Control device for hybrid vehicle and control method for hybrid vehicle

• US 10,562,395 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US15/834,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20180170194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/60 Navigation input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• 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 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• 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 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/214 by power from domestic supply, e.g. plug in supplies
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/92 Driver displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 : having a display in the form of a map
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A control device for a hybrid vehicle is provided with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The control device includes an acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a controller. The acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of vehicle information regarding the vehicle configured to be externally charged. The vehicle information includes information related to a destination of the vehicle. The determination unit determines whether or not the hybrid vehicle is externally charged at the destination based on at least one piece of vehicle information regarding a same-destination vehicle including at least one of a vehicle having the same destination as the hybrid vehicle and a vehicle that has arrived at the destination of the hybrid vehicle. The controller controls the hybrid vehicle in accordance with a result of the determination by the determination unit.

Claims

1. A control device for a hybrid vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor configured to generate a driving force for the hybrid vehicle and an electric power storage device configured to be charged by a power source outside the hybrid vehicle and to supply electric power to the electric motor, the control device comprising:

a processor programmed to;

acquire a plurality of pieces of vehicle information regarding vehicles that are different from the hybrid vehicle and that are configured to be externally charged, the vehicle information including information related to a destination of each vehicle;

make a determination whether or not the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged at the destination based on at least one piece of vehicle information among the plurality of pieces of the vehicle information acquired, the at least one piece of the vehicle information being information regarding a same-destination vehicle that has the same destination as the hybrid vehicle but that has not yet reached the same destination; and

control the hybrid vehicle in accordance with a result of the determination.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle information further includes vehicle type information indicating whether each vehicle is a vehicle not provided with the internal combustion engine or a vehicle provided with the internal combustion engine and SOC information indicating a state of charge of the electric power storage device of each vehicle; and

the determination whether or not the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged at the destination uses the vehicle type information and the SOC information regarding the same-destination vehicle.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle information further includes charging priority information indicating priority of each vehicle to be externally charged by the power source; and

the determination whether or not the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged at the destination uses the charging priority information regarding the same-destination vehicle.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle information further includes charging amount information indicating a requested amount of charging each vehicle by the power source at the destination; and

the determination whether or not the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged at the destination is based on the charging amount information regarding the same-destination vehicle.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle information further includes time of arrival of the same-destination vehicle at the destination; and

the determination whether or not the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged at the destination is based on a difference between time of arrival of the hybrid vehicle at the destination and the time of arrival of the same-destination vehicle at the destination.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the hybrid vehicle is configured to select a first mode in which the electric power stored in the electric power storage device is consumed and a second mode in which consumption of the electric power is suppressed compared to the first mode in accordance with a request from a user; and

the processor is programmed to execute processing to notify the user of switching from the first mode to the second mode when the first mode remains selected in a case where the result of the determination is that the hybrid vehicle is not to be externally charged.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to control the state of charge, such that a level of the state of charge of the electric power storage device at the destination of the hybrid vehicle is higher than when the result of the determination is that the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged, when the result of the determination is that the hybrid vehicle is not to be externally charged.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is programmed to execute predetermined control, such that the internal combustion engine is started with greater ease than when the result of the determination is that the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged, when the result of the determination is that the hybrid vehicle is not to be externally charged.

9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the predetermined control to facilitate the starting of the internal combustion engine is configured to include at least one of (i) making a level of a target state of charge of the electric power storage device higher than usual, (ii) making a starting threshold of the internal combustion engine lower than usual, and (iii) increasing charging request power with respect to the electric power storage device.

10. The control device according to claim 1, wherein:

the processor is programmed to further acquire infrastructure information related to a charging facility at the destination of the hybrid vehicle; and

make the determination whether or not the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged at the destination by using the infrastructure information along with the vehicle information regarding the same-destination vehicle.

11. The control device according to claim 10, wherein:

the infrastructure information includes reservation information indicating a reservation for using the charging facility; and

the processor is programmed to make the determination whether or not the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged at the destination by using the reservation information along with the vehicle information regarding the same-destination vehicle.

12. The control device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is programmed to execute processing to notify the user of the hybrid vehicle of refraining from using the charging facility in a case where the result of the determination is that the hybrid vehicle is not to be externally charged.

13. The control device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is programmed to execute processing to prohibit the hybrid vehicle from being externally charged by the charging facility being used in a case where the result of the determination is that the hybrid vehicle is not to be externally charged.

14. The control device according to claim 10, the processor is further programmed to perform notification for the vehicle not provided with the internal combustion engine to use the charging facility in a case where the result of the determination is that the hybrid vehicle is not to be externally charged.

15. A control method for a hybrid vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor configured to generate a driving force for a hybrid vehicle, and an electric power storage device configured to be capable of being charged by a power source outside the vehicle, and supplying electric power to the electric motor, the control method comprising:

acquiring vehicle information regarding vehicles that are different from the hybrid vehicle and that are configured to be externally charged, the vehicle information including information related to a destination of each vehicle;

making a determination whether or not the hybrid vehicle is to be externally charged at the destination based on pieces of vehicle information regarding a same-destination vehicle that has the same destination as the hybrid vehicle but that has not yet reached the same destination; and

controlling the hybrid vehicle in accordance with a result of the determination.