Control Apparatus for Hybrid Vehicle

• US 20080319594A1
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sasaki, Takahiro, Shibata, Tomohiro, Kitajima, Shinichi, Nakamoto, Yasuo
• Application Number:
  US11/632,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20080319594A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• 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 20/00 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: 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

Abstract

A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that includes an engine and an electric motor as driving sources for the vehicle, and an energy storage device that stores an output of the engine or a kinetic energy of the vehicle after being converted into electric energy by the electric motor. The engine is a cylinder deactivation engine that is capable of deactivating. The control apparatus includes an electric motor-only travel determination device that determines whether a motor-only travel, in which the engine is deactivated and only the motor is used for driving the vehicle, is allowed based on at least vehicle speed, an initial state of charge calculating device that calculates an initial state of charge of the energy storage device when an ignition of the vehicle is turned on, a running interval state of charge calculating device that calculates an amount of change between a state of charge of the energy storage device at each time the vehicle stops, and an upper limit vehicle speed correcting device that corrects an upper limit vehicle speed during an electric motor-only travel that is allowed by the electric motor-only travel determination device based on a difference between the initial state of charge calculated by the initial state of charge calculating device and the running interval state of charge calculated by the running interval state of charge calculating device.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that comprises an engine and an electric motor as driving sources for the vehicle, and an energy storage device that stores an output of the engine or a kinetic energy of the vehicle after being converted into electric energy by the electric motor, the engine being a cylinder deactivation engine that is capable of deactivating, the control apparatus comprising:

an electric motor-only travel determination device that determines whether a motor-only travel, in which the engine is deactivated and only the motor is used for driving the vehicle, is allowed based on at least vehicle speed;

an initial state of charge calculating device that calculates an initial state of charge of the energy storage device when an ignition of the vehicle is turned on;

a running interval state of charge calculating device that calculates an amount of change between a state of charge of the energy storage device at each time the vehicle stops; and

an upper limit vehicle speed correcting device that corrects an upper limit vehicle speed during an electric motor-only travel that is allowed by the electric motor-only travel determination device based on a difference between the initial state of charge calculated by the initial state of charge calculating device and the running interval state of charge calculated by the running interval state of charge calculating device.

2. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an upper limit output correcting device that corrects an upper limit output power during the electric motor-only travel that is allowed by the electric motor-only travel determination device based on the difference between the initial state of charge calculated by the initial state of charge calculating device and the running interval state of charge calculated by the running interval state of charge calculating device.

3. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an interval state of charge difference calculating device that calculates an amount of change from the state of charge of the energy storage device at a previous vehicle stop to the state of charge of the energy storage device at a present vehicle stop; and

an upper limit vehicle speed correcting device that corrects an upper limit vehicle speed during an electric motor-only travel that is allowed by the electric motor-only travel determination device based on the amount of change in the state of charge calculated by the interval state of charge difference calculating device.

4. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an upper limit output power correcting device that corrects an upper limit output power during an electric motor-only travel that is allowed by the electric motor-only travel determination device based on the amount of change in the state of charge calculated by the interval state of charge difference calculating device.

5. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that comprises an engine and an electric motor as driving sources for the vehicle, and an energy storage device that stores an output of the engine or a kinetic energy of the vehicle after being converted into electric energy by the electric motor, the engine being a cylinder deactivation engine that is capable of deactivating, the control apparatus comprising:

an electric motor-only travel determination device that determines whether a motor-only travel, in which the engine is deactivated and only the motor is used for driving the vehicle, is allowed based on at least vehicle speed;

an interval state of charge difference calculating device that calculates an amount of change from the state of charge of the energy storage device at a previous vehicle stop to the state of charge of the energy storage device at a present vehicle stop; and

an upper limit vehicle speed correcting device that corrects an upper limit vehicle speed during an electric motor-only travel that is allowed by the electric motor-only travel determination device based on the amount of change in the state of charge calculated by the interval state of charge difference calculating device.

6. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising an upper limit output power correcting device that corrects an upper limit output power during an electric motor-only travel that is allowed by the electric motor-only travel determination device based on the amount of change in the state of charge calculated by the interval state of charge difference calculating device.