Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-09
2002-08-13
Camby, Richard M. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
C701S035000, C701S036000, C073S862000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06434454
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to testing system and method for an automotive component such as an engine with a dynamometer.
2. Description of the related art
Various types of vehicular component testing systems have been proposed to test a performance of the vehicular component. The vehicular component includes an engine, a transmission, a differential gear, and so forth. Such a previously proposed testing system as described above is an engine bench test constituted by an engine bench test constituted by a combination of an engine drive system and a dynamometer absorption system and a power train bench test constituted by a dynamometer drive system and a dynamometer (energy) absorption system On the other hand, on the side of the dynamometer DY, there are disposed a rotation detector PP and a torque detector (e.g., a load cell) LC, so that the controls of vehicle speed and output torque are executed on the basis of the detected signals of these individual detectors.
Such a testing system as described above has another previously proposed engine bench test in which the above-described transmission is omitted and, in place of the transmission, a torque meter (or torque sensor) is incorporated on an output shaft of the engine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Using the above-described testing system, there have been executed the test of a durability of the engine, the performance tests on a fuel economy or exhaust gas emission measurements, and the test of a conformance to the ECU (Electronic Control Unit). In order to achieve test results obtained as if the vehicle in which the vehicular component (s) is mounted were running on a road, the testing is implemented by applying a running resistance to the vehicle component to be tested from the dynamometer in a pseudo form. Since, however, the testing drive does not meet with an actual environment when the components to be tested are actually mounted on the vehicle and this vehicle is running on an actual road, a transient fuel economy evaluation in a statutory mode drive, a measurement result evaluation of exhaust gas emission, a driveability of the engine or the vehicle have been mode through a chassis dynamometer, an actual vehicular run. Therefore, in the previously proposed vehicular component testing systems described above have the following inconveniences.
(1) The transient performance test of the engine or the vehicle-related components cannot be executed without using a complete vehicle.
(2) The dynamometer DY and the engine E/G are interconnected through the rotary shaft. Because of a low mechanical resonance point in this system, however, a highly responsive torque wave form cannot be transmitted from the dynamometer DY to the engine E/G, and the highly responsive behavior on the engine side cannot be transmitted to the dynamometer.
(3) In any previously proposed engine control, a performance is so low that the fuel economy and exhaust gas emission data cannot be reproduced like those at the time when the complete vehicle is driven by a driver.
(4) For reproducing the transient state, it is necessary to make the dynamometer highly responsive. However, a response characteristic cannot be improved because a long delay is in the transfer time of the signals between the controller and a control board of the dynamometer.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide testing system and method for a vehicular component which can solve at least one or each of the above-described items on inconveniences of (1) to (4).
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a testing system for an automotive vehicular component, comprising: a dynamometer linked to the vehicular component to be tested via a torque meter and a rotary shaft, the dynamometer being controlled by means of an inverter; a servo driver; an electronic controlling section, the vehicular component to be tested being controlled by outputs of the servo driver and electronic controlling section; a system monitor section that monitors and sets required items including a vehicular specification and a running resistance of the vehicle and outputs required items including the vehicular specification and the running resistance to a measurement controlling section; a model generating section connected to the system monitor section via a transmission path and in which a simulation model including a vehicular vertical vibration model constituted by a vehicular suspension spring and a tire spring and a spring model of an inertia system is set; and a vehicular model execution controlling section that executes a vehicular model simulation for the vehicular component to be tested by introducing at least an acceleration signal and a clutch signal from the measurement controlling section and the simulation model from the model generating section and outputs control signals to the inverter and the electronic control section so as to control the vehicular component to be tested.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a testing method for an automotive vehicular component, comprising: providing a dynamometer linked to the vehicular component to be tested via a torque meter and a rotary shaft, the dynamometer being controlled by means of an inverter; providing a servo driver; providing an electronic controlling section, the vehicular component to be tested being controlled by outputs of the servo driver and electronic controlling section; setting required items including a vehicular specification and a running resistance of the vehicle, monitoring with a system monitor; outputting required items including the vehicular specification and the running resistance to a measurement controlling section; providing a model generating section connected to the system monitor section via a transmission path and in which a simulation model including a vehicular vertical vibration model constituted by a vehicular suspension spring and a tire spring and a spring model of an inertia system is set; executing a vehicular model simulation for the vehicular component to be tested by introducing at least an acceleration signal and a clutch signal from the measurement controlling section and the simulation model from the model generating section; and outputting control signals to the inverter and the electronic control section so as to control the vehicular component to be tested.
This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all necessary features so that the invention may also be a sub-combination of these described features.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3763699 (1973-10-01), Sangster
patent: 4669318 (1987-06-01), Ångström
patent: 5954783 (1999-09-01), Yamaguchi et al.
patent: 645639 (1950-11-01), None
patent: 2000-39380 (2000-02-01), None
patent: 2000-39381 (2000-02-01), None
patent: 2000-105172 (2000-04-01), None
patent: 2000-269738 (2000-09-01), None
Camby Richard M.
Foley & Lardner
Kabushiki Kaisha Meidensha
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