Hybrid vehicle

• US 10,407,057 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirasawa, Takahiko, Takinai, Shingo, Koyama, Yutaka, Cao, Junmin, Yamamoto, Kengou
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Daniel L
• Application Number:
  US15/671,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20180043881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/442 Series-parallel switching type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

There is provided a hybrid vehicle configured to control an engine, a first motor, a second motor and a third motor such as to be driven based on a required torque for driving. When the second motor is undrivable, the hybrid vehicle is configured to control the engine, the first motor and the third motor, such as to provide a higher state of charge of a battery than a state of charge of the battery provided when the second motor is drivable and such as to output a torque from the engine via a planetary gear to one pair of wheels accompanied with output of a torque from the first motor and output a torque from the third motor to the other pair of wheels.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle, comprising:

an engine;

a first motor;

a planetary gear configured to include three rotational elements that are respectively connected with one of a front pair of wheels or a rear pair of wheels, the engine and the first motor, such that the first motor, the engine and the one pair of wheels are arrayed in this sequence in a collinear diagram;

a second motor connected with the one pair of wheels;

a third motor connected with the other of the front pair of wheels or the rear pair of wheels;

a battery configured to transmit electric power to and from the first motor, the second motor and the third motor; and

a control device configured to control the engine, the first motor, the second motor and the third motor such that the hybrid vehicle is driven based on a required torque for driving, wherein

when the second motor is undrivable, the control device is configured to control the engine, the first motor and the third motor, such as to provide a higher state of charge of the battery than a state of charge of the battery provided when the second motor is drivable and such as to output a torque from the engine via the planetary gear to the one pair of wheels accompanied with output of a torque from the first motor and output a torque from the third motor to the other pair of wheels.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein when the second motor is undrivable, the control device is configured to control the engine, the first motor and the third motor, such as to provide a higher ratio of a torque output to the other pair of wheels to a sum of a torque output to the one pair of wheels and the torque output to the other pair of wheels at a higher state of charge of the battery, compared with a ratio provided at a lower state of charge of the battery.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein when the second motor is undrivable and the third motor is driven, the control device is configured to notify a driver that the third motor is driven.

4. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein when the second motor is undrivable and the state of charge of the battery is lower than a predetermined state of charge, the control device is configured not to drive the third motor.

5. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 4,

wherein when the second motor is undrivable and the third motor is not driven, the control device is configured to notify a driver that the third motor is not driven.

6. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein when the second motor is undrivable and the required torque is equal to or smaller than a predetermined torque, the control device is configured not to drive the third motor.

7. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 6,

wherein when the second motor is undrivable and the third motor is not driven, the control device is configured to notify a driver that the third motor is not driven.