Vehicle control method and apparatus, and vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle control method. A driving electric motor (1011), a starter (1012) and an engine (1013) are mounted in a vehicle. The method comprises: if a vehicle has a torque requirement, acquiring a pedal depth change rate of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle; if the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, acquiring a starting number of starting an engine by means of a starter within an ith target time period, and an ith starting restricted number for allowing the engine to be started by means of the starter; if the starting number reaches the ith starting restricted number, by means of a driving electric motor, driving the engine to start, and providing a torque to the vehicle by means of a universal torque of the driving electric motor and an engine torque of the engine; and if the starting number does not reach the ith starting restricted number, by means of the starter, driving the engine to start, and providing a torque to the vehicle by means of the universal torque and a reserved torque of the driving electric motor, and the engine torque. By means of the method, torque distribution can be performed for different operating conditions, so as to meet torque requirements of a vehicle. Further comprised are a vehicle control apparatus and a vehicle.

Description

Vehicle control method, device and vehicle

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on February 5, 2024, with application number 202410163439.X and invention name “Vehicle Control Method, Device and Vehicle”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of vehicles, and in particular to a vehicle control method, device, and vehicle in the field of vehicles. Background Art

[0003] With the intensification of environmental pollution and the urgent demand for energy conservation and emission reduction, the development of new energy vehicles has received more and more attention.

[0004] Some new energy vehicles are equipped not only with the drive motors of pure electric vehicles to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction for daily commuting, but also with the engines of traditional fuel vehicles to provide propulsion when the battery is low or when climbing hills lack sufficient power. Both the drive motor and the engine can provide torque to the vehicle. When the vehicle is in conditions with high torque demand, how to distribute the torque becomes a pressing issue to ensure normal operation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a vehicle control method, device and vehicle, which can distribute torque according to different working conditions to meet the vehicle torque requirements.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a vehicle control method, wherein the vehicle is equipped with a drive motor, a starter and an engine, the method comprising: when the vehicle has a torque demand, obtaining a pedal depth change rate of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle; when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, obtaining the number of starts of the engine by the starter within an i-th target time period, and the i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter, where i is a positive integer; when the number of starts reaches the i-th limited number of starts, driving the engine to start by the reserved torque of the drive motor, and providing torque to the vehicle by the general torque of the drive motor and the engine torque of the engine; when the number of starts does not reach the i-th limited number of starts, driving the engine to start by the starter, and providing torque to the vehicle by the general torque, reserved torque and engine torque of the drive motor.

[0007] In the above technical solution, this embodiment provides a vehicle control method: when the vehicle has a torque demand, the pedal depth change rate of the vehicle's accelerator pedal is obtained; if the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited start number for allowing the vehicle to start the engine by the starter are obtained; when the number of starts reaches the i-th limited start number, the vehicle drives the engine to start by the reserved torque of the drive motor, and provides torque to the vehicle through the general torque of the drive motor and the engine torque of the engine; when the number of starts does not reach the i-th limited start number, the vehicle drives the engine to start by the starter, and provides torque to the vehicle through the general torque, reserved torque and engine torque of the drive motor. When the pedal depth change rate is large, it indicates that the vehicle may need a larger torque to drive the vehicle in the current working condition. By judging whether the number of starter starts in the current time period has reached the limit number of starts, the vehicle torque distribution method is determined to ensure the normal starting of the engine, and sufficient torque can be provided to the vehicle when the vehicle is in a working condition with a large torque demand. In addition, by limiting the number of starts, the number of times the starter drives the engine is limited, thereby avoiding engine start failure due to starter burning, thereby ensuring the normal driving of the vehicle.

[0008] In one possible implementation, when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period is obtained, including: when the pedal depth change rate is greater than the first threshold, obtaining the remaining power of the battery in the vehicle; when the remaining power is greater than the power threshold, obtaining the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period.

[0009] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: when the remaining power is less than a power threshold, driving the engine to start by using the reserved torque of the drive motor.

[0010] In the above technical solution, considering that when the vehicle battery charge is too low, the remaining power cannot meet the starting requirements of the starter. In order to ensure that the starter can start the engine normally, this application also proposes obtaining the remaining power of the vehicle battery when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold value; if the remaining power is greater than the power threshold value, the number of engine starts by the starter within the i-th target time period is obtained to determine the engine starting method; if the remaining power is less than the power threshold value, the engine is started by driving the reserved torque of the drive motor. When the remaining battery charge is sufficient, both the drive motor and the starter can drive the engine to start, and the problem of starter burning needs to be considered; when the remaining power is insufficient, the vehicle cannot drive the engine to start through the starter, and the engine is driven by the reserved torque of the drive motor. This ensures the normal start of the engine when the vehicle is in a working condition with a large torque demand, and provides sufficient torque for the vehicle.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: when the pedal depth change rate is less than a first threshold and greater than a second threshold, providing torque to the vehicle through the general torque and reserved torque of the driving motor, and the second threshold is less than the first threshold; when the pedal depth change rate is less than the second threshold, providing torque to the vehicle through the general torque of the driving motor.

[0012] In the above technical solution, this application also proposes that if the pedal depth change rate is less than a first threshold and greater than a second threshold, torque is provided to the vehicle through the general torque and reserved torque of the drive motor; if the pedal depth change rate is less than the second threshold, torque is provided to the vehicle through the general torque of the drive motor. The pedal depth change rate of the accelerator pedal can reflect the vehicle torque required under the current operating conditions. When the pedal depth change rate is less than the first threshold, the drive motor can provide sufficient torque for the vehicle. Based on the range of the pedal depth change rate, the use method of the general torque and reserved torque of the drive motor is determined to avoid wasting vehicle torque while providing sufficient torque to the vehicle.

[0013] In one possible implementation, obtaining the i-th limited number of starts that are allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period includes: when i is greater than 1, obtaining the i-1th number of starts that are allowed to be started by the starter within the i-1th target time period; determining the i-th limited number of starts that are allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period based on the i-1th number of starts; when i=1, determining the initial limited number of starts as the i-th limited number of starts, the initial limited number of starts being the maximum limited number of starts that are allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period.

[0014] In the above technical solution, the present application also proposes that, when i is greater than 1, the i-1th number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-1th target time period is obtained, and based on the i-1th number of starts, the i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter within the i-1th target time period is determined; when i = 1, the initial limited number of starts is determined as the i-th limited number of starts. In the case that the engine has been started by the starter the i-1th number of starts within the i-1th target time period, the vehicle can determine the i-th limited number of starts within the i-1th target time period based on the number of starts within the i-1th target time period, and determine the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the current time period based on the number of starts of the engine by the starter in the historical time period, thereby avoiding the problem of setting the limited number of starts too large, which may cause the starter to burn.

[0015] In one possible implementation, based on the i-1th start number, the i-th limited start number allowed to start the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period is determined, including: when the i-1th start number reaches the i-1th limited start number, based on the i-1th limited start number, the i-th limited start number is determined, and the i-th limited start number is less than the i-1th limited start number; when the i-1th start number does not reach the i-1th limited start number, the initial limited start number is determined as the i-th limited start number.

[0016] In the above technical solution, the present application further proposes that when the i-1th number of starts reaches the i-1th limited number of starts, the i-th limited number of starts is determined based on the i-1th limited number of starts; when the i-1th number of starts does not reach the i-1th limited number of starts, the initial limited number of starts is determined as the i-th limited number of starts. Determining the i-th limited number of starts based on the i-1th number of starts can adjust the limited number of starts for the current target time period based on the starter usage in the previous target time period. By reducing the limited number of starts, the limited number of starts can be reduced if the starter has reached a high temperature in the previous time period, further avoiding engine start failure caused by starter burning during driving. In addition, considering that when the number of starts of the engine by the starter reaches the i-1th limited start number within the i-1th target time period, the starter has reached a relatively high temperature, and after cooling during the i-1th target time period, the high temperature of the starter is not completely eliminated, it is necessary to reserve a longer cooling time within the i-th target time period; since the limited start number is negatively correlated with the cooling time, the i-th limited start number needs to be less than the i-1th limited start number.

[0017] In one possible implementation, when the i-1th start number reaches the i-1th restricted start number, the i-th restricted start number is determined based on the i-1th restricted start number, including: when the i-1th start number reaches the i-1th restricted start number and the i-1th restricted start number is not the minimum restricted start number, the i-th restricted start number is determined based on the i-1th restricted start number; the method also includes: when the i-1th start number reaches the i-1th restricted start number and the i-1th restricted start number is the minimum restricted start number, the initial restricted start number is determined as the i-th restricted start number.

[0018] In the above technical solution, considering that the starter has cooled down after the limited start times were reduced in the previous stages, the initial limited start times can be continued to limit the starter start times. The present application also proposes setting a minimum limited start times; when the i-1th start times reaches the i-1th limited start times, it is determined whether the i-1th limited start times is the minimum limited start times; if the i-1th limited start times is not the minimum limited start times, the i-th limited start times is determined based on the i-1th limited start times; if the i-1th limited start times is the minimum limited start times, the initial limited start times is determined as the i-th limited start times. After the starter cools down, the initial limited start times can be reused to limit the number of times the starter starts the engine, so as to maximize the performance of the starter.

[0019] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: setting a target counter for the i-th target time period, the target counter being used to count the number of times the engine is started by the starter within the i-th target time period; after the engine is started by driving the starter, setting the count value of the target counter to increase by a preset value.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the method further includes: setting a count value of the target counter to zero when the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited number of starts.

[0021] In the above technical solution, the present application further proposes setting a target timer for the i-th target time period to count the number of engine starts initiated by the starter during the i-th target time period. After the engine is started by the starter, the target counter is incremented by a preset value to facilitate counting the number of starts within each target time period, thereby making the count of the number of starts more accurate. When the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limit, the target counter is reset to zero, reducing the amount of data and preventing the number of starts in the current target time period from interfering with the count of subsequent starts.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: when the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited start number, setting the flag bit of the i-th target time period to the first flag bit; when the number of starts within the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited start number, setting the flag bit of the i-th target time period to the second flag bit, and the first flag bit is different from the second flag bit.

[0023] In the above technical solution, the present application further proposes that when the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited start number, the flag bit of the i-th target time period is set to the first flag bit; when the number of starts within the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited start number, the flag bit of the i-th target time period is set to the second flag bit. Setting different flag bits to indicate whether the number of starts within the i-th target time period has reached the i-th limited start number facilitates determining whether the number of starts of the starter within the i-th target time period has reached the i-th limited start number.

[0024] In a second aspect, a vehicle control device is provided, in which a drive motor, a starter and an engine are installed in the vehicle, and the device includes: a first acquisition module for acquiring a pedal depth change rate of a vehicle pedal when the vehicle has a torque demand; a second acquisition module for acquiring the number of starts of the engine by the starter within an i-th target time period and an i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold value, where i is a positive integer; a first drive module for driving the engine to start by the reserved torque of the drive motor when the number of starts reaches the i-th limited number of starts, and providing torque to the vehicle through the general torque of the drive motor and the engine torque of the engine; a second drive module for driving the engine to start by the starter when the number of starts does not reach the i-th limited number of starts, and providing torque to the vehicle through the general torque, reserved torque and engine torque of the drive motor.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the second acquisition module is also used to: obtain the remaining power of the battery in the vehicle when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold; and obtain the number of times the engine is started by the starter within the i-th target time period when the remaining power is greater than the power threshold.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the device further includes: a third driving module, configured to drive the engine to start by using the reserved torque of the driving motor when the remaining power is less than a power threshold.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the device also includes: a fourth drive module, used to provide torque to the vehicle through the general torque and reserved torque of the driving motor when the pedal depth change rate is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold, and the second threshold is less than the first threshold; a fifth drive module, used to provide torque to the vehicle through the general torque of the driving motor when the pedal depth change rate is less than the second threshold.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the second acquisition module is further used to: when i is greater than 1, obtain the i-1th number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-1th target time period; based on the i-1th number of starts, determine the i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period; when i=1, determine the initial limited number of starts as the i-th limited number of starts, and the initial limited number of starts is the maximum limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the second acquisition module is also used to: when the i-1th start number reaches the i-1th restricted start number, determine the i-th restricted start number based on the i-1th restricted start number, and the i-th restricted start number is less than the i-1th restricted start number; when the i-1th start number does not reach the i-1th restricted start number, determine the initial restricted start number as the i-th restricted start number.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the second acquisition module is also used to: when the i-1th startup number reaches the i-1th restricted startup number and the i-1th restricted startup number is not the minimum restricted startup number, determine the i-th restricted startup number based on the i-1th restricted startup number; the device also includes: a first determination module, used to determine the initial restricted startup number as the i-th restricted startup number when the i-1th startup number reaches the i-1th restricted startup number and the i-1th restricted startup number is the minimum restricted startup number.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the device also includes: a setting module for setting a target counter for the i-th target time period, the target counter being used to count the number of times the engine is started by the starter within the i-th target time period; a counting module for setting the count value of the target counter to increase by a preset value after the engine is started by driving the starter.

[0032] In a possible implementation, the device further includes: a clearing module configured to clear a count value of the target counter to zero if the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited number of starts.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the device also includes: a first flag module, which is used to set the flag bit of the i-th target time period to the first flag bit when the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited start number; a second flag module, which is used to set the flag bit of the i-th target time period to the second flag bit when the number of starts within the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited start number, and the first flag bit is different from the second flag bit.

[0034] In a third aspect, the present application provides a vehicle comprising a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store executable program code, and the processor is configured to retrieve and execute the executable program code from the memory, so that the vehicle executes the method of the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, which, when running on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program code. When the computer program code runs on a computer, the computer executes the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG2 is a schematic flow chart of a vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG4 is a diagram of a vehicle torque distribution strategy provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG5 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a starter restricted start strategy provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG7 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of an engine starting strategy provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG9 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle control device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] The following will clearly and thoroughly describe the technical solutions in this application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B: "and / or" in the text is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more than two.

[0049] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to imply or suggest relative importance or implicitly indicate the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0050] In order to solve the problems of excessive energy consumption and environmental pollution, more and more users will choose electric vehicles equipped with drive motors. However, when pure electric vehicles are low on power or climbing a slope, which requires high torque, the drive motor cannot better provide the vehicle with high torque, affecting the normal driving of the vehicle. Therefore, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) has been proposed. The PHEV vehicle is equipped with the engine, transmission, fuel tank and other parts of a traditional fuel vehicle, as well as the drive motor, battery and external charging interface of a pure electric vehicle. During daily commuting, in order to save energy and achieve good quietness, most people will drive in pure electric mode, that is, without starting the engine, and only using the drive motor to drive the vehicle; the engine will be started to intervene and assist when the battery is low on power or climbing a slope on an elevated road.

[0051] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , a vehicle is equipped with a drive motor 1011, a starter 1012, and an engine 1013. During vehicle travel, both the drive motor 1011 and the engine 1013 can provide torque output for the vehicle. The engine 1013 can be started either by the drive motor 1011 or by the starter 1012 driving the crankshaft of the engine 1013 to control the start of the engine 1013.

[0052] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of a vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the method can be applied to a vehicle equipped with a drive motor, a starter, and an engine.

[0053] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG2 , the method 100 includes:

[0054] Step 101 : When a vehicle has a torque demand, obtain a pedal depth change rate of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle.

[0055] The pedal depth change rate refers to the pedal travel of the vehicle's accelerator pedal per unit time.

[0056] Both the engine and the drive motor can provide torque for the vehicle. The required torque varies under different operating conditions. Therefore, the engine torque and drive motor torque must be allocated based on the actual required torque to ensure normal vehicle operation. The required torque can be measured by the accelerator pedal's pedal depth change rate. In one possible implementation, when the vehicle has a torque demand, the accelerator pedal's pedal depth change rate is obtained to analyze the current torque distribution method required by the vehicle and determine whether to start the engine to provide torque.

[0057] Optionally, in addition to estimating the vehicle's required torque based on the pedal depth change rate of the vehicle's accelerator pedal, the required torque when the vehicle is in the current operating condition can also be determined by obtaining information such as the vehicle's driving section, vehicle speed or vehicle acceleration.

[0058] Step 102 : When the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, obtain the number of engine starts by the starter within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited number of engine starts allowed by the starter, where i is a positive integer.

[0059] The i-th target time period may be the i-th target time period since the vehicle was last powered on. The value of i may be a positive integer. When i=1, the i-th target time period is the first target time period since the vehicle was last powered on. For example, each target time period may be 1 minute long. If the vehicle was last powered on at 10:21:00 and the current time is 10:24:30, then the current time is within the fourth target time period.

[0060] PHEVs' torque is provided by both the drive motor and the engine. A high rate of change in the accelerator pedal's pedal depth indicates a high torque demand, which cannot be met by the drive motor alone. Therefore, the engine needs to be started, allowing the engine and drive motor to jointly provide sufficient torque. For engine starting, vehicles equipped with a starter can use the starter to start the engine. However, in conditions where the vehicle frequently starts and stops (such as busy streets or intersections with numerous traffic lights), frequent power-on starts significantly increase the chance of starter burnout due to the limited functionality of the starter, resulting in an engine failure and a vehicle incapacitated. PHEVs can also use the drive motor to start the engine. To avoid burns caused by frequent use of the starter, embodiments of the present application provide a comprehensive engine starting method: before the starter burns, the starter is used to start the engine; when the starter burns, the drive motor is switched to start the engine.

[0061] Considering that the starter burnout problem is caused by frequent use of the starter to drive the engine in a short period of time, the number of times the starter starts the engine in a short period of time can be used to determine whether the conditions for switching the starting method are met. Furthermore, since the starter temperature varies within different target time periods, the number of times the starter is allowed to start the engine before reaching the burnout temperature varies. For example, if the starter's burnout temperature is 100 degrees Celsius and the initial starter temperature is 0 degrees Celsius, the starter can be used to start the engine 10 times before reaching the burnout temperature; if the starter temperature has reached 50 degrees Celsius, the starter can only be used to start the engine 5 times. Therefore, when determining the engine starting method within the i-th target time period, it is also necessary to obtain the i-th limited number of starts allowed to start the engine within the i-th target time period. Corresponding to a possible implementation method, when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold value, the vehicle first obtains the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period, and the i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period, so as to determine whether the number of starts of the starter reaches the i-th limited number of starts, and then determine the starting method of the engine and the distribution method of the vehicle torque this time.

[0062] For example, taking the first threshold of 65% as an example, the pedal depth change rate of the vehicle's accelerator pedal is obtained to be 80%, which is greater than the first threshold of 65%, indicating that the current vehicle driving requires a larger torque. In this case, the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited number of starts allowed to start the engine by the starter are obtained.

[0063] The method for counting the number of starts within the i-th target time period may include: setting a counter for the i-th target time period, and setting the count value of the counter to increase by a preset value each time the engine is started by the starter; and then, based on the count value of the counter corresponding to the i-th target time period, obtaining the number of starts of the engine that have been started by the starter within the i-th target time period after receiving the engine start command.

[0064] Exemplarily, the preset value may be 1, and a target counter is set for the i-th target time period with an initial value of 0. After the engine is started once by the starter, the count value of the target counter is controlled to increase by 1.

[0065] Optionally, different target counters may be set for different target time periods; or the same target counter may be used for different target time periods.

[0066] Optionally, the method for determining the limited number of starts may include: setting a fixed limited number of starts for each target time period, presetting different limited number of starts for different target time periods, and determining the limited number of starts for the current target time period based on the starter status of the previous target time period.

[0067] For example, the limited number of starts for each target time period is set to 4 times; or, the limited number of starts for the first target time period is set to 4 times, the limited number of starts for the second target time period is set to 5 times, the limited number of starts for the third target time period is set to 3 times, etc.; or, based on the number of starter starts in the first target time period, the second limited number of starts in the second target time period is determined.

[0068] Step 103 : When the number of starts reaches the i-th limit number of starts, the engine is started by driving the reserved torque of the driving motor, and torque is provided to the vehicle by driving the general torque of the driving motor and the engine torque of the engine.

[0069] The reserved torque of the drive motor is the torque that can drag the engine to start successfully, and the general torque of the drive motor is the available torque other than the reserved torque.

[0070] After obtaining the number of engine starts by the starter during the i-th target time period and the i-th limit number of starts during the i-th target time period, the current engine starting method is determined by determining the relationship between the two. If the number of starts reaches the i-th limit, continuing to start the engine via the starter will cause the starter temperature to overheat, posing a risk of starter burns. Therefore, it is necessary to change the engine starting method to starting the engine via the drive motor. Considering that the reserved torque in the drive motor is used for starting the engine, the reserved torque of the drive motor can be used to drive the engine start. After the engine is started, both the engine and the drive motor can provide the required torque to the vehicle. Considering that the general torque of the drive motor is used to directly provide torque to the vehicle, the general torque of the drive motor and the starting torque of the engine can be used to jointly provide torque to the vehicle.

[0071] For example, it is obtained that the i-th limited number of starts is 5 times, and when it is detected that the engine has been started 5 times by the starter within the i-th target time period, it is determined that the engine is started this time by driving the reserved torque of the drive motor.

[0072] Step 104 : When the number of starts does not reach the i-th limit number of starts, the engine is started by the starter, and torque is provided to the vehicle by the general torque of the drive motor, the reserved torque, and the engine torque.

[0073] Conversely, if the number of starts has not reached the i-th limit, the engine can still be started by the starter, and the reserved torque of the drive motor can be directly provided to the vehicle. To ensure a smoother engine start and maximize the effectiveness of the starter, the engine will continue to be started by the starter even if the number of starts has not reached the i-th limit.

[0074] After the engine is started, both the engine and the drive motor can provide the required torque to the vehicle. If the drive motor's reserved torque is not used for engine starting, then to best meet the vehicle's torque requirements, the drive motor's general torque, reserved torque, and engine torque can be used to provide torque to the vehicle.

[0075] For example, it is obtained that the i-th limited start number is 5 times, and it is detected that the number of starts of the engine by the starter is 3 times within the i-th target time period. If it does not reach 5 times, the engine is started by driving the starter.

[0076] Optionally, when it is detected that the entire vehicle is powered off, the counting of the i-th target time period is terminated, and after the vehicle is powered on again, the counting of the target time period is restarted.

[0077] In summary, this embodiment provides a vehicle control method: when the vehicle has a torque demand, the pedal depth change rate of the vehicle's accelerator pedal is obtained; if the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited number of starts allowed for the vehicle to start the engine by the starter are obtained; when the number of starts reaches the i-th limited number of starts, the vehicle drives the engine to start by the reserved torque of the drive motor, and provides torque to the vehicle through the general torque of the drive motor and the engine torque of the engine; when the number of starts does not reach the i-th limited number of starts, the vehicle drives the engine to start by the starter, and provides torque to the vehicle through the general torque, reserved torque and engine torque of the drive motor. When the pedal depth change rate is large, it indicates that the vehicle may need a larger torque to drive the vehicle in the current working condition. By judging whether the number of starter starts in the current time period has reached the limit number of starts, the vehicle torque distribution method is determined to ensure the normal starting of the engine, and sufficient torque can be provided to the vehicle when the vehicle is in a working condition with a large torque demand. In addition, by limiting the number of starts, the number of times the starter drives the engine is limited, thereby avoiding engine start failure due to starter burning, thereby ensuring the normal driving of the vehicle.

[0078] When the vehicle has sufficient remaining power, both the starter and the drive motor can drive the engine to start; however, when the remaining power is insufficient, the battery cannot provide enough power to the starter, so the starter may not be able to drive the engine to start; therefore, when the torque demand is large, it is necessary to further combine the vehicle's remaining power to determine the engine starting method.

[0079] Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that this method can be applied to a vehicle equipped with a drive motor, a starter, and an engine.

[0080] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG3 , the method 200 includes:

[0081] Step 201 : When a vehicle has a torque demand, obtain a pedal depth change rate of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle.

[0082] The implementation of step 201 can refer to the above embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0083] Step 202 : When the pedal depth change rate is less than a first threshold and greater than a second threshold, provide torque to the vehicle by using the general torque and the reserved torque of the driving motor, and the second threshold is less than the first threshold.

[0084] To ensure the vehicle's maximum performance and avoid torque waste caused by improper torque distribution, the general torque of the drive motor, reserved torque, and engine torque can be allocated based on the vehicle's torque demand, as reflected by different pedal depth change rates, to ensure normal vehicle operation. In one possible implementation, a first threshold and a second threshold are set, and the pedal depth change rate is divided into three stages based on the first and second thresholds. If the pedal depth change rate is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold, indicating a high vehicle torque demand, the general torque of the drive motor and the reserved torque are used to provide torque to the vehicle.

[0085] For example, there is a corresponding relationship between the pedal depth change rate and the torque distribution, which is shown in Table 1.

[0086] Table 1

[0087] As shown in Table 1, taking a first threshold of 65% and a second threshold of 40% as an example, when the pedal depth change rate is between 0-40%, only the general torque of the drive motor is used to provide torque to the vehicle; when the pedal depth change rate is between 40-65%, the general torque and reserved torque of the drive motor are provided to the vehicle; when the pedal depth change rate is between 65-100%, the engine is started, and the general torque of the drive motor, reserved torque, and engine torque are provided to the vehicle.

[0088] Step 203 : When the pedal depth change rate is less than a second threshold, provide torque to the vehicle through the general torque of the driving motor.

[0089] When the pedal depth change rate of the vehicle's accelerator pedal is less than the second threshold, it indicates that the current torque required by the vehicle is small, and sufficient torque is provided to the vehicle only by the general torque of the drive motor to ensure that the vehicle can drive normally.

[0090] Step 204 : When the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, obtain the remaining power of the battery in the vehicle.

[0091] When the rate of change in pedal depth exceeds a first threshold, it indicates a high torque demand, requiring both the drive motor and the engine to provide torque. While both the drive motor and the starter can start the engine, the starter's function is to convert the battery's electrical energy into mechanical energy, which then drives the engine's flywheel to start the engine. During the starter-driven engine start, the starter's power is affected by the battery's charge level. If the battery's remaining charge is too low, it may not be able to meet the starter's power requirements. Therefore, before determining whether to use the starter to start the engine, it is necessary to determine the vehicle's battery's remaining charge to further determine the engine starting method.

[0092] Step 205 : When the remaining power is greater than the power threshold, the number of engine starts by the starter within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited number of engine starts allowed by the starter are obtained.

[0093] When the remaining battery charge is greater than the charge threshold, it indicates that the remaining charge can provide sufficient power for the starter to successfully start the engine. When the starter is used to drive the engine, greater attention must be paid to whether the starter will burn. If the starter is used too many times, the probability of the starter burning is higher. Therefore, the engine starting method can be determined by obtaining the relationship between the number of times the starter has started the engine and the limited number of starts. In one possible implementation, when the remaining charge is greater than the charge threshold, the number of times the starter has started the engine within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited number of starts allowed to start the engine by the starter are obtained to determine the engine starting method and the vehicle torque distribution method.

[0094] For example, taking the power threshold as 30%, when it is detected that the remaining power of the vehicle battery is 70%, the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited number of starts are obtained.

[0095] Step 206 : When the number of starts reaches the i-th limit number of starts, the engine is started by driving the reserved torque of the driving motor, and torque is provided to the vehicle by driving the general torque of the driving motor and the engine torque of the engine.

[0096] Step 207 : When the number of starts does not reach the i-th limit number of starts, the engine is started by the starter, and torque is provided to the vehicle by the general torque of the drive motor, the reserved torque, and the engine torque.

[0097] The implementation of step 206 and step 207 can refer to the above embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0098] Step 208 : When the remaining power is less than the power threshold, the engine is started by driving the reserved torque of the motor.

[0099] On the contrary, when the remaining power of the vehicle battery is less than the power threshold, the vehicle cannot provide sufficient power for the starter to drive the engine to start, that is, the engine cannot be started by the starter. Regardless of whether the number of times the starter drives the engine to start reaches the limit, the reserved torque of the drive motor is required to drive the engine to start.

[0100] For example, when the remaining battery power of the vehicle is obtained to be 20%, which is less than the battery power threshold of 30%, the engine is started by driving the reserved torque of the motor.

[0101] FIG4 is a diagram of a vehicle torque distribution strategy provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , when the vehicle has a torque demand, the pedal depth change rate is obtained. When the pedal depth change rate is between 0% and 40%, the general torque of the drive motor is used to provide torque to the vehicle. When the pedal depth change rate is between 40% and 65%, the general torque and reserved torque of the drive motor are used to provide torque to the vehicle. When the pedal depth change rate is between 65% and 100%, the general torque of the drive motor, the reserved torque, and the engine torque are used to provide torque to the vehicle. The reserved torque of the drive motor can be provided in two ways: directly providing torque to the vehicle, or starting the engine with the reserved torque to provide engine torque to the vehicle.

[0102] In this embodiment, considering that when the vehicle battery charge is too low, the remaining power cannot meet the starting requirements of the starter. In order to ensure that the starter can start the engine normally, this application also proposes obtaining the remaining power of the vehicle battery when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold. If the remaining power is greater than the power threshold, the number of engine starts by the starter within the i-th target time period is obtained to determine the engine starting method. If the remaining power is less than the power threshold, the engine is started by the reserved torque of the drive motor. When the remaining power of the battery is sufficient, both the drive motor and the starter can drive the engine to start, and the problem of starter burning needs to be considered. When the remaining power is insufficient, the vehicle cannot start the engine by driving the starter, and the engine is driven by the reserved torque of the drive motor. This ensures that when the vehicle is in a working condition with a large torque demand, the engine can start normally and provides sufficient torque for the vehicle.

[0103] In addition, this application also proposes that if the pedal depth change rate is less than a first threshold and greater than a second threshold, torque is provided to the vehicle through the general torque and reserved torque of the drive motor; if the pedal depth change rate is less than the second threshold, torque is provided to the vehicle through the general torque of the drive motor. The pedal depth change rate of the accelerator pedal can reflect the vehicle torque required under the current operating conditions. When the pedal depth change rate is less than the first threshold, the drive motor can provide sufficient torque for the vehicle. Based on the range of the pedal depth change rate, the use of the general torque and reserved torque of the drive motor is determined to avoid wasting vehicle torque while providing sufficient torque to the vehicle.

[0104] The starter temperature is different in different time periods after the vehicle is powered on, and the initial starter temperature in different time periods is related to the number of starter starts in the previous time period. Therefore, the number of starts in the previous time period needs to be combined to determine the limit number of starts in the current time period.

[0105] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that this method can be applied to a vehicle equipped with a drive motor, a starter, and an engine.

[0106] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG5 , the method 400 includes:

[0107] Step 401 : When a vehicle has a torque demand, obtain a pedal depth change rate of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle.

[0108] Step 402 : When the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, the number of engine starts by the starter within the i-th target time period is obtained, where i is a positive integer.

[0109] The implementation of step 401 and step 402 can refer to the above embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0110] Step 403 , when i is greater than 1, obtain the i-1th number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-1th target time period; based on the i-1th number of starts, determine the i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period.

[0111] When i is greater than 1, it indicates that the vehicle is not in the first target time period after power-on. After the starter was started in the previous time period, the starter temperature rose to a certain temperature, and the number of starts allowed before the starter reached the burnout temperature was different. The initial starter temperature is related to the number of starter starts in the (i-1)th target time period. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the i-th limited number of starts for the i-th target time period in combination with the number of starts in the (i-1)th target time period. In one possible embodiment, when i is greater than 1, it is necessary to obtain the (i-1)th number of starts by the starter in the (i-1)th target time period, and based on the (i-1)th limited number of starts, determine the i-th limited number of starts allowed by the starter in the i-1st target time period.

[0112] For example, if i is 2, it is necessary to obtain a first number of engine starts by the starter within the first target time period, and then determine a second limited number of engine starts within the second target time period based on the first number of engine starts.

[0113] In a possible implementation, step 403 may include the following steps 403A and 403B:

[0114] Step 403A, when the i-1th start number reaches the i-1th limited start number, determine the i-th limited start number based on the i-1th limited start number, and the i-th limited start number is less than the i-1th limited start number.

[0115] When the i-1th number of starts reaches the i-1th limited number of starts, it indicates that the starter has reached the maximum limited number of starts in the i-1th target time period and may be approaching a burning temperature. When entering the i-th target time period, the initial temperature of the starter is already high, and the number of starts allowed for the starter is clearly lower than the limited number of starts in the i-1th target time period. To avoid starter burning caused by setting a larger limited number of starts in the i-th target time period, the i-th limited number of starts is determined based on the i-1th limited number of starts, and the i-th limited number of starts is less than the i-1th limited number of starts. Correspondingly, in one possible embodiment, when the i-1th number of starts reaches the i-1th limited number of starts, the i-th limited number of starts is determined based on the i-1th limited number of starts, wherein the i-th limited number of starts is less than the i-1th limited number of starts.

[0116] For example, take the case where the target time periods are three time periods: the i-1th target time period, the i-th target time period, and the i+1th target time period, and the i-1th restricted start count for the i-1th target time period is 5. If the number of starts within the i-1th target time period reaches the i-1th restricted start count of 5, when entering the i-th target time period, based on the i-1th restricted start count of 5, it can be determined that the i-th restricted start count is 3; if the number of starts within the i-th time period reaches the i-th restricted start count of 3, when entering the i+1th target time period, based on the i-th restricted start count of 3, it can be determined that the i+1th restricted start count is 1; that is, the restricted start counts within three consecutive time periods gradually decrease.

[0117] The minimum value of the limited start times is 1. If the (i-1)th limited start times is 1, the i-th limited start times cannot be determined based on the (i-1)th limited start times. In a possible implementation, step 403A further includes the following steps 1 and 2:

[0118] Step 1: When the (i-1)th start number reaches the (i-1)th limited start number and the (i-1)th limited start number is not the minimum limited start number, determine the (i)th limited start number based on the (i-1)th limited start number.

[0119] When the i-1th number of starts reaches the i-1th restricted start number, determine whether the i-1th restricted start number is the minimum restricted start number; if the i-1th restricted start number is not the minimum restricted start number, then the i-th restricted start number can be determined based on the i-1th restricted start number, and the i-th restricted start number is less than the i-1th restricted start number.

[0120] For example, taking the minimum restricted start number as 1, when the third restricted start number in the third target time period is 3, which is not the minimum restricted start number of 1, the third restricted start number can be reduced to obtain the fourth restricted start number (for example, 2).

[0121] In step 2, when the i-1th start number reaches the i-1th limited start number and the i-1th limited start number is the minimum limited start number, the initial limited start number is determined as the i-th limited start number.

[0122] If the i-1th restricted start number is the minimum restricted start number, it is not possible to further reduce the number based on the i-1th restricted start number; considering that the starter can be cooled down by gradually reducing the restricted start number in the previous stages, the initial restricted start number can be determined as the i-th restricted start number.

[0123] For example, taking the minimum restricted start number as 1 and the initial restricted start number as 5, when the third restricted start number is 1, the fourth restricted start number in the fourth target time period is determined to be the initial restricted start number of 5.

[0124] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a starter restricted start strategy provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , take the i-1th target time period as the first minute, the i-th target time period as the second minute, and the i+1th target time period as the third minute as an example. The first restricted start number in the first minute is 5 times. When the number of starts in the first minute reaches 5 times, after entering the second minute, the second restricted start number corresponding to the second minute is determined to be 3 times. When the number of starts in the second minute reaches 3 times, after entering the third minute, the third restricted start number corresponding to the third minute is determined to be 1 time. If the number of starts in the first minute does not reach 5 times, the second restricted start number in the second minute will still be the initial restricted start number of 5 times. If the number of starts in the first minute reaches 5 times, but the number of starts in the second minute does not reach 3 times, the third restricted start number in the third minute will be the initial restricted start number of 5 times.

[0125] Step 403B: When the (i-1)th start-up number does not reach the (i-1)th limited start-up number, the initial limited start-up number is determined as the (i)th limited start-up number.

[0126] When the i-1th start number does not reach the i-1th limited start number, the starter temperature has not reached the critical value. After entering the i-th target time period, the initial limited start number can continue to be used as the i-th limited start number.

[0127] For example, taking the initial limit start number of 5 times and the first limit start number of 5 times as an example, when the first limit start number in the first target time period does not reach 5 times, after entering the second target time period, the initial limit start number of 5 times will be used as the second limit start number in the second target time period.

[0128] In step 404 , when i=1, the initial limit start number is determined as the i-th limit start number. The initial limit start number is the maximum limit start number allowed to start the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period.

[0129] If the starter temperature is low within the first target time period after the vehicle is powered on, an initial limit on the number of starts may be set to limit the number of starts within the first target time period. Accordingly, in one possible implementation, if i=1, the initial limit on the number of starts is determined to be the i-th limit on the number of starts.

[0130] For example, the initial limit activation times are set to 5 times. When i=1, that is, in the first target time period, the first limit activation times are determined to be 5 times.

[0131] Step 405 : When the number of starts reaches the i-th limit number of starts, the engine is started by the drive motor, and torque is provided to the vehicle by the general torque of the drive motor and the engine torque of the engine.

[0132] Step 406 : When the number of starts does not reach the i-th limit number of starts, the engine is started by the starter, and torque is provided to the vehicle by the general torque of the drive motor, the reserved torque, and the engine torque.

[0133] The implementation of step 405 and step 406 can refer to the above embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0134] In this embodiment, the present application also proposes that when i is greater than 1, the i-1th number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-1th target time period is obtained, and based on the i-1th number of starts, the i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter within the i-1th target time period is determined; when i=1, the initial limited number of starts is determined as the i-th limited number of starts. In the case that the engine has been started the i-1th number of starts by the starter within the i-1th target time period, the vehicle can determine the i-th limited number of starts within the i-1th target time period based on the number of starts within the i-1th target time period. The number of starts of the engine by the starter in the historical time period before the current time period is used to determine the number of starts of the engine by the starter in the current time period, thereby avoiding the problem of setting the limited number of starts too large, which may cause the starter to burn.

[0135] Secondly, the present application also proposes that when the i-1th number of starts reaches the i-1th limited number of starts, the i-th limited number of starts is determined based on the i-1th limited number of starts; when the i-1th number of starts does not reach the i-1th limited number of starts, the initial limited number of starts is determined as the i-th limited number of starts. Determining the i-th limited number of starts based on the i-1th number of starts allows the limited number of starts for the current target time period to be adjusted based on the starter usage in the previous target time period. By reducing the limited number of starts, the limited number of starts can be reduced if the starter has reached a high temperature in the previous time period, further avoiding engine start failure caused by starter burning during driving. In addition, considering that when the number of starts of the engine by the starter reaches the i-1th limited start number within the i-1th target time period, the starter has reached a relatively high temperature, and after cooling during the i-1th target time period, the high temperature of the starter is not completely eliminated, it is necessary to reserve a longer cooling time within the i-th target time period; since the limited start number is negatively correlated with the cooling time, the i-th limited start number needs to be less than the i-1th limited start number.

[0136] Finally, considering that the starter has cooled down after the limited start times were reduced in the previous stages, the initial limited start times can be continued to limit the starter start times. The present application also proposes setting a minimum limited start times; when the i-1th start times reaches the i-1th limited start times, it is determined whether the i-1th limited start times is the minimum limited start times; if the i-1th limited start times is not the minimum limited start times, the i-th limited start times are determined based on the i-1th limited start times; if the i-1th limited start times is the minimum limited start times, the initial limited start times are determined as the i-th limited start times. After sensing that the starter has cooled down, the initial limited start times can be reused to limit the number of times the starter starts the engine, so as to maximize the performance of the starter.

[0137] During the process of determining the limited number of starts, a flag may be set to indicate whether the number of starts in the current target time period has reached the limited number of starts, and then the limited number of starts in the next target time period is determined based on the flag.

[0138] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle control method provided in an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that this method can be applied to a vehicle equipped with a drive motor, a starter, and an engine.

[0139] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG7 , the method 600 includes:

[0140] Step 601: When a vehicle has a torque demand, obtain a pedal depth change rate of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle.

[0141] Step 602 : When the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, obtain the number of engine starts by the starter within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited number of engine starts allowed by the starter, where i is a positive integer.

[0142] The implementation of step 601 and step 602 can refer to the above embodiment, and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0143] Step 603: When the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited number of starts, the flag bit of the i-th target time period is set to the first flag bit.

[0144] The first flag bit may be 0, indicating that the number of times the engine is started by the starter within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited number of starts.

[0145] Setting flags for situations where the number of starts has not reached the limit and situations where the number of starts has reached the limit allows the vehicle to more intuitively determine the starter activation status of a target time period based on the flags, providing a signal basis for determining the limit on the number of starts for the next target time period. In one possible implementation, if the number of starts within the i-th target time period has not reached the i-th limit on the number of starts, the flag for the i-th target time period is set to the first flag.

[0146] For example, the first limited number of startups is 5 times. If the number of startups within the first target time period is 3 times, the flag bit of the first target time period is set to 0.

[0147] Step 604 : When the number of starts in the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited number of starts, the flag of the i-th target time period is set to the second flag.

[0148] The first flag bit is different from the second flag bit, the second flag bit may be 1, and the second flag bit indicates that the number of times the engine is started by the starter within the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited number of starts.

[0149] In a possible implementation, if the number of starts in the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited number of starts, the flag bit of the i-th target time period is set to the second flag bit.

[0150] For example, the first limited number of starts is 5 times. If the number of starts within the first target time period is 5 times, the flag of the first target time period is set to 1, and the engine is started by driving the motor.

[0151] Step 605 : When the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the first flag bit, the initial restricted start times are determined as the i+1-th restricted start times within the i+1-th target time period.

[0152] When the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the first flag bit, that is, 0, it means that the number of starts within the i-th target time period has not reached the limited start number, and the preset initial limited start number is determined as the i+1th limited start number.

[0153] For example, the initial limit activation count is 5 times. If the flag bit of the first target time period is 0, the second limit activation count in the second target time period is 5 times.

[0154] Step 606 : When the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit, within the i+1-th target time period, determine the i+1-th restricted start number based on the i-th restricted start number.

[0155] The (i+1)th restricted start number is less than the (i)th restricted start number.

[0156] When the flag bit in the i-th target time period is the second flag bit, that is, 1, it means that the number of starts in the i-th target time period has reached the limited start number, then the i-th limited start number is obtained, and based on the i-th limited start number, the i+1-th limited start number is determined.

[0157] For example, if it is detected that the flag bit of the first target time period is 1 and the first target limit number is 5, the second limit activation number can be determined to be 4.

[0158] Optionally, when the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit and the i-th restricted start number is not the minimum restricted start number, the i+1-th restricted start number is determined based on the i-th restricted start number; when the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit and the i-th restricted start number is the minimum restricted start number, the initial restricted start number is determined as the i+1-th restricted start number.

[0159] For example, taking the minimum restricted start number as 1 and the initial restricted start number as 5, the flag bit of the third target time period is detected to be 1. If the third restricted start number of the third target time period is 2, the fourth restricted start number can be determined to be 1 based on the third restricted start number; if the third restricted start number of the third target time period is 1, which reaches the minimum restricted start number, the initial restricted start number of 5 will be used as the fourth restricted start number.

[0160] In order to facilitate the counting of the number of starts, in one possible implementation, a target counter is set for the i-th target time period, and the target counter is used to count the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period; after the engine is started by driving the starter, the count value of the target counter is set to increase by a preset value.

[0161] Exemplarily, the preset value is 1, and a target counter is set for the i-th target time period, with an initial value of 0. Each time the engine is started once by the starter, the count value of the target counter is increased by 1.

[0162] Considering that if a target counter is set to count the number of engine starts by the starter, when the number of starts does not reach the i-th limit number of starts, the number of starts counted by the target counter does not need to be saved. Correspondingly, in one possible implementation, if the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limit number of starts, the count value of the target counter is set to zero.

[0163] For example, if the number of startups counted by the target counter in the i-th target time period is 3 and does not reach the i-th limited number of startups of 5, the number of startups in the target counter is cleared.

[0164] After determining the flag for the i-th time period based on the number of starts within the i-th target time period and the i-th limited number of starts, the engine starting method can be determined in combination with the flag for the i-th target time period and the remaining battery charge. The process for determining the engine starting method may include: obtaining the remaining battery charge of the vehicle battery and the flag for the i-th time period; if the remaining battery charge is less than a battery charge threshold, assisting in starting the engine with the reserved torque of the drive motor; if the remaining battery charge is greater than or equal to the battery charge threshold and the flag is a first flag, driving the engine to start with the starter; if the remaining battery charge is greater than or equal to the battery charge threshold and the flag is a second flag, driving the engine to start with the reserved torque of the drive motor.

[0165] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of an engine starting strategy provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG8 , in response to an engine start command, the remaining charge of the vehicle battery is obtained. If the remaining charge is less than a charge threshold, the engine is started by the reserved torque of the drive motor. If the remaining charge is greater than or equal to the charge threshold, the flag bit of the i-th time period is determined to be the first flag bit or the second flag bit. If the flag bit is the first flag bit, the engine is started by the starter. If the flag bit is the second flag bit, the engine is started by the reserved torque of the drive motor. After the engine is successfully started, engine torque is provided to the vehicle.

[0166] In this embodiment, the present application further proposes that when the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited start number, the flag bit of the i-th target time period is set to the first flag bit; when the number of starts within the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited start number, the flag bit of the i-th target time period is set to the second flag bit. Setting different flag bits to indicate whether the number of starts within the i-th target time period has reached the i-th limited start number facilitates determining whether the number of starts of the starter within the i-th target time period has reached the i-th limited start number.

[0167] In addition, the present application also proposes setting a target timer for the i-th target time period to count the number of engine starts initiated by the starter during the i-th target time period. After the engine is started by the starter, the target counter is incremented by a preset value to facilitate counting the number of starts within each target time period, making the count of the number of starts more accurate. When the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limit, the target counter is reset to zero, reducing the amount of data and preventing the number of starts in the current target time period from interfering with the count of subsequent starts.

[0168] Take the cyclic control strategy of three target time periods (three stages) as an example, that is, the cyclic control strategy includes the first minute, the second minute and the third minute. The first limited start number in the first minute is the initial limited start number of 5 times, the second limited start number in the second minute is 3 times, and the third limited start number in the third minute is 1 time.

[0169] Figure 9 is a schematic flow chart of another vehicle control method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 9, the cyclic control strategy includes three stages: the first minute, the second minute, and the third minute.

[0170] Within the first minute after the vehicle is powered on: the first limited number of starts in the first minute is 5 times. In response to the vehicle's engine start command, determine whether the number of starter starts A in the first minute is greater than 5 times. If A is greater than 5 times, set the first minute flag to 1 and start the engine through the drive motor; if A is less than or equal to 5 times, set the first minute flag to 0 and start the engine through the starter; when the engine is powered off and the engine start command is received again, determine whether the duration has reached one minute. If not, return to determine whether the number of starter starts A is greater than 5 times and determine the engine starting method until the duration reaches one minute.

[0171] Within the second minute after the vehicle is powered on: determine whether the flag of the first minute is 1, if it is 1, determine that the second limited number of starts in the second minute is 3 times; determine whether the number of starter starts B in the second minute is greater than 3 times; if the number of starts B is greater than 3 times, set the flag of the second minute to 1, and start the engine through the drive motor; if the number of starts B is less than or equal to 3 times, set the flag of the second minute to 0, and start the engine through the starter; after the engine is powered off and the engine start command is received again, determine whether the duration has reached one minute, if not, return to determine whether the number of starter starts B is greater than 3 times, and determine the engine starting method until the duration reaches 1 minute.

[0172] Within the third minute after the vehicle is powered on: determine whether the flag of the second minute is 1, if it is 1, determine that the third limited number of starts in the third minute is 1; determine whether the starter start number C is greater than 1; if the start number C is greater than 1, start the engine through the drive motor; if the start number C is less than or equal to 1, start the engine through the starter; after the engine is powered off, when the engine start command is received again, determine whether the duration reaches one minute, if the duration reaches one minute, control the counters of the first minute, second minute and third minute and the flags of the first minute and second minute to zero, and return to determine whether the number of starts is greater than 5 times.

[0173] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle control device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0174] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG10 , the apparatus 900 includes:

[0175] A first acquisition module 901 is configured to acquire a pedal depth change rate of a vehicle pedal when a torque demand is present in the vehicle;

[0176] A second obtaining module 902 is configured to obtain, when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, the number of engine starts by the starter within an i-th target time period and an i-th limited number of engine starts allowed by the starter, where i is a positive integer;

[0177] A first driving module 903 is configured to, when the number of starts reaches an i-th limit number of starts, drive the engine to start by using the reserved torque of the drive motor, and provide torque to the vehicle by using the general torque of the drive motor and the engine torque of the engine;

[0178] The second driving module 904 is configured to drive the engine to start by the starter when the number of starts does not reach the i-th limit number of starts, and to provide torque to the vehicle by driving the general torque, reserved torque, and engine torque of the motor.

[0179] In one possible implementation, the second acquisition module 902 is further used to: obtain the remaining power of the battery in the vehicle when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold; and obtain the number of times the engine is started by the starter within the i-th target time period when the remaining power is greater than the power threshold.

[0180] In a possible implementation, the device 900 further includes: a third driving module, configured to drive the engine to start by using the reserved torque of the driving motor when the remaining power is less than a power threshold.

[0181] In one possible implementation, the device 900 also includes: a fourth drive module, which is used to provide torque to the vehicle through the general torque and reserved torque of the driving motor when the pedal depth change rate is less than the first threshold and greater than the second threshold, and the second threshold is less than the first threshold; a fifth drive module, which is used to provide torque to the vehicle through the general torque of the driving motor when the pedal depth change rate is less than the second threshold.

[0182] In one possible implementation, the second acquisition module 902 is further used to: when i is greater than 1, obtain the i-1th number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-1th target time period; based on the i-1th number of starts, determine the i-th limited number of starts allowed to start the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period; when i=1, determine the initial limited number of starts as the i-th limited number of starts, and the initial limited number of starts is the maximum limited number of starts allowed to start the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period.

[0183] In one possible implementation, the second acquisition module 902 is also used to: when the i-1th startup number reaches the i-1th restricted startup number, determine the i-th restricted startup number based on the i-1th restricted startup number, and the i-th restricted startup number is less than the i-1th restricted startup number; when the i-1th startup number does not reach the i-1th restricted startup number, determine the initial restricted startup number as the i-th restricted startup number.

[0184] In one possible implementation, the second acquisition module 902 is also used to: when the i-1th startup number reaches the i-1th restricted startup number and the i-1th restricted startup number is not the minimum restricted startup number, determine the i-th restricted startup number based on the i-1th restricted startup number; the device also includes: a first determination module, used to determine the initial restricted startup number as the i-th restricted startup number when the i-1th startup number reaches the i-1th restricted startup number and the i-1th restricted startup number is the minimum restricted startup number.

[0185] In one possible implementation, the device 900 also includes: a setting module for setting a target counter for the i-th target time period, the target counter being used to count the number of times the engine is started by the starter within the i-th target time period; a counting module for setting the count value of the target counter to increase by a preset value after the engine is started by the starter.

[0186] In a possible implementation, the apparatus 900 further includes: a clearing module configured to clear the count value of the target counter to zero if the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited number of starts.

[0187] In one possible implementation, the device 900 also includes: a first flag module, which is used to set the flag bit of the i-th target time period to the first flag bit when the number of startups within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited startup number; a second flag module, which is used to set the flag bit of the i-th target time period to the second flag bit when the number of startups within the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited startup number, and the first flag bit is different from the second flag bit.

[0188] In one possible implementation, the device 900 also includes: a second determination module, which is used to determine the initial restricted start number as the i+1th restricted start number within the i+1th target time period when the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the first flag bit; and a third determination module, which is used to determine the i+1th restricted start number based on the i-th restricted start number within the i+1th target time period when the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit.

[0189] In one possible implementation, the third determination module is also used to determine the i+1th restricted start number based on the i-th restricted start number when the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit and the i-th restricted start number is not the minimum restricted start number; the device 900 also includes: a fourth determination module, used to determine the initial restricted start number as the i+1th restricted start number when the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit and the i-th restricted start number is the minimum restricted start number.

[0190] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0191] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG11 , the vehicle 1000 includes a memory 1001 and a processor 1002 , wherein the memory 1001 stores an executable program code 1003 , and the processor 1002 is configured to call and execute the executable program code 1003 to perform a vehicle control method.

[0192] In addition, an embodiment of the present application also protects a device, which may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores executable program code, and the processor is used to call and execute the executable program code to perform a vehicle control method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0193] In this embodiment, the device can be divided into functional modules based on the above-described method examples. For example, each functional module can be mapped to a specific functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into a single processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware. It should be noted that the module division in this embodiment is illustrative and represents only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used.

[0194] In the case of dividing the functional modules into corresponding functional modules, the device may further include a first acquisition module, a second acquisition module, a first driving module, a second driving module, etc. It should be noted that all relevant contents of the various steps involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional modules and will not be repeated here.

[0195] It should be understood that the device provided in this embodiment is used to execute the above-mentioned vehicle control method, and thus can achieve the same effect as the above-mentioned implementation method.

[0196] In the case of an integrated unit, the device may include a processing module and a storage module. When the device is used in a vehicle, the processing module may be used to control and manage the vehicle's movements, while the storage module may be used to support the vehicle's execution of relevant program codes.

[0197] The processing module may be a processor or controller that implements or executes the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor may also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processing (DSP) and a microprocessor, and the storage module may be a memory.

[0198] In addition, the device provided in the embodiments of the present application can specifically be a chip, component or module, and the chip may include a connected processor and memory; wherein the memory is used to store instructions, and when the processor calls and executes the instructions, the chip can execute a vehicle control method provided in the above embodiment.

[0199] This embodiment also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer program code. When the computer program code runs on a computer, the computer executes the above-mentioned related method steps to implement a vehicle control method provided by the above embodiment.

[0200] This embodiment also provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is run on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the above-mentioned related steps to implement a vehicle control method provided by the above embodiment.

[0201] Among them, the device, computer-readable storage medium, computer program product or chip provided in this embodiment are all used to execute the corresponding methods provided above. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0202] Through the description of the above implementation methods, technical personnel in the relevant field can understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be distributed and completed by different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0203] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0204] The above content is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle control method, characterized in that: The vehicle is equipped with a drive motor, a starter, and an engine, and the method includes: When the vehicle has a torque demand, obtaining a pedal depth change rate of the vehicle's accelerator pedal; When the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, obtaining the number of starts of the engine by the starter within an i-th target time period and an i-th limited number of starts allowed to start the engine by the starter, where i is a positive integer; When the number of starts reaches the i-th limited number of starts, driving the engine to start by using the reserved torque of the drive motor, and providing torque to the vehicle by using the general torque of the drive motor and the engine torque of the engine; When the number of starts does not reach the i-th limit number of starts, the engine is started by the starter, and torque is provided to the vehicle by the general torque of the drive motor, the reserved torque, and the engine torque.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The acquiring, when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period includes: When the pedal depth change rate is greater than the first threshold, obtaining the remaining power of the battery in the vehicle; When the remaining power is greater than a power threshold, the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period is obtained.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the remaining power is less than the power threshold, the engine is driven to start by the reserved torque of the drive motor.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: providing torque to the vehicle by using the general torque and the reserved torque of the drive motor when the pedal depth change rate is less than the first threshold and greater than a second threshold, the second threshold being less than the first threshold; When the pedal depth change rate is smaller than the second threshold, torque is provided to the vehicle by the general torque of the drive motor.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The obtaining of an i-th limited number of starts of the engine allowed by the starter within the i-th target time period includes: When i is greater than 1, obtaining an i-1th number of starts of the engine by the starter within an i-1th target time period; determining an i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period based on the i-1th number of starts; In the case of i=1, the initial limit start number is determined as the i-th limit start number, and the initial limit start number is the maximum limit start number allowed to start the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The determining, based on the (i-1)th number of starts, the i-th limited number of starts allowed to be started by the starter within the i-th target time period includes: In a case where the (i-1)th start number reaches the (i-1)th limited start number, determining the (i)th limited start number based on the (i-1)th limited start number, the (i)th limited start number being less than the (i-1)th limited start number; When the (i-1)th start-up number does not reach the (i-1)th limited start-up number, the initial limited start-up number is determined as the (i)th limited start-up number.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that When the (i-1)th number of startups reaches the (i-1)th limited number of startups, determining the (i)th limited number of startups based on the (i-1)th limited number of startups includes: When the (i-1)th start number reaches the (i-1)th limited start number and the (i-1)th limited start number is not the minimum limited start number, determining the (i)th limited start number based on the (i-1)th limited start number; The method further comprises: When the (i-1)th start number reaches the (i-1)th restricted start number and the (i-1)th restricted start number is the minimum restricted start number, the initial restricted start number is determined as the (i)th restricted start number.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: If the number of starts within the i-th target time period does not reach the i-th limited number of starts, setting the flag bit of the i-th target time period to the first flag bit; When the number of starts in the i-th target time period reaches the i-th limited number of starts, the flag bit of the i-th target time period is set to a second flag bit, and the first flag bit is different from the second flag bit.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the first flag bit, the initial restricted start number is determined as the i+1-th restricted start number within the i+1-th target time period; When the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit, the i+1-th restricted start number is determined based on the i-th restricted start number within the i+1-th target time period.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that When the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit, determining the (i+1)th restricted start number based on the i-th restricted start number within the (i+1)th target time period includes: When the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit and the i-th limited start number is not the minimum limited start number, determining the (i+1)th limited start number based on the i-th limited start number; The method further comprises: When the flag bit of the i-th target time period is the second flag bit and the i-th restricted start number is the minimum restricted start number, the initial restricted start number is determined as the i+1-th restricted start number.

11. A vehicle control device, characterized in that: The vehicle is equipped with a drive motor, a starter and an engine, and the device includes: A first acquisition module is configured to acquire a pedal depth change rate of a vehicle pedal when the vehicle has a torque demand; a second obtaining module, configured to obtain, when the pedal depth change rate is greater than a first threshold, a number of starts of the engine by the starter within an i-th target time period and an i-th limited number of starts allowed to start the engine by the starter, where i is a positive integer; a first driving module, configured to, when the number of starts reaches the i-th limited number of starts, drive the engine to start by using the reserved torque of the drive motor, and provide torque to the vehicle by using the general torque of the drive motor and the engine torque of the engine; The second drive module is used to drive the engine to start through the starter when the number of starts does not reach the i-th limited number of starts, and to provide torque to the vehicle through the general torque of the drive motor, the reserved torque, and the engine torque.

12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that The second acquisition module is further configured to: When the pedal depth change rate is greater than the first threshold, obtaining the remaining power of the battery in the vehicle; When the remaining power is greater than a power threshold, the number of starts of the engine by the starter within the i-th target time period is obtained.

13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that The device further comprises: The third driving module is configured to drive the engine to start by using the reserved torque of the driving motor when the remaining power is less than the power threshold.

14. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle comprises: a memory for storing executable program code; A processor is configured to call and run the executable program code from the memory, so that the vehicle executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented.

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