Hybrid vehicle

• US 20100094498A1
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tamura, Takemi, Watanabe, Hideto, Ichioka, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,832,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/44 Series-parallel type
• 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 2240/30 Parking brake position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• 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 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/182 including control of parking brakes
• 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 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/186 Status of parking brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 : Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 : Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 : Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 : Historical data
• 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

Abstract

When at least one of a condition under which a parking brake is activated, a condition under which a shift lever is shifted to a parking range, a condition under which a shift to the neutral range is executed, and a condition under which a drive termination operation is executed is satisfied during an EV travel mode, a carrier shaft provided coaxially with a crankshaft is rotated by a motor generator, and a cumulative value of a travel distance counter obtained when an engine is stopped is reset.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle, comprising:

an internal combustion engine that transmits a power to a drive wheel via a power transmission mechanism;

a first electric motor;

a second electric motor that is coupled to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine and capable of generating electricity by receiving a drive power of the internal combustion engine;

an electric storage device that is charged by the electricity generated from the second electric motor;

a drive unit that drives the first electric motor and the second electric motor by using the electricity from at least the electric storage device;

a lubricant oil supply device that is coupled to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and supplies lubricant oil to at least the power transmission mechanism;

at least one of a parking brake detecting device that detects that a parking brake applying a braking force to the drive wheel is activated, a parking range detecting device that detects that a shift to a parking range is executed, a neutral range detecting device that detects that a shift to a neutral range is executed and a drive termination operation detecting device that detects that a drive termination operation is executed by a driver; and

a controller that, with a motor travel mode being able to be set in which the hybrid vehicle travels using only the first electric motor as a drive power source, switches the motor travel mode to an internal combustion engine travel mode in which the hybrid vehicle travels using the internal combustion engine as a main drive power source when a cumulative value of a stop history of the internal combustion engine reaches a predefined upper limit value during the motor travel mode, and drives the drive unit to rotate the output shaft using the second electric motor and reset the cumulative value of the stop history of the internal combustion engine when at least one of a condition under which the parking brake is activated, a condition under which a shift to the parking range is executed, a condition under which a shift to the neutral range is executed and a condition under which the drive termination operation is executed is satisfied during the motor travel mode.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the hybrid vehicle comprises the parking brake detecting device, the parking range detecting device, and the drive termination operation detecting device and

the controller drives the drive unit to rotate the output shaft using the second electric motor and reset the cumulative value of the stop history of the internal combustion engine when the condition under which the parking brake is activated, the condition under which the shift to the parking range is executed, or the condition under which the drive termination operation is executed is satisfied during the motor travel mode.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an external charging device that is electrically connected to an external power source and charges the electric storage device by means of the external power source.

4. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the drive termination operation detecting device detects the drive termination operation based on detection information from a power switch.

5. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the stop history of the internal combustion engine is a travel distance obtained when the internal combustion engine is stopped.

6. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the stop history of the internal combustion engine is a stopping time of the internal combustion engine.

7. The hybrid vehicle, comprising:

an internal combustion engine that transmits a power to a drive wheel via a power transmission mechanism;

a first electric motor;

a second electric motor that is coupled to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine and capable of generating electricity by receiving a drive power of the internal combustion engine;

an electric storage device that is charged by the electricity generated from the second electric motor;

a drive unit that drives the first electric motor and the second electric motor by using the electricity from at least the electric storage device;

a lubricant oil supply device that is coupled to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and supplies lubricant oil to at least the power transmission mechanism;

at least one of a parking brake detecting device that detects that a parking brake applying a braking force to the drive wheel is activated, a parking range detecting device that detects that a shift to a parking range is executed, and a neutral range detecting device that detects that a shift to a neutral range is executed;

a drive start operation detecting device that detects that a drive start operation is executed by a driver; and

a controller that, with a motor travel mode being able to be set in which the hybrid vehicle travels using only the first electric motor as a drive power source, switches the motor travel mode to an internal combustion engine travel mode in which the hybrid vehicle travels using the internal combustion engine as a main drive power source when a cumulative value of a stop history of the internal combustion engine reaches a predefined upper limit value during the motor travel mode, drives the drive unit to rotate the output shaft using the second electric motor and resets the cumulative value of the stop history of the internal combustion engine to shift the travel mode to the motor travel mode, and when at least one of the condition under which the parking brake is activated, the condition under which a shift to the parking range is executed and the condition under which a shift to the neutral range is executed is satisfied during the motor travel mode, the drive unit is driven to rotate the output shaft using the second electric motor and reset the cumulative value of the stop history of the internal combustion engine.

8. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

the hybrid vehicle comprises the parking brake detecting device, and the parking range detecting device

the controller drives the drive unit to rotate the output shaft using the second electric motor and resets the cumulative value of the stop history of the internal combustion engine under the condition that the parking brake is activated during the motor travel mode or under the condition that a shift to the parking range is executed.

9. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising an external charging device that is electrically connected to an external power source to charge the electric storage device by means of the external power source.

10. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the drive start operation detecting device detects the drive start operation based on detection information from a power switch.

11. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the stop history of the internal combustion engine is a travel distance obtained when the internal combustion engine is stopped.

12. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the stop history of the internal combustion engine is a stopping time of the internal combustion engine.

13. A control method for a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine that transmits a power to a drive wheel via a power transmission mechanism, a first electric motor, a second electric motor that is coupled to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine and capable of generating electricity by receiving a drive power of the internal combustion engine, an electric storage device that is charged by the electricity generated from the second electric motor, and a lubricant oil supply device that is coupled to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and supplies lubricant oil to at least the power transmission mechanism, the control method comprising:

switching a motor travel mode to an internal combustion engine travel mode in which the hybrid vehicle travels using the internal combustion engine as a main drive power source when a cumulative value of a stop history of the internal combustion engine reaches a predefined upper limit value during the motor travel mode in which the hybrid vehicle travels using only the first electric motor as a drive power source; and

driving the second electric motor by means of the electricity of the electric storage device, to drive the lubricant oil supply device via the output shaft, and resetting the cumulative value of the stop history of the internal combustion engine, when at least one of a condition under which a parking brake is activated, a condition under which a shift to a parking range is executed, a condition under which a shift to a neutral range is executed and a condition under which a drive termination operation is executed by a driver is satisfied during the motor travel mode.

14. A control method for a hybrid vehicle having an internal combustion engine that transmits a power to a drive wheel via a power transmission mechanism, a first electric motor, a second electric motor that is coupled to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine and capable of generating electricity by receiving a drive power of the internal combustion engine, an electric storage device that is charged by the electricity generated from the second electric motor, and a lubricant oil supply device that is coupled to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and supplies lubricant oil to at least the power transmission mechanism, the control method comprising:

switching a motor travel mode to an internal combustion engine travel mode in which the hybrid vehicle travels using the internal combustion engine as a main drive power source when a cumulative value of a stop history of the internal combustion engine reaches a predefined upper limit value during the motor travel mode in which the hybrid vehicle travels using only the first electric motor as a drive power source;

driving the second electric motor by means of the electricity of the electric storage device when a drive start operation is executed, to drive the lubricant oil supply device via the output shaft, resetting the cumulative value of the stop history of the internal combustion engine, and to shift a travel mode to the motor travel mode; and

driving the second electric motor by means of the electricity of the electric storage device, to drive the lubricant oil supply device via the output shaft, and resetting the cumulative value of the stop history of the internal combustion engine, when at least one of a condition under which the parking brake is activated, a condition under which a shift to a parking range is executed is satisfied and a condition under which a shift to a neutral range is executed is satisfied.