HYBRID VEHICLE,CONTROL METHOD OF HYBRID VEHICLE, AND COMPUTER READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM RECORDING PROGRAM FOR CAUSING COMPUTER TO EXECUTE CONTROL OF HYBRID VEHICLE

• US 20090319107A1
• Filed: 07/24/2007
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Soma, Takaya
• Granted Patent: US 8,306,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/18 by enquiring driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/42 by adaptive correction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• 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 2540/043 Identity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 : Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/00 : Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

When curve determine signal from a navigation apparatus is activated, a learning portion learns driver'"'"'s characteristics based on an accelerator pedal opening degree signal, and outputs the result of learning in association with a user ID from the navigation apparatus to a storage portion. A threshold value changing portion reads a learned value corresponding to the user ID from the storage portion, and based on the learned value, changes a threshold value for switching that is used by a traveling control portion. The traveling control portion switches between traveling modes based on a result of comparison between traveling power and the threshold value for switching.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle, incorporating an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as motive power sources, and being capable of switching, in accordance with a traveling state of the vehicle, between a first traveling mode where traveling is performed while said internal combustion engine is stopped and a second traveling mode where traveling is performed while said internal combustion engine and said electric motor are operated, comprising:

user setting means for setting a driver;

learning means for learning driving characteristics during traveling for each driver set by said user setting means; and

changing means for changing a threshold value for switching between said first traveling mode and said second traveling mode in accordance with the driver being set by said user setting means, based on a result of learning of said learning means.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

a navigation apparatus capable of detecting a traveling location of the vehicle, wherein

said navigation apparatus includes determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in a traveling condition where acceleration or deceleration is expected, and

said changing means changes said threshold value for switching, when it is determined that the vehicle is in said traveling condition.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

said determining means determines whether or not the vehicle is in said traveling condition, based on a curve degree of a course of the vehicle.

4. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

said learning means learns said driving characteristics, when it is determined that the vehicle is in said traveling condition.

5. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said learning means learns an opening degree of an accelerator pedal operated by the driver, and

said changing means changes said threshold value for switching so that a range in which traveling is performed in said second traveling mode is increased as a learned value of said learning means is greater.

6. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said learning means learns an opening degree of an accelerator pedal operated by the driver, and

said changing means changes said threshold value for switching so that a range in which traveling is performed in said first traveling mode is increased as a learned value of said learning means is smaller.

7. A hybrid vehicle, incorporating an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as motive power sources, and being capable of switching, in accordance with a traveling state of the vehicle, between a first traveling mode where traveling is performed while said internal combustion engine is stopped and a second traveling mode where traveling is performed while said internal combustion engine and said electric motor are operated, comprising:

a user setting portion setting a driver; and

a control apparatus that learns driving characteristics during traveling for each driver set by said user setting portion, and that changes a threshold value for switching between said first traveling mode and said second traveling mode in accordance with the driver being set by said user setting portion, based on a result of such learning.

8. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising

a navigation apparatus capable of detecting a traveling location of the vehicle, wherein

said navigation apparatus includes a determining portion determining whether or not the vehicle is in a traveling condition where acceleration or deceleration is expected, and

said control apparatus changes said threshold value for switching, when it is determined by said determining portion that the vehicle is in said traveling condition.

9. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 8, wherein

said determining portion determines whether or not the vehicle is in said traveling condition, based on a curve degree of a course of the vehicle.

10. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 8, wherein

said control apparatus learns said driving characteristics, when it is determined that the vehicle is in said traveling condition.

11. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

said control apparatus learns an opening degree of an accelerator pedal operated by the driver, and changes said threshold value for switching so that a range in which traveling is performed in said second traveling mode is increased as a learned value indicative of a result of such learning is greater.

12. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

said control apparatus learns an opening degree of an accelerator pedal operated by the driver, and changes said threshold value for switching so that a range in which traveling is performed in said first traveling mode is increased as a learned value indicative of a result of such learning is smaller.

13. A control method of a hybrid vehicle incorporating an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as motive power sources and being capable of switching, in accordance with a traveling state of the vehicle, between a first traveling mode where traveling is performed while said internal combustion engine is stopped and a second traveling mode where traveling is performed while said internal combustion engine and said electric motor are operated, the method comprising:

a first step of learning driving characteristics during traveling for each driver; and

a second step of changing a threshold value for switching between said first traveling mode and said second traveling mode in accordance with the driver, based on a result of such learning.

14. The control method of the hybrid vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising

a third step of determining whether or not the vehicle is in a traveling condition where acceleration or deceleration is expected, wherein

when it is determined that the vehicle is in said traveling condition, said threshold value for switching is changed in said second step.

15. The control method of the hybrid vehicle according to claim 14, wherein

in said third step, whether or not the vehicle is in said traveling condition is determined based on a curve degree of a course of the vehicle.

16. The control method of the hybrid vehicle according to claim 14, wherein

when it is determined that the vehicle is in said traveling condition, said driving characteristics are learned in said first step.

17. The control method of the hybrid vehicle according to claim 13, wherein

in said first step, an opening degree of an accelerator pedal operated by the driver is learned, and

in said second step, said threshold value for switching is changed so that a range in which traveling is performed in said second traveling mode is increased as a learned value indicative of such learning is greater.

18. The control method of the hybrid vehicle according to claim 13, wherein

in said first step, an opening degree of an accelerator pedal operated by the driver is learned, and

in said second step, said threshold value for switching is changed so that a range in which traveling is performed in said first traveling mode is increased as a learned value indicative of such learning is smaller.

19. A computer readable recording medium recording a program for causing a computer to execute control of a hybrid vehicle incorporating an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as motive power sources and being capable of switching, in accordance with a traveling state of the vehicle, between a first traveling mode where traveling is performed while said internal combustion engine is stopped and a second traveling mode where traveling is performed while said internal combustion engine and said electric motor are operated, the program comprising:

a step of learning driving characteristics during traveling for each driver; and

a step of changing a threshold value for switching between said first traveling mode and said second traveling mode in accordance with the driver, based on a result of such learning.