HYBRID VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20120239237A1
• Filed: 06/07/2010
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Toshiya
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,580 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: 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 10/182 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 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2030/206 related or induced by the engine
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0685 Engine crank angle
• 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 30/20 Reducing vibrations in the driveline
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A crankshaft of an engine, an output shaft of a first electric motor, and an output shaft of a second electric motor are directly or indirectly connected to each other mechanically. When the engine is started, a vibration reduction torque is caused to act on the crankshaft that is set in the form of a periodic torque based on the crank angle, so that torque pulsation of the engine is suppressed. The output torque of the first electric motor is controlled in accordance with the sum of a motoring torque and a part of the vibration reduction torque. The output torque of the second electric motor is controlled in accordance with the sum of its essential output torque for causing the vehicle to travel and a torque for compensating for a shortage of the vibration reduction torque that occurs because a part of the vibration reduction torque is output from the first electric motor.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an internal combustion engine;

a first electric motor configured to have a power transmission path between the first electric motor and an output shaft of said internal combustion engine, for outputting a motoring torque when said internal combustion engine is started;

a second electric motor configured to have a power transmission path between the second electric motor and the output shaft of said internal combustion engine;

a vibration reduction torque calculation unit for setting, when said internal combustion engine is started, a periodic vibration reduction torque for suppressing torque pulsation occurring as said internal combustion engine rotates, based on a rotational position of the output shaft of said internal combustion engine; and

a torque control unit for controlling output torques of said first and second electric motors so that, when said internal combustion engine is started, a partial torque of said vibration reduction torque is output from said first electric motor and a shortage of said vibration reduction torque due to said partial torque is compensated for by the output torque from said second electric motor.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a parking lock mechanism operating when a parking range is selected, for locking a rotational element so that the rotational element does not rotate, the rotational element being included in a power transmission path extending from an output shaft of said second electric motor through a drive shaft to a drive wheel, wherein

said parking lock mechanism is located at a position of blocking the power transmission path between the output shaft of said internal combustion engine and said second electric motor, when said rotational element is locked, and

when said parking range is not selected, said torque control unit compensates for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by the output torque of said second electric motor and, when said parking range is selected, said torque control unit stops compensation for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by the output torque of said second electric motor.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first inverter for controlling said first electric motor in accordance with a first torque command value;

a second inverter for controlling said second electric motor in accordance with a second torque command value; and

a motor control unit for selecting a mode of electric motor control by said first inverter and said second inverter each, depending on an operating state of said first and second electric motors, wherein

said mode includes a first control mode to which rectangular-wave voltage control is applied and a second control mode to which sine-wave pulse width modulation control is applied, and

when said first control mode is selected for said first inverter, said torque control unit compensates for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by the output torque of said second electric motor and, when said second control mode is selected for said first inverter, said torque control unit stops compensation for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by the output torque of said second electric motor.

4. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 3, wherein

when said first control mode is selected for said first inverter, said torque control unit reduces a ratio of said partial torque to said vibration reduction torque, with respect to a ratio of said partial torque to said vibration reduction torque when said second control mode is selected for said first inverter.

5. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said torque control unit controls the output torques of said first and second electric motors so that said partial torque that is output from said first electric motor and a periodic torque that is output from said second electric motor for compensating for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque are different in phase from each other.

6. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said torque control unit includes a first torque calculation unit for setting the first torque command value for said first electric motor by smoothing a variation in time-axis direction of a first torque corresponding to a sum of said motoring torque and said vibration reduction torque.

7. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 6, wherein

said torque control unit includes:

a vibration reduction compensation torque calculation unit for calculating a vibration reduction compensation torque for compensating for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by said second electric motor, based on a shortage torque corresponding to said shortage of said vibration reduction torque;

a torque variation restriction unit for restricting a variation in time-axis direction of a torque command value for said second electric motor on which said vibration reduction compensation torque has not been reflected; and

an addition unit for calculating the second torque command value for said second electric motor in accordance with a sum of an output of said torque variation restriction unit and said vibration reduction compensation torque calculated by said vibration reduction compensation torque calculation unit.

8. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said torque control unit includes:

a first torque calculation unit for setting, when said internal combustion engine is started, the first torque command value for said first electric motor by adding, to said motoring torque, a partial torque of said vibration reduction torque that is set by said vibration reduction torque calculation unit;

a vibration reduction compensation torque calculation unit for calculating a vibration reduction compensation torque for compensating for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by said second electric motor, based on a shortage torque corresponding to said shortage of said vibration reduction torque; and

a second torque calculation unit for setting, when said internal combustion engine is started, the second torque command value for said second electric motor, so that said vibration reduction compensation torque calculated by said vibration reduction compensation torque calculation unit is reflected on the second torque command value.

9. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a three-shaft power input and output mechanism mechanically connected to three shafts that are the output shaft of said internal combustion engine, the output shaft (48) of said second electric motor, and an output shaft of said first electric motor, and configured so that, as respective numbers of revolutions of any two of said three shafts are determined, a number of revolutions of the remaining one shaft is determined and, based on power that is input or output to or from any two of said three shafts, power is input or output to or from the remaining one shaft.

10. A method for controlling a hybrid vehicle including:

an internal combustion engine;

a first electric motor configured to have a power transmission path between the first electric motor and an output shaft of said internal combustion engine, for outputting a motoring torque (Tm) when said internal combustion engine is started; and

a second electric motor configured to have a power transmission path between the second electric motor and the output shaft of said internal combustion engine,

said method comprising the steps of;

setting, when said internal combustion engine is started, a periodic vibration reduction torque for suppressing torque pulsation occurring as said internal combustion engine rotates, based on a rotational position of the output shaft of said internal combustion engine; and

controlling output torques of said first and second electric motors so that, when said internal combustion engine is started, a partial torque of said vibration reduction torque is output from said first electric motor and a shortage of said vibration reduction torque due to said partial torque is compensated for by the output torque from said second electric motor.

11. The method for controlling a hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

said hybrid vehicle further includes a parking lock mechanism operating when a parking range is selected, for locking a rotational element so that the rotational element does not rotate, the rotational element being included in a power transmission path extending from an output shaft of said second electric motor through a drive shaft to a drive wheel,

said parking lock mechanism is located at a position of blocking the power transmission path between the output shaft of said internal combustion engine and said second electric motor, when said rotational element is locked, and

said method further comprises the step of compensating for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by the output torque of said second electric motor when said parking range is not selected at startup of said internal combustion engine, and stopping compensation for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by the output torque of said second electric motor when said parking range is selected at startup of said internal combustion engine.

12. The method for controlling a hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

said hybrid vehicle further includes:

a first inverter for controlling said first electric motor in accordance with a first torque command value;

a second inverter for controlling said second electric motor in accordance with a second torque command value; and

a motor control unit for selecting a mode of electric motor control by said first inverter and said second inverter each, depending on an operating state of said first and second electric motors,

said mode includes a first control mode to which rectangular-wave voltage control is applied and a second control mode to which sine-wave pulse width modulation control is applied, and

said method further comprises the step of compensating for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by the output torque of said second electric motor when said first control mode is selected for said first inverter, and stopping compensation for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by the output torque of said second electric motor when said second control mode is selected for said first inverter.

13. The method for controlling a hybrid vehicle according to claim 12, wherein

said step of controlling includes the step of reducing a ratio of said partial torque to said vibration reduction torque when said first control mode is selected for said first inverter, with respect to a ratio of said partial torque to said vibration reduction torque when said second control mode is selected for said first inverter.

14. The method for controlling a hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

said step of controlling includes the step of controlling the output torques of said first and second electric motors so that said partial torque that is output from said first electric motor and a periodic torque that is output from said second electric motor for compensating for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque are different in phase from each other.

15. The method for controlling a hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

said step of controlling includes the step of setting the first torque command value for said first electric motor by smoothing a variation in time-axis direction of a first torque corresponding to a sum of said motoring torque (Tm) and said vibration reduction torque.

16. The method for controlling a hybrid vehicle according to claim 15, wherein

said step of controlling includes the steps of:

calculating a shortage torque corresponding to the shortage of said vibration reduction torque;

calculating a vibration reduction compensation torque for compensating for the shortage of said vibration reduction torque by said second electric motor, based on said calculated shortage torque; and

restricting a variation in time-axis direction of a torque command value for said second electric motor on which said vibration reduction compensation torque has not been reflected, and calculating the second torque command value in accordance with a sum of the restricted torque command value and said vibration reduction compensation torque.

17. The method for controlling a hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

said step of controlling includes the steps of:

setting the first torque command value for said first electric motor by adding, to said motoring torque, a partial torque of said vibration reduction torque;

calculating a shortage torque corresponding to the shortage of said vibration reduction torque due to said partial torque;

calculating a vibration reduction compensation torque to be provided by said second electric motor, based on said calculated shortage torque; and

setting, when said internal combustion engine is started, the second torque command value for said second electric motor, so that said vibration reduction compensation torque is reflected on the second torque command value.