Control apparatus for hybrid vehicle

• US 20050000479A1
• Filed: 07/02/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yonekura, Takahiro, Suzuki, Minoru, Hanada, Kohei, Wakashiro, Teruo, Sen, Naoto, Asakawa, Masanobu, Niki, Manabu
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/90.150
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• 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 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• 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 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0616 Position of fuel or air injector
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0622 Air-fuel ratio
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 13/06 Cutting-out cylinders
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/26 by applying a torque limit
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility

Abstract

An FI/AT/MGECU, in a cylinders deactivation operating state during cruise control where the vehicle speed follows a predetermined target speed, regulates renewal on an addition side of a power plant required torque final value TQPPRQF, and in a case where a flag value of a torque hold flag F_CCKTQS showing to hold the power plant required torque final value TQPPRQF to a predetermined torque value related to a cylinder deactivation upper limit torque TQACS is a “1” (YES side in step S33), when the vehicle speed VP is decreased less than a value obtained by subtracting from a set vehicle speed VC which it the target vehicle speed during cruise control, a predetermined vehicle speed #ΔV (for example, #ΔV=3 km/h or the like) (YES side in step S35), the internal-combustion engine E is switched from a cylinders deactivation operation to an all cylinders operation. The fuel consumption efficiency is thus improved while keeping occupants in the vehicle from feeling discomfort with respect to travelling behavior.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which includes:

a variable cylinder internal-combustion engine capable of switching between an all cylinders operation which operates all cylinders and a cylinders deactivation operation which operates with some cylinders deactivated, and a motor as a power source; and

a power storage unit which transfers electric energy with said motor,

and at least one of said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine and said motor is connected to driving wheels of the vehicle through a transmission so as to transmit a driving force to said driving wheels, wherein said control apparatus comprises;

a fuel supply canceling device which cancels fuel supply to said some cylinders according to an operating state of the vehicle;

a cruise control device which controls at least one of a cruise control to travel drive the vehicle so that the vehicle speed follows a predetermined target speed, and a cruise control to make said vehicle travel while maintaining a predetermined vehicular gap with respect to a preceding vehicle;

an upper limit engine torque calculating device which calculates an upper limit value of an engine torque capable of being output from said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine during said cylinders deactivation operation;

an upper limit motor torque calculating device which calculates an upper limit value of motor torque capable of being output from said motor during an assisting operation which assists the output of said variable cylinders internal-combustion engine by the output from said motor;

a torque limiting device which limits a target torque for a power plant torque capable of being output from a power plant comprising said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine and said motor during operation of said fuel supply canceling device and said cruise control to under a value equivalent to a predetermined torque related to a cylinder deactivation upper limit torque obtained by adding an upper limit value of said engine torque and an upper limit value of said motor torque; and

a fuel supply cancel releasing device which releases cancellation of the fuel supply to at least some of the cylinders among said cylinders to which the fuel supply is cancelled by said fuel supply canceling device, when said vehicle speed is decreased under a speed obtained by subtracting from said target speed, a predetermined speed during operation of said torque limiting device.

2. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said fuel supply cancel releasing device cancels the operation of said fuel supply canceling device to thereby switch the operating state of said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine from the cylinders deactivation operation to the all cylinders operation.

3. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said fuel supply canceling device, in at least one case of:

a case where the air/fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture supplied to said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine is changed from a theoretical air/fuel ratio to a rich side state;

a case where a shift operation is executed in said transmission;

a case where a temperature of a catalyst which purifies exhaust gas of said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine departs from a predetermined activation temperature range;

a case where a duration of said cylinders deactivation operation exceeds a predetermined duration; and

a case where a rotating speed of said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine is decreased to under a predetermined rotating speed, releases the cancellation of the fuel supply to at least some of the cylinders among said cylinders to which the fuel supply is cancelled by said fuel supply canceling device.

4. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fuel supply cancel prohibiting device which, after said fuel supply cancel releasing device releases the cancellation of the fuel supply to at least some of the cylinders among said cylinders to which the fuel supply is cancelled by said fuel supply canceling device, prohibits execution of the cancellation of fuel supply to said at least some of the cylinders to which the cancellation of the fuel supply is released by said fuel supply cancel releasing device.

5. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said upper limit value of motor torque is calculated according to a state of charge of said power storage unit.