Control device

Abstract

To enhance energy efficiency of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A control device 60, which is a control device 60 for a vehicle 1 in which an engine 11, a first motor generator 21 (a generator) capable of generating power by using power output from the engine 11, and a second motor generator 23 (a driving motor) connected to a driving wheel 33 are connected via a planetary gear mechanism 31, includes a control unit that controls an operating point of the engine 11 by controlling operations of the first motor generator 21 and the second motor generator 23. The control unit changes a fuel consumption characteristic of the engine 11, based on traveling characteristic information indicating a past traveling characteristic of a driver of the vehicle 1 and controls the operating point of the engine 11, based on the fuel consumption characteristic.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, hybrid vehicles equipped with an engine and a drive motor as a drive source have been widely used. In such vehicles, the engine, a generator capable of generating electricity using the power output from the engine, and a drive motor connected to drive wheels may be connected via a planetary gear mechanism, which is a power split mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The planetary gear mechanism splits and transmits the power output from the engine to the generator and the drive motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-116153 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above hybrid vehicle, the rotation speed and torque of the engine can be controlled by controlling the operation of the generator and the drive motor. That is, the operating point of the engine can be controlled. This can improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle, including fuel efficiency. However, different drivers may have different driving styles. Therefore, depending on the driver, the energy efficiency of the vehicle may not be improved appropriately.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device capable of improving the energy efficiency of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the control device of the present invention is a control device for a vehicle in which an engine, a generator capable of generating electricity using power output from the engine, and a drive motor connected to drive wheels are connected via a planetary gear mechanism, determining a distribution of the engine's net fuel consumption rate on a plane including an axis of the engine speed and an axis of the engine torque, and controlling the engine so that the net fuel consumption rate follows the distribution; By controlling the operation of the generator and the drive motor On a plane The control unit controls an operating point of the engine based on driving characteristic information indicating the past driving characteristics of the driver of the vehicle. ,distribution Change do .

[0007] The driving characteristics may include a history of the vehicle's power output.

[0008] The driving characteristics may include engine speed history.

[0009] The driving characteristic information is stored for each individual driver, and the control unit determines, based on the driving characteristic information corresponding to each individual driver, distribution may be changed.

[0010] The driving characteristic information is stored for each day of the week on which the vehicle has traveled, and the control unit, based on the driving characteristic information corresponding to each day of the week, distribution may be changed. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the energy efficiency of a vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a collinear diagram showing the relationship between the rotation speeds of an engine, a first motor generator, and a second motor generator according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]5 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing performed by a control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 is a first example of a history of a vehicle's output. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an operating line determined for a first BSFC map candidate when the output history is a first example. FIG. [Figure 7] 13 is a diagram showing an operating line determined for a second BSFC map candidate when the output history is the first example. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an operating line determined for a third BSFC map candidate when the output history is the first example. [Figure 9] 11 is a second example of a vehicle output history. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an operating line determined for a first BSFC map candidate when the output history is the second example. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram showing an operating line determined for a second BSFC map candidate when the output history is a second example. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an operating line determined for a third BSFC map candidate when the output history is the second example. [Figure 13] 11 is a third example of a vehicle output history. [Figure 14] 13 is a diagram for explaining another example of evaluation of energy efficiency for the operation line of the BSFC map candidate. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0014] <Vehicle configuration> The configuration of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes an engine 11, a first motor generator 21, a first inverter 22, a second motor generator 23, a second inverter 24, a battery 25, a planetary gear mechanism 31, a gear group 32, driving wheels 33, a display device 41, a vehicle speed sensor 51, an engine speed sensor 52, a gradient sensor 53, and a control device 60. The planetary gear mechanism 31 includes a sun gear 31a, a carrier 31b, and a ring gear 31c. The first motor generator 21, the first inverter 22, the second motor generator 23, and the second inverter 24 correspond to the first MG, the first INV, the second MG, and the second INV in FIG. 1, respectively.

[0016] The first motor generator 21 corresponds to an example of a generator according to the present invention, and the second motor generator 23 corresponds to an example of a drive motor according to the present invention.

[0017] The engine 11 generates power using gasoline or the like as fuel. The engine 11 outputs power to drive the drive wheels 33. The power output from the engine 11 is also used for generating electricity by the first motor generator 21. A crankshaft, which is an output shaft of the engine 11, is connected to the carrier 31b of the planetary gear mechanism 31.

[0018] The first motor generator 21 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor, and is connected to a battery 25 via a first inverter 22. The first motor generator 21 is capable of generating electricity using power output from the engine 11. The power generated by the first motor generator 21 is supplied to the battery 25 via the first inverter 22. This charges the battery 25. The first motor generator 21 can also be driven using the power of the battery 25 to output power. An output shaft of the first motor generator 21 is connected to a sun gear 31a of a planetary gear mechanism 31.

[0019] The second motor generator 23 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor, and is connected to the battery 25 via the second inverter 24. The second motor generator 23 is driven using the power of the battery 25, and outputs power to drive the drive wheels 33. The second motor generator 23 can also generate regenerative power using the kinetic energy of the drive wheels 33 when the vehicle 1 is decelerating. The power generated by the second motor generator 23 is supplied to the battery 25 via the second inverter 24. This charges the battery 25. An output shaft of the second motor generator 23 is connected to a ring gear 31c of the planetary gear mechanism 31.

[0020] As described above, the engine 11, the first motor generator 21, and the second motor generator 23 are connected via the planetary gear mechanism 31. The planetary gear mechanism 31 is a power split mechanism that splits and transmits the power output from the engine 11 to the first motor generator 21 and the second motor generator 23. In the planetary gear mechanism 31, the ring gear 31c is arranged concentrically on the outer periphery side of the sun gear 31a. The carrier 31b supports a plurality of pinion gears that mesh with the sun gear 31a and the ring gear 31c so as to be rotatable and revolvable.

[0021] 2 is a collinear diagram showing the relationship between the rotation speeds of the engine 11, the first motor generator 21, and the second motor generator 23. As shown in FIG. 2, when the vertical axis showing the rotation speed of the first motor generator 21 (i.e., the rotation speed of the sun gear 31a), the vertical axis showing the rotation speed of the engine 11 (i.e., the rotation speed of the carrier 31b), and the vertical axis showing the rotation speed of the second motor generator 23 (i.e., the rotation speed of the ring gear 31c) are arranged in this order on the collinear diagram, the rotation speeds of the engine 11, the first motor generator 21, and the second motor generator 23 are arranged in a linear relationship. The ratio of a distance d1 between the vertical axis showing the rotation speed of the first motor generator 21 and the vertical axis showing the rotation speed of the engine 11 to a distance d2 between the vertical axis showing the rotation speed of the engine 11 and the vertical axis showing the rotation speed of the second motor generator 23 matches the ratio between the number of teeth of the ring gear 31c and the number of teeth of the sun gear 31a.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the second motor generator 23 is coupled to the drive wheels 33. Specifically, the output shaft of the second motor generator 23 is connected to the drive wheels 33 via a gear group 32. The gear group 32 includes a plurality of gears. The power output from the engine 11 and the power output from the second motor generator 23 are transmitted to the drive wheels 33 via the gear group 32. The drive wheels 33 may be the front wheels or the rear wheels. The drive wheels 33 may be both the front wheels and the rear wheels. In this case, the power output from the output side of the gear group 32 is transmitted to both the front wheels and the rear wheels.

[0023] As described above, the vehicle 1 is a hybrid vehicle equipped with the engine 11 and the second motor generator 23 as drive sources. The vehicle 1 can switch between an HEV mode in which the vehicle runs using power output from both the engine 11 and the second motor generator 23, an EV mode in which the engine 11 is stopped and the vehicle runs using power output from the second motor generator 23, and an engine running mode in which the vehicle runs using only power output from the engine 11.

[0024] The display device 41 is a device that visually displays information. For example, a multi-function display (MFD) may be used as the display device 41. The multi-function display displays various information such as the fuel efficiency and driving distance of the vehicle 1.

[0025] The vehicle speed sensor 51 detects the vehicle speed, which is the speed of the vehicle 1 , and outputs the detected speed to the control device 60 .

[0026] The engine speed sensor 52 detects the speed of the engine 11 and outputs it to the control device 60 .

[0027] The gradient sensor 53 detects the gradient of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, and outputs the gradient to the control device 60. As the gradient sensor 53, for example, an acceleration sensor or the like can be used.

[0028] The control device 60 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is an arithmetic processing device, a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a memory element that stores programs and arithmetic parameters used by the CPU, and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a memory element that temporarily stores parameters that change appropriately during CPU execution.

[0029] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control device 60. As shown in Fig. 3, the control device 60 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 61, a control unit 62, and a storage unit 63.

[0030] The acquisition unit 61 acquires various information used in the processing performed by the control unit 62. The acquisition unit 61 also outputs the acquired information to the control unit 62 and the storage unit 63. For example, the acquisition unit 61 acquires information from the vehicle speed sensor 51, the engine speed sensor 52, and the gradient sensor 53.

[0031] The control unit 62 controls the operation of each device in the vehicle 1. For example, the control unit 62 includes an engine control unit 62a, a motor control unit 62b, and a display control unit 62c.

[0032] The engine control unit 62a controls the operation of the engine 11. Specifically, the engine control unit 62a controls the operation of each device in the engine 11 to control the throttle opening, ignition timing, fuel injection amount, and the like. In this way, the engine control unit 62a can control the output of the engine 11.

[0033] The motor control unit 62b controls the operations of the first motor generator 21 and the second motor generator 23. Specifically, the motor control unit 62b controls the operation of the switching elements of the first inverter 22 to control the supply of power between the first motor generator 21 and the battery 25. In this way, the motor control unit 62b can control the generation of power and the generation of electricity by the first motor generator 21. In addition, the motor control unit 62b controls the operation of the switching elements of the second inverter 24 to control the supply of power between the second motor generator 23 and the battery 25. In this way, the motor control unit 62b can control the generation of power and the generation of electricity by the second motor generator 23.

[0034] The display control unit 62c controls the operation of the display device 41. Specifically, the display control unit 62c causes the display device 41 to display various information or causes the display device 41 to stop displaying the information. This makes it possible to notify the driver of various information.

[0035] The storage unit 63 stores various information used in the processing performed by the control unit 62.

[0036] For example, the memory unit 63 stores a plurality of BSFC maps showing the distribution of brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) [g / kwh]. In the BSFC map, the distribution of the brake specific fuel consumption is shown on a plane with the horizontal axis representing the engine speed [rpm] that is the rotation speed of the engine 11 and the vertical axis representing the engine torque [Nm] that is the torque of the engine 11. The plurality of BSFC maps stored in the memory unit 63 correspond to BSFC map candidates that will be described later. The memory unit 63 particularly stores, as a used BSFC map, a BSFC map that is used by the control unit 62 out of the plurality of BSFC maps.

[0037] Also, for example, the storage unit 63 stores a target operating line corresponding to the used BSFC map. The target operating line is an operating line that is a control target among the operating lines that connect the operating points of the engine 11 on the BSFC map. The operating points are points that indicate the engine speed and engine torque on a plane such as a BSFC map with the engine speed on the horizontal axis and the engine torque on the vertical axis.

[0038] Further, for example, the storage unit 63 stores driving characteristic information indicating past driving characteristics of the driver of the vehicle 1. The driving characteristic information may be information acquired from sensors in the vehicle 1 such as the vehicle speed sensor 51, the engine revolutions sensor 52, and the gradient sensor 53, or may be information generated by the control unit 62, or may be information transmitted to the vehicle 1 from outside the vehicle 1. Details of the driving characteristic information will be described later.

[0039] Here, the control unit 62 can change the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11. The control unit 62 (specifically, the engine control unit 62a) can change the fuel efficiency characteristics (i.e., the characteristics of the net fuel consumption rate) by controlling the operation of each device in the engine 11. The control unit 62 can change the fuel efficiency characteristics, for example, by controlling the compression ratio of the cylinders of the engine 11, controlling the opening and closing timing of the intake and exhaust valves, or performing cylinder deactivation control. The control unit 62 changes the fuel efficiency characteristics so that the distribution of the net fuel consumption rate becomes the distribution shown in the used BSFC map. Therefore, when the used BSFC map stored in the memory unit 63 is rewritten, the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 are switched.

[0040] Further, the control unit 62 controls the operating point of the engine 11 based on the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11. The control unit 62 controls the operating point of the engine 11 so that it passes through a target operating line corresponding to the used BSFC map. Therefore, when the target operating line stored in the storage unit 63 is rewritten, the operating line through which the operating point of the engine 11 actually passes changes. The control unit 62 can control the operating point of the engine 11 by controlling the operation of the first motor generator 21 and the second motor generator 23. As described above, the rotation speeds of the engine 11, the first motor generator 21, and the second motor generator 23 are in a linear relationship on the alignment chart. Therefore, the control unit 62 can control the operating point of the engine 11 by controlling the rotation speed of the engine 11, for example, by controlling the rotation speeds of the first motor generator 21 and the second motor generator 23.

[0041] As described above, the control device 60 communicates with each device in the vehicle 1. The communication between the control device 60 and each device is realized, for example, by using CAN (Controller Area Network) communication.

[0042] The functions of the control device 60 according to the present embodiment may be divided among multiple control devices, or multiple functions may be realized by one control device. When the functions of the control device 60 are divided among multiple control devices, the multiple control devices may be connected to each other via a communication bus such as a CAN.

[0043] As described above, the control unit 62 of the control device 60 controls the operating point of the engine 11 based on the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11. Here, the control unit 62 changes the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 based on driving characteristic information indicating the past driving characteristics of the driver of the vehicle 1. This makes it possible to improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1. Details of such processing performed by the control device 60 will be described later.

[0044] <Control device operation> The operation of the control device 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0045] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the control device 60. Note that the control flow shown in Fig. 4 is, for example, repeatedly started at predetermined time intervals after it has ended.

[0046] When the control flow shown in Fig. 4 is started, first, in step S101, the control unit 62 determines whether or not the power supply system of the vehicle 1 is turned OFF. For example, when a signal indicating ReadyOFF is output from the ignition switch, the control unit 62 determines that the power supply system is turned OFF. When it is determined that the power supply system is turned OFF (step S101 / YES), the control unit 62 proceeds to step S102. On the other hand, when it is determined that the power supply system is not turned OFF (step S101 / NO), the control flow shown in Fig. 4 ends.

[0047] If the determination in step S101 is YES, in step S102, the control unit 62 determines the operation line of each BSFC map candidate based on the driving characteristic information. The BSFC map candidates are, for example, BSFC maps stored in the storage unit 63.

[0048] As described above, the driving characteristic information is information indicating the past driving characteristics of the driver of the vehicle 1. In the following, an example will be described in which the output history of the vehicle 1 is used as the driving characteristics. However, as will be described later, the driving characteristics are not limited to this example.

[0049] In the following, an example will be described in which three BSFC map candidates are used as the BSFC map candidates: a first BSFC map candidate M1 (see FIG. 6 or FIG. 10), a second BSFC map candidate M2 (see FIG. 7 or FIG. 11), and a third BSFC map candidate M3 (see FIG. 8 or FIG. 12). However, the number of BSFC map candidates and the distribution of net fuel consumption rates shown in the BSFC map candidates are not limited to this example.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a first example of the history of the output of the vehicle 1. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the output of the vehicle 1, and the vertical axis indicates the amount of work due to the output of the vehicle 1. Note that the output on the horizontal axis in FIG. 5 is the output of the entire vehicle 1 (for example, the sum of the output of the engine 11 and the output of the second motor generator 23). The output history shown in FIG. 5 is the history of the output during a predetermined period of the past. The predetermined period is not particularly limited, but is, for example, about the past month. The driving characteristics shown in FIG. 5 can be derived, for example, from information indicating the frequency of each output of the vehicle 1. The first example shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to the history of the output expected when driven by an average driver.

[0051] Figures 6, 7, and 8 are figures showing operating lines L1, L2, and L3 determined for the first BSFC map candidate M1, the second BSFC map candidate M2, and the third BSFC map candidate M3, respectively, when the output history is the first example shown in Figure 5.

[0052] Each of the BSFC map candidates, the first BSFC map candidate M1, the second BSFC map candidate M2, and the third BSFC map candidate M3, shows a contour line of the net fuel consumption rate, and the closer to the center of the contour line, the lower the net fuel consumption rate is. Compared to the first BSFC map candidate M1, the second BSFC map candidate M2 has a lower net fuel consumption rate on the low rotation side and low torque side. Compared to the first BSFC map candidate M1, the third BSFC map candidate M3 has a lower net fuel consumption rate on the high rotation side and high torque side.

[0053] A process for determining the operating line L1 of the first BSFC map candidate M1 when the output history is the first example shown in FIG. 5 will be described.

[0054] First, the control unit 62 determines a representative output based on the output history shown in FIG. 5. For example, the control unit 62 determines three output ranges R1, R2, and R3 centered on the weighted average of the output weighted by the workload in the output history shown in FIG. 5. The output ranges R1, R2, and R3 are ranges that include, for example, 30%, 80%, and 90% of the total workload, respectively. The control unit 62 determines the lower limit of the output range R1 as the representative output P1, and the upper limit of the output range R1 as the representative output P2. The control unit 62 determines the lower limit of the output range R2 as the representative output P3, and the upper limit of the output range R2 as the representative output P4. The control unit 62 determines the lower limit of the output range R3 as the representative output P5, and the upper limit of the output range R3 as the representative output P6.

[0055] Next, the control unit 62 extracts operating points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 at which the net fuel consumption rate is the lowest on each of the curves indicating the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 on the first BSFC map candidate M1, as shown in Fig. 6. Then, the control unit 62 determines an operating line L1 so as to pass through the operating points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 on the first BSFC map candidate M1. In the first example, all of the curves indicating the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 pass through the portion in the first BSFC map candidate M1 where the contour lines of the net fuel consumption rate are shown (i.e., the portion in the entire map where the net fuel consumption rate is low). Therefore, the operating line L1 is determined so that the net fuel consumption rate is low at the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6.

[0056] Note that the method of determining the representative outputs and the number of representative outputs are not limited to the above example, and therefore the method of determining the operating points used to determine the operating line L1 and the number of representative outputs are not limited to the above example.

[0057] When the output history is the first example shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 62 determines the operating lines L2 and L3 for the second BSFC map candidate M2 and the third BSFC map candidate M3, respectively, by processing similar to the above processing.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 7, the control unit 62 extracts operating points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 at which the net fuel consumption rate is the lowest on each curve indicating the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 on the second BSFC map candidate M2. Then, the control unit 62 determines an operating line L2 so as to pass through the operating points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 on the second BSFC map candidate M2. In the first example, only a part of the curve indicating the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 passes through the part indicating the contour line of the net fuel consumption rate on the second BSFC map candidate M2. Therefore, the operating line L2 is determined so that the net fuel consumption rate is higher at the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 than in the example of Fig. 6.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 8, the control unit 62 extracts operating points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 at which the net fuel consumption rate is the lowest on the curves indicating the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 on the third BSFC map candidate M3. Then, the control unit 62 determines an operating line L3 so as to pass through the operating points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 on the third BSFC map candidate M3. In the first example, only a part of the curves indicating the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 passes through the part where the contour lines of the net fuel consumption rate are indicated on the third BSFC map candidate M3. Therefore, the operating line L3 is determined so that the net fuel consumption rate is higher at the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 than in the example of Fig. 6.

[0060] FIG. 9 is a second example of the history of the output of the vehicle. In FIG. 9, similarly to FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the output of the vehicle 1, and the vertical axis indicates the amount of work due to the output of the vehicle 1. Also, in FIG. 9, the output history shown in FIG. 5 is shown by a dashed line. The second example shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the history of the output assumed when a driver who drives more frequently on the low torque side compared to an average driver drives. An example of a driver who drives more frequently on the low torque side is a driver who drives a lot for city driving purposes.

[0061] Figures 10, 11, and 12 are figures showing operating lines L1', L2', and L3' determined for the first BSFC map candidate M1, the second BSFC map candidate M2, and the third BSFC map candidate M3, respectively, when the output history is the second example shown in Figure 9.

[0062] When the output history is the second example shown in Figure 9, the control unit 62 determines operating lines L1', L2', and L3' for the first BSFC map candidate M1, the second BSFC map candidate M2, and the third BSFC map candidate M3, respectively, by processing similar to the first example described above.

[0063] First, the control unit 62 determines a representative output based on the output history shown in FIG. 9. For example, the control unit 62 determines the ranges including 30%, 80%, and 90% of the total workload in the output history shown in FIG. 9 as output ranges R1', R2', and R3', respectively, in the same manner as in the first example. The control unit 62 determines the lower limit of the output range R1' as the representative output P1', and the upper limit of the output range R1' as the representative output P2'. The control unit 62 determines the lower limit of the output range R2' as the representative output P3', and the upper limit of the output range R2' as the representative output P4'. The control unit 62 determines the lower limit of the output range R3' as the representative output P5', and the upper limit of the output range R3' as the representative output P6'.

[0064] 10, the control unit 62 extracts operating points D1', D2', D3', D4', D5', and D6' at which the net fuel consumption rate is lowest on the curves indicating the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' on the first BSFC map candidate M1. Then, the control unit 62 determines an operating line L1' so as to pass through the operating points D1', D2', D3', D4', D5', and D6' on the first BSFC map candidate M1. In the second example, none of the curves indicating the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' pass through the portion indicating the contour lines of the net fuel consumption rate on the first BSFC map candidate M1. Therefore, the operating line L1' is determined so that the net fuel consumption rate is higher at the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' than in the example of FIG. 11 described later.

[0065] 11, the control unit 62 extracts operating points D1', D2', D3', D4', D5', and D6' at which the net fuel consumption rate is lowest on each curve indicating the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' on the second BSFC map candidate M2. Then, the control unit 62 determines an operating line L2' so as to pass through the operating points D1', D2', D3', D4', D5', and D6' on the second BSFC map candidate M2. In the second example, all of the curves indicating the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' pass through the portion indicating the contour lines of the net fuel consumption rate on the second BSFC map candidate M2. Therefore, the operating line L2' is determined so that the net fuel consumption rate is low at the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6'.

[0066] 12, the control unit 62 extracts operating points D1', D2', D3', D4', D5', and D6' at which the net fuel consumption rate is lowest on the curves indicating the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' on the third BSFC map candidate M3. Then, the control unit 62 determines an operating line L3' so as to pass through the operating points D1', D2', D3', D4', D5', and D6' on the third BSFC map candidate M3. In the second example, none of the curves indicating the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' pass through the portion indicating the contour lines of the net fuel consumption rate on the third BSFC map candidate M3. Therefore, the operating line L3' is determined so that the net fuel consumption rate is higher at the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' than in the example of FIG.

[0067] FIG. 13 is a third example of the history of the output of the vehicle. In FIG. 13, similarly to FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the output of the vehicle 1, and the vertical axis indicates the amount of work by the output of the vehicle 1. Also, in FIG. 13, the output history shown in FIG. 5 is shown by a dashed line. The third example shown in FIG. 13 corresponds to the history of the output assumed when a driver who drives more frequently on the high torque side compared to an average driver drives. An example of a driver who drives more frequently on the high torque side is a driver who drives more frequently on expressways or uphill roads.

[0068] 13, the control unit 62 determines operating lines for the first BSFC map candidate M1, the second BSFC map candidate M2, and the third BSFC map candidate M3 by processing similar to that of the first and second examples described above. Details of the processing for determining the operating lines of each BSFC map candidate are similar to those of the examples described above, and therefore will not be described.

[0069] In the third example, in the third BSFC map candidate M3, many of the curves indicating the representative output pass through the portion where the contour lines of the net fuel consumption are shown. Therefore, the operating line is determined so that the net fuel consumption is low at the representative output. On the other hand, in the first BSFC map candidate M1 and the second BSFC map candidate M2, the number of curves indicating the representative output that pass through the portion where the contour lines of the net fuel consumption are shown is smaller than that of the third BSFC map candidate M3. Therefore, the operating line is determined so that the net fuel consumption is higher at the representative output than that of the third BSFC map candidate M3.

[0070] After step S102 in FIG. 4, in step S103, the control unit 62 evaluates the energy efficiency for the operation line of each BSFC map candidate.

[0071] For example, the control unit 62 calculates the average value of the energy efficiency at each representative output for the operating line of each BSFC map candidate by using a numerical analysis simulation. In the numerical analysis simulation, the energy efficiency of the entire vehicle 1 is calculated taking into account fuel efficiency, electricity consumption, mechanical loss in the drive parts, etc. In this way, in terms of accurately calculating the energy efficiency of the entire vehicle 1 in the evaluation of the energy efficiency of the operating line, it is preferable to take into account electricity consumption in addition to fuel efficiency.

[0072] A description will be given of the evaluation of energy efficiency for the operation line of each BSFC map candidate in the first example of the output history shown in Fig. 5. Note that the process of evaluating energy efficiency in the second example of the output history shown in Fig. 9 and the third example of the output history shown in Fig. 13 is similar to the first example shown in Fig. 5, and therefore will not be described.

[0073] For example, the control unit 62 calculates the energy efficiency for each of the operating points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 on the operating line L1 of the first BSFC map candidate M1 shown in Fig. 6. Then, the control unit 62 determines the average value of the energy efficiencies calculated for each operating point as the evaluation value of the energy efficiency of the operating line L1 of the first BSFC map candidate M1. Similarly, the control unit 62 determines the evaluation value of the energy efficiency of the operating line L2 of the second BSFC map candidate M2 shown in Fig. 7 and the evaluation value of the energy efficiency of the operating line L3 of the third BSFC map candidate M3 shown in Fig. 8.

[0074] 4, in step S104, the control unit 62 determines a BSFC map to be used and a target operation line based on the evaluation result of the energy efficiency. The BSFC map to be used is determined from a plurality of BSFC map candidates.

[0075] For example, the control unit 62 determines, as the BSFC map to be used, a BSFC map candidate including an operation line with the highest evaluation value of the energy efficiency determined in step S103. The control unit 62 also determines, as the target operation line, the operation line of the BSFC map candidate determined as the BSFC map to be used.

[0076] In the first example of the output history shown in Fig. 5, as described above, the operating line L1 is determined so that the net fuel consumption rate at the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 is lower in the first BSFC map candidate M1 than in the second BSFC map candidate M2 and the third BSFC map candidate M3. Therefore, the evaluation value of the energy efficiency of the operating line L1 of the first BSFC map candidate M1 is higher than the operating line L2 of the second BSFC map candidate M2 and the operating line L3 of the third BSFC map candidate M3. Therefore, the control unit 62 determines the first BSFC map candidate M1 as the BSFC map to be used from among the first BSFC map candidate M1, the second BSFC map candidate M2, and the third BSFC map candidate M3. In addition, the control unit 62 determines the operating line L1 as the target operating line.

[0077] In the second example of the output history shown in Fig. 9, as described above, in the second BSFC map candidate M2, the operating line L2' is determined so that the net fuel consumption rate at the representative outputs P1', P2', P3', P4', P5', and P6' is lower than that of the first BSFC map candidate M1 and the third BSFC map candidate M3. Therefore, the evaluation value of the energy efficiency of the operating line L2' of the second BSFC map candidate M2 is higher than that of the operating line L1' of the first BSFC map candidate M1 and the operating line L3' of the third BSFC map candidate M3. Therefore, the control unit 62 determines the second BSFC map candidate M2 as the BSFC map to be used. In addition, the control unit 62 determines the operating line L2' as the target operating line.

[0078] 13, as described above, an operating line is determined for the third BSFC map candidate M3 such that the net fuel consumption rate at the representative output is lower than those of the first BSFC map candidate M1 and the second BSFC map candidate M2. Therefore, the evaluation value of the energy efficiency of the operating line of the third BSFC map candidate M3 is higher than those of the operating line of the first BSFC map candidate M1 and the operating line of the second BSFC map candidate M2. Therefore, the control unit 62 determines the third BSFC map candidate M3 as the BSFC map to be used. In addition, the control unit 62 determines the operating line of the third BSFC map candidate M3 as the target operating line.

[0079] 4, in step S105, the control unit 62 rewrites the use BSFC map and the target operating line stored in the memory unit 63 to the use BSFC map and the target operating line determined in step S104. This switches the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 so that the distribution of the net fuel consumption rate becomes the distribution shown in the rewritten use BSFC map. Also, the path of the operating point of the engine 11 changes so that it passes through the rewritten target operating line.

[0080] Next, in step S106, the control unit 62 determines whether or not the power supply system of the vehicle 1 is turned ON. For example, when a signal indicating ReadyON is output from the ignition switch, the control unit 62 determines that the power supply system is turned ON. If it is determined that the power supply system is turned ON (step S106 / YES), the process proceeds to step S107. On the other hand, if it is determined that the power supply system is not turned ON (step S106 / NO), the process of step S106 is repeated.

[0081] If the determination in step S106 is YES, in step S107, the control unit 62 notifies the driver of the rewriting results of the used BSFC map and the target operation line, and the control flow shown in Fig. 4 ends. For example, the control unit 62 causes the display device 41 to display the rewriting results of the used BSFC map and the target operation line.

[0082] As described above, the control unit 62 of the control device 60 changes the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 based on driving characteristic information indicating the past driving characteristics of the driver of the vehicle 1. Thereby, the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 can be changed according to the driving manner specific to the driver. For example, when the driver of the vehicle 1 is the type who often drives in city driving, the second BSFC map candidate M2 in which the net fuel consumption rate is low on the low rotation side and low torque side can be used as the BSFC map to be used. Also, for example, when the driver of the vehicle 1 is the type who often drives on expressways or uphill roads, the third BSFC map candidate M3 in which the net fuel consumption rate is low on the high rotation side and high torque side can be used as the BSFC map to be used. Therefore, the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 can be improved according to the driving characteristics of each driver.

[0083] In the above, in the evaluation of the energy efficiency for the operating line of each BSFC map candidate, the energy efficiency of the operating line is evaluated based on the energy efficiency at the operating point on the operating line. However, the control unit 62 may evaluate the energy efficiency of the operating line using the operating points near the operating line in addition to the operating points on the operating line.

[0084] Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining another example of the evaluation of energy efficiency with respect to the operation line of the BSFC map candidate. Fig. 14 shows, as an example, operation points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 on the operation line L1 of the first BSFC map candidate M1 shown in Fig. 6, and operation points D11-D16, D21-D26, D31-D36, and D41-D46 in the vicinity of the operation line L1. Hereinafter, with reference to Fig. 14, another example of the evaluation of energy efficiency with respect to the operation line L1 of the first BSFC map candidate M1 in the first example of the output history shown in Fig. 5 will be described.

[0085] For example, the control unit 62 extracts the intersections of an operating line L11 obtained by shifting the operating line L1 to the high torque side by a predetermined torque with the curves representing the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 as operating points D11, D12, D13, D14, D15, and D16, respectively. The control unit 62 also extracts the intersections of an operating line L12 obtained by further shifting the operating line L11 to the high torque side by a predetermined torque with the curves representing the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 as operating points D21, D22, D23, D24, D25, and D26, respectively. The control unit 62 also extracts the intersections of an operating line L13 obtained by shifting the operating line L1 to the low torque side by a predetermined torque with the curves representing the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 as operating points D31, D32, D33, D34, D35, and D36, respectively. The control unit 62 also extracts the intersections of an operating line L14 obtained by further shifting the operating line L13 to the low torque side by a predetermined torque with the curves representing the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6 as operating points D41, D42, D43, D44, D45, and D46, respectively.

[0086] Then, the control unit 62 calculates the energy efficiency for operating points D11-D16, D21-D26, D31-D36, and D41-D46 in addition to operating points D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, and D6 on the operation line L1 of the first BSFC map candidate M1. The control unit 62 extracts an operating point with the highest energy efficiency among five operating points on each curve representing the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6, and determines the average value of the energy efficiencies of a total of six operating points, one extracted for each curve, as the evaluation value of the energy efficiency of the operation line L1 of the first BSFC map candidate M1.

[0087] When the control unit 62 determines the first BSFC map candidate M1 as the BSFC map to be used, it determines an operating line passing through a total of six operating points, one for each curve representing the representative outputs P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6, as the target operating line. For example, as a result of taking into account fuel consumption as well as electricity consumption in a numerical analysis simulation of energy efficiency, an operating point on an operating line other than the operating line L1 may have the highest energy efficiency at any of the representative outputs. In this case, an operating line in which some of the operating points on the operating line L1 are replaced with operating points on the other operating lines is determined as the target operating line. This further improves energy efficiency.

[0088] In the above, the operating line of each BSFC map candidate is determined based on the driving characteristics information, and the BSFC map to be used and the target operating line are determined based on the evaluation result of the energy efficiency for the operating line of each BSFC map candidate. However, the control unit 62 may determine the BSFC map to be used and the target operating line based on the driving characteristics information without performing the process of determining the operating line of each BSFC map candidate and the process of evaluating the energy efficiency for the operating line of each BSFC map candidate.

[0089] For example, the control unit 62 may select and determine the BSFC map to be used from among the BSFC map candidates according to the magnitude of the weighted average of the output weighted by the workload in the output history shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 9, or Fig. 13. In this case, the control unit 62 may appropriately determine the target operating line so that it passes through an operating point where the net fuel consumption rate is as low as possible on the determined BSFC map to be used. For example, the control unit 62 may determine the target operating line so that it passes through an operating point where the net fuel consumption rate is the lowest in each of the curves showing the representative output, similar to the above-mentioned example. However, the process of determining the target operating line is not limited to the above-mentioned example.

[0090] In the above, an example has been described in which information indicating the history of the output of the vehicle 1 is used as the driving characteristic information. In other words, the driving characteristics may include the history of the output of the vehicle 1. However, the driving characteristics may also include driving characteristics other than the history of the output of the vehicle 1.

[0091] The driving characteristics may include, for example, a history of the rotation speed of the engine 11. The history of the rotation speed of the engine 11 may include, for example, a frequency for each engine rotation speed.

[0092] For example, when a driver who often drives for city driving in a town with many hills is driving, the driving characteristics information indicates a tendency for the engine speed to be on the low speed side and the driving frequency to be high on the high torque side compared to an average driver. In such a case, the control unit 62 uses, as the BSFC map to be used, a BSFC map candidate that reduces the net fuel consumption rate on the low speed side and the high torque side, based on the driving characteristics information indicating the history of the speed of the engine 11. This makes it possible to improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 even when the driver of the vehicle 1 is the type who often drives for city driving in a town with many hills.

[0093] Also, for example, when the vehicle 1 is a camper, the vehicle is often driven with luggage towed. In this case, the driving characteristics information indicates a tendency for the engine speed to be about the same and for the driver to drive more frequently on the high torque side compared to an average driver. In such a case, the control unit 62 uses, as the BSFC map to be used, a BSFC map candidate that reduces the net fuel consumption rate on the medium rotation side and high torque side, based on the driving characteristics information indicating the history of the speed of the engine 11. This makes it possible to improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 even in cases such as when the driver of the vehicle 1 is the type who often drives with luggage towed.

[0094] The driving characteristics may include various characteristics other than the history of the output of the vehicle 1 or the history of the rotation speed of the engine 11. For example, the driving characteristics may include the history of the speed of the vehicle 1 or the history of the gradient of the road. The driving characteristics information may be information indicating a plurality of driving characteristics, or may be information indicating a single driving characteristic. An example of the information indicating a plurality of driving characteristics is information indicating both the history of the output of the vehicle 1 and the history of the rotation speed of the engine 11.

[0095] The above describes the process related to changing the fuel efficiency characteristic of the engine 11 performed by the control unit 62 with reference to Fig. 4. However, the process performed by the control unit 62 is not limited to the above example, and for example, the control unit 62 may further perform processes not mentioned above.

[0096] For example, when the vehicle 1 is shared by a plurality of drivers, the driver may be changed. The storage unit 63 may store driving characteristic information for each individual driver. In this case, the control unit 62 can change the fuel efficiency characteristic of the engine 11 based on the driving characteristic information corresponding to each individual driver. This allows the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 to be appropriately improved even when the driver is changed.

[0097] The recognition of the driver in the vehicle 1 can be realized, for example, by the driver's input operation using an input device, or by using a detection device that detects which driver is in the vehicle. An example of the detection device is a device that can process an image obtained by capturing an image of the driver's face.

[0098] In addition, for example, the driver's driving style may differ depending on the day of the week. For example, the vehicle may be driven around town for commuting on weekdays, and may be driven on highways or uphill roads for long distance trips for leisure on weekends. The storage unit 63 may store driving characteristic information for each day of the week on which the vehicle 1 has traveled. In this case, the control unit 62 can change the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 based on the driving characteristic information corresponding to each day of the week. For example, the control unit 62 can change the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 based on driving characteristic information that differs between weekdays and holidays. This makes it possible to appropriately improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 even if the driver's driving style differs depending on the day of the week.

[0099] The control unit 62 may change the driving characteristic information according to various information other than the above information. For example, the driving characteristic information may be stored for each season, month, weather, or temperature, and the control unit 62 may change the fuel economy characteristics of the engine 11 based on the driving characteristic information corresponding to each season, month, weather, or temperature.

[0100] <Effects of the control device> Next, the effects of the control device 60 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0101] In the control device 60 according to this embodiment, the control unit 62 changes the fuel efficiency characteristic of the engine 11 based on driving characteristic information indicating the past driving characteristics of the driver of the vehicle 1, and controls the operating point of the engine 11 based on the fuel efficiency characteristic. This makes it possible to change the fuel efficiency characteristic of the engine 11 according to the driving style specific to the driver. Therefore, the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 can be improved.

[0102] Moreover, in the control device 60 according to the present embodiment, the driving characteristics preferably include the history of the output of the vehicle 1. This makes it possible to change the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 according to the driving style of the driver and the corresponding output tendency. Therefore, since the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 can be appropriately changed according to the driving style specific to the driver, the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 can be appropriately improved.

[0103] In addition, in the control device 60 according to the present embodiment, the driving characteristics preferably include a history of the rotation speed of the engine 11. This allows the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 to be changed according to the driving style of the driver and the corresponding tendency of the engine rotation speed. Therefore, the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 can be appropriately changed according to the driving style specific to the driver, and therefore the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 can be appropriately improved.

[0104] In addition, in the control device 60 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the driving characteristic information is stored for each individual driver, and the control unit 62 changes the fuel efficiency characteristic of the engine 11 based on the driving characteristic information corresponding to each individual driver. This makes it possible to appropriately improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 even when the driver in the vehicle is changed.

[0105] In the control device 60 according to this embodiment, the driving characteristics information is preferably stored for each day of the week on which the vehicle 1 has traveled, and the control unit 62 changes the fuel efficiency characteristics of the engine 11 based on the driving characteristics information corresponding to each day of the week. This makes it possible to appropriately improve the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1 even if the driver's driving style differs depending on the day of the week.

[0106] The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modified or altered examples within the scope of the claims also fall within the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1 vehicle 11 Engine 21 First motor generator (generator) 22 1st inverter 23 Second motor generator (drive motor) 24 2nd inverter 25 Battery 31 Planetary gear mechanism 33 Drive Wheel 41 Display device 51 Vehicle speed sensor 52 Engine speed sensor 53 Gradient Sensor 60 Control device 61 Acquisition Department 62 Control section 62a Engine control unit 62b Motor control unit 62c Display control unit 63 Memory unit

Claims

1. A control device for a vehicle, in which an engine, a generator capable of generating electricity using power output from the engine, and a drive motor connected to drive wheels are connected via a planetary gear mechanism, a control unit that determines a distribution of a net fuel consumption rate of the engine on a plane including an axis of the engine speed and an axis of the engine torque, controls the engine so that the net fuel consumption rate follows the distribution, and controls an operating point of the engine on the plane by controlling operations of the generator and the drive motor; The control unit is modifying the distribution based on driving characteristic information indicating past driving characteristics of a driver of the vehicle; Control device.

2. The driving characteristics include a history of the output of the vehicle. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The driving characteristics include a history of the engine speed. The control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The driving characteristic information is stored for each individual driver, The control unit changes the distribution based on the driving characteristic information corresponding to each individual driver. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The driving characteristic information is stored for each day of the week on which the vehicle was driven, The control unit changes the distribution based on the driving characteristic information corresponding to each day of the week. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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