Integrated Control Method for Electric Truck Auxiliaries and Transmission

Abstract

The integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to the present invention comprises: (a) a step in which a motor control unit of an electric truck equipped with a two-speed transmission drives a driving motor to operate auxiliary equipment that receives the driving force of said driving motor; (b) a step in which a transmission control unit detects a gear change input for the transmission; (c) a step in which a clutch control unit disconnects a clutch from the driving system to cut off power transmitted from said driving motor to said driving system; (d) a step in which the transmission control unit performs a gear change of said transmission; and (e) a step in which the clutch control unit connects the clutch to said driving system so that power is transmitted from the driving motor to said driving system, wherein the auxiliary equipment is continuously driven by said driving motor during the process of performing steps (b) through (e).

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck, and more specifically, to a method capable of controlling driving and auxiliary equipment driving in an integrated manner through a single driving motor. Background Technology

[0002] With the electric vehicle market gradually expanding recently, electric vehicles are being produced for various vehicle types, such as cargo trucks and sports cars, in addition to standard passenger cars, giving consumers more choices.

[0003] Generally, electric vehicles are often not equipped with a transmission, but recently, there are cases where a 2-speed transmission is applied for efficiency.

[0004] In addition, electric vehicles currently equipped with a 2-speed transmission have a motor for driving and a motor for driving auxiliary equipment operated separately within the vehicle.

[0005] Accordingly, electric vehicles equipped with conventional two-speed transmissions have the disadvantage of having a complex control system, and also have the problem of significantly reduced power efficiency because multiple motors are operated simultaneously.

[0006] Therefore, a method to resolve these problems is required. Prior art literature

[0007] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0019142 The problem to be solved

[0008] The present invention is an invention devised to solve the problems of the aforementioned prior art, and has the purpose of providing a method to integrate and control driving and auxiliary equipment driving through a single driving motor in an electric truck equipped with a two-stage transmission.

[0009] The problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0010] The method for integrated control of auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose comprises: (a) a step in which a motor control unit of an electric truck equipped with a two-speed transmission drives a driving motor to operate auxiliary equipment that receives the driving force of said driving motor; (b) a step in which a transmission control unit detects a gear change input for the transmission; (c) a step in which a clutch control unit disconnects a clutch from the driving system to cut off power transmitted from said driving motor to said driving system; (d) a step in which the transmission control unit performs a gear change of said transmission; and (e) a step in which the clutch control unit connects the clutch to said driving system so that power is transmitted from the driving motor to said driving system, wherein the auxiliary equipment is continuously driven by said driving motor during the process of performing steps (b) through (e).

[0011] At this time, step (a) above can operate the above-mentioned driving motor when the motor control unit determines that the RPM of the driving motor has reached the idle RPM.

[0012] And between the above step (b) and the above step (c), the motor control unit may further perform a step (ex) of reducing the torque of the driving motor.

[0013] In such a case, the above step (c) may be performed when it is determined that the RPM of the driving motor, whose torque has been reduced by the above step (ex), is less than or equal to the RPM of the transmission.

[0014] In addition, the clutch may be a pneumatically controlled clutch, and in such case, step (c) may include a step (c-1) in which the clutch control unit increases the pneumatic pressure to control the disengagement of the clutch, a step (c-2) in which the clutch control unit determines the disengagement state of the clutch while step (c-1) is being performed, and a step (c-3) in which the clutch control unit transmits a clutch disengagement completion signal to the transmission control unit when the clutch control unit determines that the clutch has been disengaged from the driving system.

[0015] At this time, in step (c-2), the clutch control unit measures the voltage required to increase the pneumatic pressure for disengaging control of the clutch, and if the voltage required to increase the pneumatic pressure is greater than or equal to a preset reference voltage, it can determine that the clutch is disengaged from the driving system.

[0016] Additionally, if the clutch is a pneumatically controlled clutch, the above step (e) may include a step (e-1) in which the clutch control unit reduces the pneumatic pressure to control the connection of the clutch, a step (e-2) in which the clutch control unit determines the connection state of the clutch while the above step (e-1) is being performed, and a step (e-3) in which the clutch control unit transmits a clutch connection completion signal to the motor control unit when the clutch control unit determines that the clutch is connected to the driving system.

[0017] Here, in step (e-2), the clutch control unit measures the voltage required to reduce the pneumatic pressure for controlling the connection of the clutch, and if the voltage required to reduce the pneumatic pressure is less than a preset reference voltage, it can determine that the clutch is connected to the driving system. Effects of the invention

[0018] The integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem has the advantage of simplifying the control system because it can integrate and control driving and auxiliary equipment driving through a single driving motor in an electric truck equipped with a 2-speed transmission.

[0019] In addition, the present invention has the advantage of significantly improving the battery efficiency, driving time, and driving range of the electric truck because it operates only a single driving motor.

[0020] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description in the claims. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0021] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing the main parts of an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the entire process of an integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the detailed process of step (c) in the integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the detailed process of step (e) in the integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0022] In this specification, where a component (or region, layer, part, etc.) is described as being "on," "connected," or "combined" with another component, it means that it may be directly placed / connected / combined with the other component, or that a third component may be placed between them.

[0023] Identical reference numerals denote identical components. Additionally, in the drawings, the thicknesses, proportions, and dimensions of the components are exaggerated for the effective illustration of the technical content.

[0024] "And / or" includes all one or more combinations that the associated configurations can define.

[0025] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0026] Additionally, terms such as "below," "lower side," "above," and "upper side" are used to describe the relationships between the components depicted in the drawings. These terms are relative concepts and are described based on the directions indicated in the drawings.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Additionally, terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and are explicitly defined herein unless interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense.

[0028] Terms such as "include" or "have" are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing the main parts of an electric truck according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electric truck exemplified in the present invention is an electric truck equipped with a two-speed transmission and is configured to be switchable between a first-speed driving mode, a second-speed driving mode, and a reverse mode.

[0031] As illustrated in FIG. 1, an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a single driving motor (10), and such driving motor (10) simultaneously operates a driving system (100) and an auxiliary system (200).

[0032] At this time, the driving system (100) may include a transmission (110), a suspension, etc., and the clutch (120) is provided to transmit or cut off power from the driving motor (10) to the driving system (100).

[0033] In addition, the viewing equipment (200) may include various equipment such as a compressor, a cooling water pump, and a cooling fan.

[0034] And an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include a control system comprising a motor control unit (11) for controlling a driving motor (10), a transmission control unit (111) for controlling a transmission (110), and a clutch control unit (121) for controlling a clutch (120).

[0035] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the entire process of an integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the integrated control method for the auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention may include steps (a) through (e), and additionally, step (ex) may be performed between steps (b) and (c).

[0037] First, step (a) is a process in which the motor control unit (11) of the electric truck drives the driving motor (10) to operate the auxiliary equipment (200) that receives the driving force of the driving motor (10).

[0038] In this process, the motor control unit (11) can operate the driving motor (10) when it is determined that the RPM has reached the idle RPM.

[0039] And step (b) is the process in which the transmission control unit (111) detects a gear change input for the transmission (110).

[0040] That is, when the driving motor (10) reaches idle RPM in step (a), if a gear change to 1st gear driving mode or reverse mode is input, the transmission control unit (111) detects this.

[0041] Accordingly, step (c) is performed in which the clutch control unit (121) separates the clutch (120) from the driving system (100) to cut off the power transmitted from the driving motor (10) to the driving system (100).

[0042] In this embodiment, between step (b) and step (c), an additional step (ex) may be performed in which the motor control unit (11) reduces the torque of the driving motor (10).

[0043] Accordingly, in this embodiment, step (c) can be performed when it is determined that the RPM of the driving motor (10), whose torque has been reduced by step (ex1), is less than or equal to the RPM of the transmission (110).

[0044] And the clutch (120) applied in this embodiment may be a pneumatic control type clutch. That is, when the pneumatic pressure supplied to the clutch (120) is increased above a certain value, the clutch (120) is separated from the driving system (100) to cut off power transmission, and when the pneumatic pressure supplied to the clutch (120) is decreased below a certain value, the clutch (120) is connected to the driving system (100) to perform power transmission.

[0045] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the detailed process of step (c) in the integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] As illustrated in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, step (c) may include steps (c-1) through (c-3) in detail.

[0047] (c-1) Step is a process in which the clutch control unit (121) increases the pneumatic pressure applied to the clutch (120) to control the disengagement of the clutch (120).

[0048] Step (c-2) is a process in which the clutch control unit (121) determines the disengagement state of the clutch (120) during the process of performing Step (c-1). This process can be performed in real time.

[0049] In addition, in this embodiment, step (c-2) can be determined by the clutch control unit (121) measuring the voltage required to increase the pneumatic pressure for disengaging control of the clutch (120), and determining that the clutch (120) is disengaged from the driving system (100) if the voltage required to increase the pneumatic pressure is greater than or equal to a preset reference voltage.

[0050] For example, when the voltage applied at maximum pneumatic pressure is 5V, the reference voltage can be set to 2V to 2.5V.

[0051] (c-3) Step is the process of transmitting a clutch disengagement completion signal to the transmission control unit (111) when the clutch control unit (121) determines that the clutch (120) has been disengaged from the driving system (100).

[0052] That is, when the clutch (120) is disengaged from the driving system (100), the clutch control unit (121) can transmit a clutch disengagement completion signal to the transmission control unit (111) so that gear conversion can be performed by the transmission control unit (111) thereafter.

[0053] In step (d), the process of the transmission control unit (111) performing gear changes of the transmission (110) is performed.

[0054] The transmission (110) may be equipped with a separate transmission motor and driver for performing transmission, and thus in this process, the transmission motor is controlled through the driver to vary the gear position, and gear conversion and transmission can be performed.

[0055] Next, step (e) is a process in which the clutch control unit (121) connects the clutch (120) to the driving system (100) so that power is transmitted from the driving motor (10) to the driving system (100).

[0056] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the detailed process of step (e) in the integrated control method for auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, step (e) may include steps (e-1) to (e-3) in detail.

[0058] (e-1) Step is a process in which the clutch control unit (121) reduces the pneumatic pressure applied to the clutch (120) to control the connection of the clutch (120).

[0059] Step (e-2) is a process in which the clutch control unit (121) determines the connection status of the clutch (120) during the process of performing Step (e-1). This process can be performed in real time.

[0060] And in this embodiment, step (e-2) can be determined by the clutch control unit (121) measuring the voltage required to reduce the pneumatic pressure for controlling the connection of the clutch (120), and determining that the clutch (120) is connected to the driving system (100) if the voltage required to reduce the pneumatic pressure is less than a preset reference voltage.

[0061] (e-3) Step is the process of transmitting a clutch connection completion signal to the motor control unit (11) when the clutch control unit (121) determines that the clutch (120) is connected to the driving system (100).

[0062] That is, when the clutch (120) is engaged in the driving system (100), the clutch control unit (121) transmits a clutch engagement completion signal to the motor control unit (11) so that the driving motor (10) can be driven by the motor control unit (11).

[0063] Meanwhile, in the entire process of the integrated control method for the auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck as described above, steps (b) through (e) can be repeatedly performed at every subsequent process in which a gear shift occurs.

[0064] In addition, the present invention allows the driving system (100) and the driving motor (10) to maintain a state of continuous driving by the driving motor (10) even when steps (b) to (e) are performed and power transmission between the driving system (100) and the driving motor (10) is cut off.

[0065] That is, in the present invention, the driving of the driving system (100) and the driving of the auxiliary equipment (200) can be integrated and controlled through a single driving motor (10) in an electric truck equipped with a two-stage transmission, so the control system can be simplified and the battery efficiency, driving time, and driving distance of the electric truck can be greatly improved.

[0066] Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the clutch (120) may be provided with a position sensor for sensing the position of the clutch (120), and accordingly, this embodiment can determine the disengaged state and connected state of the clutch (120) by utilizing the sensing value of the position sensor as an auxiliary method.

[0067] That is, the current position of the clutch (120) can be determined based on the sensing value of the position sensor, and through this, it is possible to determine whether the clutch (120) is connected to the driving system (100) or whether the clutch (120) is disconnected from the driving system (100).

[0068] Accordingly, the clutch control unit (121) can use the voltage according to the pneumatic pressure supplied to the clutch (120) as a first judgment condition and the sensing value of the position sensor as a second judgment condition.

[0069] Specifically, the clutch control unit (121) first determines the first judgment condition and first predicts the separation or connection state of the clutch (120) and the driving system (100).

[0070] Then, the clutch control unit (121) subsequently determines the second judgment condition to secondarily predict the separation or connection state of the clutch (120) and the driving system (100).

[0071] When the first prediction result and the second prediction result by the clutch control unit (121) match each other, the subsequent process can be performed by trusting the corresponding prediction result regarding the disengaged state and connected state of the clutch (120).

[0072] However, if the first prediction result and the second prediction result by the clutch control unit (121) do not match each other, a conservative judgment can be made to prevent failure of the clutch (120) and the driving system (100).

[0073] That is, in such a case, the clutch control unit (121) first assumes that the clutch (120) is connected to the driving system (100) and processes so that the separation completion signal is not transmitted to the transmission control unit (111).

[0074] And the clutch control unit (121) can receive the torque value of the driving motor (10) from the motor control unit (11), and if it is determined that the torque value transmitted from the motor control unit (11) is greater than or equal to a preset reference torque value, it can determine that the clutch (120) is connected to the driving system (100), determine that a problem has occurred in the pneumatic control system of the clutch (120), and perform an alarm.

[0075] In contrast, if the torque value transmitted from the motor control unit (11) is determined to be less than a preset reference torque value, it can be determined that the clutch (120) is not connected to the driving system (100).

[0076] However, since the first prediction result and the second prediction result by the clutch control unit (121) in the previous process did not match each other, in such cases, a separation completion signal is not generated, and it is determined that a problem has occurred in the voltage sensor measuring the voltage according to the pneumatic pressure or the position sensor measuring the position of the clutch (120), and an alarm can be performed.

[0077] As described above, preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been examined. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that, in addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or scope. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the description above but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. Explanation of the symbols

[0078] 10: Driving motor 11: Motor control unit 100: Driving system 110: Transmission 111: Transmission control unit 120: Clutch 121: Clutch control unit 200: Views

Claims

Claim 1 (a) a step in which a motor control unit of an electric truck equipped with a 2-speed transmission drives a driving motor to operate an auxiliary unit that receives the driving force of said driving motor; (b) a step in which a transmission control unit detects a gear change input for the transmission; (c) a step in which a clutch control unit disengages the clutch from the driving system to cut off the power transmitted from said driving motor to said driving system; (d) a step in which the transmission control unit performs a gear change of said transmission; and (e) a step in which the clutch control unit connects the clutch to said driving system so that power is transmitted from the driving motor to said driving system; wherein, during the process of performing steps (b) through (e), the auxiliary unit is continuously driven by said driving motor, and said clutch is a pneumatically controlled clutch; and (c) a step in which the clutch control unit increases pneumatic pressure to control the disengagement of said clutch; and (c-2) a step in which the clutch control unit determines the disengagement state of said clutch during the process of performing step (c-1). A method for controlling an electric truck’s auxiliary equipment and transmission, comprising the step (c-3) of transmitting a clutch disengagement completion signal to a transmission control unit when the clutch control unit determines that the clutch has been disengaged from the driving system. Claim 2 In claim 1, the above step (c-2) is a method for integrated control of an electric truck’s auxiliary equipment and transmission, wherein the clutch control unit measures the voltage required to increase the pneumatic pressure for disengaging control of the clutch, and determines that the clutch is disengaged from the driving system if the voltage required to increase the pneumatic pressure is greater than or equal to a preset reference voltage. Claim 3 (a) a step in which a motor control unit of an electric truck equipped with a 2-speed transmission drives a driving motor to operate an auxiliary unit that receives the driving force of said driving motor; (b) a step in which a transmission control unit detects a gear change input for the transmission; (c) a step in which a clutch control unit disconnects the clutch from the driving system to cut off the power transmitted from said driving motor to said driving system; (d) a step in which the transmission control unit performs a gear change of said transmission; and (e) a step in which the clutch control unit connects the clutch to said driving system so that power is transmitted from the driving motor to said driving system; wherein, during the process of performing steps (b) through (e), the auxiliary unit is continuously driven by said driving motor, and said clutch is a pneumatically controlled clutch; and in step (e), the clutch control unit reduces pneumatic pressure to control the connection of said clutch (e-1); and during the process of performing step (e-1), the clutch control unit determines the connection state of said clutch (e-2). A method for integrated control of an electric truck’s auxiliary equipment and transmission, comprising the step (e-3) of transmitting a clutch connection completion signal to the motor control unit when the clutch control unit determines that the clutch is connected to the driving system. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the above step (e-2) is a method for integrated control of auxiliary equipment and transmission of an electric truck, wherein the clutch control unit measures the voltage required to reduce pneumatic pressure for controlling the connection of the clutch, and determines that the clutch is connected to the driving system when the voltage required to reduce pneumatic pressure is less than a preset reference voltage. Claim 5 An integrated control method for an electric truck’s auxiliary equipment and transmission, wherein in either claim 1 or claim 3, step (a) operates the auxiliary equipment when the motor control unit determines that the RPM of the driving motor has reached the idle RPM. Claim 6 An integrated control method for an electric truck’s auxiliary equipment and transmission, wherein, in either claim 1 or claim 3, between step (b) and step (c), a step (ex) in which the motor control unit reduces the torque of the driving motor is further performed. Claim 7 In claim 6, the above step (c) is performed when it is determined that the RPM of the driving motor, whose torque has been reduced by the above step (ex), is less than or equal to the RPM of the transmission, in a method for integrated control of an electric truck's auxiliary equipment and transmission. Claim 8 delete

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