Operation control device

Abstract

To provide an operation control device that can improve operability, by performing delay-control of an object to be operated including operation of an accelerator pedal, in accordance with speed of operation by a driver.SOLUTION: The operation control device is provided with: operation-amount signal detecting means 31 that detects an operation-amount signal outputted from an operation member 20 operated by a driver; an advancement-angle compensating part 32 that calculates an advancement-angle compensation for compensating phase-delay in an operation-frequency band showing a range of operation speed at which a driver operates the operation member 20; and a phase-delay control part 33 that calculates phase-delay property for maintaining a phase of delay of the operation-amount signal constant, which applies the advancement-angle compensation and the phase-delay property to the operation-amount signal and transmits the signal as a control-amount signal for controlling the object 10 to be operated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving control device for a mobile body such as a vehicle driven by a driver. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques have been proposed to improve response in devices such as internal combustion engines, which require a relatively long time for the vehicle to accelerate after the accelerator pedal is operated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-002330 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, compared to internal combustion engines, electric motors have a faster response time, and the vehicle starts accelerating sooner than the driver would expect, which can lead to the driver having to correct their operation. If the correction operation is repeated, the operability and driving feeling will deteriorate.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and aims to provide a driving control device that can improve operability by performing delay control of the operation object, including accelerator pedal operation, according to the driver's operation speed. This will ultimately further improve traffic safety and contribute to the development of a sustainable transportation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the driving control device of the present invention comprises an operation amount signal detection means that detects an operation amount signal output from an operation member when operated by a driver, an advance angle compensation unit that calculates advance angle compensation to compensate for phase delay in an operation frequency band that indicates the range of operation speeds when the driver operates the operation member, and a phase delay control unit that calculates a phase delay characteristic to maintain a constant phase delay of the operation amount signal, and is characterized in that the operation amount signal is given advance angle compensation and phase delay characteristic and is transmitted as a control amount signal that controls the object to be operated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driving control device that can improve operability by performing delay control of an operation target in accordance with the operation speed of an operation member by a driver. This will in turn further improve traffic safety and contribute to the development of a sustainable transportation system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an operation control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 10 is a graph showing the phase delay characteristics in the operating frequency band of this embodiment. [Figure 3] 4 is a graph showing the phase delay (time) characteristics in the operating frequency band of this embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a graph showing the characteristics of phase delay (time, logarithmic display) in the operating frequency band of this embodiment. [Figure 5] 3 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a characteristic graph according to the flowchart of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 10 is a graph showing the phase delay characteristics in the operating frequency band of a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An operation control device S according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the description, the same elements are given the same reference numerals and redundant description will be omitted. In addition, in the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, "front," "rear," "right," "left," "up," and "down" refer to "front" and "rear" in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, "right" and "left" in the lateral direction of the vehicle, and "up" and "down" in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0010] The driving control device S of this embodiment constitutes a moving body such as a vehicle VC, and controls delays in a so-called by-wire configuration in which operations by the driver are transmitted as electrical signals to an operation target 10, which then operates (see Figure 1). The delay is the time it takes from when the driver starts to operate the operating member 20 until the operation target 10 starts to move and the acceleration changes. The operation target 10 may include a power mechanism 11 such as an engine or a motor, a steering mechanism (not shown) for adjusting the steering angle, and the like. The operating member 20 of the power mechanism 11 is an accelerator pedal 21, and the operating member 20 of the steering mechanism is a steering handle (not shown).

[0011] That is, the delay in the power mechanism 11 is the time it takes from when the accelerator pedal 21 is operated until the power mechanism 11 starts operating and the acceleration of the vehicle VC in the traveling direction changes (see FIGS. 2 to 4). The delay in the steering mechanism is the time it takes from when the steering wheel is operated until the steering mechanism operates and the acceleration of the vehicle VC in the left and right directions changes.

[0012] In this embodiment, the speed at which these operating members 20 are operated (operation speed) is expressed as a frequency. That is, if the operation speed is fast, the frequency is high, and if the operation speed is slow, the frequency is low. It has been confirmed through experiments using actual vehicles that when a human drives the vehicle VC, the operating speed of the accelerator pedal 21 and the steering wheel falls within the range of 0.3 to 1.3 Hz.

[0013] Hereinafter, the range of operation speeds at which the driver operates the operation member 20 will be referred to as an operation frequency band. That is, the operation speed when the driver operates the operation object 10 under various conditions falls within the operation frequency band. Furthermore, it has been confirmed through experiments that the magnitude of the delay that occurs during operation is determined for each operation target 10, does not change depending on the operation speed, and is almost constant. Various studies have shown that when a human driver is faced with an operation target 10 having such characteristics, the magnitude of the delay he or she imagines varies depending on the operation speed.

[0014] That is, humans have the image that when the operation speed is fast, the operation target 10 reacts immediately without delay, and when the operation speed is slow, the operation target 10 reacts with a delay. This results in a discrepancy between the driver's image of the operation and the actual reaction and movement of the machine, which causes the driver to feel uncomfortable and forces them to make corrective operations. Therefore, the driving control device S of this embodiment controls the delay in accordance with the driver's operational image, improving the operational feeling and enhancing operability. The driving control device S of this embodiment controls the delay from operation to response, and does not act on the amount or speed of operation by the driver.

[0015] The operation control device S of this embodiment includes an operation amount signal detection means 31, an advance angle compensation unit 32, a phase delay control unit 33, a transmission control unit 34, an operation target control unit 35, and an acceleration sensor 36 (see FIG. 1). The operation amount signal detection means 31 detects an operation amount signal output from the operation member 20 when the driver operates the operation member 20 . The operation amount signal is the amount of operation of the operation member 20 by the driver, and is an electrical signal output from the operation member 20. Then, the operation amount signal detection means 31 calculates the operation speed from the detected operation amount signal.

[0016] The lead angle compensation unit 32 calculates lead angle compensation from the phase delay of the acceleration, and compensates for the phase delay in the operating frequency band (see FIG. 6). In other words, the advance angle compensation unit 32 calculates a phase that is symmetrical with respect to the phase of 0°, and processes the phase delay to be smaller, with the intention of eliminating the phase delay from the manipulated variable signal to the controlled variable signal. The control amount signal is an electrical signal input to the operation target 10, and the operation target 10 is controlled while being actuated by the control signal. Therefore, in the conventional method in which the delay time (delay) from when the operating member 20 is operated until the operation target 10 responds is not controlled, the operation amount signal becomes the control amount signal as it is. In contrast to this, the control amount signal of this embodiment is transmitted to the operation object control unit 35 with advance compensation and phase delay characteristics added to the operation amount signal, with the operation amount such as the accelerator opening remaining unchanged.

[0017] The phase delay control unit 33 converts the basic characteristic equation into a conversion characteristic equation, and outputs the delay calculated by the conversion characteristic equation according to the operation speed. The basic characteristic equation is an approximation equation obtained from the actual delay time (raw delay time) for each operating speed in the actual machine. The conversion characteristic equation is a mathematical expression that represents a phase delay characteristic that is newly set for each operation speed, and is a fractional integral of the basic characteristic equation. The order of the fractional integral is set to satisfy the following conditions:

[0018] -Within the operating frequency band (approximately 0.3 to 1.3 Hz), the delay after conversion is smallest on the high frequency side (around 1.3 Hz). In other words, since the delay after conversion cannot be made shorter (faster) than the delay of the basic characteristic formula (the delay of the actual device), the delay in the case where the operation speed is fastest is set to be equal to (match) the delay of the basic characteristic formula. In the operating frequency band, the delay after conversion on the low frequency side (around 0.3 Hz) is the longest (slowest) compared to the basic characteristic formula, and is a delay that matches the driver's feeling. - The delay varies linearly in the operating frequency band.

[0019] In other words, the delay increases or decreases linearly with respect to the operation speed, so that it can be adjusted to match the driver's perception of the delay. In this embodiment, the number of stages is set to 1 (phase 90°) as these conditions are met (see FIGS. 2 to 4). Furthermore, the phase delay control section 33 maintains the phase at a constant 90° in the operating frequency band. In addition, in FIGS. 2 to 4, the lines of 200 msec and 300 msec are lines representing the basic characteristic equation, and indicate that the delay (time) is constant regardless of the operation speed. The lines at 30°, 45°, 60°, 90° and 120° are lines representing the conversion characteristic equation, and show that the delay changes linearly at each phase.

[0020] The transmission control section 34 adds a delay to the operation signal in accordance with the delay calculated by the lead angle compensation section 32 and the phase delay control section 33, and transmits the signal to the operation object control section 35 as a control amount signal. The operation object control unit 35 actually controls the operation object 10 such as the power mechanism 11 and the steering mechanism. The acceleration sensor 36 detects changes in acceleration of the vehicle VC in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions.

[0021] Next, a case where the driving control device S of this embodiment is used to control the driving of a drive motor (not shown) that constitutes the power mechanism 11 of a vehicle known as an electric vehicle will be described (see FIGS. 5 and 6). That is, the operating member 20 is an accelerator pedal (AP), the operation target 10 is a drive motor, and the delay is the time lag between when the accelerator pedal is operated and when the vehicle starts to accelerate. First, in step S101, the driver operates the accelerator pedal 21, which then outputs an opening signal (operation amount signal).

[0022] Next, in step S102, the opening signal is filtered. The filters that can be applied here include a low-pass filter and a notch filter. The low-pass filter is a filter for removing vehicle vibration and electrical / electronic noise that are superimposed outside the human operating frequency band. The notch filter is a filter that prevents momentary jumps in sensor values ​​caused by voltage fluctuations or mechanical types.

[0023] Next, in step S103, the advance angle compensation unit 32 performs advance angle compensation on the opening degree signal. That is, the delay (compensation delay) relative to the operation speed is calculated from the basic characteristic equation.

[0024] Next, in step S104, the phase delay control unit 33 converts the basic characteristic equation into a signal (conversion characteristic equation) in which the delay phase is constant or linear with respect to the frequency (operation speed). That is, the delay (conversion delay) relative to the operation speed is calculated from the conversion characteristic equation. Then, the transmission control unit 34 transmits the opening signal (controlled amount signal) to the operation object control unit 35 while delaying the signal by the amount of delay obtained by subtracting the compensation delay from the conversion delay.

[0025] Next, in step S105, the operation object control unit 35 calculates the torque generated at the wheel end according to the opening degree signal based on the vehicle state (vehicle speed, etc.). Then, the current value required to generate torque is obtained from a table, map, or the like that has been prepared in advance.

[0026] Next, in step S106, the operation object control unit 35 applies a current to the drive motor in accordance with the calculated current value, thereby controlling the drive motor. Then, in step S107, the vehicle VC starts to accelerate, and the acceleration changes.

[0027] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described. The operation control device S of this embodiment imparts advance compensation and phase delay characteristics of the device to the operation amount signal in the control frequency band. This allows delay control of the operation target to be performed in accordance with the driver's operation speed of the operation member, in line with the driver's operation image, thereby improving operability.

[0028] In other words, when the driver operates the accelerator pedal 21 while imagining gradual acceleration, if the acceleration starts earlier than expected, this can cause excessive speeding or excessive deceleration. Then, because the response characteristics differ from the operational image, the driver is forced to make corrections. Furthermore, every time the driver operates the accelerator pedal 21, the driver has to pay attention, which increases the burden on the driver.

[0029] In contrast, by providing response characteristics that match the driver's imagination, it is possible to reduce the number of corrective operations and reduce the burden on the driver. Furthermore, by reducing the need for correction operations, small changes in acceleration are suppressed, improving ride comfort. Furthermore, by reducing the number of corrective operations, the power consumption associated with the corrective operations is reduced, improving fuel efficiency and extending the driving range.

[0030] In addition, the advance angle compensation unit 32 that constitutes the operation control device S of this embodiment calculates a phase amount that is symmetrical with respect to the phase 0° as the boundary, and controls the phase delay to be smaller, with the intention of eliminating the phase delay from the operation amount signal to the control amount signal. This allows the phase set by the phase delay control unit 33 to be maintained, making it possible to perform more appropriate phase delay control in line with the driver's feeling.

[0031] In the operation control device S of this embodiment, the delay phase is controlled to be constant at 90°, but the present invention is not limited to this mode. For example, it is possible to use an acceleration sensor 36 to measure changes in the vehicle's acceleration, learn the driver's operational image from the delay between the start of operation and the change in acceleration, and the corrective operation, and appropriately correct the delay phase to a constant 80° or 100°. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to more closely resemble the driver's image of operation, and the above-mentioned effects can be further achieved.

[0032] Next, a modified example of the operation control device S will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the description, the same elements as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted. In the operation control device S of this modified example, the gradient of the conversion characteristic equation stored in the phase delay control unit 33 is different from that of the above-described embodiment. In this modified example, the conversion characteristic equation is set so that the difference in delay between slow operation (low frequency side of the operating frequency band) and quick operation (high frequency side of the operating frequency band) becomes larger. In other words, the delay phase is set to change linearly, increasing and decreasing, between the low frequency side and the high frequency side.

[0033] By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, by controlling the phase so that the delay phase increases or decreases in proportion to the frequency of the operating frequency band, it becomes possible to tailor the operating feel to suit various operating modes, thereby improving marketability. For example, it will be possible to achieve an operating feel suitable for various driving modes, such as a sports mode that provides a more exhilarating feeling by providing faster response on the high-frequency side of the operating frequency band, or an economy mode that provides gentle acceleration and deceleration and aims to improve fuel economy and power consumption. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] S Operation control device 10 Operation Target 20 Operating member 31 Operation amount signal detection means 32 Lead angle compensation section 33 Phase delay control section

Claims

1. an operation amount signal detection means for detecting an operation amount signal output from an operation member when the operation member is operated by a driver; an advance angle compensation unit that calculates an advance angle compensation for compensating for a phase delay in an operation frequency band that indicates a range of operation speeds when the driver operates the operation member; a phase delay control unit that calculates a phase delay characteristic for maintaining a constant phase delay of the manipulated variable signal; Equipped with The operation amount signal is given lead angle compensation and phase delay characteristics, and is transmitted as a control amount signal for controlling the operation target. An operation control device characterized by:

2. an operation amount signal detection means for detecting an operation amount signal output from an operation member when the operation member is operated by a driver; an advance angle compensation unit that calculates an advance angle compensation for compensating for a phase delay in an operation frequency band that indicates a range of operation speeds when the driver operates the operation member; a phase delay control unit that calculates a phase delay characteristic for controlling the phase of the delay of the operation amount signal to linearly increase or decrease between the low frequency side and the high frequency side of the operation frequency band; Equipped with The operation amount signal is given lead angle compensation and phase delay characteristics, and is transmitted as a control amount signal for controlling the operation target. An operation control device characterized by:

3. The operation control device according to claim 1 or 2, The advance angle compensation unit A phase amount symmetrical with respect to the phase 0° is calculated, and advance compensation is performed so that there is no phase delay from the operation amount signal to the control amount signal. An operation control device characterized by:

Images