Wheel control device, vehicle, wheel control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9475404-B2
Application number	US-201214428423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2012
Priority date	Oct 10, 2012
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A wheel control device configured to control a plurality of wheels ( 11 - 14 ) mounted on a vehicle ( 10 ) includes a controller ( 110 ) configured to perform feedback control of a motor ( 21 - 24 ), which is mounted to each of the plurality of wheels ( 11 - 14 ) in order to drive the each of the plurality of wheels, so that a driving torque of the motor follows a target torque. The controller ( 110 ) reduces, for a motor driving a subject wheel that has received a predetermined road surface input among the plurality of wheels ( 11 - 14 ), a feedback amount relating to the feedback control to be less than a feedback amount before the subject wheel receives the road surface input.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wheel control device configured to control a plurality of wheels mounted on a vehicle, the wheel control device comprising:
a control part configured to perform feedback control of a motor, which is mounted to each of the plurality of wheels in order to drive the each of the plurality of wheels, so that a driving torque of the motor follows a target torque,
wherein the control part changes, for a motor driving a subject wheel that has received an unsprung mass acceleration larger than a predetermined threshold unsprung mass acceleration among the plurality of wheels, in order to reduce a feedback amount relating to the feedback control to be less than a feedback amount before the subject wheel receives the road surface input, the feedback amount from a first gain to a second gain that is less than the first gain, and returns the feedback amount from the second gain to the first gain again after a predetermined period has elapsed.

2. A wheel control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control part carries out motor control so that a period required for returning the feedback amount from the second gain to the first gain is more than a period required for changing the feedback amount from the first gain to the second gain.

3. A wheel control device according to claim 1 , further comprising an information detection part capable of detecting variation information when each of the plurality of wheels receives the road surface input,
wherein the control part identifies the subject wheel based on the variation information detected by the information detection part, and, when the subject wheel receives the road surface input, reduces the feedback amount relating to the feedback control to be less than the feedback amount before the subject wheel receives the road surface input.

4. A wheel control device according to claim 3 , wherein:
the information detection part comprises an acceleration sensor mounted to each of the plurality of wheels in order to detect an unsprung mass acceleration acting on an unsprung mass area of the vehicle; and
the control part determines a wheel for which an unsprung mass acceleration more than a threshold set in advance is detected by the acceleration sensor as the subject wheel.

5. A wheel control device according to claim 3 , wherein:
the information detection part comprises a motor rotation sensor configured to detect a rotational variation of the motor; and
the control part determines a wheel corresponding to a motor for which the rotational variation more than a threshold set in advance is detected by the motor rotation sensor as the subject wheel.

6. A wheel control device according to claim 1 , wherein a proportional gain serving as the second gain is zero.

7. A wheel control device according to claim 1 , wherein the second gain is zero.

8. A wheel control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control part assigns a torque error amount generated by the reduction in the feedback amount to a target torque of another motor other than the motor relating to the reduction, and performs feedback control of the another motor depending on the target torque after the assignment.

9. A wheel control device according to claim 8 , wherein the control part carries out motor control so that a period required for assigning the torque error amount to the target torque of the another motor is more than a period required for reducing the feedback amount.

10. A wheel control device according to claim 8 , wherein the torque error comprises a predetermined low frequency component of the driving torque generated by the reduction in the feedback amount.

11. A wheel control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control part offsets the target torque so as to increase a difference between the target torque and a torque zero area in which a sign of the driving torque of the motor is inverted before the reduction in the feedback amount relating to the feedback control.

12. A wheel control device according to claim 11 , wherein the control part assigns a torque change amount generated by the offset of the target torque to a target torque of another motor other than the motor relating to the offset, and performs feedback control of the another motor depending on the target torque after the assignment.

13. A wheel control device according to claim 11 , wherein the control part sets a period from a passage of a front wheel among the plurality of wheels on a traveling road surface relating to the road surface input to a passage of a rear wheel to be a holding period for holding the offset.

14. A wheel control device according to claim 12 , wherein, when the offset causes an equilibrium state in which a torque in a driving direction is generated on any one of a front wheel and a rear wheel among the plurality of wheels and a torque in a braking direction opposite to the driving direction is generated on another one of the front wheel and the rear wheel, the control part holds the equilibrium state for a certain period.

15. A wheel control device according to claim 12 , wherein the control part carries out motor control so that a period required for assigning the torque change amount to the target torque of the another motor is more than a period required for the offset.

16. A wheel control device according to claim 15 , wherein, when a control state in which the feedback control is performed on the another motor depending on the target torque after the assignment of the torque change amount is formed from an initial state after the offset and when the control state is returned to the initial state, the control part carries out motor control so that a period required for a transition from the control state to the initial state is more than a period required for a transition from the initial state to the control state.

17. A vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of wheels;
a motor mounted to each of the plurality of wheels in order to drive the each of the plurality of wheels; and
a control device configured to control the motor,
wherein the control device comprises the wheel control device of claim 1 .

18. A wheel control method for controlling a plurality of wheels mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
performing feedback control to a motor, which is mounted to each of the plurality of wheels in order to drive the each of the plurality of wheels, so that a driving torque of the motor follows a target torque; and
changing, for a motor driving a subject wheel that has received an unsprung mass acceleration larger than a predetermined threshold unsprung mass acceleration among the plurality of wheels, in order to reduce a feedback amount relating to the feedback control to be less than a feedback amount before the subject wheel receives the road surface input, the feedback amount from a first gain to a second gain that is less than the first gain, and returning the feedback amount from the second gain to the first gain again after a predetermined period has elapsed.

19. A wheel control method according to claim 18 , further comprising:
detecting variation information when each of the plurality of wheels receives the road surface input;
identifying the subject wheel based on the detected variation information; and
reducing, when the subject wheel receives the road surface input, the feedback amount relating to the feedback control to be less than the feedback amount before the subject wheel receives the road surface input.

Assignees

• Nakatsu Masatoshi
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakatsu Masatoshi

Classifications

• B60L2240/423

  Torque · CPC title

• B60L2220/44

  Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub · CPC title

• B60L2220/46

  Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel · CPC title

• B60L2240/645

  Type of road · CPC title

• Y02T10/7283

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic