Electric vehicles

Abstract

To provide an electric vehicle that can simulate a shifting operation of a manual transmission internal combustion engine vehicle, Which. in the case that deceleration control is operated at the time of entering a curve road, can suppress an acceleration property from decreasing at the time of exiting the curved road.SOLUTION: An electric vehicle according to an embodiment described in the present disclosure comprises: a pseudo gear shift operation member that simulates an operation member used in gear shift operation of a manual transmission internal combustion engine vehicle in addition to a driving operation member used in driving thereof. A control device that controls the electric vehicle is configured to control motion of the electric vehicle with respect to operation of the driving operation member, in accordance with an operation state of pseudo gear shift operation member. The control device executes deceleration control that autonomously decelerates an own vehicle when the own vehicle enters a curved road. When executing the deceleration control, the control device urges a driver to operate the pseudo gear shift operation member in a manner similar to that when a gear ratio of the manual transmission internal combustion engine vehicle is increased.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle having an electric motor as a drive source.

Background Art

[0002] For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-095112, deceleration control is known as one of the functions of an advanced driver assistance system mounted on a vehicle. Deceleration control is a technology that automatically decelerates when the host vehicle enters a curved road to make it easier to turn on the curved road. Hereinafter, the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-095112 is referred to as the first prior art.

[0003] Further, Japanese Patent No. 6787507 discloses an electric vehicle in which a manual transmission operation of a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission having an internal combustion engine as a power source (hereinafter referred to as a manual transmission type internal combustion engine vehicle) can be pseudo-reproduced by controlling an electric motor. Hereinafter, the prior art disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 6787507 is referred to as the second prior art.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When the first conventional technology is applied to a manually operated internal combustion engine vehicle, the engine speed decreases as the vehicle speed decreases. However, in order to obtain good acceleration when exiting a curve, it is necessary to maintain the engine speed within the torque band. This is a common challenge when the first conventional technology is applied to the second conventional technology. When deceleration control is performed, the virtual engine speed of the virtual engine decreases in the manually operated internal combustion engine vehicle reproduced in the second conventional technology electric vehicle. If the virtual engine speed falls outside the torque band, it is difficult to obtain good acceleration even in the second conventional technology electric vehicle.

[0006] This disclosure is made in view of the above-mentioned issues. One purpose of this disclosure is to suppress the decrease in acceleration when exiting a curved road when deceleration control is activated when entering a curved road, in an electric vehicle that can simulate the gear shifting operation of a manually operated internal combustion engine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electric vehicle is equipped with a simulated gear shift operating member that mimics an operating member used for shifting gears in a manually operated internal combustion engine, in addition to the driving operating member used for driving the vehicle. A control device that controls the electric vehicle controls the operation of the electric vehicle in response to the operation of the driving operating member according to the operating state of the simulated gear shift operating member. The control device performs deceleration control to automatically slow down the vehicle when it enters a curved road. When performing deceleration control, the control device prompts the driver to operate the simulated gear shift operating member in the same way as when increasing the gear ratio in a manually operated internal combustion engine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an electric vehicle according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, deceleration control is performed when the vehicle enters a curved road. At that time, the control device prompts the driver to operate a simulated gear shift operating member in the same way as when increasing the gear ratio of a manually operated internal combustion engine. When the driver operates the simulated gear shift operating member as prompted by the control device, the electric vehicle operates as if the gear ratio had been increased in a manually operated internal combustion engine, and the decrease in acceleration when exiting the curved road is suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the configuration of a control device related to torque control in an electric vehicle. [Figure 3] This figure shows one example of an ideal gear shift operation during deceleration. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the downshift notification during deceleration control. [Figure 5] This flowchart illustrates the flow of downshift notifications during deceleration control. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart illustrating the automatic downshift process during deceleration control. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] 1. Configuration of the powertrain of an electric vehicle Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an electric vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. First, the configuration of the power system of the electric vehicle 100 will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0011] The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with two electric motors (M) 4F and 4R at the front and rear as power sources for propulsion. The electric motors 4F and 4R are, for example, three-phase AC motors. The front electric motor 4F is connected to the front drive shaft 5F, which drives the front wheel 6F. The rear electric motor 4R is connected to the rear drive shaft 5R, which drives the rear wheel 6R. The front wheel 6F is suspended by an independently electronically controlled front suspension 7F on the left and right sides. The rear wheel 6R is suspended by an independently electronically controlled rear suspension 7R on the left and right sides.

[0012] The front electric motor 4F and the rear electric motor 4R are each fitted with inverters (INV) 3F and 3R, respectively. The front inverter 3F and the rear inverter 3R are each connected to the battery (BATT) 2. In other words, electric vehicle 100 is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that runs on the electric energy stored in battery 2. Inverters 3F and 3R are, for example, voltage-type inverters that control the torque of electric motors 4F and 4R by PWM control.

[0013] 2. Configuration of the control system of an electric vehicle Next, we will explain the configuration of the control system of the electric vehicle 100, referring to Figure 1.

[0014] The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 11. At least one of the wheel speed sensors (not shown) provided on each of the left and right front wheels 6F and the left and right rear wheels 6R is used as the vehicle speed sensor 11. The electric vehicle 100 is also equipped with an accelerator pedal stroke sensor 12. The accelerator pedal stroke sensor 12 is provided on the accelerator pedal 22 and outputs a signal indicating the amount the accelerator pedal 22 is pressed, i.e., the accelerator opening. Furthermore, the electric vehicle 100 is also equipped with a brake pedal stroke sensor 13. The brake pedal stroke sensor 13 is provided on the brake pedal 23 and outputs a signal indicating the amount the brake pedal 23 is pressed, i.e., the brake opening.

[0015] The accelerator pedal 22 and the brake pedal 23 are driving operation members used for driving the electric vehicle 100. Separately from these driving operation members, the electric vehicle 100 includes a pseudo-shifting operation member that imitates an operation member used for the shifting operation of a manual transmission internal combustion engine vehicle. The pseudo-shifting operation member includes the following pseudo H-type shifter 24, pseudo paddle shifter 25, and pseudo clutch pedal 26.

[0016] The pseudo H-type shifter 24 is a dummy different from the original H-type shifter. The pseudo H-type shifter 24 has a structure similar to a shift stick provided on the console and can move between shift positions along an H-shaped gate. However, since the electric vehicle 100 does not have an actual transmission, the shift positions of the pseudo H-type shifter 24 are virtual shift positions. A shift position sensor 14 is provided on the pseudo H-type shifter 24. The shift position sensor 14 outputs a signal indicating the shift position selected by the pseudo H-type shifter 24.

[0017] The pseudo paddle shifter 25 is a dummy different from the original paddle shifter which is a type of sequential shifter. The pseudo paddle shifter 25 has a structure similar to a shift paddle attached to the steering wheel and can move the left and right paddles independently. A paddle shift switch 15 is provided on the pseudo paddle shifter 25. The paddle shift switch 15 outputs an upshift signal when the right paddle is pulled and outputs a downshift signal when the left paddle is pulled.

[0018] The dummy clutch pedal 26 is different from the original clutch operating device. The dummy clutch pedal 26 has a structure similar to the clutch pedal of a conventional manual transmission internal combustion engine locomotive. For example, the dummy clutch pedal 26 includes a reaction force mechanism that generates a reaction force against the driver's depression. The position when no depressing force is applied is the start position of the dummy clutch pedal 26, and the position when depressed to the deepest is the end position of the dummy clutch pedal 26. The driver can operate the dummy clutch pedal 26 against the reaction force from the reaction force mechanism from the start position to the end position. A clutch pedal stroke sensor 16 is provided on the dummy clutch pedal 26. The clutch pedal stroke sensor 16 outputs a signal indicating the depression amount of the dummy clutch pedal 26. Since the electric vehicle 100 does not have an actual clutch, the operation amount of the dummy clutch pedal 26, that is, the clutch opening degree, is a virtual clutch opening degree.

[0019] Also, the electric vehicle 100 includes a human machine interface (HMI) 20 as an interface with the driver and an in-vehicle speaker 21. The HMI 20 includes a touch panel display. The HMI 20 displays information on the touch panel display and accepts input from the driver by a touch operation on the touch panel display. The in-vehicle speaker 21 provides information to the driver by voice and can output a pseudo engine sound similar to the engine sound in an internal combustion engine locomotive.

[0020] The electric vehicle 100 includes a control device 101. The sensors and devices to be controlled mounted on the electric vehicle 100 are connected to the control device 101 by an in-vehicle network. In addition to the vehicle speed sensor 11, the accelerator pedal stroke sensor 12, the brake pedal stroke sensor 13, the shift position sensor 14, the paddle shift switch 15, and the clutch pedal stroke sensor 16, various other sensors are mounted on the electric vehicle 100.

[0021] The control device 101 is typically an electronic control unit (ECU). The control device 101 may be a combination of multiple ECUs. The control device 101 includes at least a processor 102 and a memory 103. The memory 103 includes RAM for temporarily recording data and ROM for storing a program 104 executable by the processor 102 and various data 105 related to the program. The program 104 consists of multiple instruction codes. The processor 102 reads the program 104 and data 105 from the memory 103 and executes them, and generates control signals based on signals acquired from each sensor. The control device 101 may have one or more processors 102.

[0022] 3. Control Mode The control device 101 can control the electric vehicle 100 in various control modes. The control mode can be selected by the driver by touching the touch panel display of the HMI 20. Specifically, by touching the touch panel display of the HMI 20, one or more programs 104 associated with each touch operation are read from the memory 103 and executed by the processor 102.

[0023] The control modes selectable on the HMI20 include automatic mode and manual mode. Automatic mode is the control mode for driving the electric vehicle 100 as a normal BEV. In automatic mode, the driver can basically drive the electric vehicle 100 using only the accelerator pedal 22, brake pedal 23, and steering wheel (not shown). In automatic mode, the shift operation of the simulated H-shaped shifter 24, the shift operation of the simulated paddle shifter 25, and the clutch operation of the simulated clutch pedal 26 are disabled.

[0024] Manual mode is a control mode that allows the electric vehicle 100 to operate like a manually operated internal combustion engine vehicle. When manual mode is selected, a shift mode can be selected. The shift modes include paddle shift mode and stick shift mode. Paddle shift mode is a mode in which the simulated paddle shifter 25 is used for shifting. In paddle shift mode, the shift operation of the simulated H-type shifter 24 is disabled. In paddle shift mode, the operation when the gear ratio of a manual transmission is switched is reproduced by the shift operation of the simulated paddle shifter 25. In addition, the clutch operation in a real paddle shift type manual transmission is performed automatically by a robot. Therefore, in paddle shift mode, clutch operation of the simulated clutch pedal 26 is not required. In paddle shift mode, clutch operation of the simulated clutch pedal 26 is disabled.

[0025] The stick shift mode is a mode in which the simulated H-shaped shifter 24 is used for shifting. In stick shift mode, the shifting operation of the simulated paddle shifter 25 is disabled. In stick shift mode, the operation when the gear ratio of a manual transmission is switched is reproduced by the shifting operation of the simulated H-shaped shifter 24. The stick shift mode includes a stick shift mode with clutch operation in which the driver performs the clutch operation themselves, and a clutchless stick shift mode in which the robot is responsible for the clutch operation. If the latter is selected, the clutch operation of the simulated clutch pedal 26 is disabled.

[0026] 3. Torque control Figure 2 shows the configuration of a control device 101 related to torque control of an electric vehicle 100. One or more torque control programs 104 stored in memory 103 are executed by the processor 102, thereby enabling the processor 102 to function as a torque control device.

[0027] The control device 101, which functions as a torque control device, receives a control mode signal from the HMI 20. The control mode signal contains information about the control mode selected by the driver. Based on the control mode signal, the control device 101 performs process P110. In process P110, the control mode is switched according to the control mode signal. The switch between automatic mode and manual mode is particularly important for torque control.

[0028] When the control mode is switched to automatic mode, the control device 101 executes process P120 for torque calculation in automatic mode. In process P120, the control device 101 obtains the vehicle speed from the signal of the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the accelerator opening from the signal of the accelerator pedal stroke sensor 12. The control device 101 has a motor torque map with accelerator opening and vehicle speed as parameters. The control device 101 inputs the vehicle speed and accelerator opening into the motor torque map and controls inverters 3F and 3R to generate the torque obtained from the motor torque map in electric motors 4F and 4R.

[0029] When the control mode is switched to manual mode, the control device 101 executes process P130 for torque calculation in manual mode. Process P130 includes process P131 for calculating the torque to be generated by the drive wheels. Process P130 also includes processes P132 and P133. Process P132 is for calculating the torque to be generated by the front electric motor 4F, and process P133 is for calculating the torque to be generated by the rear electric motor 4R. Processes P132 and P133 are executed according to the drive wheel torque calculated in process P130 and the torque distribution between the front wheel 6F and the rear wheel 6R.

[0030] The vehicle model MOD01 is used to calculate the drive wheel torque in process P131. Vehicle model MOD01 includes the engine model MOD11, the clutch model MOD12, and the transmission model MOD13. The engine virtually realized by vehicle model MOD01 is called the virtual engine, the virtually realized clutch is called the virtual clutch, and the virtually realized transmission is called the virtual transmission. The engine model MOD11 models the virtual engine. The clutch model MOD12 models the virtual clutch. The transmission model MOD13 models the virtual transmission.

[0031] Engine model MOD11 calculates virtual engine speed and virtual engine torque. Virtual engine speed is calculated from vehicle speed, overall reduction ratio, and virtual clutch slip ratio. Virtual engine torque is calculated from virtual engine speed and accelerator opening. Vehicle speed is obtained from the signal of vehicle speed sensor 11. Accelerator opening is obtained from the signal of accelerator pedal stroke sensor 12. The overall reduction ratio is a value obtained by multiplying the gear ratio of the virtual transmission by the reduction ratio determined by the mechanical structure from the virtual transmission to the drive wheels. In engine model MOD11, the relationship between virtual engine speed and virtual engine torque is defined for each accelerator opening. The engine characteristics of engine model MOD11 can be selected by the driver by operating the HMI 20.

[0032] The clutch model MOD12 calculates the torque transmission gain. The torque transmission gain is used to calculate the degree of torque transmission of the virtual clutch according to the clutch opening. When the clutch-operated stick shift mode is selected as the shift mode, the clutch opening is obtained from the signal of the clutch pedal stroke sensor 16. The clutch opening is 0% at the starting position of the simulated clutch pedal 26 and 100% at the ending position of the simulated clutch pedal 26. In the clutch model MOD12, a torque transmission gain is assigned to the clutch opening. The torque transmission gain is converted into the clutch torque capacity of the virtual clutch, i.e., the virtual clutch torque capacity. Then, based on a comparison between the virtual clutch torque capacity and the virtual engine torque calculated by the engine model MOD11, the virtual clutch torque input from the virtual clutch to the virtual transmission is calculated. In addition, the clutch model MOD12 calculates the slip ratio as 1 minus the torque transmission gain. The slip ratio is used in the calculation of the virtual engine speed in the engine model MOD11.

[0033] When paddle shift mode is selected as the shift mode, the clutch opening angle input to clutch model MOD12 is calculated using the clutch operation model. Similarly, when clutchless stick shift mode is selected as the shift mode, the clutch opening angle input to clutch model MOD12 is calculated using the clutch operation model. The clutch operation model is a model that simulates the clutch operation of a model driver. When paddle shift mode is selected, the clutch operation model receives signals from the vehicle speed, virtual engine speed, and paddle shift switch 15. When clutchless stick shift mode is selected, the clutch operation model receives signals from the vehicle speed, virtual engine speed, and shift position sensor 14.

[0034] Signals from the paddle shift switch 15 and the shift position sensor 14 are used to time the clutch operation. When the driver's shift operation is detected by the signals from the paddle shift switch 15 and the shift position sensor 14, the clutch operation model maximizes the clutch opening to disengage the virtual clutch. Vehicle speed and virtual engine speed are used to calculate the clutch opening. In order to smoothly match the rotational speed of the virtual transmission input shaft, which is calculated from the vehicle speed, with the virtual engine speed, the clutch operation model calculates the clutch opening based on the rotational speed difference between the rotational speed of the virtual transmission input shaft and the virtual engine speed.

[0035] The transmission model MOD13 calculates the virtual gear ratio. The virtual gear ratio is the gear ratio determined by the shift position in the virtual transmission. The virtual gear ratio is set for each shift position. In stick shift mode, the shift position is one-to-one with the signal from the shift position sensor 14. In paddle shift mode, the shift position is moved up one step in response to the upshift signal from the paddle shift switch 15, and the shift position is moved down one step in response to the downshift signal from the paddle shift switch 15. The transmission model MOD13 calculates the virtual transmission torque using the virtual gear ratio and virtual clutch torque. The virtual transmission torque is the virtual torque output from the virtual transmission. The control device 101 controls the inverters 3F and 3R so that the output torque of the electric motors 4F and 4R changes according to the virtual transmission torque.

[0036] Vehicle model MOD01 calculates the drive wheel torque from the virtual transmission torque and reduction ratio. The drive wheel torque is the sum of the torques acting on the left and right front wheels 6F and the left and right rear wheels 6R. The torque distribution to the front wheels 6F and rear wheels 6R can be fixed, or it can be actively or passively changed. In process P132, the torque of the front electric motor 4F in manual mode is calculated by multiplying the drive wheel torque calculated in process P131 by the torque distribution rate to the front wheels 6F and the reduction ratio from the output shaft of the front electric motor 4F to the front wheels 6F. The control device 101 controls the front inverter 3F to generate the torque calculated in process P132 at the front electric motor 4F. In process P133, the torque of the rear electric motor 4R in manual mode is calculated by multiplying the drive wheel torque calculated in process P131 by the torque distribution rate to the rear wheels 6R and the reduction ratio from the output shaft of the rear electric motor 4R to the rear wheels 6R. The control device 101 controls the rear inverter 3R to generate the torque calculated in process P133 in the rear electric motor 4R.

[0037] 4. Downshift notification during deceleration control When the electric vehicle 100 enters a curved road, the control device 101 performs deceleration control to automatically slow down the electric vehicle 100. Deceleration control is one of the functions of the advanced driver assistance system, which is also applied to manually operated internal combustion engine vehicles. Deceleration control is performed whether the electric vehicle 100 is in automatic mode or manual mode.

[0038] In a manually operated internal combustion engine, when deceleration control is performed, the driver operates the manual transmission shifter to maintain the engine speed within the torque band. A similar operation can be performed in the electric vehicle 100 when it is being driven in manual mode. In manual mode, which replicates the operation of a manually operated internal combustion engine, the driver is required to perform gear changes in the same way as in an actual manually operated internal combustion engine.

[0039] Figure 3 shows an example of an ideal gear shift operation during deceleration in manual mode. The figure shows the relationship between vehicle speed and virtual engine speed at each shift position from 1st to 5th gear. In this example, the shift position is 5th gear before deceleration begins, and as deceleration progresses, the shift position is downshifted to 4th gear, and then further downshifted to 3rd gear. By performing such downshift operations during deceleration, the virtual engine speed used in the calculation of vehicle model MOD01 is maintained within the torque band.

[0040] However, drivers without experience operating manually operated internal combustion engine vehicles may not be aware of the need for downshifting during deceleration. If deceleration is performed while maintaining the shift position without shifting gears, the virtual engine speed will fall out of the torque band, resulting in a delay in the rise of virtual engine torque when attempting to accelerate again. In manual mode, the torque of electric motors 4F and 4R is controlled based on the virtual engine torque, so this delay in the rise of virtual engine torque leads to a decrease in acceleration.

[0041] Therefore, when deceleration control is performed, the control device 101 notifies the driver to prompt a downshift operation. Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the downshift notification when deceleration control is performed. When the electric vehicle 100 approaches a curved road COR ahead, the control device 101 determines whether to perform deceleration control based, for example, the vehicle speed of the electric vehicle 100 and the curvature of the curved road COR. It can be determined from GPS information and map information that the electric vehicle 100 is approaching a curved road COR. If it is determined that deceleration control should be performed, the control device 101 activates regenerative braking or hydraulic braking to decelerate the electric vehicle 100.

[0042] While the electric vehicle 100 is decelerating, the control device 101 determines whether or not to perform a downshift. This determination is based on the vehicle speed and the shift position. A virtual engine speed is calculated from the virtual gear ratio, which is uniquely determined from the shift position, and the vehicle speed, and it is predicted whether or not the virtual engine speed will fall outside the torque band. If the control device 101 predicts that the virtual engine speed will fall outside the torque band at the current shift position, it determines that a downshift should be performed.

[0043] When a downshift is required, the control device 101 notifies the driver to perform the downshift operation. The notification of the downshift operation is displayed on the HMI 20's touch panel display or provided by voice from the in-vehicle speaker 21. The driver may be prompted to perform the downshift operation by both images and voice. By being prompted by images and voice, even a driver without experience driving a manually operated internal combustion engine vehicle can perform the downshift operation at the appropriate time. As a result, the electric vehicle 100 behaves as if a downshift operation had been performed in a manually operated internal combustion engine vehicle, and the decrease in acceleration when exiting a curved road COR is suppressed.

[0044] Preferably, the downshift operation should be completed before the electric vehicle 100 enters the curved road COR. However, there is a possibility that the downshift operation may not be performed even if the driver is notified to do so. In that case, the control device 101 will terminate the notification prompting the downshift operation when the electric vehicle 100 reaches the entrance to the curved road COR.

[0045] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of downshift notification during deceleration control execution. In step S101, it is determined whether or not deceleration control has been activated. If deceleration control has been activated, step S102 is executed; if deceleration control has not been activated, the flow ends. In step S102, it is determined whether or not manual mode has been selected as the control mode. If manual mode has not been selected, the flow ends.

[0046] If manual mode is selected, steps S103 and S104 are executed. In step S103, the vehicle speed of the electric vehicle 100 is obtained, and in step S104, the shift position selected by the operation of the pseudo H-type shifter 24 or the pseudo paddle shifter 25 is obtained. Then, in step S105, it is predicted whether the virtual engine speed will fall out of the torque band based on the vehicle speed and shift position, and it is determined whether a downshift is necessary based on the prediction result. If a downshift is not necessary, the flow ends.

[0047] If a downshift is required, step S106 is performed. In step S106, a notification prompting the driver to perform a downshift is disclosed. In step S107, it is determined whether the section up to the entrance of the curved road COR, i.e., the downshift notification section in which the driver is notified to perform a downshift, has ended. If the electric vehicle 100 is within the downshift notification section, step S108 is performed. In step S108, it is determined whether the driver has performed a downshift.

[0048] Steps S107 and S108 are repeatedly executed until a downshift operation is performed. Then, when the driver performs a downshift operation, step S109 is executed. Step S109 is also executed when the downshift notification section ends. In step S109, the notification prompting the driver to perform a downshift operation ends.

[0049] 5. Automatic downshifting during deceleration control. In manual mode, the driver's operation of the simulated gear shift control element is reflected in the calculations of the vehicle model MOD01, and the electric motors 4F and 4R are controlled based on the calculation results of the vehicle model MOD01. In this case, the driver's success or failure in operating the simulated gear shift control element is directly reflected in the behavior of the electric vehicle 100, so the driver can get the feeling of actually driving a manually operated internal combustion engine. However, for a driver without experience driving a manually operated internal combustion engine, there may be situations where they would like to leave the gear shifting to the control device 101. One such situation is downshifting when entering a curve.

[0050] Therefore, the HMI20 allows the selection of an automatic downshift mode as one of the options in manual mode. When the automatic downshift mode is selected in manual mode, downshifting is performed automatically in conjunction with the execution of deceleration control. However, when automatic downshifting is performed in stick shift mode, a discrepancy occurs between the shift position physically selected by the pseudo-H type shifter 24 and the virtual shift position calculated by the control device 101. For this reason, the automatic downshift mode can only be selected when paddle shift mode is selected as the manual mode, and it cannot be selected when stick shift mode is selected.

[0051] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of automatic downshifting when deceleration control is executed. In step S201, it is determined whether or not deceleration control has been activated. If deceleration control has been activated, step S202 is executed; if deceleration control has not been activated, the flow ends. In step S202, it is determined whether or not manual mode has been selected as the control mode. If manual mode has been selected, step S203 is executed; if manual mode has not been selected, the flow ends. In step S203, it is determined whether or not paddle shift mode has been selected as the manual mode. If stick shift mode has been selected instead of paddle shift mode, the flow ends.

[0052] If paddle shift mode is selected, steps S204 and S205 are executed. In step S203, the vehicle speed of the electric vehicle 100 is obtained, and in step S205, the shift position selected by the operation of the pseudo-paddle shifter 25 is obtained. Then, in step S206, it is predicted whether the virtual engine speed will fall out of the torque band based on the vehicle speed and shift position, and it is determined whether a downshift is necessary based on the prediction result. If a downshift is necessary, step S207 is executed, and if a downshift is not necessary, the flow ends. In step S207, a downshift is automatically performed in the calculation of the vehicle model MOD01 by the control device 101.

[0053] 6. Other Embodiments As an alternative configuration of the electric vehicle 100, it may be equipped only with a pseudo-H-shaped shifter 24 and a pseudo-clutch pedal 26, without the pseudo-paddle shifter 25. Furthermore, as an alternative configuration of the electric vehicle 100, it may be equipped only with a pseudo-paddle shifter 25, without the pseudo-H-shaped shifter 24 and the pseudo-clutch pedal 26.

[0054] The electric vehicle 100 is equipped with electric motors 4F and 4R at the front and rear, but it may be equipped with only one of them. Furthermore, although the electric vehicle 100 is a battery electric vehicle that runs on electricity stored in the battery 2, the electric vehicle of this disclosure may be any electric vehicle that has an electric motor as a drive source.Therefore, the electric vehicle of this disclosure is also applicable to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 2 Battery, 4F Front electric motor, 4R Rear electric motor, 11 Vehicle speed sensor, 12 Accelerator pedal stroke sensor, 14 Shift position sensor, 15 Paddle shift switch, 16 Clutch pedal stroke sensor, 20 HMI, 22 Accelerator pedal, 24 Simulated H-type shifter, 25 Simulated paddle shifter, 26 Simulated clutch pedal, 100 Electric vehicle, 101 Control unit

Claims

1. An electric vehicle having an electric motor as its driving source, Driving control members used for driving the electric vehicle, A simulated gear shift operating member that mimics the operating member used for shifting gears in a manually operated internal combustion engine, The system includes a control device that controls the operation of the electric vehicle in response to the operation of the driving operation member according to the operating state of the simulated gear shift operation member, The control device is When the vehicle enters a curved road, deceleration control is performed to automatically slow down the vehicle. When the aforementioned deceleration control is performed, the system is configured to prompt the driver to operate the simulated gear shift operating member in the same way as when increasing the gear ratio of the manual transmission internal combustion engine. An electric vehicle characterized by the following features.

2. In the electric vehicle according to claim 1, The aforementioned driving operation member includes an accelerator pedal, The aforementioned simulated gear shifting operating member includes a simulated shifter that mimics the shifter of a manual transmission. The control device is The torque of the electric motor is changed according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle, the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal, and the shift position selected by the operation of the simulated shifter. When the aforementioned deceleration control is performed, the system is configured to prompt the driver to perform a downshift operation of the pseudo-shifter. An electric vehicle characterized by the following features.

3. In the electric vehicle according to claim 1, The aforementioned driving operation member includes an accelerator pedal, The aforementioned pseudo-speed shifting operating member is A simulated shifter that mimics a manual transmission shifter, It includes a simulated clutch operating device that mimics a clutch operating device, The control device is The torque of the electric motor is changed according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle, the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal, the shift position selected by the operation of the simulated shifter, and the amount of operation of the simulated clutch operating device. When the aforementioned deceleration control is performed, the system is configured to prompt the driver to perform a downshift operation of the pseudo-shifter. An electric vehicle characterized by the following features.

4. In the electric vehicle according to claim 1, The aforementioned simulated gear shifting operating member includes a simulated sequential shifter that mimics the sequential shifter of a manual transmission. The control device is The electric vehicle has an automatic downshift mode that automatically increases the virtual gear ratio of the manually operated internal combustion engine vehicle reproduced in the electric vehicle, thereby increasing the virtual engine speed. The system is configured to execute the automatic downshift mode if the driver does not perform a downshift operation of the pseudo-sequential shifter during the execution of the deceleration control. An electric vehicle characterized by the following features.

5. In the electric vehicle according to claim 1, The aforementioned pseudo-speed shifting operating member is A simulated sequential shifter that mimics the sequential shifter of a manual transmission, It includes a pseudo-H-type shifter that simulates the H-type shifter of a manual transmission, Either the pseudo-sequential shifter or the pseudo-H-type shifter can be selectively operated. The control device is The electric vehicle has an automatic downshift mode that automatically increases the virtual gear ratio of the manually operated internal combustion engine vehicle reproduced in the electric vehicle, thereby increasing the virtual engine speed. If the pseudo-sequential shifter is selected and the driver does not perform a downshift operation of the pseudo-sequential shifter during the execution of the deceleration control, the automatic downshift mode is executed. When the pseudo-H type shifter is selected, if the driver does not perform a downshift operation of the pseudo-H type shifter during the execution of the deceleration control, the system is configured to refrain from executing the automatic downshift mode. An electric vehicle characterized by the following features.

Images