electric vehicles

Abstract

To enable a driver to switch a control mode without releasing hands from a steering wheel to thereby enable the driver to enjoy driving a vehicle such as an MT vehicle.SOLUTION: An electric automobile comprises a paddle-type shifter having at least two shift operation portions and a motor control device that controls an electric motor. The motor control device is configured to transit a control mode of the electric motor from a normal control mode to a quasi-shift mode, when a driver operates the second shift operation portion that is different from the first shift operation portion while operating the first shift operation portion for more than a predetermined time. The quasi-shift mode is a control mode in which quasi-shifting can be performed by operating the paddle-type shifter, by varying output characteristics of the electric motor with respect to operation of an accelerator pedal in accordance with operation of the paddle-type shifter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle that uses an electric motor as a power unit for running. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2022-036845 discloses an electric vehicle that can simulate the manual shifting operation of a manual transmission vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an MT vehicle) by controlling an electric motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-036845 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, the normal electric motor control mode in an electric vehicle is called automatic mode, and the electric motor control mode that simulates the manual gear shifting operation of a manual transmission vehicle is called manual mode. A switch could be used as a means for switching the control mode between automatic mode and manual mode. However, such a switch would have to be installed in a location that forces the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel, which is inconvenient for the driver.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and one objective of the present disclosure is to provide an electric vehicle that allows the driver to switch control modes without taking their hands off the steering wheel, allowing them to enjoy driving like a manual transmission vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electric vehicle disclosed herein includes an accelerator pedal, paddle shifters, and a motor control device. Upshift operations, downshift operations, and mode switching operations are pre-registered in the paddle shifters. The motor control device switches the control mode of the electric motor between manual mode and automatic mode in response to the mode switching operation on the paddle shifters. When the control mode is automatic mode, the motor control device changes the output of the electric motor in response to operation of the accelerator pedal. On the other hand, when the control mode is manual mode, the motor control device changes the output characteristics of the electric motor in response to operation of the accelerator pedal in response to upshift operations and downshift operations on the paddle shifters. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the electric vehicle of the present disclosure, the driver can switch the control mode between manual mode and automatic mode by operating the paddle shifters without taking their hands off the steering wheel. In manual mode, the driver can enjoy driving with manual gear changes like in a manual transmission vehicle by operating the paddle shifters. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power control system of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating examples of an engine model, a clutch model, and a transmission model that configure a vehicle model. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a timing diagram showing an example of a mode switching operation using a paddle shifter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power control system of an electric vehicle 10 according to this embodiment. The electric vehicle 10 is equipped with an electric motor 44, a battery 46, and an inverter 42. The electric motor 44 is a power unit for driving the electric motor 44. The battery 46 stores electric energy for driving the electric motor 44. In other words, the electric vehicle 10 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that runs on electric energy stored in the battery 46. The inverter 42 converts DC power input from the battery 46 during acceleration into drive power for the electric motor 2. Furthermore, the inverter 42 converts regenerative power input from the electric motor 44 during deceleration into DC power and charges the battery 46.

[0010] The electric vehicle 10 is provided with an accelerator pedal 22 that allows the driver to input an acceleration request to the electric vehicle 10. The accelerator pedal 22 is provided with an accelerator position sensor 32 that detects the accelerator opening.

[0011] The electric vehicle 10 is equipped with paddle shifters 24. However, this paddle shifter 24 is a dummy and not a real paddle shifter. The paddle shifter 24 has a structure similar to that of a paddle shifter equipped in a clutch pedal-less manual transmission vehicle. The paddle shifter 24 is attached to the steering wheel. The paddle shifter 24 is equipped with an upshift switch 34u and a downshift switch 34d that determine the operating position. The upshift switch 34u issues an upshift signal when pulled toward the driver, and the downshift switch 34d issues a downshift signal when pulled toward the driver.

[0012] Wheel speed sensors 36 are provided on the wheels 26 of the electric vehicle 10. The wheel speed sensors 36 are used as vehicle speed sensors for detecting the vehicle speed of the electric vehicle 10. In addition, the electric motor 44 is provided with a rotation speed sensor 38 for detecting its rotation speed.

[0013] The electric vehicle 10 is equipped with a motor control device 50. The motor control device 50 controls the electric motor 44 by PWM control of the inverter 42. Signals are input to the motor control device 50 from the accelerator position sensor 32, the upshift switch 34u, the downshift switch 34d, the wheel speed sensor 36, and the rotational speed sensor 38. The motor control device 50 processes these signals and calculates a motor torque command value for PWM control of the inverter 42.

[0014] The motor control device 50 is an ECU mounted on the electric vehicle 10. The motor control device 50 may be a combination of multiple ECUs. The motor control device 50 includes a control mode switching unit 52, an automatic mode torque calculation unit 54, and a manual mode torque calculation unit 56. Each of the units 52, 54, and 56 may be an independent ECU, or may be an ECU function obtained by executing a program stored in memory with a processor.

[0015] The control mode switching unit 52 has the function of switching the control mode of the electric motor between automatic mode and manual mode. Automatic mode is a normal control mode for driving the electric vehicle 10 as a general electric vehicle. Automatic mode is programmed to continuously change the output of the electric motor 44 in response to operation of the accelerator pedal 22. Manual mode is a control mode for driving the electric vehicle 10 like a manual transmission vehicle. Manual mode is programmed to change the output characteristics of the electric motor 44 in response to operation of the accelerator pedal 22 in response to upshifting and downshifting operations on the paddle shifters 24. Note that automatic mode is programmed to accept upshifting and downshifting operations as operations to change the strength of the regenerative brakes.

[0016] The control mode switching unit 52 switches the control mode based on the input pattern of the upshift signal input from the upshift switch 34u and the downshift signal input from the downshift switch 34d. Specifically, the operations possible with the paddle-type shifter 24 include an upshift operation, a downshift operation, and a mode switching operation. An upshift operation is an operation in which only the upshift switch 34u is turned on, and a downshift operation is an operation in which only the downshift switch 34d is turned on. Furthermore, a mode switching operation is an operation in which both the upshift switch 34u and the downshift switch 34d are turned on in a predetermined pattern. Examples of mode switching operations using the paddle-type shifter 24 will be described later.

[0017] The automatic mode torque calculation unit 54 has a function of calculating the motor torque when the electric motor 44 is controlled in automatic mode. A motor torque command map is stored in the automatic mode torque calculation unit 54. The motor torque command map is a map that determines the motor torque from the accelerator opening and the rotational speed of the electric motor 44. The signals from the accelerator position sensor 32 and the rotational speed sensor 38 are input to each parameter of the motor torque command map. The motor torque command map outputs a motor torque corresponding to these signals. Therefore, in automatic mode, even if the driver operates the paddle shifter 24, the operation is not reflected in the motor torque.

[0018] The manual mode torque calculation unit 56 includes a vehicle model. The vehicle model is a model for calculating the drive wheel torque that should be obtained by operating the accelerator pedal 22 and the paddle shifters 24, assuming that the electric vehicle 10 is a manual transmission vehicle. The manual mode torque calculation unit 56 converts the drive wheel torque calculated by the vehicle model into motor torque using a reduction ratio from the output shaft of the electric motor 44 to the drive wheels.

[0019] The vehicle model provided in the manual mode torque calculation unit 56 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle model is composed of an engine model 561, a clutch model 562, and a transmission model 563. The engine, clutch, and transmission virtually realized by the vehicle model are referred to as a virtual engine, a virtual clutch, and a virtual transmission, respectively. The engine model 561 models a virtual engine. The clutch model 562 models a virtual clutch. The transmission model 563 models a virtual transmission.

[0020] The engine model 561 calculates a virtual engine rotation speed and a virtual engine output torque. The virtual engine rotation speed is calculated from the wheel speed, the overall reduction ratio, and the slip ratio of the virtual clutch. The virtual engine output torque is calculated from the virtual engine rotation speed and the accelerator opening. To calculate the virtual engine output torque, a map is used, as shown in FIG. 2, which defines the relationship between the accelerator opening Pap, the virtual engine rotation speed Ne, and the virtual engine output torque Teout. This map provides the virtual engine output torque Teout for the virtual engine rotation speed Ne for each accelerator opening Pap. The torque characteristics shown in FIG. 2 can be set to characteristics assuming a gasoline engine or a diesel engine. Furthermore, they can be set to characteristics assuming a naturally aspirated engine or a supercharged engine.

[0021] The clutch model 562 calculates a torque transmission gain. The torque transmission gain is a gain used to calculate the degree of torque transmission of the virtual clutch according to the virtual clutch opening. The virtual clutch opening is normally 0% and temporarily opens to 100% in conjunction with switching of the virtual gear stage of the virtual transmission. The clutch model 562 has a map as shown in Figure 2. In this map, a torque transmission gain k is assigned to the virtual clutch opening Pc. In Figure 2, Pc0 corresponds to the position where the virtual clutch opening Pc is 0%, and Pc3 corresponds to the position where the virtual clutch opening Pc is 100%. The ranges from Pc0 to Pc1 and from Pc2 to Pc3 are dead zones in which the torque transmission gain k does not change depending on the virtual clutch opening Pc. The clutch model 562 calculates the clutch output torque using the torque transmission gain. The clutch output torque is the torque output from the virtual clutch. The clutch model 562 also calculates the slip ratio. The slip ratio is used to calculate the virtual engine rotation speed in the engine model 561. To calculate the slip ratio, a map in which the slip ratio is given relative to the virtual clutch opening can be used, similar to the torque transmission gain.

[0022] The transmission model 563 calculates the gear ratio (speed ratio). The gear ratio is determined by the virtual gear position in the virtual transmission. In response to an upshift operation of the paddle shifter 24, the virtual gear position is increased by one position, and in response to a downshift operation of the paddle shifter 24, the virtual gear position is decreased by one position. The transmission model 563 has a map such as that shown in FIG. 2. In this map, a gear ratio r is assigned to the virtual gear position GP so that the gear ratio r decreases as the virtual gear position GP increases. The transmission model 563 calculates the transmission output torque using the gear ratio and clutch output torque obtained from the map. The transmission output torque changes discontinuously as the gear ratio is changed. This discontinuous change in the transmission output torque generates a shift shock, creating the feeling of a vehicle equipped with a stepped transmission.

[0023] The vehicle model calculates the drive wheel torque using a predetermined reduction ratio. The reduction ratio is a fixed value determined by the mechanical structure from the virtual transmission to the drive wheels. The value obtained by multiplying the reduction ratio by the gear ratio is the overall reduction ratio mentioned above. The vehicle model calculates the drive wheel torque from the transmission output torque and the reduction ratio. The motor torque in manual mode is calculated by multiplying the calculated drive wheel torque by the reduction ratio from the output shaft of the electric motor 44 to the drive wheels.

[0024] Finally, an example of a mode switching operation using the paddle shifter 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As described above, the mode switching operation involves turning on both the upshift switch 34u and the downshift switch 34d in a predetermined pattern. Here, it is assumed that the upshift switch 34u is attached to the right paddle of the paddle shifter 24, and the downshift switch 34d is attached to the left paddle of the paddle shifter 24. FIG. 3 shows the operation patterns of the right and left paddles for turning on the manual mode. The operation patterns illustrated in FIG. 3 are four patterns: Patterns A, B, C, and D.

[0025] In pattern A, manual mode is turned on by double-clicking the left paddle while holding down the right paddle for a predetermined period of time. Then, by double-clicking the left paddle and then releasing the right paddle, upshifting can be performed by clicking the right paddle and downshifting can be performed by clicking the left paddle. The number of clicks of the left paddle required to turn manual mode on may be set to three or more. Furthermore, in pattern A, the operations of the right and left paddles may be reversed, so that manual mode is turned on by clicking the right paddle multiple times while holding down the left paddle for a predetermined period of time. The operation of pattern A can also be used to turn off manual mode, i.e., to turn on automatic mode.

[0026] In pattern B, manual mode is turned on by pressing and holding the right paddle for a predetermined period of time or longer while also pressing and holding the left paddle for a predetermined period of time or longer. Then, by releasing the left paddle and then the right paddle, upshifting can be performed by clicking the right paddle and downshifting can be performed by clicking the left paddle. In pattern B, the operation of the right paddle and the left paddle can be reversed so that manual mode is turned on by pressing and holding the left paddle for a predetermined period of time or longer while also pressing and holding the right paddle for a predetermined period of time or longer. Note that the operation of pattern B can also be used to turn manual mode off, i.e., to turn automatic mode on.

[0027] In pattern C, the manual mode is turned on by alternately clicking the right and left paddles. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the right paddle is clicked twice and the left paddle once, but the number of clicks may be increased. Also, in pattern C, the operations of the right and left paddles may be reversed, starting with clicking the left paddle. Also, in pattern C, the manual mode may be turned on by alternately pressing and holding the right and left paddles for a predetermined period of time or longer.

[0028] In pattern D, manual mode is turned on by clicking the right paddle multiple times and then clicking the left paddle within a predetermined time. The operation of the right paddle is reset when a predetermined time has passed since the last click of the right paddle. In pattern D, the operations of the right paddle and the left paddle may be reversed so that manual mode is turned on by clicking the left paddle multiple times and then clicking the right paddle within a predetermined time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 10 Electric vehicle, 22 Accelerator pedal, 24 Paddle shifter, 44 Electric motor, 50 Motor control device

Claims

[Claim 1] An electric vehicle that uses an electric motor as a power unit for driving, a paddle shifter having an upshift switch and a downshift switch; a motor control device that controls the electric motor, the motor control device is configured to transition a control mode of the electric motor from a normal control mode to a pseudo speed change mode in response to a driver operating the downshift switch while operating the upshift switch for a predetermined period of time or longer, The pseudo-shift mode is a control mode that enables pseudo-shifting by operating the paddle shifter by changing the output characteristics of the electric motor in response to the operation of the accelerator pedal in accordance with the operation of the paddle shifter. An electric vehicle characterized by:

Images