Hybrid vehicle

• US 10,311,653 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Keita, Ishida, Ryuta, Takeuchi, Hiroaki, Arakawa, Hiroaki, Ichikawa, Shinji, Kinomura, Shigeki, Uotani, Akio, Kagawa, Kazuyuki, Kinoshita, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/465,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20170287234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4825 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/186 Displaying information according to relevancy
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/26 characterised by the motors or the generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/42 with use of more than one motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/10 Emission reduction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 : characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 : Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 : Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 : responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 : Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/15 : Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 : Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 : External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 : Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 : Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 : Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 : Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 : output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 : the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 : Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 : Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/905 : Combustion engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/906 : Motor or generator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 : Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/91 : Orbital, e.g. planetary gears

Abstract

A use index IDX indicative of a degree of use of external charging is calculated and transmitted to a vehicle external system. The vehicle external system provides a service or imposes a penalty based on the use index IDX. In a case where the degree of use of external charging is determined to be low based on the use index IDX, if the vehicle external system provides a non-preferential service or imposes a heavy penalty as compared with a case where the degree of use of external charging is determined to be high, a driver or an owner of a vehicle takes an action by which the use index is determined to indicate a high degree of use of external charging. As a result, the use of external charging can be promoted.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an engine;

a fuel tank configured to supply fuel to the engine;

a motor;

a battery configured to supply electric power to the motor;

a charger configured to carry out external charging that charges the battery by use of an external power source; and

a communication device configured to;

receive a communication request from a vehicle external system, requesting information related to a use index indicative of a degree of use of external charging over a predetermined time period;

acquire the use index from an electronic control unit that calculates the use index;

transmit, to the vehicle external system, the use index in response to the communication request; and

receive, from the vehicle external system, information on at least one of a non-preferential service or a penalty in a case where the degree of use of external charging is determined to be lower than in a case where the degree of use of external charging is determined to be higher based on the use index.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

an electronic control unit configured to use any one of the following i) to xiv) as the use index:

i) a ratio of the number of times of charging to the number of trips;

ii) a ratio of a total time for which the charger is connected to the external power source to a total time for which the vehicle is stopped with system off;

iii) a ratio of a total distance of EV travel to a total distance of HV travel;

iv) a ratio of a total time of EV travel to a total time of HV travel;

v) a ratio of the total distance of EV travel to a total travel distance;

vi) a ratio of the total time of EV travel to a total travel time;

vii) a ratio of a total charging amount of charging of the battery by the charger to a total supply quantity to the fuel tank;

viii) a ratio of an integrated value of an energy charged to the battery by electric power from the external power source to an integrated value of an energy consumed by travel;

xi) a ratio of an integrated value of an energy consumed by EV travel to an integrated value of an energy consumed by HV travel;

x) a total time for which the charger is connected to the external power source;

xi) a total charging amount of charging of the battery by the charger;

xii) a ratio of a traveled total travel distance to a total discharge amount of carbon dioxide;

xiii) a ratio of the number of times that the external charging has been carried out in charging chances in which the vehicle is in a state where the external charging is able to be carried out to the number of the charging chances; and

xiv) an inverse number of a quantity of fuel used by an internal combustion engine after external charging.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

an electronic control unit configured to calculate the use index based on at least one of the following i) to xiv):

i) a ratio of the number of times of charging to the number of trips;

ii) a ratio of a total time for which the charger is connected to the external power source to a total time for which the vehicle is stopped with system off;

iii) a ratio of a total distance of EV travel to a total distance of HV travel;

iv) a ratio of a total time of EV travel to a total time of HV travel;

v) a ratio of the total distance of EV travel to a total travel distance;

vi) a ratio of the total time of EV travel to a total travel time;

vii) a ratio of a total charging amount of charging of the battery by the charger to a total supply quantity to the fuel tank;

viii) a ratio of an integrated value of an energy charged to the battery by electric power from the external power source to an integrated value of an energy consumed by travel;

ix) a ratio of an integrated value of an energy consumed by EV travel to an integrated value of an energy consumed by HV travel;

x) a total time for which the charger is connected to the external power source;

xi) a total charging amount of charging of the battery by the charger;

xii) a ratio of a traveled total travel distance to a total discharge amount of carbon dioxide;

xiii) a ratio of the number of times that the external charging has been carried out in charging chances in which the vehicle is in a state where the external charging is able to be carried out to the number of the charging chances; and

xiv) an inverse number of a quantity of fuel used by an internal combustion engine after external charging.

4. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the information on at least one of the non-preferential service or the penalty includes at least one of permission of use of a priority lane on a road including a plurality of lanes, permission of use of a special-purpose lane on a road including a plurality of lanes, permission of entry to a parking lot, permission of use of a priority parking space in a parking lot, or permission of use of a special-purpose parking space in a parking lot, in response to the use index.