Driving force control apparatus and method for automotive vehicle

• US 20050279545A1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsuda, Toshiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,407,027 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.225
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/44 Series-parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

In driving force control apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle, an internal combustion engine drives mainly driven wheels of the vehicle, a generator is driven by the internal combustion engine, a motor is driven by a power of the generator, the motor is capable of driving other wheels than the mainly driven wheels, a condenser electrically connected to the generator in parallel with the motor, and a condenser controlling section (8G) connects the condenser to the motor in a case where a vehicle speed (Vv) is equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed and disconnects the condenser from the motor and the generator in a case where the vehicle speed is in excess of the predetermined vehicle speed.

Claims

1. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

an internal combustion engine that drives mainly driven wheels of the vehicle;

a generator that is driven by the internal combustion engine;

a motor that is driven by a power of the generator and is capable of driving other wheels than the mainly driven wheels;

a condenser electrically connected to the generator in parallel with the motor; and

a condenser controlling section that connects the condenser to the motor in a case where a vehicle speed (Vv) is equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed and disconnects the condenser from the motor and the generator in a case where the vehicle speed is in excess of the predetermined vehicle speed.

2. A driving-force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined vehicle speed is a vehicle speed at which a voltage for the generator to be enabled to be generated is estimated to be equal to a voltage across the condenser.

3. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined vehicle speed is a vehicle speed at which a voltage for the generator to be enabled to be generated is estimated to be equal to a voltage across the condenser.

4. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the condenser controlling section connects the condenser to the motor in a case where the motor is in a drive state and an output voltage of the generator is lower than a voltage across the condenser and disconnects the condenser from the motor and the generator in a case where the output voltage across the generator is equal to or higher than the voltage across the condenser.

5. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the condenser controlling section connects the condenser to the motor in a case where the motor is in a drive state and an induced voltage of the motor is lower than a voltage across the condenser and disconnects the condenser from the motor and generator in a case where the induced voltage of the motor is equal to or higher than the voltage across the condenser.

6. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the condenser is a battery and wherein the condenser controlling section is a battery controlling section comprising a first determining section that determines whether the motor is being driven;

a second determining section that determines whether a vehicle speed (Vv) is in excess of a predetermined vehicle speed (VvL) when the first determining section determines that the motor is being driven;

a switch (SW) which is turned on to connect or to hold a connection state between the battery and both of the motor and the generator when the second determining section determines that the vehicle speed (Vv) is equal to or lower than the predetermined vehicle speed (VvL) and which is turned off to disconnect or to hold a disconnection state of the battery from the generator and the motor when the second determining section determines that the vehicle speed (Vv) is in excess of the predetermined vehicle speed (VvL).

7. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the battery controlling section further comprises a remaining capacity detecting section that detects a remaining capacity of the battery and wherein the battery controlling section turns the switch (SW) on to charge the battery from the generator in a power generation state when the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or lower than a predetermined capacity when the first determining section determines that the motor is not being driven.

8. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the predetermined vehicle speed is a predetermined low vehicle speed (VvvL) estimated that the vehicle gets out of a start state.

9. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the predetermined vehicle speed (VvL) is a vehicle speed (Vvg) at which an output voltage (Vg) of the generator (7) is estimated to correspond to a voltage (VD) of the battery.

10. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the predetermined vehicle speed (VvL) is a vehicle speed (Vvd) at which an induced voltage (E) of the motor driven by the generator is estimated to correspond to a voltage (VD) of the battery.

11. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the front left and right road wheels are the mainly driven wheels and wherein, when the front left and right road wheels are in an acceleration slip state by an accelerator slip quantity (Δ

V), the generator generates at a generation load in accordance with the accelerator slip quantity (Δ

V) for the engine so that a vehicle drive state is transferred to a four-wheel drive state, and rear left and right road wheels are driven by the motor which is driven by an extra power of the generator.

12. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the motor is driven by an extra torque exceeding a road surface reaction force limit torque of the front left and right road wheels.

13. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein a drive torque transmitted to the front left and right road wheels is adjusted to approach to the road surface reaction force limit torque so that a vehicular drive state is transferred to a two-wheel drive state.

14. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 13, wherein the vehicle is started with the motor driven in accordance with an accelerator opening angle (θ

).

15. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 14, wherein, when the vehicle speed (Vv) is equal to or lower than the predetermined vehicle speed (VvL), a current is supplied from an output of the generator and from the battery to the motor.

16. A driving force control method for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

providing an internal combustion engine that drives mainly driven wheels of the vehicle;

providing a generator that is driven by the internal combustion engine;

providing a motor that is driven by a power of the generator and is capable of driving other wheels than the mainly driven wheels;

providing a condenser electrically connected to the generator in parallel with the motor;

connecting the condenser to the motor in a case where a vehicle speed (Vv) is equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed; and

disconnecting the condenser from the motor and the generator in a case where the vehicle speed is in excess of the predetermined vehicle speed.

17. A driving force control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

internal combustion engine means for driving mainly driven wheels of the vehicle;

generator means that is driven by the internal combustion engine means;

motor means which is driven by a power of the generator and is capable of driving other wheels than the mainly driven wheels;

condenser means which is electrically connected to the generator in parallel with the motor; and

condenser controlling means for connecting the condenser to the motor in a case where a vehicle speed (Vv) is equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed and disconnecting the condenser from the motor and the generator in a case where the vehicle speed is in excess of the predetermined vehicle speed.