JP6277700B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, and more particularly to a vehicle control device that performs idle stop and has a PTC heater as a heating auxiliary device.

  Automatic engine stop / restart for performing idle stop for stopping the engine when a predetermined idle stop permission condition is satisfied, and releasing the idle stop and restarting the engine when the predetermined idle stop permission condition is not satisfied There are control means.

JP 2008-128104 A

  By the way, in a vehicle that performs idle stop, an engine starter motor (starter, motor generator, etc.) is driven each time the engine is restarted, so that the battery power consumption increases compared to a vehicle that does not perform idle stop. To do. The battery voltage is greatly reduced each time the engine is restarted. On the other hand, there is an electric load using a battery as a power source. In a cold region, a PTC heater mounted on a vehicle as a heating auxiliary device is added to the electric load. It has been found that a large amount of power is consumed when the PTC heater is operated.

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, there is no description about the case where the PTC heater and the engine automatic stop / restart control means are combined. That is, when the engine is restarted from the idle stop, a large current flows to drive the engine starting motor, and the battery voltage instantaneously drops to a low voltage. Since the PTC heater also consumes a large amount of electric power during operation, if the operation of the PTC heater overlaps when the engine starting motor is driven, a larger battery voltage drop occurs. If the battery voltage falls below the guaranteed voltage of the electric load in response to such a large voltage drop of the battery, the operation of the electric load may be affected.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that does not affect the operation of an electric load that uses a battery as a power source even when a PTC heater and an engine automatic stop / restart control means are combined.

The vehicle control apparatus of the present invention includes an engine, an electric load including an engine starting motor that can crank the engine and a PTC heater built in an air conditioning unit, and a battery used as a power source of the electric load. ing. Further, engine starting means for driving the engine starting motor to start the engine is provided. In addition, the engine is stopped when the predetermined idle stop permission condition is satisfied, and the engine is stopped. When the predetermined idle stop permission condition is not satisfied, the engine is stopped and the engine is restarted by releasing the idle stop. A restart control means is provided. Further, PTC heater control means capable of controlling the operation / non-operation of the PTC heater is provided. In the control apparatus for the vehicle 1 having the above, the present invention includes the following operation prohibiting means. That is, the operation prohibiting means prohibits the idle stop when the PTC heater control means determines that the operation of the PTC heater is necessary before the predetermined idle stop permission condition is satisfied , and the PTC heater needs to be operated. If the predetermined idle stop permission condition is satisfied before the PTC heater control means determines that there is, the operation of the PTC heater is prohibited.

According to the present invention, when the operation request for the PTC heater is prior to the operation request for the idle stop, the heating of the room is prioritized, so the operation of the PTC heater is prioritized and the operation of the idle stop is prohibited. By continuing the operation of the PTC heater, the room can be quickly warmed. Since the idle stop is not activated during the operation of the PTC heater, the restart does not occur (the driving motor is not driven), and the battery voltage does not drop below the guaranteed voltage of the electric load. It can be avoided to influence. On the other hand, according to the present invention, when the operation request for idle stop is ahead of the operation request for the PTC heater, the operation of the PTC heater with high power consumption is prohibited. This prevents the battery voltage from dropping below the guaranteed voltage of the electric load when the engine is restarted from the idle stop, so that it is possible to avoid affecting the operation of the electric load.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle drive device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a control system figure of a gasoline engine. It is a timing chart when there is an idle stop operation request first. It is a timing chart when the operation request | requirement of a PTC heater is first. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the setting of a PTC heater prohibition flag and an idle stop permission flag.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a drive device for a vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the engine 2 is provided with a starter 6 (engine starting motor) used for starting the engine. A torque converter 8 and a belt-type automatic transmission 9 are connected to the output shaft of the engine 2. The torque converter 8 has a pump impeller and a turbine runner (not shown). The belt-type automatic transmission 9 includes a primary pulley and a secondary pulley (not shown) and a steel belt that is wound around these pulleys. The rotational driving force of the engine 2 is finally transmitted to vehicle driving wheels (not shown) via the torque converter 8 and the automatic transmission 9.

  A battery 11 is provided as a power source for the vehicle 1. It is a 12V battery. The starter 6 is connected to the battery 11, and power is supplied from the battery 11.

  The vehicle 1 is provided with various electric loads. Although this electric load allows a slight fluctuation in the amount of supplied power, it requires a large amount of power and is driven with a first electric load 14 having a relatively low guaranteed voltage (for example, 8 V) and power saving. However, there is a second electric load 15 having a relatively high guaranteed voltage (for example, 10 V). Since the two types of electric loads 14 and 15 having different guaranteed voltages cannot be treated equally, the second electric load 15 having a relatively high guaranteed voltage is connected to the battery 11 via the DC / DC converter 12. ing. Here, the DC / DC converter 12 increases the voltage of the battery 11 by a constant pressure. By applying a voltage higher than the voltage of the battery 11 to the second electric load 15, the operation of the second electric load 15 is guaranteed.

Examples of the first electric load 14 include a starter 6, a headlamp, a room lamp, a defogger, and a vehicle dynamic controller. Further, an engine controller 31 , a PTC heater 61, and a PTC heater amplifier 62 described later are included in the first electric load 14. The second electric load 15 includes a navigation system. Furthermore, an automatic transmission controller 41 and an air conditioner amplifier 55 described later are included in the second electric load 15.

In order to control the engine 2 and the starter 6, an engine controller 31 (engine starting means, engine automatic stop / restart control means) is provided.

  Here, the configuration of the gasoline engine will be outlined with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a control system diagram of the gasoline engine. Each intake port (not shown) is provided with a fuel injection valve 7. The fuel injection valve 7 supplies fuel to the engine 2 intermittently.

  The intake passage 11 is provided with an electronically controlled throttle valve 22, and an opening degree of the throttle valve 22 (hereinafter referred to as “throttle opening degree”) is controlled by a throttle motor 23. The actual throttle opening is detected by the throttle sensor 24 and input to the engine controller 31.

  The engine controller 31 receives an accelerator opening signal (amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 32) from the accelerator sensor 33, a crank angle signal from the crank angle sensor 34, and an intake air amount signal from the air flow meter 35. Yes. From the signal of the crank angle sensor 34, the rotational speed of the engine 2 is calculated. The engine controller 31 calculates a target intake air amount and a target fuel injection amount based on these signals, and commands the throttle motor 23 and each fuel injection valve 7 to obtain the target intake air amount and the target fuel injection amount. put out.

  The gasoline engine 2 includes a spark plug facing the combustion chamber (cylinder). The engine controller 31 generates a spark in the spark plug by cutting off the primary current of the ignition coil at a predetermined time before the compression top dead center, thereby igniting the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.

  The engine controller 31 performs idle stop control for the purpose of improving fuel efficiency. That is, when the accelerator pedal 32 is not depressed (APO = 0), the brake pedal 37 is depressed (brake switch 38 is ON), and the vehicle 1 is in a stopped state (vehicle speed VSP = 0), idle stop is performed. The permission condition is satisfied. At this time, the fuel injection from the fuel injection valve 7 to the intake port is shut off and the engine 2 is stopped. This reduces wasteful fuel consumption.

  Thereafter, when the accelerator pedal 32 is depressed or the brake pedal 37 is returned (the brake switch 38 is OFF) in the idle stop state, the idle stop permission condition is not satisfied. At this time, the engine 2 is cranked by using the starter 6, the fuel injection from the fuel injection valve 7 and the spark ignition by the spark plug are restarted, and the engine 2 is restarted.

Returning to FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes an automatic transmission controller 41. The automatic transmission controller 41 controls the gear ratio of the automatic transmission 9 steplessly in accordance with the vehicle running conditions determined from the vehicle speed and the throttle opening. The torque converter 8 having a pump impeller and a turbine runner is provided with a mechanical lockup clutch for fastening and releasing the pump impeller and the turbine runner. The travel range of the vehicle that engages the lock-up clutch is predetermined as a lock-up region (vehicle speed and throttle opening are used as parameters). When the running condition of the vehicle in the automatic transmission controller 41 becomes the lockup region, then directly coupled to the engine 2 and the transmission 9 enters into the lock-up clutch, when the running condition of the vehicle is not in the lockup region Release the lock-up clutch. When the engine 2 and the transmission 9 are in a directly connected state, the torque converter 8 does not absorb the torque, and the fuel efficiency is improved accordingly.

  The vehicle 1 includes an air conditioning unit 51 that constitutes a part of the vehicle air conditioner, below the instrument panel in the vehicle. Inside air or outside air sucked in through an inside / outside air switching door by rotation of a blower fan (not shown) is sent to the air conditioning unit 51 through an air intake port. After the air sent to the air conditioning unit 51 passes through the evaporator and is cooled, it passes or bypasses the heater core at a rate corresponding to the opening of the air mix door. Thereby, conditioned air of a predetermined temperature is generated.

  The conditioned air at a predetermined temperature flows out of the air conditioning unit 51 through an outlet door that opens and closes according to the blowing mode, and is sent into the vehicle through a duct. For example, in the vent mode, the conditioned air is sent from the vent outlet to the occupant through the vent duct via the vent opening. In the foot mode, conditioned air is sent from the foot outlet to the passenger's feet through the foot duct via the foot opening.

  In the air conditioning unit 51, the air passage leading to the foot opening is branched halfway and communicated with the left and right foot openings, and a PTC heater 61 is disposed upstream of the branching portion. The PTC heater 61 is an auxiliary heater used to make up for a lack of heating capacity when the air-conditioning air cannot be sufficiently heated by the heater core, such as when the outside air temperature is low and the engine cooling water temperature is low. By additionally providing the PTC heater 61 in a cold region, air heated by the PTC heater 61 can be sent from the foot opening. The PTC heater 61 has a so-called PTC characteristic in which the electric resistance value increases and the power consumption decreases as the temperature of the heater element rises, and the operation is controlled as described later.

The air conditioning amplifier 55, detects a signal from the operation panel 56 for inputting a conditioning command, various physical quantities required for the air-conditioning control (outside air temperature, solar radiation, the inside air temperature, the evaporator passing air temperature, engine coolant temperature degree) Signals from the sensors 57 are input.

A controller is attached to the air conditioner amplifier 55. Therefore, the air conditioning amplifier 55, based on signals from these, and outputs the control signals to the air conditioner actuator 52, an intake mode, the air outlet mode, controls the opening and closing air volume, etc. of Eami' box door. The air conditioning actuator 52 includes an inside / outside air switching door, an air outlet door, an air mix door driving actuator, a blower fan driving motor, and the like.

  A controller is also attached to the PTC heater amplifier 62 (PTC heater control means). Therefore, the PTC heater amplifier 62 controls the operation / non-operation of the PTC heater 61 as follows. First, it is determined whether the operation of the PTC heater 61 is necessary. For example, the outside air temperature detected by the sensors 57 may be a predetermined value or less and the engine coolant temperature may be a predetermined value or less. When the mode is set in such a state, the heating capacity is insufficient just by blowing the conditioned air heated by the heater core from the foot opening, and a sufficient feeling of heating cannot be given to the occupant. In such a case, it is determined that the operation of the PTC heater 61 is necessary, the PTC heater request flag is switched from zero to 1, and the PTC heater 61 is operated. Thereafter, when it is determined that the operation of the PTC heater 61 is not necessary, the PTC heater request flag is returned from 1 to zero, and the energization to the PTC heater 61 is stopped. As will be described later, the PTC heater amplifier 62 and the air conditioner amplifier 55 are connected by CAN, and data necessary for the PTC heater amplifier 62 is sent from the air conditioner amplifier 55.

  The engine controller 31, the automatic transmission controller 41, the air conditioner amplifier 55, and the PTC heater amplifier 62 are connected by a CAN (Controller Area Network).

  Now, it has been found that a large amount of power is consumed when the PTC heater 61 additionally provided in a cold region is operated. However, the prior art does not consider the combination of the PTC heater 61 and the engine automatic stop / restart control means, leaving room for study. That is, in the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, since the starter 6 is driven when the engine is restarted from the idle stop state, a large current flows through the starter 6 and the battery voltage instantaneously decreases to a low voltage. Since the PTC heater 61 also consumes a large amount of electric power during operation, if the operation of the PTC heater 61 overlaps when the starter 6 is driven, a larger battery voltage drop occurs.

When instantaneous battery voltage when the battery voltage is low due to the simultaneous operation of the starter 6 and the PTC heater 61 may be lower than the guarantee voltage of the first electrical load 14, may affect the operation of the first electrical load 14 There is.

  This will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 show changes in idle stop (abbreviated as “IS”) permission flag, starter switch, PTC heater 61 request state, PTC heater request flag, PTC heater operation flag, and battery voltage. Here, in FIG. 3, when the idle stop operation request precedes the PTC heater 61 operation request, FIG. 4 conversely shows that the PTC heater 61 operation requirement condition precedes the idle stop operation request. This is the case. The PTC heater prohibition flag shown in the fifth level is newly introduced in the first embodiment and will be described later.

  Here, the case where the operation / non-operation of the PTC heater 61 and the engine automatic stop / restart control are performed independently is taken as a comparative example, and the case of the comparative example is shown by a solid line. In FIG. 3, in the comparative example, when the idle stop permission flag is switched from zero to 1 at the timing of t1, idle stop is permitted and the engine 2 is automatically stopped.

  If there is an operation request for the PTC heater 61 at a timing t2 that is delayed from the timing t1 at which the idle stop is permitted (the PTC heater request flag is switched from zero to 1), the PTC heater operation flag is changed from zero to 1 at the timing t2. Switch to. In response to this, the PTC heater 61 is energized and the PTC heater 61 is activated. The operation of the PTC heater 61 reduces the battery voltage from the predetermined value A to the predetermined value B by a constant voltage.

  When the idle stop permission flag is switched from 1 to zero at the timing t3 after the PTC heater 61 is activated, the star switch is turned on at the timing t4 slightly delayed from t3 to drive the starter 6 and restart the engine 2. Need to do. In this case, when the battery voltage is lowered to the predetermined value B by the operation of the PTC heater 61 from t2, the battery voltage is applied to the starter 6 at the timing of t4 and a large amount of current flows. Decreases more rapidly than the predetermined value B. At this time, when the battery power decreases beyond the guaranteed voltage Vnec of the first electric load 14, the operation of the first electric load 14 is affected. For example, when the first electric load 14 is a headlamp, a phenomenon occurs in which the lamp blinks while the headlamp is lit. When the first electric load is a vehicle dynamic controller, the vehicle dynamic controller is reset.

  Next, in FIG. 4, in the comparative example, when there is an operation request for the PTC heater 61 in the period from the timing t11 to the timing t16 (PTC heater request flag = 1), the PTC heater operation flag = in the period t16 from t11. 1 In response to this, the PTC heater 61 is activated. The operation of the PTC heater 61 reduces the battery voltage from the predetermined value A to the predetermined value B by a constant voltage.

  The engine is automatically stopped when the idle stop permission flag is switched from zero to 1 at the timing t12 during the operation of the PTC heater 61. When the idle stop permission flag is switched from 1 to zero at the timing t13 thereafter, it is necessary to drive the starter 6 by turning on the star switch at the timing t14 slightly delayed from t13 and restart the engine 2. In this case, when the battery voltage is lowered to the predetermined value B by the operation of the PTC heater 61 from t11, when a large amount of current is passed through the starter 6 by applying the battery voltage at the timing of t14, the battery voltage Decreases more rapidly than the predetermined value B. At this time, when the battery voltage decreases beyond the guaranteed pressure Vnec of the first electric load 14, the operation of the first electric load 14 is affected. As described above, when the first electric load 14 is a headlamp, a phenomenon occurs in which the lamp blinks while the headlamp is lit. When the first electric load is a vehicle dynamic controller, the vehicle dynamic controller is reset.

  Further, when there is a request for operating the PTC heater 61 first, it is conceivable to take the following measures. That is, when the engine 2 is automatically stopped after the PTC heater 61 is operated and the engine 2 is automatically stopped, the operation of the PTC heater 61 is stopped after the start of the idle stop in preparation for the restart of the engine 2. It is. However, if the PTC heater 61 is stopped before the timing of t16 in the scene where the PTC heater 61 is operated until the timing of t16 in order to quickly warm the room, the operation of the PTC heater 61 is stopped before the timing of t16. Can't warm up.

Therefore, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the idle stop and the PTC heater 61 are not operated simultaneously. That is, an operation prohibiting means for prohibiting the operation of the PTC heater 61 is provided when the operation request for idle stop comes before the operation request for the PTC heater 61. In addition, when the operation request for the PTC heater 61 precedes the operation request for the idle stop, an operation prohibiting means for prohibiting the idle stop is provided. These operation prohibiting means include an engine controller 31 and a PTC heater amplifier 62.

  The operation performed by the operation prohibiting means (21, 62) will be further described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. The case of the first embodiment is shown by being overlaid with broken lines. In the present embodiment, a PTC heater prohibition flag is newly introduced in order to prioritize the idle stop operation request when the idle stop operation request precedes the PTC heater 61 operation request (see FIGS. 3 and 4). (Refer to the fifth row). On the contrary, when the operation request for the PTC heater 61 is prior to the operation request for the idle stop, the operation request for the PTC heater 61 is prioritized, so that the operation for the idle stop is prohibited during the operation of the PTC heater 61.

  More specifically, in FIG. 3, the idle stop permission flag is switched from zero to 1 at the timing of t1, and the PTC heater request flag is switched from zero to 1 at the timing of t2. That is, since the idle stop operation request is first, the idle stop operation request is given priority over the PTC heater 61 operation request. For this reason, at the timing t1 when the idle stop permission flag is switched from zero to 1, the PTC heater prohibition flag is switched from zero to 1 as shown in the fifth stage of FIG. As a result, the PTC heater 61 is prohibited from being operated during idle stop or when the engine is restarted from idle stop.

  If the operation of the PTC heater 61 is prohibited at the timing t1, the battery voltage does not decrease from the predetermined value A to the predetermined value B during idle stop or when the engine is restarted from idle stop. For this reason, even if a large current flows through the starter 6 at t4 when the engine is restarted from the idle stop, it is possible to prevent the battery voltage from decreasing to the guaranteed required voltage Vnec of the first electric load 14. As a result, the operation of the first electric load 14 that obtains power from the battery 11 can be ensured when the engine is restarted.

  The PTC heater prohibition flag is switched from 1 to zero at a timing t6 when a predetermined time Δt elapses from a timing t3 when the idle stop permission flag is switched from 1 to zero. This is because it is only necessary to prohibit the PTC heater 61 from being operated during the idle stop and when the engine is restarted from the idle stop.

  Next, in FIG. 4, the PTC heater request flag is switched from zero to 1 at the timing of t11, and the idle stop permission flag is switched from zero to 1 at the timing of t12. That is, since the operation request for the PTC heater 61 is ahead of the operation request for idle stop, the operation request for the PTC heater 61 is given priority. Therefore, while the PTC heater request flag = 1 (or PTC heater operation flag = 1), the idle stop permission flag = 0 is set as indicated by the broken line in the uppermost stage of FIG.

  Thus, the idle stop operation is prohibited while the PTC heater 61 is operating. If the operation of the idle stop is prohibited during the operation of the PTC heater 61, the operation of the PTC heater 61 is continued until the timing t16 when the operation request for the PTC heater 61 is cut off in response to the operation request for the PTC heater 61. As a result, the room can be sufficiently warmed.

  This control performed by the engine control module 51 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5. The flow of FIG. 5 is for setting the PTC heater prohibition flag and the idle stop permission flag. The flow in FIG. 5 is performed at regular intervals (for example, every 10 ms).

  First, in step 1, it is determined whether or not the PTC heater 61 is operating. Here, the air conditioner amplifier 55 introduces a PTC heater request flag and a PTC heater operation flag in order to control the operation / non-operation of the PTC heater 61.

  The PTC heater request flag is a flag in which the PTC heater request flag = 0 when there is no operation request for the PTC heater 61, and the PTC heater request flag = 1 when there is an operation request for the PTC heater 61. The PTC heater operation flag is a flag in which the PTC heater operation flag = 0 when the PTC heater 61 is in an inactive state and the PTC heater operation flag = 1 when the PTC heater 61 is in an active state. That is, when the PTC heater operation flag = 1, it is determined that the PTC heater 61 is operating. At this time, the process proceeds to step 2 and an idle stop (abbreviated as “IS” in the figure) permission flag is viewed. When the idling stop permission flag = 1, the operation proceeds to step 3 to prioritize the operation of the PTC heater 61, and the idling stop (abbreviated as “IS” in the drawing) permission flag = 0 is switched. This prevents the idle stop from being performed while the PTC heater 61 is operating.

  If the idle stop permission flag = 0 in step 2, step 3 is skipped and the current process is terminated.

  When there is no operation request of the PTC heater 61 in step 1 (when the PTC heater 61 is not operating), the process proceeds to step 4 to check whether an idle stop permission condition is satisfied. When the idle stop permission condition is satisfied, the idle stop is permitted, so that the process proceeds to step 5 and the idle stop permission flag = 1 is set. In step 6, in order to give priority to the idle stop operation, the PTC heater prohibition flag (initially set to zero when the engine is started) is switched to 1. Accordingly, the operation of the PTC heater 61 is prohibited during the idle stop operation.

  When the idle stop permission condition is not satisfied in step 4, the process proceeds to step 7 to check whether or not the idle stop permission condition was satisfied last time. When the idling stop permission condition is met last time and the present idling stop permission condition is not met, that is, when the present idling stop permission condition is not met, the process proceeds to steps 8 and 9. In steps 8 and 9, a timer is started (timer value t1 = 0) and the idle stop permission flag = 0 is switched. The timer is for measuring an elapsed time from when the idle stop permission condition is not satisfied.

  In Steps 4 and 7, when the idle stop permission condition is not satisfied in the previous time and the current time, that is, when the idle stop permission condition continues to be not satisfied, the process proceeds to Step 10, and the timer value t1 is compared with the predetermined time Δt. Here, the predetermined time Δt is determined in advance from the time when the idle stop permission condition is not satisfied until the engine restart is completed. Immediately after the idle stop permission condition is not satisfied, the timer value t1 is less than the predetermined time Δt, so the operations of steps 9 and 6 are executed.

  Thereafter, the operations of Steps 9 and 6 are repeated while the timer value t1 is less than the predetermined time Δt. These operations correspond to the section from t3 to t6 in FIG. 3, and the operation of the PTC heater 61 is prohibited until a predetermined time (Δt) has elapsed from the idle stop release timing (t3).

Eventually, when the timer value t1 reaches the predetermined time Δt in Step 10, that is, when the restart of the engine is completed, there is no reason to prohibit the operation of the PTC heater 61. At this time, the process proceeds to steps 11 and 12, and the operation of the PTC heater 61 is permitted by setting the idle stop permission flag = 0 and switching to the PTC heater prohibition flag = 0. The PTC heater prohibition flag = 0 or if a PTC heater request flag = 1 or later timing becomes P TC PTC heater 61 if the heater request flag = 1 is actuated (see FIG. 3).

The idle stop permission flag set in the flow of FIG. 5 is used by the engine controller 31 , and the PTC heater prohibition flag set in the flow of FIG. 5 is used by the PTC heater amplifier 62. The engine controller 31 does not perform idle stop when the idle stop permission flag = 0 in a flow (not shown). When the idle stop permission flag is switched from zero to 1, an idle stop is performed.

  The PTC heater amplifier 62 controls the operation / non-operation of the PTC heater according to the PTC request flag when the PTC prohibition flag = 0 in a flow (not shown). When the PTC heater prohibition flag is switched from zero to 1, the operation of the PTC heater 61 is prohibited regardless of the PTC request flag.

  The effect of this embodiment in the case of such a configuration will be described.

The vehicle 1 of this embodiment includes an engine 2, a first electric load 14 (electric load) including a starter 6 that can crank the engine 2 and a PTC heater 61 built in the air conditioning unit 51, and a first electric load. And a battery 11 used as a power source of 14. Further, an engine controller 31 as an engine starting means and an engine automatic stop / restart control means, and a PTC heater amplifier 62 as a PTC heater control means are provided. In the engine controller 31 described above, the starter motor 6 is driven to start the engine 2. Further, the engine controller 31 performs an idle stop for stopping the engine 2 when a predetermined idle stop permission condition is satisfied. When the predetermined idle stop permission condition is not satisfied, the engine controller 31 releases the idle stop and restarts the engine 2. Start. The PTC heater amplifier 62 can control the operation / non-operation of the PTC heater 61. In the control apparatus for the vehicle 1 having the above, in the present embodiment, the engine controller 31 and the PTC heater amplifier 62 are provided as the following operation prohibiting means. That is, the engine controller 31 and the PTC heater amplifier 62 prohibit the idle stop operation when the operation request for the PTC heater 61 precedes the idle stop operation request. Further, when the operation request for idling stop is prior to the operation request for the PTC heater 61, the operation of the PTC heater 61 is prohibited. According to the present embodiment, when the operation request for the PTC heater 61 is ahead of the operation request for the idle stop, the heating of the room is prioritized, so the operation of the PTC heater 61 is prioritized and the operation of the idle stop is prohibited. . By continuing the operation of the PTC heater 61, the room can be quickly warmed. During the operation of the PTC heater 61, the idle stop is not operated, so that the restart does not occur (the starter 6 is not driven), and the battery voltage falls below the guaranteed voltage Vnec of the first electric load 14 (electric load). Does not occur. It can be avoided to provide this by affecting the operation of the first electrical load 14. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, when the idle stop operation request is ahead of the PTC heater 61 operation request, the operation of the PTC heater 61 with high power consumption is prohibited. This prevents the battery voltage from dropping below the guaranteed voltage Vnec of the first electric load 14 (electric load) when the engine is restarted from the idle stop, thereby affecting the operation of the first electric load 14. the can be avoided.

  In the vehicle 1 that is not cold region specification, the operation of the PTC heater 61 is not originally planned. That is, in the vehicle 1 that is not cold region specification, specifications such as the capacity of the battery 11 are set so that the operations of the first electric load 14 and the second electric load 15 are all guaranteed, and excessive power is generated. Not usually. For this reason, when a cold district specification PTC heater is added to the vehicle 1 which is not cold district specification, and it is going to be remodeled into a cold district specification vehicle, the power consumption of the battery 11 may become excessive. However, if the battery is replaced with a battery having a large capacity adapted to the cold region, the cost increases. Thus, the present invention is useful in order not to cause a significant increase in cost associated with battery replacement.

  According to the present embodiment, the electric load is configured by the first electric load 14 having a relatively low guaranteed voltage and the second electric load 15 having a relatively high guaranteed voltage. The battery 11 is connected via the DC converter 12. Thus, it is possible to avoid affecting the operation of the first electric load 14 having a relatively low guaranteed voltage.

  In the embodiment, the case where the engine is cranked using the starter when the engine is restarted from the idle stop has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. In addition to the starter, a motor generator that rotates with the engine is provided, the engine is cranked using the starter only at the first engine start, and the engine is cranked using the motor generator when the engine is restarted from the idle stop. There is. The present invention is also applicable to this.

  In the embodiment, the case where the power source of the first electric load and the second electric load is one battery has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, a first battery is provided as a power source for a first electrical load having a relatively low guaranteed voltage, and a second battery is provided as a power source for a second electrical load having a relatively high guaranteed voltage, and these two batteries are connected via a relay. The present invention is also applicable when connected.

  In the embodiment, the description has been given of the case where priority is given to the operation request for the PTC heater 61 and the operation request for the idle stop. The operation request for the PTC heater 61 and the operation request for the idle stop are simultaneously performed. There may be a case. When there are two operation requests at the same time, priority is given to the operation of idle stop for the purpose of improving fuel consumption. Note that when there are two operation requests at the same time, the operation of the PTC heater 61 may be prioritized for the purpose of improving the heating.

1 vehicle 2 engine 6 starter (motor for engine start)
11 Battery 12 DC / DC Converter 14 First Electric Load (Electric Load)
15 Second electrical load
31 engine controller (engine starting means, engine automatic stop / restart control means, operation prohibiting means)
51 Air-conditioning unit 55 Air-conditioner amplifier 61 PTC heater 62 PTC heater amplifier (PTC heater control means, operation prohibition means)

Claims (2)

Engine,
An electric load including an engine starting motor capable of cranking the engine and a PTC heater built in the air conditioning unit;
A battery used as a power source for the electrical load;
Engine starting means for driving the engine starting motor to start the engine;
Automatic engine stop / restart for performing idle stop for stopping the engine when a predetermined idle stop permission condition is satisfied, and releasing the idle stop and restarting the engine when the predetermined idle stop permission condition is not satisfied Control means;
In a vehicle control device comprising: a PTC heater control means capable of controlling operation / non-operation of the PTC heater;
When the PTC heater control means determines that the operation of the PTC heater is necessary before the predetermined idle stop permission condition is satisfied, the idle stop is prohibited and the operation of the PTC heater is necessary. And an operation prohibiting means for prohibiting the operation of the PTC heater when the predetermined idle stop permission condition is satisfied prior to the determination by the PTC heater control means . The electric load includes a first electric load having a relatively low guaranteed voltage and a second electric load having a relatively high guaranteed voltage,
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the second electric load is connected to the battery via a DC / DC converter.

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