Electric vehicle

• US 10,351,011 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2018
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2017
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kubo, Kazuki, Machida, Kiyohito, Kawasaki, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuevas, Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US15/861,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20180201150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 290 16, 320101, 320104, 320162
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0438 Arrangement under the floor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2016/003 solar power driven
• 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: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/25 by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/246 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0825 related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0862 characterised by the electrical power supply means, e.g. battery
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/061 Battery state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/064 Battery temperature
• 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 10/90 : Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

An electric vehicle includes: a rotating electric machine; a photovoltaic cell; a first electricity storage device that is charged with electricity output from the photovoltaic cell; a second electricity storage device that is chargeable with electricity generated by the rotating electric machine, and serves as a power source for generating driving force of the vehicle; and a control device. The control device either prohibits charging the first electricity storage device or lowers an upper limit value of an SOC of the first electricity storage device while the control device is executing second charge control of charging the second electricity storage device with generated electricity generated by the rotating electric machine.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

a rotating electric machine;

a photovoltaic cell that converts energy of light into electricity;

a first electricity storage device that is charged with electricity output from the photovoltaic cell;

a second electricity storage device that is chargeable with electricity generated by the rotating electric machine, and serves as a power source for generating driving force of the vehicle; and

an electronic control unit that is configured to be able to execute at least one of first charge control of charging the second electricity storage device with electricity from the first electricity storage device, and second charge control of charging the second electricity storage device with generated electricity generated by the rotating electric machine, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to either prohibit charging the first electricity storage device or lower an upper limit value of an SOC of the first electricity storage device while the control device is executing the second charge control.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to prohibit charging the first electricity storage device when a temperature of the first electricity storage device is higher than a threshold value while the electronic control unit is executing the second charge control.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to lower the upper limit value of the SOC of the first electricity storage device when a temperature of the first electricity storage device is lower than a threshold value while the electronic control unit is executing the second charge control.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an engine coupled to the rotating electric machine, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to make the rotating electric machine generate electricity using power from the engine while the control device is executing the second charge control.

5. The electric vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute the second charge control on demand from a user.

6. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the rotating electric machine is coupled to a driving wheel, and

the electronic control unit is configured to either prohibit charging the first electricity storage device or lower the upper limit value of the SOC of the first electricity storage device, when a difference value obtained by subtracting, from an amount of electricity required to increase an SOC of the second electricity storage device from a current value to an upper limit value, an estimated value of an amount of electricity corresponding to an amount of increase in the SOC that is increased by regenerative energy generated by the rotating electric machine while the electric vehicle travels from a current position to a destination, is smaller than an estimated value of an amount of generated electricity generated by the photovoltaic cell during the travel.