HYBRID VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20080293538A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ueno, Munetoshi, Saito, Katsuyuki, Nakanowatari, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 8,007,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/3
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/268 Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• 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 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0657 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/081 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/027 Clutch torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/105 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 : Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/60 : Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A hybrid vehicle drive control apparatus and method for a vehicle including an engine and a motor-generator are taught herein. When a drive mode requested by a driver is a power mode that attaches greater importance to an acceleration performance than to fuel consumption efficiency, a power mode engine torque that is larger than an optimum fuel consumption efficiency engine torque is used as a target engine torque of the engine.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle drive control apparatus for a vehicle including an engine and a motor-generator, the apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to control a motor-generator torque of the motor-generator to obtain a target drive torque wherein the target drive torque is equal to the sum of an engine torque of the engine and the motor-generator torque, to determine whether a drive mode requested by a driver is a power mode that attaches greater importance to an acceleration performance than to a fuel consumption efficiency; and

to use a power mode engine torque that is larger than an optimum fuel consumption efficiency engine torque as a target engine torque of the engine when the drive mode requested by the driver is the power mode.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the motor-generator torque is a negative value when the target drive torque is smaller than the power mode engine torque.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 the motor-generator torque is a positive value when the target drive torque is larger than the power mode engine torque.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the power mode engine torque is equal to a maximum throttle opening degree engine torque that is an engine torque at a maximum throttle opening degree of the engine.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to determine the power mode engine torque in accordance with a state of charge of a power source configured to supply electric power to and receive electric power from the motor-generator.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the controller is further configured to:

calculate a generation electric power of the motor-generator at the maximum throttle opening degree of the engine;

calculate a maximum electric power of a power source configured to supply electric power to and receive electric power from the motor-generator; and

determine the power mode engine torque as a protection engine torque that realizes both of a motor-generator torque outputting the maximum electric power and the target drive torque where the maximum electric power is smaller than the generation electric power.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the controller is further configured to change the power mode engine torque gradually from the maximum throttle opening degree engine torque to the protection engine torque when the maximum electric power becomes smaller than the generation electric power during operation in the power mode.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the controller is further configured to make the maximum electric power larger than a maximum electric power of the power source during a usual operation where a drive mode requested by the driver attaches greater importance to the fuel consumption efficiency.

9. A hybrid vehicle drive control apparatus for a vehicle including an engine and a motor-generator, the apparatus comprising:

means for controlling a motor-generator torque of the motor-generator to obtain a target drive torque wherein the target drive torque is equal to the sum of an engine torque of the engine and the motor-generator torque; and

means for using a power mode engine torque that is larger than an optimum fuel consumption efficiency engine torque as a target engine torque of the engine when acceleration performance is preferred over fuel consumption efficiency.

10. A method for controlling a hybrid vehicle including an engine and a motor-generator, the method comprising:

controlling a motor-generator torque of the motor-generator to obtain a target drive torque wherein the target drive torque is equal to the sum of an engine torque of the engine and the motor-generator torque; and

using a power mode engine torque that is larger than an optimum fuel consumption efficiency engine torque as a target engine torque of the engine when acceleration performance is preferred over fuel consumption efficiency.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the motor-generator torque is a negative value when the target drive torque is smaller than the power mode engine torque.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the motor-generator torque is a positive value when the target drive torque is larger than the power mode engine torque.

13. The method according to claim 10 wherein the power mode engine torque is equal to a maximum throttle opening degree engine torque that is an engine torque at a maximum throttle opening degree of the engine.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining the power mode engine torque in accordance with a state of charge of a power source configured to supply electric power to and receive electric power from the motor-generator.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

calculating a generation electric power of the motor-generator at the maximum throttle opening degree of the engine;

calculating a maximum electric power of a power source configured to supply electric power to and receive electric power from the motor-generator; and

determining the power mode engine torque as a protection engine torque that realizes both of a motor-generator torque outputting the maximum electric power and the target drive torque where the maximum electric power is smaller than the generation electric power.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

changing the power mode engine torque gradually from the maximum throttle opening degree engine torque to the protection engine torque when the maximum electric power becomes smaller than the generation electric power during operation in the power mode.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

making the maximum electric power larger than a maximum electric power of the power source during a usual operation where a drive mode requested by the driver attaches greater importance to the fuel consumption efficiency.