Traveling mode control device and vehicle

Abstract

To provide a technique for reducing a burden on a driver and achieving safe driving in an electric vehicle in which a driver's operation in a vehicle including a manual transmission is reproduced in a pseudo manner.SOLUTION: A travel mode control device controls a travel mode of a vehicle including a drive motor, an accelerator pedal, a pseudo-clutch pedal, and a pseudo-shift lever, and one or more processors included in the travel mode control device estimate a fatigue state of a driver based on a gear shift operation or a clutch operation in an MT mode in which the gear shift operation and the clutch operation are validated among the travel modes, and derive control contents of the MT mode based on the estimated fatigue state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving mode control device and a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is known a technique for simulating, in an electric vehicle driven by a motor, the operation of a shift device and a clutch device of a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission that switches gear ratios by manual operation by the driver.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electric vehicle that uses an electric motor as a power unit for driving, and that includes an accelerator pedal, a pseudo clutch pedal, a pseudo shift device, and a control device that controls the motor torque output by the electric motor. The control device includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores an MT vehicle model that simulates the torque characteristics of the drive wheel torque of a MT vehicle that has an internal combustion engine whose torque is controlled by operation of a gas pedal, and a manual transmission whose gear stages are changed by operation of the clutch pedal and operation of the shift device. The processor performs processing to receive the operation amount of the accelerator pedal as an input of the operation amount of the gas pedal for the MT vehicle model, and to receive the operation amount of the pseudo clutch pedal as an input of the operation amount of the clutch pedal for the MT vehicle model. a process of receiving the operation amount of the pseudo clutch pedal as an input, a process of receiving the shift position of the pseudo shift device as an input of the shift position of the shift device for the MT vehicle model, a process of calculating the drive wheel torque determined by the operation amount of the acceleration pedal, the operation amount of the pseudo clutch pedal, and the shift position of the pseudo shift device using the MT vehicle model, and a process of calculating the motor torque for applying the drive wheel torque to the drive wheels of the electric vehicle, and the electric vehicle is characterized in that it is equipped with a pedal reaction force addition device that generates a pedal reaction force in response to operation of the pseudo clutch pedal by operating a reaction force actuator, and the control device is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force addition device in accordance with operation of the pseudo clutch pedal.

[0004] Patent Document 2 also describes an electric vehicle that uses an electric motor as a power unit for traveling, and that includes an accelerator pedal, a pseudo clutch pedal, a pseudo shift device, a mode selection switch that selects a control mode of the electric motor between a first mode and a second mode, and a control device that controls the motor torque output by the electric motor in accordance with the control mode selected by the mode selection switch, the control device including a memory and a processor, the memory storing an MT vehicle model that simulates the torque characteristics of drive wheel torque in a MT vehicle having an internal combustion engine that controls torque by operation of a gas pedal and a manual transmission that changes gear stages by operation of a clutch pedal and operation of a shift device, and a motor torque command map that specifies the relationship between the operation amount of the accelerator pedal and the motor torque relative to the rotation speed of the electric motor, and when controlling the electric motor in the first mode, the processor performs processing that receives the operation amount of the accelerator pedal as an input of the operation amount of the gas pedal for the MT vehicle model, and processing that receives the operation amount of the pseudo clutch pedal as an input of the operation amount of the clutch pedal for the MT vehicle model. a process for receiving an operation amount of the pseudo clutch pedal as an input; a process for receiving the shift position of the pseudo shift device as an input of the shift device for the MT vehicle model; a process for calculating the drive wheel torque determined by the operation amount of the acceleration pedal, the operation amount of the pseudo clutch pedal, and the shift position of the pseudo shift device using the MT vehicle model; and a process for calculating the motor torque for applying the drive wheel torque to the drive wheels of the host vehicle; and when controlling the electric motor in the second mode, a process for invalidating the operation of the pseudo clutch pedal and the operation of the pseudo shift device and a process for calculating the motor torque using the motor torque command map based on the operation amount of the acceleration pedal and the rotational speed of the electric motor is performed; and when the first mode is selected by the mode selection switch, if either the gear stage of the MT vehicle model determined by the shift position is less than a predetermined value or the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is less than a predetermined value, the electric motor is controlled to achieve the motor torque in the second mode.

[0005] Patent Document 3 also discloses a control device for an electric vehicle that includes a driving force source having at least a motor, an accelerator pedal operated by a driver, and a controller that controls the driving force based on the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal, and that controls driving force based on the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal. The control device further includes a clutch pedal operated by the driver, and a driving information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the electric vehicle and road information of the road on which the electric vehicle is traveling. The controller assumes that a virtual engine is the driving force source, and estimates the engine torque that the virtual engine can output and the load torque that is applied to the virtual engine based on the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal and the amount of operation of the clutch pedal, respectively. If it is determined that the virtual engine is in a situation where an engine stall will occur based on the estimated engine torque and load torque, the controller executes simulated engine stall control that stops the output of the driving force source and simulates an engine stall state, and if it is determined that the electric vehicle is located in a predetermined prohibited location or will travel through the prohibited location based on the position information and road information acquired by the driving information acquisition unit, the controller prohibits the execution of the simulated engine stall control. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-030814 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-044955 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-030474 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] A drive mode (hereinafter referred to as "MT mode") that simulates the driver's operation in a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission (MT) (hereinafter referred to as "MT vehicle") in an electric vehicle allows the driver to experience the same driving sensation as if they were operating a manual transmission vehicle. However, in MT mode, in addition to the normal driving operations of an electric vehicle, the driver's operation of a simulated clutch device increases. This places a greater burden on the driver than normal driving operations of an electric vehicle, and measures are required to ensure safe driving.

[0008] The technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 allow the driver of an electric vehicle to experience a driving sensation similar to that of operating the clutch pedal of a manual transmission vehicle. Furthermore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3 makes it possible to prohibit the execution of simulated engine stall control at predetermined prohibited points. However, none of the technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3 take into consideration measures to reduce the burden on the driver in manual transmission mode, leaving room for improvement.

[0009] The purpose of the present disclosure, made in consideration of the above circumstances, is to provide a technology that reduces the burden on the driver and enables safe driving in an electric vehicle that simulates the operations of a driver in a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A driving mode control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a driving mode control device that controls the driving mode of a vehicle that includes a drive motor, an accelerator pedal that receives an acceleration request from a driver, a pseudo clutch pedal that is operated by the driver and simulates a clutch operation, and a pseudo shift lever that is operated by the driver and simulates a gear shift operation, and includes one or more processors and one or more memories that are communicatively connected to the one or more processors, and the one or more processors estimate the fatigue state of the driver based on the gear shift operation or the clutch operation in an MT mode among the driving modes in which the gear shift operation and the clutch operation are enabled, and derives control content for the MT mode based on the estimated fatigue state.

[0011] A vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a drive motor, an accelerator pedal for inputting an acceleration request from the driver, a pseudo clutch pedal operated by the driver to simulate a clutch operation, a pseudo shift lever operated by the driver to simulate a gear shift operation, and the driving mode control device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in an electric vehicle that simulates the operation of a driver in a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, it is possible to reduce the burden on the driver and achieve safe driving. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of a vehicle equipped with a driving mode control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of a driving mode control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an output transmission ratio of a pseudo clutch pedal. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the output transmission ratio of the pseudo clutch pedal. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a driving mode control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0015] (1. Overall vehicle configuration) An example of the overall configuration of a vehicle 1 equipped with a driving mode control device 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG.

[0016] Vehicle 1 is configured as a front-wheel drive four-wheel vehicle in which drive torque output from drive motor 2, the details of which will be described later, is transmitted to the left and right front wheels. The combination of drive wheels and the drive method are not limited. For example, vehicle 1 may be a rear-wheel drive vehicle or a four-wheel drive vehicle, and may be a vehicle equipped with a drive motor corresponding to each wheel.

[0017] The vehicle 1 includes a drive motor 2, an inverter 3, a converter 4, and a drive battery 5.

[0018] The drive motor 2 outputs drive torque that is transmitted to the front wheels via the differential mechanism 6 and the front drive shaft 7F. The drive motor 2 may be configured as a three-phase AC motor. In this case, a rotor (not shown) rotates due to a rotating magnetic field formed by supplying three-phase AC current to a stator (not shown), and drive torque is output. When three-phase AC current is not supplied to the stator, the drive motor 2 has the function of performing regenerative power generation by receiving rotational torque from the front wheels transmitted via the front drive shaft 7F and causing the rotor to rotate. The drive of the drive motor 2 is controlled by a vehicle control device 11, which will be described later.

[0019] The inverter 3 includes an inverter circuit that converts DC power swept from the drive battery 5 into three-phase AC power and supplies it to the stator of the drive motor 2. The inverter circuit converts the three-phase AC power regenerated by the stator of the drive motor 2 into DC power and supplies it to the converter 4. The operation of the inverter 3 is controlled by a vehicle control device 11.

[0020] Converter 4 includes a boost circuit that boosts the voltage of the power regenerated by drive motor 2 to the required charging voltage of drive battery 5 and supplies it to drive battery 5. Note that this boost circuit may also have the function of boosting or lowering the output voltage of drive battery 5 and supplying it to inverter 3. Driving of converter 4 is controlled by vehicle control device 11.

[0021] The drive battery 5 supplies power to the drive motor 2. Examples of the drive battery 5 include a secondary battery configured to be chargeable and dischargeable, such as a lithium ion battery or an all-solid-state battery, with a rated voltage of approximately 200 V to 800 V, but the present disclosure is not limited to these.

[0022] The vehicle 1 further includes an electric steering device 8, brake devices 9LF, 9RF, 9LR, 9RR (hereinafter, abbreviated as "brake device 9" unless a distinction is required), and a vehicle control device 11.

[0023] The electric steering device 8 is provided on the front wheel drive shaft 7F. The electric steering device 8 includes an electric motor (not shown) and a gear mechanism (not shown), and is controlled by a vehicle control device 11 to adjust the steering angle of the front wheels. The vehicle control device 11 controls the electric steering device 8 based on the steering angle of a steering wheel (not shown) operated by the driver. Here, if the vehicle 1 is a vehicle capable of executing automatic driving control, the vehicle control device 11 controls the electric steering device 8 based on the steering angle of the steering wheel operated by the driver during manual driving. On the other hand, during automatic driving, the vehicle control device 11 controls the electric steering device 8 based on the steering angle or steering angular velocity set by a publicly known or arbitrary method.

[0024] Brake devices 9LF, 9RF, 9LR, and 9RR apply braking force to the respective wheels. The brake devices 9 may be, for example, hydraulic brake devices. In this case, the vehicle control device 11 controls the drive of a hydraulic unit 10, thereby adjusting the hydraulic pressure supplied to each brake device 9. The brake devices 9 are used in combination with regenerative braking by the drive motor 2.

[0025] The vehicle control device 11 mainly includes one or more electronic control units (ECUs) that control the driving of the drive motor 2, the electric steering device 8, and the hydraulic unit 10.

[0026] The vehicle 1 further includes an input / output device 12. The input / output device 12 is driven by the driving mode control device 30 and notifies the driver of various information, including suggestions, by means of voice output or text or image display. The input / output device 12 is also driven by the driving mode control device 30 and accepts the driver's response to the suggestions by means of voice input. The input / output device 12 may include, for example, a display, a speaker, a microphone, and the like provided on an instrument panel or the like. The input / output device 12 may also include a HUD (Head Up Display) that displays information on the front window of the vehicle 1.

[0027] In addition, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 13 that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 and an acceleration sensor 14 that detects the acceleration of the vehicle 1. Detection signals from the vehicle speed sensor 13 and the acceleration sensor 14 are respectively transmitted to the driving mode control device 30. The vehicle 1 may also be equipped with surrounding environment sensors (not shown) including a front imaging camera and a rear imaging camera. The vehicle 1 may also be equipped with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor (not shown) that receives satellite signals from positioning satellites such as GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites.

[0028] The vehicle 1 further includes an accelerator pedal 15, a brake pedal 16, a pseudo clutch pedal 17, and a pseudo shift lever 18.

[0029] An accelerator pedal 15 receives an acceleration request from the driver. The accelerator pedal 15 is provided with an accelerator pedal sensor 19 that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 15 by the driver. A detection signal from the accelerator pedal sensor 19 is sent to the driving mode control device 30.

[0030] The brake pedal 16 receives a braking request from the driver. The brake pedal 16 is provided with a brake pedal sensor 20 that detects the amount of depression of the brake pedal 16 by the driver. A detection signal from the brake pedal sensor 20 is sent to the driving mode control device 30.

[0031] The pseudo clutch pedal 17 and pseudo shift lever 18 accept pseudo gear change requests from the driver. However, since the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle driven by a drive motor 2 and does not have an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or diesel engine as a driving power source, it does not have the clutch mechanism and gear change mechanism that a normal manual transmission vehicle has.

[0032] The pseudo clutch pedal 17 is operated by the driver to simulate clutch operation. That is, the pseudo clutch pedal 17 has a structure simulating a clutch pedal provided in a normal manual transmission vehicle. The arrangement of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 is the same as that of a normal manual transmission vehicle. The pseudo clutch pedal 17 is depressed when the driver operates the pseudo shift lever 18, for example. The pseudo clutch pedal 17 is provided with a pseudo clutch pedal sensor 21 that detects the amount of depression of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 by the driver. In addition, the pseudo clutch pedal 17 is connected to a reaction force actuator 23 that is driven by the driving mode control device 30 and generates a pedal reaction force that acts in a direction that cancels the depression force of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 by the driver. The magnitude of the pedal reaction force is also controlled by the driving mode control device 30, as will be described in detail later. The structure of the reaction force actuator 23 is not particularly limited and can be a known structure. A detection signal from the pseudo clutch pedal sensor 21 is transmitted to the driving mode control device 30.

[0033] The pseudo shift lever 18 is operated by the driver to simulate a gear shift operation. That is, the pseudo shift lever 18 has a structure that simulates a so-called H-pattern shift lever or the like that is provided in a normal manual transmission vehicle. The layout and operational feel of the pseudo shift lever 18 are the same as those of a normal manual transmission vehicle. The pseudo shift lever 18 is manually operated by the driver when the driver inputs a pseudo gear shift request to the vehicle 1. The pseudo shift lever 18 is provided with a pseudo shift lever sensor 22 that detects the shift position of the pseudo shift lever 18. A detection signal from the pseudo shift lever sensor 22 is sent to the driving mode control device 30.

[0034] The vehicle 1 is equipped with a pseudo shift lever 18 operated by the driver in MT mode, as well as a shift switch 24 operated by the driver's hand during AT mode. The shift positions of the shift switch 24 include P (parking), R (reverse), N (neutral), D (drive), etc. From the viewpoint of facilitating blind operation by the driver, the shift switch 24 is preferred, but a normal shift lever may be used instead. From the same viewpoint, the pseudo shift lever 18 may be stored inside the vehicle under control of an ECU or the like during AT mode. Furthermore, the shift switch 24 may be stored inside the vehicle under control of an ECU or the like during MT mode, or a position lamp indicating the shift position of the shift switch 24 may be turned off.

[0035] In addition, the vehicle 1 may further include a vehicle body vibration generator 25. The vehicle body vibration generator 25 is driven by the driving mode control device 30, and when the driver operates the pseudo clutch pedal 17 or the pseudo shift lever 18, it is possible to generate vehicle body vibrations that simulate those of a normal manual transmission vehicle. This makes it possible to make the operation feel of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 or the pseudo shift lever 18 closer to that of a normal manual transmission vehicle. The vehicle body vibration generator 25 may be attached to, for example, a suspension (not shown) provided on the vehicle 1. The structure of the vehicle body vibration generator 25 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, an electric cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, or a gas cylinder.

[0036] (2. Driving mode control device) The running mode control device 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0037] (2-1. Configuration example) The driving mode control device 30 functions as a device that controls the driving mode of the vehicle 1 by having one or more processors, such as CPUs (Central Processing Units), execute a computer program. The computer program is a computer program that causes the processor to execute operations, described below, that should be performed by the driving mode control device 30. The computer program executed by the processor may be recorded on a recording medium that functions as a storage unit (memory) 32, described below. Alternatively, the computer program may be recorded on a recording medium built into the driving mode control device 30 or on any recording medium that can be externally attached to the driving mode control device 30.

[0038] Recording media for recording computer programs may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and Blu-ray (registered trademark), magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, memory elements such as RAMs and ROMs, flash memories such as USB memories and SSDs, and other media capable of storing programs.

[0039] The vehicle control device 11, input / output device 12, vehicle speed sensor 13, and acceleration sensor 14 are connected to the driving mode control device 30 via a dedicated line or communication means such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a LIN (Local Inter Net). The accelerator pedal 15 and accelerator pedal sensor 19, brake pedal 16 and brake pedal sensor 20, pseudo clutch pedal 17, pseudo clutch pedal sensor 21 and reaction force actuator 23, pseudo shift lever 18 and pseudo shift lever sensor 22, shift switch 24, and vehicle body vibration generator 25 are also connected to the driving mode control device 30 via a dedicated line or communication means such as a CAN or a LIN. Note that some or all of the components of the driving mode control device 30 may be provided in the vehicle control device 11.

[0040] The driving mode control device 30 includes a processing unit 31 and a storage unit 32.

[0041] (Processing section) The processing unit 31 includes one or more processors such as a CPU and various peripheral components. Part or all of the processing unit 31 may be configured with updatable components such as firmware, or may be a program module executed by instructions from the CPU or the like.

[0042] (Storage part) The storage unit 32 is composed of one or more storage elements such as RAM or ROM connected to the processing unit 31 so as to be able to communicate with it. However, there are no particular limitations on the type and number of storage units 32. The storage unit 32 stores information such as computer programs executed by the processing unit 31, various parameters used in the calculation processes, detection data, and calculation results. The storage unit 32 also stores in advance a manual transmission vehicle model that simulates a normal manual transmission vehicle, which will be described later.

[0043] (2-2. Functional configuration of the processing unit) The functional configuration of the processing unit 31 of the driving mode control device 30 will be described. The processing unit 31 includes an acquisition unit 33, a fatigue estimation unit 34, a driving control unit 35, a proposal unit 36, and a reception unit 37. Each of these units is a function realized by execution of a computer program by one or more processors such as a CPU. However, some or all of the acquisition unit 33, fatigue estimation unit 34, driving control unit 35, proposal unit 36, and reception unit 37 may be configured using analog circuits.

[0044] (Acquisition Department) The acquisition unit 33 acquires the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15 by the driver based on a detection signal from the accelerator pedal sensor 19, and stores the acquired amount in the storage unit 32. The acquisition unit 33 also acquires the depression amount of the brake pedal 16 by the driver based on a detection signal from the brake pedal sensor 20, and stores the acquired amount in the storage unit 32. The acquisition unit 33 also acquires the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 by the driver based on a detection signal from the pseudo clutch pedal sensor 21, and stores the acquired amount in the storage unit 32. The acquisition unit 33 also acquires the shift position of the pseudo shift lever 18 based on a detection signal from the pseudo shift lever sensor 22, and stores the acquired amount in the storage unit 32.

[0045] (Fatigue estimation section) The fatigue estimation unit 34 estimates the driver's fatigue state based on the driver's gear shifting operation or clutch operation. Specifically, the fatigue estimation unit 34 may estimate that the driver's fatigue state is a first fatigue state when a parameter value based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15, the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, or the operation of the pseudo shift lever 18 satisfies a first condition. The fatigue estimation unit 34 may estimate that the driver's fatigue state is a second fatigue state when a parameter value based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15, the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, or the operation of the pseudo shift lever 18 satisfies a second condition. The first condition is a condition for estimating the driver's fatigue state as the first fatigue state. The second condition is a condition for estimating the driver's fatigue state as a second fatigue state in which the driver is more tired than the first fatigue state. Therefore, the first condition and the second condition are different conditions.

[0046] The first condition is, - The number of occurrences of the pseudo engine stall state is equal to or greater than the threshold A1, The number of shift errors of the pseudo shift lever 18 is equal to or greater than a threshold value B1; The number of occurrences of insufficient depression of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 is equal to or greater than a threshold value C1, and - The number of occurrences of sudden acceleration in which the acceleration of vehicle 1 exceeds the reference acceleration is equal to or greater than threshold D1. Here, the acceleration of the vehicle 1 can be acquired from the acceleration sensor 14. The reference acceleration may be set in advance taking into consideration the legal speed limit, etc., or may be set dynamically depending on the vehicle speed range to which the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 13 belongs. The thresholds A1, B1, C1, and D1 may be set appropriately depending on the type of each parameter and stored in the storage unit 32 in advance.

[0047] The second condition is, - The number of occurrences of the pseudo engine stall state is equal to or greater than the threshold value A2, The number of shift errors of the pseudo shift lever 18 is equal to or greater than the threshold value B2, and The number of occurrences of insufficient depression of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 is equal to or greater than the threshold value C2. The thresholds A2, B2, and C2 may be set appropriately depending on the type of each parameter and may be stored in the storage unit 32 in advance.

[0048] Threshold A2 is set to a value greater than threshold A1. Threshold B2 is set to a value greater than threshold B1. Threshold C2 is set to a value greater than threshold C1. Note that, as will be described in detail later, the determination regarding the second condition is made when the first condition is met. When the first condition is met, the output transmission rate to the drive motor 2 is set to a value lower than the reference transmission rate. Therefore, even if the driver roughly operates the pseudo clutch pedal 17, the vehicle 1 will not suddenly accelerate. Therefore, unlike the first condition, the second condition does not need to include a condition regarding sudden acceleration.

[0049] The fatigue estimation unit 34 may estimate that a pseudo engine stall state has occurred when the cruise control unit 35 simulates an engine stall state based on the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 and the shift position of the pseudo shift lever 18, etc. The fatigue estimation unit 34 may also estimate that a shift error has occurred when the shift position detected by the pseudo shift lever sensor 22 is an inappropriate position. Note that an inappropriate shift position refers to a shift position that is determined by the cruise control unit 35 according to the vehicle speed, etc., of the vehicle 1 and that is different from an appropriate shift position that does not cause a pseudo engine stall state, etc. The fatigue estimation unit 34 may also estimate that an insufficient depression of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 has occurred when the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 is smaller than a reference depression amount. The fatigue estimation unit 34 may also estimate that a sudden acceleration has occurred when the rate of change in the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15 is larger than a reference change rate.

[0050] (Drive control unit: AT mode) The driving control unit 35 executes the following control in the AT mode, which is one of the driving modes and in which the driver's gear shifting and clutch operation are disabled. Note that the driving mode can be switched not only by the control of the driving control unit 35 (described later) but also by the driver operating a selector switch (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1.

[0051] The driving control unit 35 derives a drive torque determined by the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 15 by the driver. The driving control unit 35 also derives a motor torque to be applied to the drive wheels of the vehicle 1 from the derived drive torque. The driving control unit 35 also transmits a control signal based on the derived motor torque to the inverter 3 via the vehicle control device 11. The inverter 3 controls the drive torque of the drive motor 2 based on the control signal received from the vehicle control device 11.

[0052] (Driving control unit: MT mode) The driving control unit 35 executes the following control in the MT mode, among the driving modes, in which the driver's gear shifting operation and clutch operation are enabled.

[0053] The driving control unit 35 receives the driver's depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15 as the depression amount of the accelerator pedal that controls fuel supply to the internal combustion engine in a normal manual transmission vehicle. The driving control unit 35 also receives the driver's depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 as the depression amount of the clutch pedal that operates the clutch in a normal manual transmission vehicle. The driving control unit 35 also receives the driver's operation of the pseudo shift lever 18 as the operation of the shift lever that switches gears in a normal manual transmission vehicle. The driving control unit 35 also derives a drive torque determined by the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15, the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, and the shift position of the pseudo shift lever 18 using a manual transmission vehicle model that simulates a normal manual transmission vehicle. The manual transmission vehicle model may be a known model such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-043344, and is pre-stored in the storage unit 32 as described above. The driving control unit 35 also derives a motor torque to be applied to the drive wheels of the vehicle 1 from the derived drive torque. The traveling control unit 35 also transmits a control signal based on the derived motor torque to the inverter 3 via the vehicle control device 11. The inverter 3 controls the drive torque of the drive motor 2 based on the control signal received from the vehicle control device 11.

[0054] As a result, when changing the shift position or starting the vehicle 1, the driver can have the same experience as in a normal manual transmission vehicle, by operating the pseudo clutch pedal 17, the pseudo shift lever 18 to change the gear position, and the accelerator pedal 15 to adjust the vehicle speed. If the driving control unit 35 detects that the driver has improperly operated the pseudo clutch pedal 17 or the pseudo shift lever 18, it can also reproduce a pseudo engine stall state by executing control to stop the output of the drive motor 2 based on the manual transmission vehicle model.

[0055] In this way, the driving control unit 35 can derive the control content of the MT mode. The control content of the MT mode is as follows: -Determining the output of the drive motor 2 according to the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15; -Determining the output transmission rate to the drive motor 2 according to the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17; - Changing the output characteristics of the drive motor 2 according to the shift position of the pseudo shift lever 18, and -Determination of the pedal reaction force of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 The output transmission ratio and the pedal reaction force may be set as initial values ​​appropriately according to the driver's preferences, or may be stored in advance in the storage unit 32. However, in this embodiment, it is important that the cruise control unit 35 imposes the following restrictions on the control content of the MT mode described above based on the fatigue state of the driver estimated by the fatigue estimation unit 34.

[0056] Specifically, when the fatigue estimation unit 34 estimates that the driver's fatigue state is the first fatigue state, the driving control unit 35 may derive, as the control content for the MT mode, a control content for setting the output transmission rate to the drive motor 2, which is determined according to the amount of depression of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, to a value lower than the reference transmission rate.

[0057] 3, a description will be given of a case where the pseudo engine of a manual transmission vehicle model and the pseudo transmission mechanism are disconnected when the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 is 100%. The output transmission ratio relative to the release rate of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 has the characteristics shown by the solid line under normal conditions, but in the first fatigue state, it may have the characteristics shown by the dashed line, which are shifted down from the solid line across the entire range of release rates.

[0058] Referring to Figure 4, in the case of vehicle 1 in which the pseudo engine of the MT vehicle model and the pseudo transmission mechanism are disconnected when the depression amount of pseudo clutch pedal 17 is 0%, the output transmission rate relative to the release rate of pseudo clutch pedal 17 may have the characteristics shown by the solid line under normal conditions, but may have the characteristics shown by the dashed line in which the release rate is shifted down more than the solid line across the entire range of release rates in the first fatigue state.

[0059] Additionally or alternatively, when the fatigue estimation unit 34 estimates that the driver's fatigue state is the first fatigue state, the driving control unit 35 may derive a control content for the MT mode that sets the pedal reaction force of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 to a value lower than the reference reaction force.

[0060] Additionally or alternatively, when the fatigue estimation unit 34 estimates that the driver's fatigue state is the first fatigue state, the traveling control unit 35 may derive, as the control content for the MT mode, a control content for coasting the vehicle 1 when an erroneous operation of the pseudo shift lever 18 by the driver is detected. Here, "coasting" means putting the vehicle 1 into a so-called creep state. This makes it possible to suppress impacts to the vehicle body due to regenerative braking or behavior that is about to result in a pseudo engine stall, even if an erroneous operation of the pseudo shift lever 18 by the driver occurs. Furthermore, examples of "erroneous operation" include, but are not limited to, changing the shift position from fifth gear to second gear or from second gear to fifth gear.

[0061] Furthermore, when the fatigue estimation unit 34 estimates that the fatigue state of the driver is a second fatigue state different from the first fatigue state, the traveling control unit 35 may execute control to switch from the MT mode to the AT mode.

[0062] (Proposal Department) 2, the suggestion unit 36 ​​executes a process for suggesting to the driver the results derived by the driving control unit 35, etc., by controlling the driving of the input / output device 12. The suggestion may be executed by audio output, image display, or text display.

[0063] (Reception Department) The receiving unit 37 controls the driving of the input / output device 12 to execute a process of receiving the driver's response to the proposal made by the proposing unit 36. The response may be given by voice input or the like.

[0064] (2-3. Example of operation of the driving mode control device) An example of the operation of the running mode control device 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart in FIG.

[0065] In step S10, the traveling control unit 35 determines whether the MT mode is ON. If it is determined that the MT mode is ON (step S10: YES), the process proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if it is determined that the MT mode is not ON (step S10: NO), the process ends.

[0066] In step S11, the cruise control unit 35 sets the first control content as the control content for the MT mode. In this operation example, the first control content includes setting the power transmission ratio to the drive motor 2 and the pedal reaction force of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 to initial values ​​that are preset in accordance with the driver's preferences. This allows the driver to experience the same sensation as driving a normal MT vehicle, with the power transmission ratio and pedal reaction force according to the driver's preferences. The process then proceeds to step S12.

[0067] In step S12, the suggestion unit 36 ​​executes a process of suggesting to the driver whether or not to set the control content in the MT mode according to the driver's fatigue state. If the driver replies that the control content according to the fatigue state is permitted (step S12: YES), the process proceeds to step S13. If the driver replies that the control content according to the fatigue state is not permitted (step S12: NO), the process ends.

[0068] In addition, instead of step S12, the process may be terminated if a so-called sports mode is operating in which the output characteristics of the drive motor 2 are steeper than normal, for example, by setting the upper limit value of the acceleration of the vehicle 1 higher than normal.

[0069] In step S13, the fatigue estimation unit 34 determines whether the parameter value based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15, the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, or the operation of the pseudo shift lever 18 satisfies the first condition for estimating the driver's fatigue state as the first fatigue state.

[0070] In this operation example, the first condition includes condition (i) that the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state is equal to or greater than a threshold value A1, condition (ii) that the number of occurrences of shift errors of the pseudo shift lever 18 is equal to or greater than a threshold value B1, condition (iii) that the number of occurrences of insufficient depression of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 is equal to or greater than a threshold value C1, and condition (iv) that the number of occurrences of sudden acceleration of the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a threshold value D1. The fatigue estimation unit 34 may perform the determinations regarding conditions (i) to (iv) in parallel or sequentially in any order. Note that, before processing step S13, the fatigue estimation unit 34 initializes the number of occurrences of each of conditions (i) to (iv) to "0." Here, in the present disclosure, the first condition does not need to include all of conditions (i) to (iv), but may include one or more of conditions (i) to (iv).

[0071] If it is determined that the first condition is met (step S13: YES), the fatigue estimation unit 34 estimates the driver's fatigue state to be the first fatigue state, and the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if it is determined that the first condition is not met (step S13: NO), the process returns to step S13.

[0072] In step S14, the cruise control unit 35 derives second control content as the control content for the MT mode. In this operation example, the second control content includes setting the output transmission rate to the drive motor 2, which is determined according to the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, to a value lower than the reference transmission rate. The second control content also includes setting the pedal reaction force of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 to a value lower than the reference reaction force. The second control content also includes causing the vehicle 1 to coast when an erroneous operation of the pseudo shift lever 18 by the driver is detected. However, the second control content does not need to include all three of the control content described above, and may include one or more of these control content. The process then proceeds to step S15.

[0073] In step S14, the cruise control unit 35 preferably limits the control for setting the output transmission ratio lower than the reference transmission ratio to a predetermined time from the start of the driver's operation of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, and executes control for restoring the output transmission ratio to the reference transmission ratio after the predetermined time has elapsed. This is because if the output transmission ratio remains lower than the reference value, it is insufficient to achieve the output originally required when traveling on a highway or uphill. Specifically, the cruise control unit 35 may execute control for gradually restoring the output transmission ratio to the reference transmission ratio over time from the start of operation of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 by calculating the output transmission ratio using the following equation (1). Note that the "set value" in equation (1) refers to the output transmission ratio at the start of operation of the pseudo clutch pedal 17 and is set lower than the reference transmission ratio. Furthermore, the "elapsed time" in equation (1) refers to the elapsed time from the start of operation of the pseudo clutch pedal 17. Furthermore, the "predetermined time" in equation (1) is, for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and can be set as appropriate.

[0074]

number

[0075] In step S15, the suggestion unit 36 ​​executes a process of suggesting to the driver whether or not to permit control in accordance with the second control content derived in step S14. If the driver replies that control in accordance with the second control content is permitted (step S15: YES), the process proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, if the driver replies that control in accordance with the second control content is not permitted (step S15: NO), the process ends. Note that this suggestion allows the driver to realize that he or she is fatigued. However, this step is not essential and can be omitted.

[0076] In step S16, the driving control unit 35 executes control in accordance with the second control content. Specifically, the driving control unit 35 derives the motor torque by the method described above in accordance with the second control content, and transmits a control signal based on the derived motor torque to the inverter 3. As a result, the inverter 3 controls the drive torque of the traction motor 2 based on the control signal received from the driving control unit 35. The process then proceeds to step S17.

[0077] In step S17, the fatigue estimation unit 34 determines whether the parameter value based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 15, the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, or the operation of the pseudo shift lever 18 satisfies the second condition for estimating the driver's fatigue state as a second fatigue state in which the driver is more tired than the first fatigue state.

[0078] In this operation example, the second condition includes condition (v) that the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state is equal to or greater than threshold A2, condition (vi) that the number of occurrences of a false shift lever 18 misshift is equal to or greater than threshold B2, and condition (vii) that the number of occurrences of a false clutch pedal 17 is equal to or greater than threshold C2. The fatigue estimation unit 34 may perform the determinations regarding conditions (v) to (vii) in parallel, or may perform the determinations sequentially in any order. Note that, before processing step S17, the fatigue estimation unit 34 initializes the number of occurrences of each of conditions (v) to (vii) to "0." Here, in the present disclosure, the second condition does not need to include all of conditions (v) to (vii), but may include one or more of conditions (v) to (vii).

[0079] If it is determined that the second condition is met (step S17: YES), the fatigue estimation unit 34 estimates the driver's fatigue state to be a second fatigue state in which the driver is more tired than the first fatigue state, and the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if it is determined that the second condition is not met (step S17: NO), the process returns to step S17.

[0080] In step S18, the driving control unit 35 derives a third control content as the control content for the MT mode. In this operation example, the third control content includes switching from the MT mode to the AT mode. That is, since the driver is in the second fatigue state, in which fatigue has accumulated more than in the first fatigue state, the MT mode is forcibly turned off from a safety standpoint. The process then proceeds to step S19.

[0081] In step S19, the driving control unit 35 executes control in accordance with the third control content. Specifically, the driving control unit 35 disables the driver's gear shifting operation and clutch operation in accordance with the third control content, derives motor torque using the control method in the AT mode described above, and transmits a control signal based on the derived motor torque to the inverter 3. As a result, the inverter 3 controls the drive torque of the drive motor 2 based on the control signal received from the driving control unit 35. Then, the process ends.

[0082] Among the various processes included in this operation example, the processes from step S13 onward are preferably executed when a predetermined time has elapsed since the driver started driving. The predetermined time can be set appropriately taking into consideration the accumulation of fatigue due to driving, etc.

[0083] (effect) As described above, the driving mode control device 30 according to this embodiment controls the driving modes of the vehicle 1, which is equipped with the drive motor 2, the accelerator pedal 15 that receives an acceleration request from the driver, the pseudo clutch pedal 17 that is operated by the driver to simulate a clutch operation, and the pseudo shift lever 18 that is operated by the driver to simulate a gear shift operation. Furthermore, in the MT mode, which is one of the driving modes in which gear shifting and clutch operation are enabled, the processing unit 31 of the driving mode control device 30 estimates the driver's fatigue state based on the gear shifting operation or clutch operation. Then, the processing unit 31 of the driving mode control device 30 derives the control content for the MT mode based on the estimated fatigue state.

[0084] With this configuration, the driving mode of the vehicle 1 can be controlled according to the fatigue state of the driver of the vehicle 1. In particular, it is possible to detect a latent fatigue state that is difficult to detect with known driver monitoring systems, such as an accumulated physical fatigue even though the driver is not drowsy or otherwise alert, based on the operation of the pseudo clutch pedal 17, etc. Therefore, in an electric vehicle that simulates the operation of a driver in a manual transmission vehicle, it is possible to reduce the burden on the driver and achieve safe driving.

[0085] As a modified example, in steps S13 and S17, the fatigue estimation unit 34 may estimate the driver's fatigue state based on a comparison between the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state during a first period after the driver starts driving and the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state during a second period after the first period has elapsed since the driver started driving. Specifically, the fatigue estimation unit 34 may estimate that the driver's fatigue state is the first fatigue state if the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state during the second period is greater than the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state during the first period by a predetermined first difference. Alternatively, the fatigue estimation unit 34 may estimate that the driver's fatigue state is the second fatigue state if the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state during the second period is greater than the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state during the first period by a predetermined second difference. Here, the second difference is greater than the first difference. This makes it possible to distinguish between occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state due to the driver's insufficient skill and occurrences of a pseudo engine stall state due to the driver's fatigue. The first period and the second period can be set appropriately taking into consideration driver fatigue caused by driving and the like.

[0086] Although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0087] The technology of the present disclosure can be applied to vehicles other than the vehicle 1 described above, which are equipped with any known or arbitrary electrically controllable transmission mechanism.

[0088] In addition, the technology disclosed herein can also be realized as a vehicle 1 equipped with the driving mode control device 30 described in the above-mentioned embodiment, a driving mode control method executed by the driving mode control device 30, a computer program that causes a computer to function as the above-mentioned driving mode control device 30, and a non-temporary tangible recording medium on which the computer program is recorded. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1: vehicle, 2: drive motor, 15: accelerator pedal, 16: brake pedal, 17: pseudo clutch pedal, 18: pseudo shift lever, 19: accelerator pedal sensor, 20: brake pedal sensor, 21: clutch pedal sensor, 22: pseudo shift lever sensor, 23: reaction force actuator, 30: driving mode control device, 31: processing unit, 32: memory unit, 33: acquisition unit, 34: fatigue estimation unit, 35: driving control unit, 36: proposal unit, 37: reception unit

Claims

1. A driving mode control device that controls a driving mode of a vehicle that includes a drive motor, an accelerator pedal that receives an acceleration request from a driver, a pseudo clutch pedal that is operated by the driver and simulates a clutch operation, and a pseudo shift lever that is operated by the driver and simulates a gear change operation, one or more processors; and one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; the one or more processors: In the MT mode among the driving modes in which the gear shift operation and the clutch operation are enabled, estimating a fatigue state of the driver based on the gear shift operation or the clutch operation; deriving control details for the MT mode based on the estimated fatigue state; Driving mode control device.

2. the one or more processors: In the MT mode, When a parameter value based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal, the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal, or the operation of the pseudo shift lever satisfies a first condition for estimating the fatigue state as a first fatigue state, The control content is: - a control content in which the output transmission ratio to the drive motor, which is determined in accordance with the depression amount of the pseudo clutch pedal, is set to a value lower than a reference transmission ratio; - a control content in which the pedal reaction force of the pseudo clutch pedal is set to a value lower than the reference reaction force; and - Control content for coasting the vehicle when an erroneous operation of the pseudo shift lever by the driver is detected deriving one or more control contents from The driving mode control device according to claim 1 .

3. the one or more processors: In the MT mode, When the parameter value satisfies a second condition for estimating the fatigue state as a second fatigue state in which the driver is more tired than the first fatigue state, executes control to switch the MT mode to an AT mode in which the gear shift operation and the clutch operation are disabled; The driving mode control device according to claim 2 .

4. The parameter values ​​are: - the number of occurrences of a pseudo engine stall condition; - the number of occurrences of shift errors of the pseudo shift lever; - the number of occurrences of the pseudo clutch pedal being insufficiently depressed, and - the number of occurrences of sudden acceleration in which the acceleration of the vehicle exceeds the reference acceleration; are one or more parameter values ​​of The driving mode control device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. A drive motor; an accelerator pedal for inputting an acceleration request from a driver; a pseudo clutch pedal operated by the driver to simulate a clutch operation; a pseudo shift lever operated by the driver to simulate a gear shift operation; The driving mode control device according to claim 1; A vehicle equipped with:

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