control device

Abstract

To provide a control device that efficiently drives an engine and a motor.SOLUTION: A control device includes: an acquisition part for acquiring route information indicating a route through which a garbage vehicle collects garbage and garbage amount information indicating a garbage amount that the garbage vehicle collects; and a controller for controlling driving of an engine and a motor installed to the garbage vehicle on the basis of the route information and the garbage amount information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, hybrid refuse trucks have been proposed that run the vehicle and compress refuse using not only engine power but also motor power. In general, in the control device of the refuse truck, control conditions for the battery's state of charge (SOC) are preset, and the engine and motor drives are switched based on whether the control conditions are met.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electric work vehicle that starts the engine when the charging rate of the battery is lower than a lower limit value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-20639 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when the drive is controlled based on the control conditions, the engine and the motor may not be driven efficiently. For example, when the battery state of charge reaches an upper limit during regenerative charging, the control device may stop the regenerative charging and discard the regenerative energy thereafter.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a control device for efficiently driving an engine and a motor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The control device according to the present disclosure includes: route information indicating a route along which a garbage truck collects garbage; Along the route The garbage truck At each collection point Collect Each An acquisition unit that acquires dust amount information indicating a dust amount, and based on the path information and the dust amount information, To ensure that there is enough charge to collect garbage at each collection point. and a control unit that controls the operation of the engine and motor mounted on the refuse compactor. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to drive the engine and the motor efficiently. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a garbage truck equipped with a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of one embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the route taken by a garbage truck to collect garbage. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the transition of the charge amount of the battery. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] The configuration of a garbage truck equipped with a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 1. This garbage truck is a hybrid type, and includes an engine 1, a clutch 2, a motor 3, a transmission 4, an inverter 5, a battery 6, a power takeoff unit 7, a garbage collector 8, and a control device 9.

[0012] The engine 1 burns fuel to generate driving force for running a vehicle, and outputs the driving force to an output shaft connected to a transmission 4. The engine 1 is, for example, a so-called four-stroke engine that repeats four strokes: an intake stroke, a compression stroke, an expansion stroke, and an exhaust stroke. An example of the engine 1 is a diesel engine.

[0013] The clutch 2 is disposed between an output shaft of the engine 1 and an input shaft of the transmission 4, and switches between disconnection and connection of the output shaft and the input shaft.

[0014] The motor 3 is connected to a propeller shaft or the like via a transmission 4, rotates with electric power supplied from a battery 6 via an inverter 5, and outputs the driving force to the propeller shaft. The motor 3 also generates regenerative power in response to deceleration of the vehicle, and supplies the power to the battery 6 via the inverter 5. The motor 3 may be composed of, for example, a motor generator.

[0015] The transmission 4 changes the rotation speed of the output shaft of the engine 1 and outputs it to a propeller shaft, etc. In this way, the driving force of the engine 1 is transmitted to the wheels.

[0016] The inverter 5 is electrically connected to the motor 3 and the battery 6, and converts DC power supplied from the battery 6 into AC power and supplies it to the motor 3. The inverter 5 also converts AC power regenerated by the motor 3 into DC power and supplies it to the battery 6.

[0017] The battery 6 is connected to the motor 3 via the inverter 5 and supplies stored power to the motor 3. The battery 6 is also charged with power regenerated by the motor 3. The battery 6 may be composed of, for example, a lithium ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery.

[0018] The power take-off unit 7 is connected to the transmission 4, takes the driving force of the engine 1 or the motor 3 from the transmission 4, and transmits it to the garbage collection unit 8. The power take-off unit 7 may be composed of, for example, a PTO (Power Take Off) or the like.

[0019] The garbage collecting section 8 has a storage section 10, a collecting plate 11, a hydraulic pump 12, and a control valve 13.

[0020] The storage section 10 stores the dust G, and has a storage chamber formed therein.

[0021] The collection plate 11 is rotatably disposed in the vicinity of the inlet through which the garbage G is put in the storage section 10, and is formed so as to compress the garbage G and push it into the storage section 10.

[0022] The hydraulic pump 12 is connected between the power take-off 7 and the control valve 13 , and is driven by the power taken from the power take-off 7 to supply hydraulic oil to the control valve 13 .

[0023] The control valve 13 is composed of a hydraulic circuit, and is actuated by hydraulic oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 12 to rotate the collecting plate 11 .

[0024] The control device 9 controls the driving of the engine 1 and the motor 3, and includes an acquisition unit 14 and a control unit 15.

[0025] The acquisition unit 14 acquires route information for collecting the garbage G and garbage amount information at the collection destination. Here, the route information is information on a route that the garbage truck is scheduled to travel when collecting the garbage G (information on a route around a collection location), and may include, for example, traffic information (for example, congestion information, construction information, accident information), road information (for example, position information of traffic lights, uphill information, downhill information), or map information (for example, altitude information). Furthermore, the garbage amount information is information indicating the amount of garbage collected by the garbage truck at a collection location. The garbage amount information may include, for example, collection amount information (for example, past collection amount information, garbage amount information placed at a collection location), image information of the collection location (for example, image information of a camera installed at a collection location), and the like. The acquisition unit 14 may acquire the route information and garbage amount information wirelessly from, for example, an external organization (for example, a cloud) that collects the route information and garbage amount information. The acquisition unit 14 may also acquire route information and garbage volume information from a sensor (eg, a camera) or information device (eg, a navigation system) mounted on the garbage truck.

[0026] Based on the route information and the garbage amount information, the control unit 15 calculates the travel drive amount required for the garbage truck to travel on the collection route, the regenerative power generation amount generated by the motor 3 while traveling on the collection route, and the collection drive amount required to collect the garbage G at the collection site. The collection drive amount indicates the amount of energy required for the garbage truck to process the garbage G. The collection drive amount is the force that needs to be generated by the transmission to generate the power of the hydraulic pump 12 used to process the garbage G. The larger the amount of garbage G, the larger the collection drive amount required. The collection drive amount also varies depending on the type of garbage G. The travel drive amount and the collection drive amount may be indicated by energy consumption, fuel consumption, or power consumption. The regenerative power generation amount may also be indicated by the amount of power.

[0027] The control unit 15 is electrically connected to, for example, the engine 1 and the inverter 5, and controls the operation of the engine 1 and the motor 3 so as to minimize the fuel consumption of the engine 1 based on the charge amount of the battery 6, which changes according to the traveling drive amount, the regenerative power generation amount, and the collected drive amount. Here, the charge amount of the battery 6 may indicate, for example, a state of charge (SOC) or the like.

[0028] The control device 9 may be composed of one or more processors. The functions of the control device 9 can also be realized by one or more processors using a computer program. For example, a computer reading device reads a program for realizing the functions of the control device 9 from a recording medium on which the program is recorded, and stores the program in a storage device. Then, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) copies the program stored in the storage device to a RAM (Random Access Memory), and sequentially reads and executes instructions included in the program from the RAM, thereby realizing the functions of the control device 9.

[0029] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0030] 1, the acquisition unit 14 of the control device 9 acquires route information and dust amount information in step S1. The acquisition unit 14 may acquire the route information and dust amount information, for example, before collection of the dust G, or may acquire the route information and dust amount information after the start of collection of the dust G. When the acquisition unit 14 acquires the route information and dust amount information, it outputs the information to the control unit 15.

[0031] When the control unit 15 receives the route information and the garbage amount information, it controls the driving of the engine 1 and the motor 3 mounted on the garbage truck based on the route information and the garbage amount information. For example, in step S2, the control unit 15 calculates the travel drive amount, the regenerative power generation amount, and the collection drive amount based on the route information and the garbage amount information. At this time, the control unit 15 may calculate the change in the travel drive amount, the regenerative power generation amount, and the collection drive amount according to the collection position (change according to the collection route and the collection location). For example, the control unit 15 may obtain the amount of garbage G expected at each collection location included in the route information based on the garbage amount information, and specify the total vehicle weight of the garbage truck 16 on the collection route. In this case, the control unit 15 specifies the travel drive amount and the regenerative drive amount of the garbage truck 16 based on the specified total vehicle weight and route information. This makes it possible to specify the travel drive amount and the regenerative drive amount that change due to the collection of garbage G with higher accuracy even if the route is the same. The control unit 15 also specifies the collection drive amount expected at each collection location according to the weight of the garbage G at each collection location indicated in the garbage amount information. The control unit 15 estimates that a higher collection drive amount is required when the weight of the garbage G is higher than the threshold value Hth than when the weight is not higher. A plurality of the above-mentioned threshold values ​​Hth may be provided for the weight of the garbage G, and the weight of the garbage G and the collection drive amount may be associated in a stepped manner. Also, the association may be made using a function in which the collection drive amount increases as the weight of the garbage G increases. Furthermore, the control unit 15 may set the collection drive amount to be different depending on the type of garbage G. For example, when the ratio of solid objects contained in the garbage G is higher than a predetermined ratio, a higher collection drive amount may be required than when the ratio is not higher. Also, the collection drive amount may be associated depending on the type of object to be collected as the garbage G, such as "paper waste" or "wood chips". Furthermore, the control unit 15 may specify the collection drive amount based on the volume of the garbage G, rather than the weight or type of the garbage G. At this time, the control unit 15 estimates that a larger collection drive amount is required when the volume of the dust G is higher than the threshold value Vth than when the volume is not higher. The control unit 15 can specify the collection drive amount by using multiple parameters in combination from among the parameters such as the weight, volume, and type of the dust described above.

[0032] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, when the route R1 of the collection route R of the garbage truck 16 to the collection place P1 of the garbage G is flat, the control unit 15 may calculate the change in the travel drive amount on the route R1 (for example, the change according to the collection position, the change over time) based on the route information. In addition, the control unit 15 may calculate the change in the collection drive amount at the collection place P1 (for example, the change according to the collection amount, the change over time) and the change in the collection drive amount at the collection place P2 based on the garbage amount information of the collection place P1 and the collection place P2. In addition, when the route R2 from the collection place P1 to the collection place P2 is a downhill slope, the control unit 15 may calculate the change in the regenerative power generation amount on the route R2 (for example, the change according to the collection position, the change over time) based on the route information. In addition, the control unit 15 can also calculate the travel drive amount so that the travel drive amount related to the travel of the garbage truck 16 increases as the total amount of collected garbage G increases.

[0033] Next, in step S3, the control unit 15 controls the power distribution between the engine 1 and the motor 3 based on the charge amount of the battery 6, which changes according to the traveling drive amount, the regenerative power generation amount, and the collected drive amount, so as to minimize the fuel consumption of the engine 1. In other words, the control unit 15 may control the power distribution between the engine 1 and the motor 3 based on the charge amount of the battery 6, which changes, so as to maximize the amount of electric power supplied from the battery 6 to the motor 3.

[0034] For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 15 may calculate the transition of the state of charge of the battery 6 according to the collection position and the collected amount, based on the traveling drive amount, the regenerative power generation amount, and the collected drive amount. Here, it is assumed that the charge range of the battery 6, that is, the upper limit value L1 and the lower limit value L2, are set in advance in the control unit 15. The control unit 15 may control the drive distribution of the engine 1 and the motor 3 so as to minimize the fuel consumption of the engine 1, based on the timing when the state of charge of the battery 6 reaches the predetermined upper limit value L1 or the predetermined lower limit value L2.

[0035] For example, consider a case where the engine 1 and the motor 3 are controlled with a specific drive distribution D1, and the state of charge of the battery 6 reaches the upper limit L1 at a timing T1 located halfway along a downhill route R2. In this case, the control unit 15 stops regenerative power generation by the motor 3 after the timing T1, and therefore the regenerative energy E1 corresponding to the area shown above the upper limit L1 is discarded. Therefore, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution so as to increase the drive amount of the motor 3 compared to the drive distribution D1 at the collection point P1 or the route R1, which are located before the route R2. In other words, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution so that the timing T1 at which the upper limit L1 is reached is later than the drive distribution D1 (approaching the boundary point T3 between the route R2 and the collection point P2). In this case, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution D3 of the engine 1 and the motor 3 so that the state of charge of the battery 6 is closest to the upper limit L1 near the boundary point T3 between the route R2 and the collection point P2. In other words, the control unit 15 does not need to calculate the drive distribution so that the state of charge of the battery 6 reaches the upper limit value L1.

[0036] Also, consider a case where the engine 1 and the motor 3 are controlled with a specific drive distribution D2, and reach a predetermined lower limit L2 at a timing T2 during the collection of the garbage G at the collection site P1. In this case, the control unit 15 switches from the motor 3 to the engine 1 to collect the garbage G after the timing T2, and consumes fuel for the drive energy E2 of the engine 1 according to the area shown below the lower limit L2. Therefore, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution so as to reduce the drive amount of the motor 3 or increase the regenerative power generation amount of the motor 3, as compared with the drive distribution D2, in the route R1 before the collection site P1. That is, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution so that the timing T2 at which the lower limit L2 is reached is later than the drive distribution D2 (approaching the boundary point T4 between the collection site P1 and the route R2). In this case, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution D3 so that the charge state of the battery 6 is closest to the lower limit L2 near the boundary point T4 between the collection site P1 and the route R2.

[0037] The control unit 15 may also control the drive distribution of the engine 1 and the motor 3 so as to minimize the fuel consumption of the engine 1 based on the length of time it takes for the charge amount of the battery 6 to reach a predetermined upper limit L1 or a predetermined lower limit L2. For example, when the charge state of the battery 6 reaches the upper limit L1 at the timing T1 on the route R2, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution so as to increase the drive amount of the motor 3 compared to the drive distribution D1 at the collection location P1 or the route R1 before the route R2. That is, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution so as to make the length of time it takes to reach the upper limit L1 shorter than the drive distribution D1. For example, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution D3 so as to minimize the length of time it takes for the charge state of the battery 6 to reach the upper limit L1. When the charge state of the battery 6 reaches the lower limit L2 at the timing T2 on the collection location P1, the control unit 15 may also calculate the drive distribution so as to decrease the drive amount of the motor 3 or increase the regenerative power generation amount of the motor 3 compared to the drive distribution D2 at the route R1 before the collection location P1. That is, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution so that the length of time it takes for the charge state of the battery 6 to reach the lower limit value L2 is shorter than the drive distribution D2. For example, the control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution D3 so that the length of time it takes for the charge state of the battery 6 to reach the lower limit value L2 is minimized.

[0038] In this way, the control unit 15 can calculate the drive distribution D3 of the engine 1 and the motor 3 so that the charge state of the battery 6 approaches the upper limit value L1 or the lower limit value L2 closest to the boundary points T3 and T4 between the collection locations P1 and P2 and the routes R1 and R2 and the length of time required to reach the upper limit value L1 or the lower limit value L2 is minimized.

[0039] When the control unit 15 calculates the drive distribution of the engine 1 and the motor 3, it controls the drive of the engine 1 and the motor 3 according to the drive distribution. The control unit 15 may calculate the drive distribution before collecting the garbage G (before departure) and control the drive of the garbage truck 16 that collects the garbage G based on the drive distribution. The control unit 15 may also calculate the drive distribution after the collection of the garbage G starts (while traveling) and control the drive of the garbage truck 16 in subsequent collections based on the drive distribution. The control unit 15 may also sequentially update the drive distribution calculated before the collection of the garbage G based on route information and garbage amount information acquired after the start of collection. Thereby, the control unit 15 may control the drive of the garbage truck 16 based on the updated drive distribution.

[0040] In this way, the control unit 15 controls the driving of the engine 1 and the motor 3 mounted on the garbage truck 16 based on the route information and the garbage volume information. This allows the control device 9 to drive the engine 1 and the motor 3 efficiently. Furthermore, the control unit 15 calculates the driving amount, regenerative power generation amount, and collection driving amount based on the route information and the garbage amount information, and controls the driving of the engine 1 and the motor 3 so as to minimize the fuel consumption of the engine 1 based on the charge amount of the battery 6, which changes according to the driving amount, regenerative power generation amount, and collection driving amount. This allows the control device 9 to drive the engine 1 and the motor 3 more efficiently.

[0041] In addition, the control unit 15 controls the driving of the engine 1 and the motor 3 so as to maximize the amount of power supplied from the battery 6 to the motor 3. This allows the control device 9 to drive the engine 1 and the motor 3 more efficiently.

[0042] Furthermore, the control unit 15 controls the driving of the engine 1 and the motor 3 so as to minimize the fuel consumption of the engine 1, based on the timing T1 or T2 at which the charge amount of the battery 6 reaches a predetermined upper limit L1 or a predetermined lower limit L2. This allows the control device 9 to drive the engine 1 and the motor 3 more efficiently.

[0043] Furthermore, the control unit 15 controls the operation of the engine 1 and the motor 3 to minimize the fuel consumption of the engine 1 based on the length of time it takes for the charge amount of the battery 6 to reach a predetermined upper limit value L1 or a predetermined lower limit value L2. This allows the control device 9 to drive the engine 1 and the motor 3 more efficiently.

[0044] According to this embodiment, the acquisition unit 14 acquires route information indicating the route along which the garbage truck 16 collects garbage G, and garbage amount information indicating the amount of garbage collected by the garbage truck 16. Next, the control unit 15 controls the driving of the engine 1 and the motor 3 mounted on the garbage truck 16 based on the route information and the garbage amount information. This allows the control device 9 to drive the engine 1 and the motor 3 efficiently.

[0045] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples of the embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by these. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist or main features of the present invention. For example, the disclosure of the shape and number of each part described in the above-mentioned embodiments is merely an example, and can be implemented by appropriately changing them. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] The control device according to the present disclosure can be used as a device for controlling the drive of the engine and motor in a refuse compactor vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 Engine 2 Clutch 3 Motor 4. Transmission 5. Inverter 6 Battery 7 Power take-off part 8. Refuse Collection Department 9. Control Device 10 Storage section 11 Collection Board 12 Hydraulic pump 13 Control valve 14 Acquisition Department 15 Control section 16 Refuse Truck D1~D3 drive distribution E1 Regenerative energy E2 Driving Energy G garbage L1 Upper limit L2 Lower limit P1, P2 collection points R, R1, R2 route T1, T2 timing T3,T4 boundary point

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires route information indicating a route along which the garbage truck collects garbage and garbage amount information indicating the amount of garbage collected by the garbage truck at each collection point along the route; A control device comprising: a control unit that controls the drive of the engine and motor mounted on the garbage truck so as to ensure the amount of charge required for collecting garbage at each collection site based on the route information and the garbage amount information.

2. The control unit calculates the driving force required for the garbage truck to travel, the amount of regenerative electricity generated by the motor, and the collection driving force required for collecting the garbage based on the route information and the garbage amount information, and controls the driving of the engine and the motor so as to minimize the fuel consumption of the engine based on the driving force, the amount of regenerative electricity generated, and the amount of collection driving force, which changes depending on the driving force, the amount of regenerative electricity, and the collection driving force.

3. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit controls driving of the engine and the motor so as to maximize an amount of electric power supplied from the battery to the motor.

4. 3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the engine and the motor so as to minimize fuel consumption of the engine, based on a timing when the charge amount of the battery reaches a predetermined upper limit value or a predetermined lower limit value.

5. 3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the engine and the motor so as to minimize fuel consumption of the engine based on the length of time it takes for the charge amount of the battery to reach a predetermined upper limit value or a predetermined lower limit value.

6. The garbage amount information is information indicating the weight of garbage collected by the garbage truck, The control device described in claim 1, wherein the control unit specifies a collection drive amount that is greater when the weight of the garbage is greater than a predetermined value than when the weight is not greater than the predetermined value, and controls the drive of the engine and the motor based on the specified collection drive amount.

7. The garbage amount information is information indicating the type of garbage collected by the garbage truck, The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit specifies a collection drive amount that is greater when the type of garbage is a specific type than when the type of garbage is not a specific type, and controls the drive of the engine and the motor based on the specified collection drive amount.

8. The garbage amount information is information indicating the volume of garbage collected by the garbage truck, The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit specifies a collection drive amount that is larger when the volume of the garbage is larger than a predetermined value than when the volume of the garbage is not larger than the predetermined value, and controls the drive of the engine and the motor based on the specified collection drive amount.

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