Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device capable of increasing convenience of automated driving by restricting unnecessary abort of automated driving even if shift changeover request from an automated driving system is inappropriate.SOLUTION: A shift by wire ECU (control device) 80 (a) executes a shift changeover request signal Ssftchg to P range without executing a shift changeover request signal Ssftchg to either D range or R range from the automated driving ECU 90 if the shift changeover request signal Ssftchg is determined inappropriate during automated driving and a vehicle is in a predetermined parking state or very low vehicle speed state, and (b) executes shift changeover to N range without executing a shift changeover request signal Ssftchg to the D range, R range or P range from the automated driving ECU 90 if the shift changeover request signal Ssftchg is determined inappropriate during automated driving and the vehicle is in a predetermined driving state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that executes a shift change request from an automatic driving system during automatic driving, and executes a shift change request operated by a driver during manual driving. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a vehicle control device that executes a shift change request from an automated driving system while in automated driving mode but does not execute a shift change request operated by the driver, and executes a shift change request operated by the driver while in manual driving mode but does not execute a shift change request from the automated driving system. For example, the device described in Patent Document 1 is one such device. The vehicle control device described in Patent Document 1 determines whether or not to continue driving by automated driving based on the type of abnormality that occurs in the control device that controls the vehicle's shift range, and prevents automated driving from being stopped unnecessarily. This increases the number of situations in which automated driving is performed, thereby improving the convenience of automated driving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-172184 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a vehicle equipped with an automated driving system, there are cases where a shift change request sent from the automated driving system to a control device that controls the vehicle's shift range becomes inappropriate due to some abnormality. Patent Document 1 does not disclose how to deal with such a case.

[0005] The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle control device that prevents automatic driving from being unnecessarily stopped even if a shift change request from the automatic driving system is inappropriate, thereby improving the convenience of automatic driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gist of the present invention is a vehicle control device that, during autonomous driving, executes a shift change request from an autonomous driving system but does not execute a shift change request operated by the driver, and, during manual driving, executes a shift change request operated by the driver but does not execute a shift change request from the autonomous driving system, and that achieves at least one of the following: (a) during autonomous driving, if the shift change request from the autonomous driving system is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state where the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined first vehicle speed value, not executes a shift change request to either D range or R range from the autonomous driving system, but executes a shift change request to P range from the autonomous driving system; and (b) during autonomous driving, if the shift change request from the autonomous driving system is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a driving state where the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined second vehicle speed value that is equal to or greater than the predetermined first vehicle speed value, not executes a shift change request to D range, R range, or P range from the autonomous driving system, but executes a shift change to N range. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, at least one of the following is realized: (a) during the automated driving, if the shift change request from the automated driving system is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a stopped state or an extremely low vehicle speed state where the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined first vehicle speed value, the shift change request from the automated driving system to either D range or R range is not executed, and the shift change request from the automated driving system to P range is executed, and (b) during the automated driving, if the shift change request from the automated driving system is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a traveling state where the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined second vehicle speed value that is equal to or greater than the predetermined first vehicle speed value, the shift change request from the automated driving system to D range, R range, or P range is not executed, and the shift change to N range is executed. Even if the shift change request from the automated driving system is inappropriate, in the cases (a) and (b) above, unnecessary suspension of automated driving is suppressed, thereby improving the convenience of automated driving. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle equipped with a shift-by-wire ECU according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing the main parts of a control system that controls each part of the vehicle. [Figure 2] 4 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a control operation of a shift-by-wire ECU. [Figure 3] 10 is another example of a flowchart illustrating the control operation of the shift-by-wire ECU. [Figure 4] 4 is an example of a time chart when the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 3 are executed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in the embodiments, the drawings are appropriately simplified or modified, and the dimensional ratios and shapes of the various parts are not necessarily drawn accurately. [Example]

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 10 equipped with a shift-by-wire ECU 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and also shows the main parts of a control system that controls each part of the vehicle 10.

[0011] The vehicle 10 is, for example, a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine 12 and a second electric motor MG2 as a power source for traveling. The vehicle 10 includes, in a power transmission path between the engine 12 and a pair of drive wheels 22, a transmission unit 14, an output gear 16 of the transmission unit 14, a differential 18, and a pair of axles 20, in that order from the engine 12 side, all of which are well-known components. The vehicle 10 also includes a shift operation device 30, an inverter 50, an electronic control unit 100, a vehicle state sensor 54, a surroundings recognition sensor 56, and a driver operation sensor 58.

[0012] The engine 12 is a well-known internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine. The engine torque Te [Nm], which is the output torque of the engine 12, is controlled by an HV-ECU 70 (described later). The first electric motor MG1 and the second electric motor MG2 are, for example, rotating electric machines having a motor function and a generator function, and are so-called motor generators. For example, the first electric motor MG1 has a generator function for receiving the reaction force of the engine 12 and a motor function for rotating the engine 12 when the engine is stopped. The second electric motor MG2 has a motor function for outputting driving force as a power source for traveling and a generator function for generating electricity using the driven force input from the pair of drive wheels 22. When no particular distinction is made, the driving force can also be referred to as power, torque, and force.

[0013] The transmission unit 14 includes, for example, a first electric motor MG1, a power distribution mechanism 24 that distributes power transmitted from the engine 12 to the first electric motor MG1 and the output gear 16, and a second electric motor MG2 that is connected to the output gear 16 so as to be able to transmit power. The transmission unit 14 is provided with a parking lock mechanism 28, which is a well-known configuration that is driven by an actuator 26 and mechanically stops the rotation of the pair of drive wheels 22.

[0014] In the vehicle 10, the power of the engine 12 is transmitted to the output gear 16 via the power distribution mechanism 24, and the power is then transmitted to a pair of drive wheels 22 via the differential 18 and a pair of axles 20. In addition, the power of the second electric motor MG2 is transmitted to the output gear 16, and the power is then transmitted to a pair of drive wheels 22 via the differential 18 and a pair of axles 20.

[0015] The shift operation device 30 is provided in a position where it can be operated by the driver (=operator). The shift operation device 30 includes, for example, a momentary shift lever 32 that can be operated to a plurality of operating positions Psh, and a P switch 36. The momentary type is a mechanism in which the shift lever 32 returns to a preset home position when the driver releases the operation of the shift lever 32.

[0016] The operating positions Psh include, for example, an R position which is a reverse drive position, an N position which is a neutral position, a D position which is a forward drive position, and a B position which is an engine brake position. During manual driving, which will be described later, when the shift lever 32 and the P switch 36 are operated, the shift range (drive range) of the transmission unit 14 is switched accordingly. When the shift lever 32 is operated to the R position, the shift range of the transmission unit 14 is switched to a reverse drive range (R range) which moves the vehicle 10 backward. When the shift lever 32 is operated to the N position, the shift range of the transmission unit 14 is switched to a neutral range (N range) which interrupts the power transmission path within the transmission unit 14. When the shift lever 32 is operated to the D position, the shift range of the transmission unit 14 is switched to a forward drive range (D range) which moves the vehicle 10 forward. When the shift lever 32 is operated to the B position, the shift range of the transmission unit 14 is switched to an engine brake range which generates engine braking.

[0017] The P switch 36 is, for example, a push button switch. When the P switch 36 is pressed and the vehicle 10 is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state, the parking lock mechanism 28 is activated via the actuator 26. This switches the shift range of the transmission 14 to a parking range (P range) for parking the vehicle 10. For example, when the vehicle speed V [km / h] is lower than a predetermined first vehicle speed value V_jdg1, it is determined that the vehicle is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state. The predetermined first vehicle speed value V_jdg1 is a vehicle speed value slightly higher than zero that is predetermined near zero for determining that the vehicle is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state, and is a vehicle speed value at which the parking lock mechanism 28 can be activated.

[0018] In the vehicle 10, the shift lever 32 of the shift operating device 30 is not mechanically connected to the transmission unit 14, but is electrically connected to the transmission unit 14 via a wire (communication line), a so-called shift-by-wire system being adopted.

[0019] The shift operation device 30 includes four Hall ICs 34 (shown by dashed lines) that function as sensors for detecting the shift position Psh. When the driver operates the shift lever 32, the relative positions of each Hall IC 34 and a magnet (not shown) fixed to the shift lever 32 change, causing a change in the voltage value output from each Hall IC 34. The voltage values ​​for each Hall IC 34 when the shift lever 32 is operated to each shift position Psh are stored in advance, and the shift position Psh of the shift lever 32 is determined by detecting the voltage value of each Hall IC 34. A shift operation signal Ssftope is a signal representing information about the driver's operation of the shift operation device 30, detected by the Hall ICs 34 and the P switch 36. The shift operation signal Ssftope corresponds to a "shift change request operated by the driver" in this invention.

[0020] The inverter 50 is a power supply circuit provided between the first electric motor MG1, the second electric motor MG2, and a battery (not shown), and is controlled by the HV-ECU 70 (described later) to convert DC to AC and vice versa. The MG1 torque Tmg1 [Nm], which is the output torque of the first electric motor MG1, and the MG2 torque Tmg2 [Nm], which is the output torque of the second electric motor MG2, are each controlled by the inverter 50 controlled by the HV-ECU 70.

[0021] The vehicle 10 has a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode as driving modes. The manual driving mode is a driving method based on manual operation by the driver, and the automatic driving mode is a driving method not based on manual operation by the driver. In the automatic driving mode, at least the shift range switching of the transmission unit 14 and the control of the power source (operation control of the engine 12 and drive control of the first electric motor MG1 and the second electric motor MG2) are performed automatically without the driver's operation. On the other hand, in the manual driving mode, at least the shift range switching of the transmission unit 14 and the control of the power source are performed by the driver's operation. Manual driving is driving and stopping of the vehicle 10 in the manual driving mode, and automatic driving is driving and stopping of the vehicle 10 in the automatic driving mode.

[0022] Switching between manual driving and automatic driving is performed based on the driver's operation of the automatic driving selector switch 52 located at the driver's seat. When the driver operates the automatic driving selector switch 52 to the ON side (automatic driving side), the driving mode is switched from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode. When the driver operates the automatic driving selector switch 52 to the OFF side (manual driving side) or when the driver operates any of the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal (not shown) during automatic driving, the driving mode is switched from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode.

[0023] The electronic control device 100 includes a plurality of ECUs that function as control devices that control various parts of the vehicle 10. Note that ECU stands for Electronic Control Unit, and is abbreviated as the initials of each word.

[0024] The electronic control device 100 includes an HV-ECU 70, a shift-by-wire ECU 80, and an automatic driving ECU 90. The HV-ECU 70 is an ECU for hybrid drive control related to the engine 12, the first electric motor MG1, the second electric motor MG2, etc. The shift-by-wire ECU 80 is an ECU that controls the shift range of the transmission 14. The shift-by-wire ECU 80 corresponds to the "controller" in the present invention. The automatic driving ECU 90 is an ECU for executing automatic driving (automatic driving control). The automatic driving ECU 90 corresponds to the "automatic driving system" in the present invention. For example, the ECUs (HV-ECU 70, shift-by-wire ECU 80, and automatic driving ECU 90) in the electronic control device 100 are each connected to a network that communicates using a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication circuit. This allows the ECUs to input and output data to and from each other. Each ECU is configured to include a so-called microcomputer equipped with, for example, a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input / output interface, etc., and the CPU performs various controls of the vehicle 10 by performing signal processing according to a program previously stored in the ROM while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM.

[0025] The autonomous driving ECU 90 receives various signals based on detection values ​​from various sensors (e.g., vehicle state sensor 54, surroundings recognition sensor 56, driver operation sensor 58, etc.) (e.g., engine rotation speed Ne [rpm] which is the rotation speed Nmg2 of engine 12, throttle valve opening θth [%], shift state signal Ssftsta which indicates the shift range of transmission unit 14, rotation speed Nmg1 [rpm] which is the rotation speed of first electric motor MG1, rotation speed Nmg2 [rpm] which is the rotation speed of second electric motor MG2, various information which indicates the vehicle state such as vehicle speed V, various information regarding the surroundings of vehicle 10 such as obstacles around vehicle 10, and the presence or absence of vehicles traveling in front, behind, to the left and right of vehicle 10, and various information regarding operations by the driver such as whether the accelerator pedal is pressed or not, whether the brake pedal is pressed or not, and whether the steering wheel is operated or not). The surroundings recognition sensor 56 is composed of a plurality of sensors such as an infrared sensor, a camera, and a medium- to long-range radar, and the vehicle state sensor 54 and the driver operation sensor 58 are composed of a plurality of sensors that detect various specifications, for example.

[0026] The autonomous driving ECU 90 outputs a driving force request signal Sdrive requesting driving force during autonomous driving to the HV-ECU 70, and outputs a shift switching request signal Ssftchg requesting switching of the shift range during autonomous driving to the shift-by-wire ECU 80. The shift switching request signal Ssftchg corresponds to the "shift switching request from the autonomous driving system" in the present invention.

[0027] When the driver operates the automatic driving selector switch 52 to switch to the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving ECU 90 controls the vehicle 10 to travel toward a target position based on a predetermined target position (target position information) and a current position (current position information), etc., without relying on the driver's operation, i.e., automatically drives the vehicle 10. When the driver operates the automatic driving selector switch 52 to switch to the automatic driving mode when parking the vehicle 10, the automatic driving ECU 90 has a function of automatically parking the vehicle 10 at a predetermined target parking position (target parking frame). The target position is a destination desired by the driver that is set in advance by the driver. The target parking position is a parking frame that is specified by the driver when parking the vehicle 10, or is automatically specified based on current position information, etc. This target parking position is one aspect of the target position.

[0028] The shift-by-wire ECU 80 receives input of various signals (e.g., a shift state signal Ssftsta indicating the shift range of the transmission unit 14, various information indicating the vehicle state such as the vehicle speed V, a shift operation signal Ssftope, etc.) based on detection values ​​from various sensors (e.g., the vehicle state sensor 54, the Hall IC 34, the P switch 36, etc.). Furthermore, a shift switching request signal Ssftchg is input to the shift-by-wire ECU 80 from the autonomous driving ECU 90 during autonomous driving. The shift-by-wire ECU 80 outputs a shift control signal Ssftctrl to the HV-ECU 70 for controlling switching of the shift range of the transmission unit 14, and also outputs a parking lock control signal Spk to the actuator 26 for operating the electric actuator 26 to operate the parking lock mechanism 28.

[0029] The HV-ECU 70 receives a driving force request signal Sdrive from the automatic driving ECU 90 and a shift control signal Ssftctrl from the shift-by-wire ECU 80. The HV-ECU 70 outputs an engine control signal Se to the engine 12 for controlling the operation of the engine 12, and outputs an electric motor control signal Sm to the inverter 50 for controlling the operation of the first electric motor MG1 and the second electric motor MG2. During automatic driving, the HV-ECU 70 controls the engine 12, the first electric motor MG1, and the second electric motor MG2 in accordance with the vehicle state so as to output a requested driving force according to the driving force request signal Sdrive while optimizing fuel economy. During manual driving, the HV-ECU 70 controls the engine 12, the first electric motor MG1, and the second electric motor MG2 in accordance with the vehicle state so as to output a driver-requested driving force while optimizing fuel economy.

[0030] The shift-by-wire ECU 80 functionally includes an information acquisition unit 82, an automatic driving determination unit 84, a request suitability determination unit 86, and a shift control unit 88.

[0031] The information acquisition unit 82 acquires driver operation information based on the shift operation signal Ssftope, and also acquires various information indicating the vehicle state, such as the shift state signal Ssftsta indicating the shift range of the transmission unit 14 and the vehicle speed V, which are input from the vehicle state sensor 54. The information acquisition unit 82 also acquires information from the automatic driving ECU 90 as to whether the vehicle is being driven automatically or manually.

[0032] The autonomous driving determination unit 84 determines whether the vehicle 10 is autonomously driving based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 82.

[0033] When the automatic driving determination unit 84 determines that the vehicle 10 is being manually driven, the shift control unit 88 executes control of switching the shift range of the transmission unit 14 via the HV-ECU 70 in response to the shift operation signal Ssftope. That is, during manual driving, the shift range switching control is executed in response to the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver, rather than the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90. For example, when the shift lever 32 is operated to the D position, the shift control unit 88 outputs a shift control signal Ssftctrl to the HV-ECU 70 to switch the shift range to the D range. In response to this, the HV-ECU 70 outputs an engine control signal Se and an electric motor control signal Sm to drive the vehicle 10 forward. Furthermore, when the P switch 36 is pressed by the driver, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 switches the shift range to the P range by activating the parking lock mechanism 28.

[0034] When the autonomous driving determination unit 84 determines that the vehicle 10 is in autonomous driving, the request appropriateness determination unit 86 determines whether the vehicle 10 is stopped, in an extremely low vehicle speed state, or in a traveling state (traveling forward or traveling backward) based on information (e.g., vehicle speed V) acquired by the information acquisition unit 82. For example, if the vehicle speed V is equal to or greater than a predetermined second vehicle speed value V_jdg2, it is determined that the vehicle 10 is in a traveling state. Note that the predetermined second vehicle speed value V_jdg2 is a vehicle speed value equal to or greater than a predetermined first vehicle speed value V_jdg1 (V_jdg2≧V_jdg1), which is determined in advance experimentally or by design in order to determine that the vehicle 10 is in a traveling state. Furthermore, the request appropriateness determination unit 86 determines whether the vehicle 10, which is in a traveling state, is traveling forward or traveling backward based on information (e.g., shift state signal Ssftsta) acquired by the information acquisition unit 82. When the automatic driving determination unit 84 determines that the vehicle 10 is in automatic driving, the request appropriateness determination unit 86 receives the shift switching request signal Ssftchg input from the automatic driving ECU 90 and determines whether the received shift switching request signal Ssftchg is appropriate.

[0035] During automatic driving, the request appropriateness determination unit 86 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate in any of the following cases: (1) the vehicle 10 is traveling (in a traveling state of traveling forward or reverse) and the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is a request to switch to P range, (2) the vehicle 10 is traveling backward and the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is a request to switch to D range, or (3) the vehicle 10 is traveling forward and the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is a request to switch to R range. In all other cases, the request appropriateness determination unit 86 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is appropriate.

[0036] During autonomous driving, if the request appropriateness determination unit 86 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is appropriate, the shift control unit 88 executes shift range switching control of the transmission unit 14 in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg via the HV-ECU 70. That is, during autonomous driving, the shift range switching control is executed in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the autonomous driving ECU 90, not the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver.

[0037] During automatic driving, if the request appropriateness determining unit 86 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate, the shift control unit 88 executes the following controls (a) and (b).

[0038] (a) During automatic driving, if the request appropriateness determination unit 86 determines that the vehicle 10 is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state, the shift control unit 88 does not execute shift range switching control in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to either the D range or the R range from the automatic driving ECU 90, but executes shift range switching control in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to the P range from the automatic driving ECU 90. Note that it does not matter whether or not the shift range switching control in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to the N range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is executed.

[0039] (b) During automatic driving, if the automatic driving determination unit 84 determines that the vehicle 10 is in a running state, the shift control unit 88 does not perform shift range switching control in accordance with the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 to D range, R range, and P range, but performs shift switching to N range.

[0040] Fig. 2 is an example of a flowchart illustrating the control operation of the shift-by-wire ECU 80. The flowchart in Fig. 2 is repeatedly executed.

[0041] First, in step S10 (hereinafter, "step" will be omitted), which corresponds to the function of the information acquisition unit 82, driver operation information is acquired. After S10 is executed, in S20, which corresponds to the function of the information acquisition unit 82, various information representing the vehicle state is acquired. After S20 is executed, in S30, which corresponds to the function of the automatic driving determination unit 84, it is determined whether the vehicle 10 is in automatic driving.

[0042] If the judgment in S30 is YES, in S40, which corresponds to the function of the request suitability judgment unit 86, a shift switching request signal Ssftchg is received from the automatic driving ECU 90, and in S50, which corresponds to the function of the request suitability judgment unit 86, it is judged whether the received shift switching request signal Ssftchg is appropriate.

[0043] If the determination in S50 is NO, then in S60, which corresponds to the functions of the request appropriateness determination unit 86 and the shift control unit 88, it is determined whether the vehicle 10 is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state and whether the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is in the P range. If the determination in S50 is YES or if the determination in S60 is YES, then in S70, which corresponds to the function of the shift control unit 88, shift range switching control is executed in accordance with the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90. If the determination in S30 is NO or if the determination in S60 is NO, then in S80, which corresponds to the function of the shift control unit 88, shift range switching control is executed in accordance with the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver. After execution of S70 or S80, the process returns.

[0044] Fig. 3 is another example of a flowchart illustrating the control operation of the shift-by-wire ECU 80. The flowchart in Fig. 3 is repeatedly executed. The flowchart in Fig. 3 is substantially the same as the flowchart in Fig. 2, except that S150, S152, and S154 are provided instead of S50. Therefore, the following description will focus on the parts that are different from Fig. 2, and the same reference numerals will be used to denote substantially common parts, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0045] In S150, which corresponds to the function of the request appropriateness determination unit 86, it is determined whether (1) the shift switching request signal Ssftchg received in S40 while the vehicle 10 is traveling is a request to switch to P range, (2) the shift switching request signal Ssftchg received in S40 while the vehicle 10 is traveling in reverse is a request to switch to D range, (3) the shift switching request signal Ssftchg received in S40 while the vehicle 10 is traveling forward is a request to switch to R range, or (4) any other case.

[0046] If S150 determines that the current situation is one of the cases (1) to (3), then S152, which corresponds to the function of the request appropriateness determining unit 86, determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate. After S152 is executed, S154, which corresponds to the function of the shift control unit 88, executes control to switch the shift range to the N range. After S154 is executed, S60 is executed. If S150 determines that the current situation is (4), then S70 is executed.

[0047] Fig. 4 is an example of a time chart when the flowcharts of Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are executed. The horizontal axis of Fig. 4 represents time t [sec].

[0048] At time t4, the automatic operation changeover switch 52 is turned on to switch from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode. That is, the vehicle is in manual operation before time t4 (times t1 to t4), and is in automatic operation after time t4 (times t4 to t17).

[0049] When the driver operates the shift lever 32 to the D position during manual driving and when the vehicle is stopped between times t1 and t2, the shift range is switched to the D range accordingly. When the driver presses the P switch 36 during manual driving and when the vehicle is stopped between times t2 and t3, the shift range is switched to the P range accordingly.

[0050] Between times t5 and t6 when the vehicle is in an automatic driving state and stopped, the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs a shift switching request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to D range. In response to this, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to change the shift range to D range. Between times t6 and t9 when the vehicle is in an automatic driving state and stopped, the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs a shift switching request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to P range. In response to this, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to change the shift range to P range. Between times t7 and t8, which are within the period between times t6 and t9, the driver operates the shift lever 32 to the D position, but because the vehicle is in automatic driving, no corresponding shift range switching control is executed.

[0051] During the period from time t9 to t11 when the vehicle is being driven automatically, a shift change request signal Ssftchg requesting a change to the D range is output from the automatic driving ECU 90. In response to this, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to change the shift range to the D range. Furthermore, during the period from time t10 to t11, which is within the period from time t9 to t11, the vehicle 10 is accelerated by the automatic driving, and the vehicle speed V increases. At time t11, the vehicle 10 enters a traveling state.

[0052] From time t11 to t15 during automatic driving, the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs a shift switching request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to R range even though the vehicle is traveling forward (traveling in D range). As a result, at time t11, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate and executes control to change the shift range to N range. From time t12 to t13 within the period from time t11 to t15, when the driver operates the shift lever 32 to the D position, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to change the shift range to D range in response. From time t14 to t15 within the period from time t11 to t15, the vehicle 10 is decelerated by automatic driving, and the vehicle speed V decreases. At time t15, the vehicle 10 comes to a stop.

[0053] During automatic driving and in a stopped state, from time t15 to t17 and after time t17, a shift switching request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to P range is output from the automatic driving ECU 90. In response to this, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to change the shift range to P range. From time t16 to t17, which is within the period from time t15 to t17, the driver operates the shift lever 32 to the D position, but the shift-by-wire ECU 80 does not execute control to switch the shift range in response to this, and maintains the shift range in P range.

[0054] According to this embodiment, (a) during automatic driving, if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state, shift range switching control to either D range or R range in accordance with the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is not executed, but shift range switching control to P range in accordance with the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is executed. (b) during automatic driving, if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is traveling, shift range switching control to D range, R range, or P range in accordance with the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is not executed, and shift switching control to N range is executed. Even if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate, in the above cases (a) and (b), unnecessary suspension of automatic driving is suppressed, thereby improving the convenience of automatic driving. In the case of (a) above, for example, when the vehicle 10 is moved to a safe place by evacuation driving, the automatic driving ECU 90 switches the shift range to P range and parks the vehicle 10 (=mechanically stops the rotation of the pair of drive wheels 22). In the case of (b) above, even if the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs a driving force request signal Sdrive requesting acceleration or deceleration, unintended acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle 10 is suppressed by switching the shift range to N range.

[0055] According to this embodiment, if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate during automatic driving, shift range switching control is executed in accordance with the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver. However, when the vehicle is stopped or at an extremely low vehicle speed, the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to the P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is executed with priority over the shift operation signal Ssftope to the D range or R range operated by the driver. As a result, even if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg during automatic driving is inappropriate due to a vehicle abnormality, the shift range can be switched to in accordance with the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver, and the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to the P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is prioritized, thereby completing automatic driving. For example, when the vehicle 10 has moved to a safe location by evacuation driving, the automatic driving ECU 90 can safely park the vehicle 10 even if the driver does not operate the shift lever 32 to the P position.

[0056] According to this embodiment, during automatic driving, if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a driving state, the shift operation signal Ssftope, which is a switching request operated by the driver, is executed with priority over switching to the N range. In this way, during automatic driving and a driving state, the shift operation signal Ssftope from the driver is executed with priority over switching to the N range. As a result, even if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate during automatic driving and a driving state due to a vehicle abnormality, the shift range can be switched to in accordance with the shift switching request operated by the driver, and the vehicle 10 can be driven.

[0057] According to this embodiment, during automatic driving, if there is either a shift switching request signal Ssftchg to R range or P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 while the vehicle is traveling forward, or a shift switching request signal Ssftchg to D range or P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 while the vehicle is traveling backward, it is determined that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate. In this way, if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg does not suit the actual vehicle state, it can be determined that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is inappropriate.

[0058] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present invention can also be applied to other embodiments.

[0059] In the above-described embodiment, the vehicle 10 is a hybrid vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be a vehicle equipped with only an engine or an electric vehicle equipped with only an electric motor.

[0060] In the above-described embodiment, both of the following were realized: (a) during automatic driving, if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state, the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to either D range or R range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is not executed, but the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is executed; and (b) during automatic driving, if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a driving state, the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to D range, R range, or P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is not executed, and a shift switching to N range is executed. However, it is also possible to realize only one of these.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the ECUs (HV-ECU 70, shift-by-wire ECU 80, and autonomous driving ECU 90) are each connected to a network that communicates using a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication circuit, but the ECUs may be connected in any manner as long as necessary data can be input and output between them.

[0062] In the above-described embodiment, during automatic driving and when the vehicle is stopped or in the extremely low vehicle speed state, the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is executed with priority over the shift operation signal Ssftope to D range and R range from the driver, but it is also possible to have a configuration in which the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is not prioritized.

[0063] In the above-described embodiment, when the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is determined to be inappropriate during automatic driving and the vehicle is in a driving state, the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver is executed with priority over the shift switching to N range, but it is also possible for the shift operation signal Ssftope not to be prioritized.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, the order of steps in the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be changed as appropriate within the scope of no contradiction.

[0065] It should be noted that the above is merely one embodiment, and the present invention can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10: vehicle, 80: shift-by-wire ECU (control device), 90: autonomous driving ECU (autonomous driving system), Ssftchg: shift change request signal (shift change request from the autonomous driving system), Ssftope: shift operation signal (shift change request operated by the driver), V: vehicle speed, V_jdg1: predetermined first vehicle speed value, V_jdg2: predetermined second vehicle speed value

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that executes a shift change request from an automated driving system during automated driving and does not execute a shift change request operated by a driver, and executes a shift change request operated by the driver during manual driving and does not execute a shift change request from the automated driving system, During the automated driving, when a shift change request from the automated driving system is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a stopped state or an extremely low vehicle speed state where the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined first vehicle speed value, the automated driving system does not execute a shift change request to either the D range or the R range, and executes a shift change request to the P range from the automated driving system; and during the automated driving, when a shift change request from the automated driving system is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a traveling state where the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined second vehicle speed value that is equal to or greater than the predetermined first vehicle speed value, the automated driving system does not execute a shift change request to the D range, the R range, or the P range from the automated driving system, and executes a shift change to the N range. A vehicle control device characterized by:

2. During the automated driving, if a shift change request from the automated driving system is determined to be inappropriate, the driver's shift change request is executed, but in the stopped state or the extremely low vehicle speed state, the driver's shift change request to the P range from the automated driving system is executed with priority over the driver's shift change requests to the D range and the R range.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

3. During the automatic driving, if a shift change request from the automatic driving system is determined to be inappropriate and in the driving state, a shift change request from the driver is executed with priority over a shift change request to N range from the automatic driving system.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

4. During the automatic driving, if there is a request from the automatic driving system to shift to R range or P range while driving forward, or a request from the automatic driving system to shift to D range or P range while driving backward, the automatic driving system determines that the request from the automatic driving system is inappropriate.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control device is a control device for controlling a vehicle.

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