Vehicle control device

Abstract

To output an alert earlier in a required situation while preventing the output of an officious alert, when a crew is going to get off a vehicle during automatic stop of an engine.SOLUTION: If an idling-stop vehicle 1 determines that a crew has an intention to get off the vehicle during idling-stop, an EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11, when determining that a shift position is a P-range, performs restart control of an engine 3 while prohibiting the output of alert sound, but when determining that the shift position is other than the P-range, performs restart control of the engine 3 while making the alert sound from a speaker 16. Herein, it detects the on- / off-states of all ranges SW8a-SW8f individually provided in the respective shift positions, and when the P-range SW8a is in an on-state and the other ranges SW8b-SW8f are all in off-states, determines that the shift position is the P-range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that includes a control means for stopping a running engine when predetermined automatic engine stop conditions are met, and automatically restarting a stopped engine when predetermined engine restart conditions are met. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional vehicle control device having a so-called idling stop function, which stops a running engine when predetermined engine automatic stop conditions are met and automatically restarts a stopped engine when predetermined engine restart conditions are met, a technology has been proposed in which, if it is determined that an occupant has left the seat while the engine is automatically stopped, the engine is put into operation even before the engine restart conditions are met, and the occupant is made aware that automatic engine stop control is being implemented (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-97067 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology of Patent Document 1, in addition to the transition to the engine operating state described above, examples of means for notifying occupants that automatic engine stop control is being implemented include audio output and flashing of lighting devices, but it is also possible to combine the transition to the engine operating state with an alarm such as audio output.

[0005] Furthermore, in the technology of Patent Document 1, the act of an occupant unfastening their seatbelt or opening the driver's door is considered to be an occupant leaving their seat. In such cases, an alarm may be output, which may be intrusive to the occupant. For example, when a vehicle is stopped with the shift position in the parking position and the engine is in an idle-stop state, if the driver forgets that the engine is in the idle-stop state and unfastens their seatbelt before turning off the ignition switch, an alarm will be output. When the shift position is in the parking position, the vehicle will not start moving even if the engine is restarted, so the engine restart is sufficient to notify the driver, and outputting an alarm may be intrusive.

[0006] Therefore, it is conceivable to not output an alarm when the shift position is in parking, but to determine whether the shift position is in the parking range based on the on / off state of a relay switch provided in the parking range. However, because chattering can occur in switches such as relay switches, it takes a certain amount of time to accurately determine the shift position, which could result in a delay in issuing an alarm when it is needed.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can output an alarm early when necessary, while preventing an intrusive alarm from being output when an occupant tries to get out of the vehicle while the engine is automatically stopped. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle control device including a control means for stopping an engine that is running when a predetermined engine automatic stop condition is met, and automatically restarting the stopped engine when a predetermined engine restart condition is met, the vehicle control device further including an alarm output means capable of outputting an alarm to an occupant, wherein switches are provided individually for a plurality of shift ranges including a parking range, and the control means is configured to be able to detect a shift position based on the on / off state of each of the switches for the plurality of shift ranges, and the control means is capable of determining whether a predetermined dismounting condition indicating that an occupant intends to dismount has been met, and The state of the switch for each range can be detected, and when the control means determines that the predetermined disembarkation condition is met between the time when the predetermined engine automatic stop condition is met and the time when the predetermined engine restart condition is met, if the state of the switch for each of the plurality of shift ranges detected by the control means is a first state in which the switch for the parking range is on and all of the switches for the other shift ranges are off, output from the alarm output means is prohibited, and if the state of the switch for each of the plurality of shift ranges is other than the first state, an alarm is output from the alarm output means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, when a predetermined dismounting condition is met while the engine is automatically stopped, output of an alarm is prohibited if the shift position is in the parking range, thereby preventing an intrusive alarm from being output when the vehicle is not moving even if the engine is restarted. Furthermore, whether the shift position is in the parking range is determined by detecting the states of all switches for each shift range. In this case, compared to a method that takes a predetermined time to determine whether the shift position is in the parking range, in order to prevent erroneous determination due to chattering of the switches for each range, a determination can be made earlier, and an alarm can be output earlier when necessary. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle control device of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit diagram of the shift range switch of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Next, in order to explain the present invention in more detail, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an idle-stop vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

[0012] 1 shows a block diagram of a vehicle control device provided in an idle-stop vehicle 1. The idle-stop vehicle 1 is provided with a single 12V relatively small-capacity lead battery 2 (hereinafter referred to as battery 2) as a power source in order to reduce weight and size. The negative terminal of this battery 2 is connected to the body of the idle-stop vehicle 1 and is grounded. On the other hand, the positive terminal of battery 2 is connected to one end of a relay switch 7b.

[0013] In FIG. 1, 3 is an engine of an idle-stop vehicle 1, 4 is a CVT on the transmission side of the engine 3, and a torque converter (including a lock-up clutch mechanism) 5 is interposed between the engine 3 and the CVT.

[0014] Reference numeral 6 denotes a starter that starts the engine 3, and is supplied with power from the battery 2 via a relay 7. Reference numeral 9 denotes a generator with motor function (hereinafter referred to as an ISG (Integrated Starter Generator)) to which the rotational force of the engine 3 is transmitted via a belt 10, and the generator charges the battery 2 with the generated power output while the vehicle is running, operates as a motor under predetermined conditions, and generates driving force for the vehicle 1 to run with the idle-stop function.

[0015] The relay 7 has a relay coil 7a and a relay switch 7b, and when a current flows through the relay coil 7a, the relay switch 7b is turned on, power is supplied to the starter 6 from the battery 2, and the engine 3 is started. When the current flow through the relay coil 7a is stopped, the relay switch 7b is turned off, and power supply to the starter 6 is stopped.

[0016] Reference numeral 11 denotes an EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that integrates an EFI control unit that calculates the required torque based on the accelerator opening detected by an accelerator sensor (not shown) and controls the fuel injection amount, intake air amount, ignition timing, etc. of the engine 3 in order to output this required torque, a CVT control unit that controls the CVT (continuously variable transmission), and an idling stop control unit that manages idling stop control.

[0017] The EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 (corresponding to the "control means" of the present invention) includes a first driver IC 11a connected to one end of the relay coil 7a and functioning as a switch for determining whether or not to connect the one end to the battery 2, a second driver IC 11b connected to the other end of the relay coil 7a and functioning as a switch for determining whether or not to ground the other end, and a microcomputer (not shown) that controls these ICs 11a and 11b, and performs control such as restarting the engine 3 after an idling stop, which will be described later.

[0018] In this embodiment, the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 is connected to a speaker 16 (corresponding to the "alarm output means" of the present invention), and controls the output of an alarm to be emitted from the speaker 16 when a predetermined condition is met. Here, the predetermined condition is a condition for determining that an occupant has performed an action indicating an intention to get out of the vehicle during idling stop control, and will be described in detail later.

[0019] Reference numeral 12 denotes a body ECU that determines whether the doors of the idle stop vehicle 1 are open or closed, whether the doors of the idle stop vehicle 1 are locked or closed, whether a seat belt is fastened or not, etc. Connected to the body ECU 12 are a door opening / closing sensor 13 that detects the open / closed state of each door (front door, rear door) of the idle stop vehicle 1, and a belt fastening / unfastening sensor 14 that detects the fastening / unfastening state of a seat belt.

[0020] In addition, there are other ECUs, not shown, such as the engine ECU that controls the engine, the ABSECU that controls the ABS (antilocked braking system) that prevents skidding and spinning, and the ISGECU that controls the ISG. Each ECU is formed by a microcomputer or the like, and exchanges information via a communication bus (not shown) such as CAN15.

[0021] The shift range switch 8 is made up of a plurality of switches 8a to 8f that are individually provided according to the position of the shift lever. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the shift range switch 8 is made up of a P-range SW8a corresponding to the parking range, an R-range SW8b corresponding to the reverse range, an N-range SW8c corresponding to the neutral range, a D-range SW8d corresponding to the drive range, an S-range SW8e corresponding to the S-range, and a B-range SW8f corresponding to the B-range.

[0022] The connection configuration of the shift range switch circuit will now be described with reference to FIG. 2. The P-range SW8a has one end connected to port P1 (P) of the second driver IC 11b and the other end connected to ground GND1 via a common ground line 20. The R-range SW8b has one end connected to port P2 (R) of the second driver IC 11b and the other end connected to a power supply. One end of the R-range SW8b is also connected to one end of a backup lamp 21. The other end of the backup lamp 21 is connected to ground GND2. Therefore, when the R-range SW8b is turned on, power is supplied, causing current to flow through the backup lamp 21, and the backup lamp 21 is turned on. The N-range SW8c has one end connected to port P3 (N) of the second driver IC 11b and the other end connected to ground GND1 via a common ground line 20. The D-range SW8d has one end connected to port P4 (D) of the second driver IC 11b and the other end connected to ground GND1 via a common ground line. The S-range SW8e has one end connected to port P5(S) of the second driver IC 11b, and the other end connected to ground GND1 via a common ground line 20. The B-range SW8f has one end connected to port P6(B) of the second driver IC 11b, and the other end connected to ground GND1 via a common ground line.

[0023] In this embodiment, each of range SW8a to range SW8f is a relay switch, and is configured to be turned on when the shift lever is shifted to the corresponding position, and turned off when the shift lever is shifted to another corresponding position.

[0024] Here, we will explain the general control and operation of the idle stop vehicle 1. When the driver turns on the ignition (IG) key switch 18 to command the engine to start while the shift lever (not shown) is in P or N range, a signal from the IG key switch 18 is input, for example, from a communication bus to the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11. Based on this input, the EFI / IDS integrated ECU 11 momentarily energizes and turns on the relay 7, supplies power from the battery 2 to the starter 6, starts the starter 6, and starts the stopped engine 3 (initial start).

[0025] When the shift position is in P range or N range, the P range switch 8a or N range switch 8c shown in FIG. 2 is turned ON. In this case, the other end of the relay coil 7a is electrically connected to ground GND1. Therefore, the current flowing through the relay coil 7a during initial starting flows from one end to the other end of the relay coil 7a and then falls from the other end to ground GND1 via the P range switch 8a or N range switch 8c. This energization of the relay coil 7a closes the relay switch 7b, causing the engine 3 to start.

[0026] Once the engine 3 starts and the battery 2 is fully charged using the power generated by the ISG (not shown), the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 performs idle stop control until the engine 3 is stopped by turning off the IG key switch 18.

[0027] The EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 receives, via the CAN 15, information about the engine 3 such as the engine speed and coolant temperature, information about the battery 2 current and temperature, information about the detected vehicle speed and master cylinder pressure, lock-up clutch information, and information about switches in various locations inside the vehicle such as the stop lamp switch and courtesy switch.

[0028] Then, based on this information, when the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 during idling stop control detects that the driver has depressed the brake pedal in response to a red traffic light or the like and that the master cylinder pressure has reached a predetermined depression pressure or higher, it checks whether predetermined stop conditions for idling stop control are met (for example, conditions such as the stop lamps being on and the vehicle speed being below a predetermined speed (for example, 9 km / h): corresponding to the "predetermined engine automatic stop conditions" of the present invention).As a result, if the vehicle speed drops below the predetermined speed even if it does not come to a complete stop, it commands the engine ECU to stop the engine, and the engine ECU automatically stops the engine 3 by throttling the fuel throttle or the like.

[0029] Next, when the traffic light turns green, etc., and the driver releases the brake pedal, and it is detected that the master cylinder pressure has dropped to a predetermined release pressure, the idle-stop vehicle 1 checks whether predetermined restart conditions for idle-stop control are met (for example, conditions such as the stop lamp being off and the door being closed: corresponding to the "predetermined engine restart conditions" of the present invention). If it is confirmed that the predetermined restart conditions are met, the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 momentarily energizes and turns on the relay 7, supplies power from the battery 2 to the starter 6, starts the starter 6, and automatically restarts the stopped engine 3.

[0030] Specifically, when restarting the engine 3, the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 controls the first driver IC 11a to supply power from the first driver IC 11a to the relay coil 7a. It also controls the second driver IC 11b to allow current from the relay coil 7a to flow to the ground provided in the second driver IC 11b. As a result, when restarting the engine 3, current flows from one end of the relay coil 7a to the other end, passes through a path connecting the other end to the second driver IC 11b, and then falls to the ground provided in the second driver IC 11b. This energization of the relay coil 7a closes the relay switch 7b, and the engine 3 automatically starts (restarts).

[0031] Thereafter, automatic stopping of the engine 3 based on the satisfaction of a predetermined stop condition during deceleration and automatic restart of the engine 3 based on the satisfaction of a predetermined restart condition are alternately performed.

[0032] Even if the above-described predetermined restart condition is not satisfied in the idle-stop state, if the information from the door opening / closing sensor 13 indicates that the door of the idle-stop vehicle 1 has changed from a closed state to an open state (corresponding to "a predetermined exit condition is satisfied" in the present invention), or if the information from the belt fastening / unfastening sensor 14 indicates that the seat belt has changed from a fastened state to an unfastened state (corresponding to "a predetermined exit condition is satisfied" in the present invention), the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 performs restart control of the engine 3. The EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 periodically acquires the information from the door opening / closing sensor 13 and the information from the belt fastening / unfastening sensor 14 via the CAN 15.

[0033] At this time, the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 also determines the on / off state of each of range SW8a to range SW8f (corresponding to the "switch" of the present invention) that make up the shift range switch 8 (corresponding to the "shift range" of the present invention). If the determination result is a specific determination result that P range SW8a is in the on state and the remaining ranges SW8b to 8f are all in the off state, the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 determines that the shift position is definitely in the P range and that the idling stop vehicle 1 is in a safe state where it will not move even if the engine 3 is restarted, and performs restart control while prohibiting the output of an alarm sound for the engine 3.

[0034] On the other hand, if the result of determining the on / off state of each range SW8a to range SW8f is other than the specific determination result, it is unclear whether the shift position is in the P range, and it is determined that there is a possibility that the idling stop vehicle 1 will move if the engine 3 is restarted, and in addition to the engine 3 restart control, alarm output control is performed to sound an alarm from the speaker 16.

[0035] The on / off state of each of the range SW8a to range SW8f can be determined by detecting the potential of each port (port P1(P), port P2(R), port P3(N), port P4(D), port P5(S), and port P6(B)) of the second driver IC 11b. For example, when the P range SW8a is in the off state, the potential of port P1(P) is at a high level, whereas when the P range SW8a is in the on state, the potential changes to a low level due to conduction between port P1(P) and ground GND1. Therefore, when the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 detects that the potential of port P1(P) is at a high level, it can determine that the P range SW8a is in the off state, and when it detects that the potential is at a low level, it can determine that the P range SW8a is in the on state. The on / off state of the other ranges SW8b to SW8f can be determined in a similar manner, by detecting the potential levels of the corresponding ports (port P2(R), port P3(N), port P4(D), port P5(S), port P6(B)).

[0036] In this embodiment, the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 periodically detects the potential level of each of the range switches SW8a to SW8f.

[0037] Next, a control process when a door is opened or a seat belt is unfastened during idling stop will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 3. This process is executed by the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11.

[0038] During the period from when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied and the idle-stop vehicle 1 enters an idle-stop state until a predetermined restart condition is satisfied (the period during which the engine 3 remains automatically stopped), the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 determines whether a door of the idle-stop vehicle 1 has changed from a closed state to an open state or whether a seat belt has changed from a fastened state to an unfastened state (step S1). If the determination result in step S1 is neither that the door of the idle-stop vehicle 1 has changed to an open state nor that the seat belt has changed to an unfastened state (NO in step S1), the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 waits until one of these determination results is obtained. The EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 determines whether a door of the idle-stop vehicle 1 has changed from a closed state to an open state or whether a seat belt has changed from a fastened state to an unfastened state based on information from the door opening / closing sensor 13 and the seat belt fastening / unfastening sensor 14 periodically acquired via the CAN 15.

[0039] On the other hand, if the determination result in step S1 is that either the door of the idle stop vehicle 1 has changed to an open state or the seat belt has changed to an unfastened state, the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 determines whether the state of the shift range switch 8 is abnormal (step S2).

[0040] If the judgment result indicates that the state of the shift range switch 8 is abnormal (YES in step S3), the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 determines that it is unclear whether the shift position is in the P range and that restarting the engine 3 may cause the idle stop vehicle 1 to move, and in addition to controlling the restart of the engine 3, it executes warning output control to sound a warning sound from the speaker 16 to alert the occupants (step S6).

[0041] In step S3, if the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 detects that only one of the range SWs 8a to 8f is in the ON state and all the others are in the OFF state, it determines that the shift range switch 8 is in a normal state. On the other hand, if the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 detects that a plurality of the range SWs 8a to 8f are in the ON state at the same time or if the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 detects that all of the range SWs 8a to 8f are in the OFF state, it determines that the shift range switch 8 is in an abnormal state.

[0042] However, in order to prevent erroneous determination due to chattering of each range SW8a to range SW8f, the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 does not determine that there is an abnormality (does not pass step S3 with a YES result) simply by detecting a state in which multiple range SW8a to range SW8f are in the ON state or a state in which all range SW8a to range SW8f are in the OFF state at a certain period of time, but determines that the shift range switch 8 is in an abnormal state if that state is detected continuously for a predetermined time (for example, 1 second). Therefore, until the predetermined time has elapsed, step S3 passes with a NO result.

[0043] If it is determined in step S3 that the shift range switch 8 is in a normal state (NO in step S3), the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 determines whether the P range SW8a is in the ON state and all of the other ranges SW8b to SW8f are in the OFF state (step S4).

[0044] If it is determined in step S4 that the P range switch 8a is in the ON state and all of the other range switches 8b to 8f are in the OFF state, i.e., the first state (corresponding to the "first state" of the present invention), the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 determines that the shift position is definitely in the P range and that the idling stop vehicle 1 is in a safe state where it will not move even if the engine 3 is restarted, and executes restart control of the engine 3 while prohibiting alarm output that sounds an alarm from the speaker 16 (step S5), and ends this processing. Note that the determination in step S4 does not wait for the abnormal state of the shift range switch 8 to continue for a predetermined time, as in the case where it is determined that there is an abnormality in step S3, but rather executes restart control of the engine 3 when it is determined to be in the first state at a single determination timing.

[0045] On the other hand, in step S4, if the state is other than the first state (NO in step S4), it is unclear whether the shift position is in the P range, and it is determined that there is a possibility that the idle-stop vehicle 1 will move if the engine 3 is restarted, and the system immediately executes restart control of the engine 3 and alarm output control to sound an alarm from the speaker 16 to alert the occupants (step S6), and then ends the process. Here, "immediately" means that the system executes restart control of the engine 3 and alarm output control when it is determined at one determination timing that the state is other than the first state, rather than waiting for the abnormal state of the shift range switch 8 to continue for a predetermined time as in the case where it is determined in step S3 that there is an abnormality.

[0046] Therefore, according to this embodiment, if it is determined that an occupant intends to get out of the vehicle during an idle stop state, such as when the occupant opens the door of the idle stop vehicle 1 or unfastens their seat belt, and the shift position is in the P range, the output of an alarm sound is prohibited, thereby preventing an intrusive alarm sound from being sounded in a safe state in which the idle stop vehicle 1 will not start moving even if the engine 3 is restarted.

[0047] Furthermore, whether the shift position is in the P range is determined by detecting the on / off states of all of the range switches SW8a to SW8f provided for each range. This allows for an earlier determination of the shift position and an audible alarm to be output earlier when necessary, compared to a method of determining whether the shift position is in the P range by monitoring the state of each range switch SW8a to SW8f for a predetermined period of time to prevent erroneous determination due to chattering of each range switch SW8a to SW8f.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0049] For example, in the above embodiment, when a situation arises in which it is determined that an occupant intends to get off the vehicle during an idling stop state and the shift position is not in the P range, an alarm sound is emitted by the speaker 16 as a means of notifying the occupant of this fact. However, this fact may also be displayed on the screen of the display device, or an alarm may be sounded in addition to the screen display, and various means for notifying the occupant may be employed.

[0050] In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 directly controls the output of the alarm sound by the speaker 16 has been described. However, a request signal from the EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU 11 may be received by another ECU via the CAN 15, and the other ECU may control the speaker 16.

[0051] The present invention can be applied to various vehicles equipped with a control means that stops a running engine when predetermined automatic engine stop conditions are met, and automatically restarts a stopped engine when predetermined engine restart conditions are met. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1. Idling stop vehicle (vehicle) 8 Shift range switch (shift range) 8a~8f Range switch (switch) 11 EFI / CVT / IDS integrated ECU (control means) 16 Speaker (alarm output means)

Claims

[Claim 1] A vehicle control device including a control means for stopping a running engine when a predetermined engine automatic stop condition is met, and automatically restarting a stopped engine when a predetermined engine restart condition is met, alarm output means for outputting an alarm to an occupant; A plurality of shift ranges including a parking range are provided with individual switches, and the shift position can be detected based on the on / off state of each of the switches for the plurality of shift ranges, the control means is capable of determining whether a predetermined condition indicating that an occupant intends to get off the vehicle is satisfied, and is capable of detecting the state of the switch for each of the plurality of shift ranges, When the control means determines that the predetermined dismounting condition is satisfied during the period from when the predetermined engine automatic stop condition is satisfied to when the predetermined engine restart condition is satisfied, When the states of the switches for the respective shift ranges detected by the control means are in a first state in which the switch for the parking range is in an on state and all of the switches for the other shift ranges are in an off state, output from the alarm output means is prohibited, When the state of the switch for each of the plurality of shift ranges is other than the first state, the alarm output means outputs an alarm. A vehicle control device comprising:

Images