Hybrid vehicle

• US 10,384,549 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji, Takeuchi, Hiroaki, Ishida, Ryuta, Arakawa, Hiroaki, Kinomura, Shigeki, Hashimoto, Keita, Uotani, Akio, Kagawa, Kazuyuki, Kinoshita, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, Mcdieunel
• Application Number:
  US15/468,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20170282726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/03 Fuel tanks chassis frame comprising fluid storage compartment B62D21/16 ; Details of the fuel feeding system related to the fuel tank F02M37/0076
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4825 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 50/10 using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/16 Connectors, e.g. plugs or sockets, specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/50 Charging stations characterised by energy-storage or power-generation means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/91 Battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/112 Batteries
• 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 903/907 : Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

The number of opportunities where external charging of a vehicle parked in a residential parking space or a charging station in a predetermined period is available is counted as the number of opportunities, and the number of times of the external charging performed in the opportunities in the same predetermined period is counted as the number of times of charging. The number of times of charging is then divided by the number of opportunities to calculate and store a charging frequency. Since the charging frequency is a ratio of the number of times that the external charging was performed to the number of opportunities where the external charging is available in the predetermined period, the ratio is used as an index that can offer more accurate determination regarding an external charging utilization status. As a result, various processing to promote external charging are executed more properly.

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 battery charger configured to perform external charging that charges the battery using an external power supply; and

an electronic control unit configured to

i) count the number of times of charging opportunities that the vehicle is in a state where the external charging is available in a predetermined period, as the number of times of opportunities,

ii) count the number of times of the external charging that the vehicle performed in the predetermined period, as the number of times of charging,

iii) calculate and store a ratio of the number of times of charging to the number of times of opportunities, as a charging frequency, and

iv) determine a utilization status of the external charging of the vehicle based on the stored charging frequency.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to count at least one of the number of times that the vehicle is parked in a residential parking space and the number of times that the vehicle is parked in a charging station as the number of times of opportunities.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to count the number of times that the vehicle is parked in a charging station within a prescribed distance from a residence, as the number of times of opportunities.

4. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to count the number of times that the vehicle is parked in a charging station registered in advance, as the number of times of opportunities.