JPH0247370B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vehicle speed control device that stores the speed of a vehicle and automatically maintains the vehicle at the stored vehicle speed, and particularly relates to a vehicle speed control device that stores a plurality of stored vehicle speeds.

Generally, this type of device detects the current vehicle speed as a number of pulses, and obtains an analog voltage proportional to the number of pulses as a vehicle speed signal. When the driver reaches a desired vehicle speed, he operates the constant speed travel set switch to set (store) the vehicle speed signal at that time in the memory circuit. The speed control device refers to the set vehicle speed signal as a reference voltage on one side of the comparison circuit, and based on the difference between it and the current vehicle speed, adjusts the opening degree of the throttle valve in a direction such that the difference becomes zero. .

This type of constant speed vehicle traveling device is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 127991/1983 filed by the same applicant and other publications.

By the way, in this type of conventional device, the vehicle speed is 1
I can only remember the type. Therefore, for example, if 60 km/h is stored in the vehicle speed memory and the vehicle is being driven at that speed using vehicle speed control,
When changing the vehicle speed to 40km/h, first cancel vehicle speed control and reduce the vehicle speed, and when the speedometer display reaches 40km/h, press the set switch again to memorize the vehicle speed and resume vehicle speed control. . However, this type of vehicle speed changing operation is quite troublesome. The upper limit of vehicle speed is set to 40 km/h, 60 km/h, 80 km/h, etc. depending on the road conditions on which the vehicle is traveling. Normally, the vehicle will be driven at this speed limit, so if the control speed changes, the vehicle speed will change. has no choice but to change. However, if you change the vehicle speed and perform a new vehicle speed memorization, the previously memorized vehicle speed data will be erased, so you will have to perform another frequent vehicle speed change operation to return to the original vehicle speed. .

The first object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle speed control device that can easily change the set vehicle speed even when road conditions change frequently, and the second object is to reduce the number of switches operated by the driver. The purpose of

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention,
A plurality of vehicle speed memories are provided, and one of the vehicle speed memories is selected depending on the state in which the switch is pressed, for example, the number of times the switch is pressed, and in the case of a set switch, the vehicle speed is stored in that vehicle speed memory, and in the case of a resume switch. Then, the vehicle speed is controlled according to the data read from the vehicle speed memory.

According to this, it is only necessary to have at least two switches, one set switch, one resume switch, and it does not take up space on the operation panel and is easy to operate. Since multiple vehicle speeds can be stored, for example, you can set the vehicle speed to 40km/h, 60km/h and 80km/h in advance.
By setting the speed to Km/h, etc., you can easily change the vehicle speed according to changes in road conditions by operating only the resume switch.

When setting the vehicle speed, it is cumbersome to operate a switch by hand while operating the accelerator, brake, etc. with your foot. Therefore, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the set switch and the volume switch reach a predetermined state, the vehicle speed is increased or decreased while that state is maintained. According to this, the driver can easily change the vehicle speed and store the vehicle speed with only his hands without using his feet.

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

FIG. 1 shows an electric circuit of a vehicle speed control device according to an embodiment. This will be explained with reference to FIG. In this example, the electronic control device 10 is mainly configured with a single-chip microcomputer CPU.
The runaway detection circuit 20 is connected to the reset port RESET of the CPU, and the external interrupt input port
IRQ, input ports K2, K3, K0 and K1 have interface circuits IF1, IF2,
Via IF3, IF4 and IF5, vehicle speed detection reed switch SW2, clutch switch SW3,
Stop switch SW4, Set switch SW5
and a volume switch SW6 are connected.

Near the vehicle speed detection reed switch SW2,
A permanent magnet connected to a speedometer cable (not shown) is arranged, and when the vehicle moves and the permanent magnet rotates, the contacts of SW2 open and close accordingly. When the contact of SW2 changes from closed to open, the output level of the interface circuit IF1 becomes low level L, and an interrupt request is issued to the microcomputer CPU.

Clutch switch SW3 opens and closes in conjunction with the vehicle's clutch pedal, and stops switch SW4
opens and closes in conjunction with the vehicle's brake pedal. A stop lamp is connected to the stop switch SW4, and the stop lamp lights up when SW4 is turned on (closed).

Set switch SW5 and room switch
SW6 is a push button switch, and is placed at a position on the instrument panel where it can be easily operated by the driver.

The output port _O of the microcomputer CPU is connected to the runaway detection circuit 20.
2 and O3 are connected to drivers DV1 and DV2, respectively. The output of the driver DV1 is connected to a control solenoid SL ₁ that controls a negative pressure actuator, which will be described later, and the output of the driver DV2 is connected to a release solenoid.
SL ₂ is connected.

The control solenoid SL ₁ , the release solenoid SL ₂ , and the constant voltage power supply circuit 30 that generates the constant voltage Vcc include an ignition key switch.
Voltage from the vehicle battery is applied via SW1. When the brake is applied, the circuit 40
This is to deenergize release solenoid SL ₂ independently of CPU operation.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the negative pressure actuator 100 controlled by the electric circuit shown in FIG. This will be explained with reference to FIG. The housing 101 consists of two parts 101a and 101b. The diaphragm 102 is sandwiched between the flange portions of two portions 101a and 101b. Diaphragm 102
The space surrounded by the housing 101a and the diaphragm 102 is a negative pressure chamber, and the diaphragm 102 and the housing 101b
The space surrounded by is in communication with the atmosphere. 103
is a compression coil spring inserted between the housing 101a and the diaphragm 102, which pushes the diaphragm 102 back to the position of the imaginary line when the pressure in the negative pressure chamber is close to atmospheric pressure. A protrusion 104 fixed near the center of the diaphragm 102 is connected to a link of a throttle valve 105. The housing 101a is provided with a negative pressure intake 107 that communicates with the intake manifold 106 and atmospheric intakes 108 and 109.

110 is a negative pressure control valve, and 111 is a negative pressure release valve, both of which are fixed to the housing 101a. The movable piece 112 of the negative pressure control valve 110 is
It can be tilted about P as a fulcrum, and a tension coil spring 113 is connected to one end, and the other end faces the control solenoid SL ₁ . Movable piece 1
Both ends of 12 function as valve bodies, and they open the negative pressure intake port 10 in response to energization and deenergization of solenoid SL ₁ .
7 is open, the air intake port 108 is closed (state shown), or the negative pressure intake port 107 is closed, and the air intake port 108 is open.

Similarly to the negative pressure release valve 110, the movable piece 11
4, has a tension coil spring 115 and a solenoid SL ₂ , but the movable piece 114 is connected to the atmospheric air intake 1
09 is closed (state shown) or opened. Note that 116 is an accelerator pedal, and 117 is a tension coil spring.

3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, and 3e, the microcomputer of FIG.
This shows the general operation of the CPU. While referring to each figure,
We will explain the operation of the CPU step by step. Incidentally, when the vehicle moves, the reed switch SW2 is constantly turned on and off, and each time the reed switch SW2 is turned off, the microcomputer CPU executes the external interrupt processing shown in FIG. 3d.

First, when the power is turned on, initial settings are performed. That is, the output port is set to the initial level and the contents of the memory are cleared.

Inverts the level of output port Oo. That is, if this port Oo is set to a high level H, its level is set to a low level L, and if it is set to a low level L, it is set to a high level H.
This process is always executed at least once within a predetermined period of time if the CPU is operating normally, and as a result, a pulse signal of approximately constant period is applied to the runaway detection circuit 20 from the CPU. be done. When the pulse signal is applied, the runaway detection circuit 20 sets the output level of the comparator CP to H, turns on the transistor Q1, and sets the RESET terminal of the CPU to the high level H. However, if the CPU goes out of control and stops generating pulses at port Oo, the output level of comparator CP is inverted to L, transistor Q1 is turned off, and a low level L is applied to the reset terminal RESET of the CPU. . When the reset terminal RESET becomes L, the CPU performs the same operation as when the power is turned on, so the runaway stops.

When operating normally, the CPU reads the levels of input ports K0, K1, K2, K3, etc.
The operation of the switches is determined as follows, and processing is performed in accordance with the determined switch.

If there is no change in the input (unless timers, flags, etc. are set), the step
A processing loop is executed which passes through S2-S3-S4-S42-S43, executes the multiple storage routine of FIG. 3c, and returns to step S2 again. In this case, the contents of the vehicle speed memory, target value register, flag, etc. do not change.

Clutch switch SW3 or stop switch
When SW4 is turned on or the vehicle speed falls below a predetermined value (for example, below 30 km/h), the output port level is set in a direction that does not energize the solenoid, and the contents of target value register R0 are cleared to cancel constant speed control. . Also clear all flags. As a result, if the constant speed driving mode is set, it is canceled. Furthermore, the release solenoid SL ₂ is deenergized so that the negative pressure actuator 100 quickly moves in the direction of closing the throttle valve. Next, the process advances to step S61, passes through the multiple storage routine, and returns to step S2.

When the set switch SW5 is turned on, the process proceeds through steps S9-S17-S18-S19-S20 for the first time, setting the set-on flag SET-ON to "1" and setting the control solenoid control duty to 5%. When the control solenoid control duty is 5%, the proportion of time that the negative pressure control valve 110 communicates the inside of the negative pressure actuator 100 with the atmosphere increases, so the negative pressure actuator 110 moves in the direction of closing the throttle valve, and the vehicle speed increases with time. descend. Actual control solenoid drive is performed in step S43 according to the set duty.
Let's do it. When the set switch SW5 is pressed, the process advances to steps S61-S62-S81... and exits the multiple storage routine, and then steps S2-S3...S9-S17-S18-
Proceed with S61.

When the set switch SW5 is turned off, the process proceeds to steps S9-S10-S11-S12-S13-S14, where the set-on flag SET-ON is cleared (0) and the set-off flag SET-OFF is set to 1. Next, proceed to step S61 to set the set-off flag SET.
Since −OFF is 1, S67−S68−S69−S70−S81…
..., increments the contents of the counter (pointer) RA that specifies the vehicle speed memory (but does not exceed 3), and clears and starts the 1-second timer for setting. When this process is completed, the set-off flag SET-OFF is cleared to "0".
That is, steps S67, S68, S69 and S70 are executed only at the first processing timing when the set switch SW5 is turned off. From next time onwards, the process will proceed in steps S61-S62-S63...

1 after the set switch SW5 was turned off.
If it does not turn on after seconds, the step
A timeover is detected in S63, and S64−S65−S66
and proceed. As a result, the contents of the target value register R0 are stored in the vehicle speed memory indicated by the contents of the counter RA, and after a throttle initialization routine to be described later is executed, the operation mode is set to constant speed control mode.

Since the target value register R0 stores the vehicle speed at the moment when step S14 is executed, that is, the set switch SW5 is turned off, the vehicle speed at that time is stored in a predetermined memory. For example, if set switch SW5 is turned on and off twice before it is finally turned off (off for 1 second), S67
Since the processing steps -S68-S69-S70 are executed twice, the content of the counter RA is 2, and the content of the target value register R0 is stored in 2 of the vehicle speed memory.
In this example, the number of vehicle speed memories is three, so
Step S67 so that the value of RA does not exceed 3.
is provided. Therefore, set switch SW5
Even if it is turned on and off three or more times in succession, vehicle speed memory 3 is selected.

When the constant speed control mode is entered, steps S40-S41
-S42, and each time this process is executed, the control solenoid control duty is reset so that the contents of the target value register R0, that is, the stored speed and the current vehicle speed are equal. Set switch SW5
If the button is held down, the control duty will continue to be set at 5% in step S20, so the vehicle speed will gradually decrease.

When the resume switch SW6 is turned on, the sequence progresses from S31 to S44 to S45 to S46 to S47 to S48 to S43 for the first time, sets the resume on flag RESUME-ON to "1", and clears the 0.9 second timer for resume. Start. Next, S61...S81−S82−
Execute the processing loop that continues with S2. When the resume switch SW6 remains pressed (on) for 0.9 seconds, a time over is detected in step S48, and the process proceeds to S49, where the control solenoid control duty is set to 90%. When the control solenoid control duty is 90%, the proportion of time that the negative pressure control valve 110 communicates the inside of the negative pressure actuator 100 with the negative pressure source (intake manifold) increases, so the negative pressure actuator 110
moves in the direction of opening the throttle valve over time, increasing vehicle speed.

When the resume switch SW6 is turned off, steps S31-S32-S33-S34-S35-S36...
and proceed with resume on flag RESUME−ON
Clear to “0” and resume off flag
Set RESUME-OFF to “1”. If the ON time of resume switch SW6 is long and the 0.9 second timer has timed out, S36−S37−S38
-S39, the current vehicle speed is stored in the target value register R0, and the contents of the target value register are stored in the vehicle speed memory indicated by the contents of R0, as in the case of turning on/off the set switch SW5. Also, the resume-off flag RESUME-OFF is cleared to "0" so that the normal resume operation is not performed in the multiple storage routine.

If the resume switch SW6 turns off before the 0.9 second timer times out, the resume off flag RESUME-OFF is “1”, so
Proceed as S81−S87−S88−S89−S90, and the counter
Increment the contents of RA and set it to 1 for resume
Clear and start the second timer, and clear the resume-off flag RESUME-OFF to "0".
The processing steps of S81−S87−S88−S89−S90 are as follows:
Resume off flag RESUME-OFF is “1”
ie, once every time the resume switch is turned from on to off. Therefore,
The counter RA stores the number of times the resume switch SW6 is turned from on to off.

When one second passes after the resume switch SW6 is turned off, the one second timer for resume times out, so S81-S82-S83-S84-
Proceeds to S85-S86, and the vehicle speed memory specified by the contents of counter RA, for example, 3 times resume switch.
When SW6 is turned on/off, vehicle speed memory 3
The contents of are stored in the target value register R0. Then, the throttle initialization routine S86 is executed to set the constant speed control mode. Once in constant speed control mode, proceed through steps S40-S41-S42-S43.
so that the current vehicle speed approaches the contents of the target value register.
Update control solenoid control duty.

The throttle disengagement routine will now be described with reference to FIG. 3e. Roughly speaking, this process is a prospective control (open loop control) in order to quickly drive the negative pressure actuator 100 to a predetermined position (throttle initial opening position). That is, the control solenoid control duty is set to a high value (90%), the time to continue this state is calculated in advance according to the contents of the target value register R0, this is set in a timer, and the timer sets the time. Continue 90% duty control until overload. When the time is over, set the constant speed control flag to set the constant speed mode.

External interrupt processing will be explained with reference to FIG. 3d. This process is performed by the reed switch for vehicle speed detection.
This is to find the on/off period of SW2. Every time this process is executed, that is, every time SW2 is turned off, the count value of the internal timer is read and the timer is cleared and started. Furthermore, if the count value of the timer is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (that is, the vehicle speed is less than or equal to a predetermined value), a low speed flag is set. When the low speed flag is set, the main routine proceeds from step S8 to S15, and the constant speed control mode is canceled in the same way as when the clutch pedal or brake pedal is operated.

Note that the embodiment described above is one aspect of the present invention, and the present invention can be practiced even if the configuration and operation of the apparatus are partially changed, for example, as described below.

(a) The throttle drive means is not limited to the negative pressure actuator, but may also be replaced by a motor such as a stepping motor.

(b) The selection of the vehicle speed memory is not limited to the number of times the switch is activated, but may be determined based on the activation time or a combination of multiple types of times.

(c) The electronic control device does not necessarily need to use a microcomputer, but may be constructed from general logic circuits or analog circuits. When configured with an analog circuit, for example, the vehicle speed detection pulse is
The voltage may be converted into a voltage through a V conversion circuit, and the vehicle speed memory may be a sampling and holding circuit using a capacitor, an analog gate circuit, or the like.

(d) The vehicle speed detection means may be of any type as long as it can provide a frequency output or an analog output according to the vehicle speed.

(e) For example, a switch is a set switch and a resume switch that are housed in one case, and when the upper part is pressed, the set switch is turned on (resume switch off), and when the lower part is pressed, the resume switch is turned on. (set switch off).

(f) The number of vehicle speed memories can be set arbitrarily as long as the memory capacity allows.

As described above, according to the present invention, since a plurality of vehicle speeds can be stored, the vehicle speed can be changed by a simple switch operation, and there is no need to perform a vehicle speed memorization operation each time the vehicle speed is changed, making driving easier.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a negative pressure actuator controlled by the electric circuit of FIG. 1. 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, and 3e are flowcharts showing the general operation of the microcomputer CPU of FIG. 1. FIG. 10: Electronic control device (electronic control means), 20:
Runaway detection circuit, 30: Stabilized power supply circuit, 100:
Negative pressure actuator (throttle drive means), 1
01: Housing, 102: Diaphragm, 10
3: Compression coil spring, 104: Protrusion, 10
5: Throttle valve, 106: Intake manifold, 107: Negative pressure intake, 108, 10
9: Atmospheric intake, 110: Negative pressure control valve, 111:
Negative pressure release valve, 112, 114: Movable piece, 116:
Accelerator pedal, 117: Tension coil spring, SW1: Ignition key switch, SW
2: Reed switch (vehicle speed detection means), SW3:
Clutch switch, SW4: Stop switch,
SW5: Set switch (first switch means),
SW6: Reduction switch (second switch means), SL ₁ : Control solenoid, SL ₂ : Release solenoid, CPU: Microcomputer,
IF1, IF2, IF3, IF4, IF5: Interface circuit, DV1, DV2: Driver, CP: Comparator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Throttle driving means connected to the throttle valve; First switch means; Second switch means; Vehicle speed detection means; and Vehicle speed memory having an area for storing a plurality of target vehicle speeds. In response to the operation of the first switch means, a value corresponding to the output signal of the vehicle speed detection means is stored in an area on the vehicle speed memory selected according to the number of times the first switch means is operated within a predetermined period of time. In response to the operation of the second switch means, the contents of the area on the vehicle speed memory selected according to the number of times of operation of the second switch means within a predetermined time are read out, and the throttle drive means is activated according to the contents. A vehicle speed control device comprising: electronic control means for energizing; 2. When the first switch means operates, the electronic control means stores a value corresponding to the output signal of the vehicle speed detection means in an area on the vehicle speed memory selected according to the number of times the switch is operated within a predetermined period of time, and ,
The vehicle speed control device according to claim 1, wherein the throttle drive means is energized in accordance with the vehicle speed corresponding to the stored value. 3. The vehicle speed according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control means biases the throttle drive means in a direction to reduce the opening degree of the throttle valve when the first switch means continues to be in the ON state. Control device. 4. The electronic control means biases the throttle drive means in a direction to increase the opening degree of the throttle valve while the second switch means remains on for a predetermined period of time or more. A vehicle speed control device according to claim 1. 5. When the second switch means remains on for a predetermined period of time or more, the electronic control means biases the throttle drive means in a direction to increase the opening degree of the throttle valve while the second switch means continues to be in the on state, and 2. The vehicle speed control device according to claim 1, wherein when the state of the second switch means changes to off, the vehicle speed at that time is stored in a vehicle speed memory and the vehicle speed is controlled at that vehicle speed.