DRIVING FORCE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE AND DRIVING FORCE CONTROL METHOD FOR VEHICLE

• US 20110054726A1
• Filed: 03/27/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Noumura, Shin
• Application Number:
  US12/934,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054726A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• 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 10/24 including control of energy storage means
• 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 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/105 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/06 peculiar to engines driving electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An ECU (30) includes a target driving force calculating unit (31) and an alternator target driving force correcting unit (33). The target driving force calculating unit (31) calculates an alternator target driving force Fx_ac when an alternator (20) is used for controlling a driving force of a vehicle. The alternator target driving force correcting unit (33) corrects the alternator target driving force Fx_ac, which is calculated by the target driving force calculating unit (31), by adding a charging driving force Fx_dc that is used when the alternator (20) charges a battery (40) with a target battery voltage to determine an ultimate alternator target driving force Fx_total.

Claims

1. A driving force control apparatus for a vehicle, which controls a driving force of the vehicle by controlling a driving force generating source and an alternator that is driven by the driving force generating source and that charges a battery, comprising:

a target driving force calculating unit that calculates an alternator target driving force when the alternator is used for controlling the driving force of the vehicle; and

an alternator target driving force correcting unit that corrects the alternator target driving force, which is calculated by the target driving force calculating unit, using a charging driving force that is used when the alternator charges the battery with a target battery voltage to determine an ultimate alternator target driving force.

2. The driving force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the alternator target driving force correcting unit corrects the alternator target driving force, which is calculated by the target driving force calculating unit, on the basis of a battery voltage or state of charge of the battery.

3. The driving force control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the alternator target driving force correcting unit corrects the alternator target driving force, which is calculated by the target driving force calculating unit, on the basis of a driving force sign of the alternator target driving force.

4. The driving force control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

when a driving force sign of the alternator target driving force calculated by the target driving force calculating unit is positive and when the battery voltage or the state of charge is low, the alternator target driving force correcting unit multiplies the alternator target driving force by a control gain smaller than that when the battery voltage or the state of charge is high.

5. The driving force control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

when a driving force sign of the alternator target driving force calculated by the target driving force calculating unit is negative and when the battery voltage or the state of charge is low, the alternator target driving force correcting unit multiplies the alternator target driving force by a control gain larger than that when the battery voltage or the state of charge is high.

6. The driving force control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the alternator target driving force correcting unit determines the ultimate alternator target driving force between a first threshold and a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold.

7. The driving force control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

when a driving force sign of the alternator target driving force calculated by the target driving force calculating unit is positive and when the battery voltage or the state of charge is closer to a second reference value corresponding to the second threshold than to a first reference value corresponding to the first threshold, the alternator target driving force correcting unit multiplies the alternator target driving force by a control gain smaller than that when the battery voltage or the state of charge is closer to the first reference value than to the second reference value.

8. The driving force control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

when a driving force sign of the alternator target driving force calculated by the target driving force calculating unit is negative and when the battery voltage or the state of charge is closer to a second reference value corresponding to the second threshold than to a first reference value corresponding to the first threshold, the alternator target driving force correcting unit multiplies the alternator target driving force by a control gain larger than that when the battery voltage or the state of charge is closer to the first reference value than to the second reference value.

9. The driving force control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

when a driving force sign of the alternator target driving force calculated by the target driving force calculating unit is both positive and negative or unknown and when the battery voltage or the state of charge is middle between a first reference value corresponding to the first threshold and a second reference value corresponding to the second threshold, the alternator target driving force correcting unit multiplies the alternator target driving force by a control gain larger than that when the battery voltage or the state of charge is close to the first reference value or to the second reference value.

10. A driving force control method for a vehicle, which controls a driving force of the vehicle by controlling a driving force generating source and an alternator that is driven by the driving force generating source and that charges a battery, comprising:

determining an alternator target driving force when the alternator is used for controlling the driving force of the vehicle; and

correcting the alternator target driving force using a charging driving force that is used when the alternator charges the battery with a target battery voltage to determine an ultimate alternator target driving force.