VEHICLE AND VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD

• US 20120221185A1
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMAZAKI, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 9,296,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• 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 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0628 Inlet air flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0676 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/192 Mitigating problems related to power-up or power-down of the driveline, e.g. start-up of a cold engine
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/021 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/101 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/1506 with particular means during starting
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, a rotary electric machine that generates driving force for the vehicle, and a control unit that controls the internal combustion engine on the basis of a state of the vehicle. When the internal combustion engine is started in response to a request for the driving force, the control unit controls the internal combustion engine such that ignition timing of the internal combustion engine while a first mode is selected is later than the ignition timing while a second mode is selected. The vehicle is more likely to be driven using the rotary electric machine in a state where the internal combustion engine is stopped in the first mode than in the second mode.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an internal combustion engine;

a rotary electric machine that generates driving force for the vehicle; and

a control unit that controls the internal combustion engine on the basis of a state of the vehicle, wherein

when the internal combustion engine is started in response to a request for the driving force, the control unit controls the internal combustion engine such that ignition timing of the internal combustion engine while a first mode is selected is later than the ignition timing while a second mode is selected, and

the vehicle is more likely to be driven using the rotary electric machine in a state where the internal combustion engine is stopped in the first mode than in the second mode.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

when the internal combustion engine is started in response to a request for the driving force for the first time after a system of the vehicle starts up, the control unit controls the internal combustion engine such that the ignition timing while the first mode is selected is later than the ignition timing while the second mode is selected.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the control unit controls the internal combustion engine such that the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine for the first time in a period from the start-up of the system to a stop of the system is different from the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine for the second time or later.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein

the control unit controls the internal combustion engine such that the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine for the second time or later in a period from the start-up of the system to the stop of the system is later than the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine for the first time.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the internal combustion engine such that the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine in response to a request for the driving force is different from the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine in response to a request for other than the driving force.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein

while the second mode is selected, the control unit controls the internal combustion engine such that the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine in response to a request for other than the driving force is later than the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine in response to a request for the driving force.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical storage device that supplies electric power to the rotary electric machine, wherein

while the first mode is selected, the control unit controls the internal combustion engine such that the internal combustion engine is started when a state of charge of the electrical storage device is lower than a first threshold, and

while the second mode is selected, the control unit controls the vehicle such that the state of charge is kept higher than a second threshold.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

the state of the vehicle includes the state of charge of the electrical storage device.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the state of the vehicle includes a speed of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the rotary electric machine is a first rotary electric machine that rotates a driving shaft of the vehicle to drive the vehicle, the vehicle further comprising:

a second rotary electric machine; and

a power transmission device that mechanically couples three elements, that is, the driving shaft, an output shaft of the internal combustion engine and a rotary shaft of the second rotary electric machine, and that sets any one of the three elements as a reaction element to enable transmission of power between the other two elements.

11. A vehicle control method used in a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, a rotary electric machine that generates driving force for the vehicle and an electrical storage device that supplies electric power to the rotary electric machine, comprising:

detecting a request for the driving force; and

controlling the internal combustion engine such that, when the internal combustion engine is started in response to a request for the driving force, ignition timing of the internal combustion engine while a first mode is selected is later than the ignition timing while a second mode is selected, wherein

the vehicle is more likely to be driven using the rotary electric machine in a state where the internal combustion engine is stopped in the first mode than in the second mode.

12. The vehicle control method according to claim 11, wherein

when the internal combustion engine is started in response to a request for the driving force for the first time after a system of the vehicle starts up, the internal combustion engine is controlled such that the ignition timing while the first mode is selected is later than the ignition timing while the second mode is selected.

13. The vehicle control method according to claim 12, wherein

the internal combustion engine is controlled such that the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine for the first time in a period from the start-up of the system to a stop of the system is different from the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine for the second time or later.

14. The vehicle control method according to claim 13, wherein

the internal combustion engine is controlled such that the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine for the second time or later in a period from the start-up of the system to the stop of the system is later than the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine for the first time.

15. The vehicle control method according to claim 11, wherein

the internal combustion engine is controlled such that the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine in response to a request for the driving force is different from the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine in response to a request for other than the driving force.

16. The vehicle control method according to claim 15, wherein

while the second mode is selected, the internal combustion engine is controlled such that the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine in response to a request for other than the driving force is later than the ignition timing at the time of starting the internal combustion engine in response to a request for the driving force.

17. The vehicle control method according to claim 11, wherein

while the first mode is selected, the internal combustion engine is controlled such that the internal combustion engine is started when a state of charge of the electrical storage device is lower than a first threshold, and

while the second mode is selected, the vehicle is controlled such that the state of charge is kept higher than a second threshold.