VEHICLE STARTING AUXILIARY SYSTEM

The present invention relates to a start assistant system of a motor vehicle which performs the assistance of the start of the motor vehicle based on of a release operation of an operational unit as an instruction. The present invnetion claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-249815, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

As a power control technique at the time of starting a motor vehicle, there is proposed a launch control in which a clutch for connecting and disconnecting the power between an engine and a transmission mechanism is automatically controlled according to a throttle opening degree and an engine rotational speed so as to suppress wheel spin (For example, see Patent Citation 1 and 2).

As a start assistant system of a motor vehicle using the launch control, it is proposed that a motor vehicle is started based on a start instruction of an operation release of a shift lever. After a mode conversion switch is switched to a sudden start mode, an accelerator pedal is stepped on a state in which a shift lever (operational unit) transverse to a driver's seat is shifted to a down shift side, and when the shift lever operation is released from that state, the motor vehicle is started based on a start instruction of the operation release.

In the start assistant system, after the mode conversion switch is switched to the sudden start mode, if the accelerator pedal is stepped on a state in which the shift lever is in down shift, the engine is maintained at a rotational speed capable of generating maximum torque, and at the same time, the clutch is slipped and controlled so as to generate maximum preload. When the operation of the shift lever is released from that state, the clutch is controlled so that the maximum torque of the engine can be transmitted to the wheels without causing wheel spin.

• [Patent Citation 1] JP-A-2000-145832

However, the start assistant system of related art compels the driver to bustle to operate at the time of starting the motor vehicle. This is due to the fact that a real connection control of the clutch begins based on the start instruction of the operation release of the shift lever transverse to the driver's seat, so that just up until the sudden start of the motor vehicle, the driver is required to put one hand on the shift lever.

Thus, the present invention provides a start assistant system of a motor vehicle which allows a driver to perform a start operation without having to release their hands from a steering wheel and which is capable of promoting an improvement in a driving operability.

A start assistant system of a motor vehicle of the present invention to solve the above-described problem is a start assistant system of a motor vehicle which starts the motor vehicle based on a start instruction in which the operation of an operational unit is released in a state in which the operational unit is operated and an accelerator pedal is stepped on, the operational unit including an up side paddle which is installed in a steering wheel and shifts a speed changing device of a drive transmitting mechanism to a higher gear, and a down side paddle which is installed in the steering wheel and shifts the speed changing device to a down side, and starting the motor vehicle based on the start instruction of the operation release after the up side paddle and the down side paddle are operated simultaneously. According to the start assistant system of the motor vehicle, the driver operates an up side paddle shift and a down side paddle shift simultaneously with the fingertips of both hands while gripping the steering wheel with both hands at the time of starting, and at the same time steps on the accelerator pedal, and by releasing the operation of the both paddle shifts from that state, it is possible to start the motor vehicle.

In the start assistant system of the motor vehicle, by controlling the clutch, which is disposed between the engine and the speed changing device and operates the power connection and disconnection of the engine and the speed changing unit, depending on either the throttle opening degrees or the engine revolutions, wheel spin may be suppressed.

In the start assistant system of the motor vehicle, after a mode conversion switch for switching a driving mode is switched to select a sudden start mode, the sudden start mode may be cancelled when the operational unit is not operated simultaneously for more than a predetermined time within a regulated time.

According to the start assistant system of the motor vehicle, since the operation release after the simultaneous operation of the up side paddle and the down side paddle, which are installed in the steering wheel, is used as a start instruction, the driver can perform the start operation without having to release both hands from the steering wheel and the driving operability at the time of start is improved.

• [FIG 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a start assistant system of one embodiment of the present invention.
• [FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the control of the start assistant system.

1:

ENGINE

3:

SPEED CHANGING DEVICE

4:

CLUTCH

8:

STEERING WHEEL

9A:

DOWN SIDE PADDLE

9B:

UP SIDE PADDLE

14:

MODE CONVERSION SWITCH

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described on the basis of the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a start assistant system of a motor vehicle according to the present invention. A driving mechanism of a motor vehicle includes an engine 1 which is a driving source, a multistage type speed changing device 3 for shifting the power of the engine 1 to transfer it to driving wheels 2, and a clutch 4 that is disposed between the engine 1 and the speed changing device 3 and operates the connections and disconnections of the power of the engine 1 and the speed changing device 3.

The engine 1 is configured so that throttle opening degrees and engine injection amounts are controlled by means of an engine controller 5 and are basically controlled according to the amounts of an accelerator pedal is pressed downward at the time of normal driving.

The speed changing device 3 adopts a sequential way in which it is possible to perform shift to either a high gear or a low gear one stage at a time by means of the operation of either a shift lever 7 disposed transverse to a driver's seat or a paddle switch 9 disposed in a steering wheel 8. The speed changing device 3 includes a transmission actuator (not shown) for switching and operating a transmission step and is controlled by a transmission controller 10 according to the operation of the shift lever 7 or the paddle switch 8.

For example, the shift lever 7 is pushed forward from a neural position N to switch the speed changing device 3 to a reverse R, is pushed forward at a right operation position of the neutral position N to switch the speed changing device 3 to a lower gear, and is pushed rearward at the right operation position of the neutral position N to switch the speed changing device 3 to a higher gear.

The paddle switch 9 is constituted by a down side paddle 9A and an up side paddle 9B which are each installed at the left and right back sides of the steering wheel 8. The left down side paddle 9A is pushed forward with fingertips to switch the speed changing device 3 to a lower gear, and the right up side paddle 9B is pushed forward with fingertips to switch the speed changing device 3 to a higher gear. Only one of the down side paddle 9A and the up side paddle 9B is operated selectively at the time of a normal transmission operation, but both of them are simultaneously operated at a sudden start mode described later.

The clutch 4 includes a hydraulic actuator 11 for performing the connection and disconnection operations, and the hydraulic actuator 11 is controlled by a clutch controller 12.

In the present embodiment, each controller of the engine controller 5, the transmission controller 10 and the clutch controller 12 controls each of the parts based on the communication results with a combined controller 13. In the combined controller 13, transmission signal output portions of the shift lever 7 and the paddle switch 9 are connected, and at the same time, a mode conversion switch 14 for switching the driving mode by means of the operation of the driver is connected thereto. As driving mode that can be switched by the mode conversion switch 14, in addition to the normal driving mode, at least a sudden start mode (race start mode) described later is installed. In the combined controller 13, in addition to the members described above, there are connected an accelerator opening degree sensor 15 for detecting the opening degree of the accelerator pedal, a motor vehicle speed sensor 16 for detecting the motor vehicle speed, a slope sensor 17 for detecting the slope state of the motor vehicle, and a motor vehicle wheel speed sensor 18 for detecting a motor vehicle wheel speed of driving wheels, or the like.

The combined controller 13 includes a mode decision means 19 for receiving the signals from the mode conversion switch 14 to decide the driving mode; a normal control means 20 for optimally controlling the engine 1, the clutch 4 and the speed changing device 3 when the decision result in the mode decision means 19 is a normal driving mode; and a start assistant control means 21 for controlling the engine 1, the clutch 4 and the speed changing means 3 to a state where a sudden start is possible when the decision result in the mode decision means 19 is a sudden start mode.

Hereinafter, based on the flowchart of FIG. 2, the description on the operation of the start assistant system will be centered on the control of the combined controller 13 at the time of the sudden start mode. The control at the time of the normal mode is a control generally performed; therefore a detailed description of the control will be omitted.

In step S100, it is decided whether or not the sudden start mode is selected with the mode conversion switch 14. If the selection is not made, a transition to the normal driving mode is performed, and if the selection is made, a progression to step S101 performed. In step S101, it is decided whether or not the down side paddle 9A and the up side paddle 9B are simultaneously operated for more than a set time within a regulated time. If the simultaneous operation for more than the set time within the regulated time is not performed, the sudden start mode is cancelled and a transition to the control of the normal driving mode is performed, and when the simultaneous operation for more than the set time within the regulated time is performed, progression to the next step S 102 is performed. In step S102, it is decided whether or not the accelerator pedal is stepped on for more than a set time within the regulated time. If the pedal is not stepped on for more than the set time within the regulated time, the transition to the control of the normal driving mode is performed, and if the pedal is stepped on for more than the set time within the regulated time, progression to the next step S 103 is performed. In step S 103, the engine rotation is controlled to a rotational speed (NE 1) at which the engine 1 is capable of generating the maximum torque at the time of starting. In step S104, the clutch 4 is controlled so that a preload with a range in which the motor vehicle does not start is applied thereto. In the next step S105, it is decided whether or not the down side paddle 9A and the up side paddle 9B are released simultaneously within the regulated time. If both of the paddles 9A and 9B are not released simultaneously within the regulated time, the sudden start mode is cancelled and the transition to the normal driving mode is performed, and if they are released simultaneously within the regulated time, progression to step S 106 is performed. In step S106, the clutch control for the sudden start begins, and the clutch is connected quickly, while suppressing the slipping of the driving wheel. As a result, the motor vehicle speed is steeply increased, so that a sudden start with hardly any wheel spin is possible.

After the motor vehicle starts, it is also possible that the slip state of the driving wheels 2 is fed back to perform sliding-control of the clutch 4 so as to suppress the sliding of the driving wheels 2. In the steps prior to the step 100 or the like, it is ascertained whether the motor vehicle has stopped or whether or not the motor vehicle stops on a hill. In a case where the motor vehicle has not stopped or when the motor vehicle stops on a hill, switching to the sudden start mode may be prohibited.

As described above, in the start assistant system, the up side paddle 9B and the down side paddle 9A, which are installed in the steering wheel 8, are simultaneously operated, and after the accelerator pedal is stepped on, the sudden start of the motor vehicle is controlled based on a start instruction in which both of the paddles 9A and 9B are released. As a result, the driver can perform the driving operation at the time of the sudden starting, with both hands gripping the steering wheel 8. Thus, the driving operation at the time of the sudden starting using the start assistant system can be greatly improved.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various design changes can be made thereto within the scope without departing from the gist thereof.

According to the start assistant system of the motor vehicle of the present invention, it is possible to promote an improvement in the driving operability as the driver can perform a start operation without having to separate their hands from the steering wheel.