Control mechanism and display for hybrid vehicle

• US 20060185917A1
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ozeki, Takashi, Kojima, Hiroyuki, Tsukada, Yoshiaki, Uchisasai, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.230
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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 20/11 using model predictive control [MPC] strategies, i.e. control methods based on models predicting performance utilising navigation and traffic information in the control strategy B60W20/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/184 Preventing damage resulting from overload or excessive wear of the driveline
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/08 Arrangements of scales, pointers, lamps or acoustic indicators, e.g. in automobile speedometers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle having a motor driving means enabling its running through an output of an electric motor, and an engine driving means enabling its running through an output of an engine, includes a throttle sensor and a driving change-over control unit having a mode map for determining each of working regions M, E of the motor driving unit and the engine driving unit in response to a sensing signal θ of the throttle sensor. The mode map is provided with a critical region Ma adjacent to the working region E of the engine driving unit in the working region M of the motor driving unit and an informing unit (display device) to inform a driver of a fact that the motor driving unit is being operated in the critical region Ma. The display device also indicates a battery residual amount.

Claims

1. A control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle comprising a motor driving means enabling a running of the vehicle through an output of an electric motor, an engine driving means enabling the running of the vehicle through an output of an engine, a throttle sensor for sensing an opening degree of a throttle valve of the engine, and a driving change-over control means having a mode map for determining each of working regions (M, E) of the motor driving means and the engine driving means in response to a sensing signal (θ

) of the throttle sensor,

wherein said mode map is provided with a critical region (Ma) adjacent to the working region (E) of the engine driving means in the working region (M) of the motor driving means and an informing means for informing a driver of a fact that the motor driving means is being operated in the critical region (Ma).

2. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said mode map is constituted for determining each of the working regions (M, E) of the motor driving means and the engine driving means in reference to an opening speed (dθ

/dt) of the throttle valve in addition to a sensing signal (θ

) of the throttle sensor.

3. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the driving change-over control means detects a residual capacity of a battery and informs it to a driver through said informing means when it is determined that the residual capacity approaches to a lower limit value enabling an operation of the motor driving means to be carried out.

4. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the driving change-over control means detects a residual capacity of a battery and informs it to a driver through said informing means when it is determined that the residual capacity approaches to a lower limit value enabling an operation of the motor driving means to be carried out.

5. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the driving change-over control means is constituted such that the driving change-over control means automatically changes it to an operation of the engine driving means when it is determined that the residual capacity of the battery is decreased under the lower limit value enabling the operation of the motor driving means to be carried out under an operation of the motor driving means.

6. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the informing means is a display device that includes an indicator for emitting light in response to a charging and discharging status of a battery, and

wherein said indicator can selectively emit light of at least two colors, and said display device includes a light emitting control means to cause said indicator to emit light with a first color if said battery is being charged and to cause said indicator to emit light with a second color if said battery is being discharged.

7. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 6, wherein said display device further comprises a battery residual amount monitoring means for monitoring a residual charged amount of said battery, and said light emitting control means performs said light emitting control when the charging residual amount of the battery is in a specified range.

8. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said light emitting control means illuminates to emit light of said indicator with the second color when the battery is being discharged and a duty ratio of said illumination light emitting is varied in response to the charging residual amount of said battery.

9. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said light emitting control means illuminates to emit light of said indicator with the first color when the battery is being charged and a duty ratio of said illumination light emitting is varied in response to the charging residual amount of said battery.

10. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 8, wherein a duty ratio of said illumination emitted light is varied in a stepwise manner in response to the charging residual amount of said battery.

11. A control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle having a motor driving means enabling a running of the vehicle through an output of an electric motor, and an engine driving means enabling the running of the vehicle through an output of an engine, the control mechanism comprising:

a throttle sensor for sensing an opening degree of a throttle valve of the engine;

driving change-over control means having a mode map for determining each of working regions (M, E) of the motor driving means and the engine driving means in response to a sensing signal (θ

) of the throttle sensor,

wherein said mode map is provided with a critical region (Ma) adjacent to the working region (E) of the engine driving means in the working region (M) of the motor driving means and an informing means for informing a driver of a fact that the motor driving means is being operated in the critical region (Ma).

12. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said mode map is constituted for determining each of the working regions (M, E) of the motor driving means and the engine driving means in reference to an opening speed (dθ

/dt) of the throttle valve in addition to a sensing signal (θ

) of the throttle sensor.

13. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the driving change-over control means detects a residual capacity of a battery and informs it to a driver through said informing means when it is determined that the residual capacity approaches to a lower limit value enabling an operation of the motor driving means to be carried out.

14. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the driving change-over control means detects a residual capacity of a battery and informs it to a driver through said informing means when it is determined that the residual capacity approaches to a lower limit value enabling an operation of the motor driving means to be carried out.

15. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the driving change-over control means is constituted such that the driving change-over control means automatically changes it to an operation of the engine driving means when it is determined that the residual capacity of the battery is decreased under the lower limit value enabling the operation of the motor driving means to be carried out under an operation of the motor driving means.

16. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the informing means is a display device that includes an indicator for emitting light in response to a charging and discharging status of a battery, and

wherein said indicator can selectively emit light of at least two colors, and said display device includes a light emitting control means to cause said indicator to emit light with a first color if said battery is being charged and to cause said indicator to emit light with a second color if said battery is being discharged.

17. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said display device further comprises a battery residual amount monitoring means for monitoring a residual charged amount of said battery, and said light emitting control means performs said light emitting control when the charging residual amount of the battery is in a specified range.

18. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 17, wherein said light emitting control means illuminates to emit light of said indicator with the second color when the battery is being discharged and a duty ratio of said illumination light emitting is varied in response to the charging residual amount of said battery.

19. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said light emitting control means illuminates to emit light of said indicator with the first color when the battery is being charged and a duty ratio of said illumination light emitting is varied in response to the charging residual amount of said battery.

20. The control mechanism for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 18, wherein a duty ratio of said illumination emitted light is varied in a stepwise manner in response to the charging residual amount of said battery.