that places the vehicle in a parking lock state (P lock or EPB) by electrical control. That is, a parking switch (not shown) is provided near the shift device 1 described above, and when a signal generated by turning on the parking switch is input to the controller 5, a lock signal is output from the controller 5 to the vehicle fixing mechanism 9. The vehicle fixing mechanism 9 is equipped with an electrically controlled brake (not shown) that operates based on the lock signal to fix the vehicle so that it cannot move. When the locked state is established in this way, a signal indicating the locked state is input to the controller 5, and the locked state is displayed on the monitor 8 accordingly.

[0021] The selected position may be notified to the driver not only by displaying it on the monitor 8 but also by lighting a position mark on the shift device 1. In this case, a signal indicating the selected position is transmitted from the controller 5 to the shift device 1.

[0022] Next, the control executed by the controller 5 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of control when a shift operation is performed normally, and the routine shown here is repeatedly executed at predetermined short intervals when the vehicle is in an activated state as a whole, for example, when the vehicle's ready switch (not shown) is on. First, an operation determination time is acquired (step S1). The operation determination time is a reference time for determining whether the duration of the detection signal from the sensor 4 is long or short, and is a time of any length (determined by the driver) inputted via the input unit 6 described above.

[0023] Further, the lever position is acquired (step S2). The lever position is the position to which the shift lever 2 is moved, and can be acquired based on a detection signal from the sensor 4. Note that either step S1 or step S2 may be executed first, and the order in which they are executed is not limited.

[0024] Based on the acquired lever position, it is determined whether the lever position has changed (step S3). The control of step S3 is executed by comparing the lever position when the routine of Fig. 4 is executed this time with the lever position from the previous time and determining whether they are different or the same.

[0025] When the driver intentionally operates the shift lever 2, the lever position changes, and the determination of "change" is established in step S3. In this case, the count of the time for determining whether the shift lever 2 is held in a predetermined position is reset (step S4).

[0026] Next, the hold determination count value is compared with the operation determination time acquired in step S1 to determine whether the hold determination count value is equal to or greater than the operation determination time (whether the hold determination count value has reached the operation determination time) (step S5). Immediately after the lever position is changed, the hold determination counter is reset, so the determination result in step S5 is "no." In this case, the drive state (or driving range) is maintained (step S6). That is, a request to switch the drive state (or driving range) is not made, and the routine shown in FIG. 4 is temporarily terminated and resumed after a predetermined short time. Note that by resuming the routine shown in FIG. 4 after the hold determination counter is reset in step S4, counting by the hold determination counter begins.

[0027] If the change in lever position (position) caused by the operation of the shift lever 2 is a change for switching the drive state (driving range), the shift lever 2 is maintained in the position after the change, and the result of the determination in step S3 again is "no change." In this case, the retention determination counter is counted up (step S7).

[0028] Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S5, where it is determined whether the hold determination count value is equal to or greater than the operation determination time (whether the hold determination count value has reached the operation determination time). Since the repetition time of the routine shown in FIG. 4 is significantly shorter than the operation determination time, the determination result in step S5 after resumption is "no." Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to step S6, where the routine of FIG. 4 is temporarily terminated without switching the drive state (driving range), and is resumed after a predetermined short time.

[0029] 4 is executed multiple times, the hold determination count value reaches the operation determination time, and the result of the determination in step S5 becomes "YES." That is, after the shift lever 2 is moved to a predetermined position, the time that the shift lever 2 is maintained in that position reaches the operation determination time, and it is determined that the predetermined position has been selected by moving the shift lever 2. Accordingly, an instruction to switch the drive state (driving range) to the drive state (driving range) assigned to the selected position is executed (step S8).

[0030] In the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, the drive state is changed by moving the shift lever 2 to a predetermined position and then maintaining that position for the operation determination time. That is, there is a time delay corresponding to the operation determination time between the operation of moving the shift lever 2 to a predetermined position and the change to the drive state (driving range) assigned to that position. However, because the operation determination time is a time intentionally determined by the driver, the driver does not perceive the delay time until the drive state (driving range) is changed as a delay in control, or the driver can tolerate it. As a result, in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to avoid or reduce the discomfort caused by the time delay until the drive state (driving range) is changed.

[0031] If the driver moves the shift lever 2 to a predetermined position to switch to a predetermined drive state (driving range), but does not hold that position for a long time, the result of the determination in step S5 described above will be "No," and it will not be determined that the predetermined position (drive state) has been selected. An example of control in such a case will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0032] The flowchart shown in Figure 5 is a part of the flowchart shown in Figure 4, to which a step of comparing the above-mentioned retention determination count value with a predetermined notification implementation time and a step of executing control based on the result of the comparison have been added.

[0033] The hold determination counter starts counting time when the shift lever 2 is operated and the lever position (position) changes. Therefore, as described above, after the lever position changes, the count value gradually increases each time the routine shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 or 5 is repeatedly executed. If the shift lever 2 is operated again and the lever position (detected position) changes while the hold determination counter is counting time, the result of the determination in step S3 switches to "change." In this case, in the control example shown in FIG. 5, it is determined whether the count value of the hold determination counter is equal to or greater than a predetermined notification implementation time (whether the notification implementation time has been reached) (step S9). This notification implementation time is a time shorter than the aforementioned operation determination time and is a time required to determine whether a signal indicating a change in lever position is due to an external disturbance or a human operation, and is a time determined in advance based on experiments, simulations, etc.

[0034] Therefore, if the result of the determination in step S9 is "NO," it means that the lever position has changed again within a short time (or instantaneously) after the lever position changed. Therefore, if the result of the determination in step S9 is "NO," it is assumed that a change in the lever position has been determined due to an external disturbance or an erroneous signal, and the process proceeds to the above-mentioned step S4, where the retention determination count is reset. The subsequent control is as described with reference to FIG. 4. Therefore, the determination or control regarding the new lever position and switching of the drive state (driving range) is performed as described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0035] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S9 is "Yes," it means that the shift lever 2 was moved and a new position was detected, but after the notification implementation time elapsed, the shift lever 2 moved again and switched to another position. In other words, the shift lever 2 moved to a predetermined position, was held in that position until the notification implementation time elapsed, and then was switched again to another position.

[0036] Such changes in the behavior or position of the shift lever 2 often occur when the shift lever 2 is intentionally operated but the operation is insufficient, or when the driver immediately performs another shift operation after realizing the error. If the operation is insufficient, the driver's intended shift will not be achieved. If the driver realizes the error and performs another operation, the drive state (driving range) change due to the erroneous shift operation will be canceled. This situation would not be known to the driver solely through the operation of the shift lever 2. Therefore, if the determination result in step S9 is "Yes," a notification of insufficient hold time is issued to notify the driver that the drive state (driving range) change will not be executed (step S10). Therefore, the driver can know whether the drive state (driving range) change (shift) has been completed or not, or the set drive state (driving range), allowing the driver to drive with confidence without feeling any unnecessary discomfort. The notification in step S10 may be, for example, a control to display a predetermined display on the monitor 8 described above, or, separately or in addition to this, a sound may be emitted.

[0037] After the control of step S10 is performed, the process proceeds to step S4 described above, and the subsequent control is performed as described with reference to FIG.

[0038] The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, instead of the driver inputting the judgment time one by one, the judgment time for each driver may be stored in the vehicle, the driver on board may be identified using an image or a selection switch, etc., and the judgment time for the identified driver may be read out and input to the controller. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 Shift device 2 Shift lever 3 Gate 4 sensors 5 Controller 5a Judgment time setting section 5b Instruction output section 6 Input section 7. Driving control unit 8 monitors 9 Vehicle fixing mechanism B. Brake position D drive position M Neutral position N Neutral position R Reverse position

Claims

[Claim 1] A shift control device for a vehicle has a shift lever that is manually operated to move along a predetermined gate, and a plurality of positions connected by the gate, the plurality of positions including a neutral position in which the shift lever is maintained when not manually operated, and at least one driving position for selecting a predetermined driving state, and is provided with a sensor that detects movement of the shift lever, and a controller that determines that the driving position has been selected by the shift lever when the time that the sensor detects the shift lever reaches a predetermined determination time, an input unit for inputting a predetermined length of time is connected to the controller; The controller a judgment time setting unit that sets the predetermined length of time input from the input unit as the judgment time; The vehicle further includes an instruction output unit that outputs an instruction to set a predetermined driving state assigned to the driving position when the time during which the sensor detects the shift lever reaches the determination time. A shift control device for a vehicle.

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