OUTPUT CONTROL DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

• US 20130191007A1
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Iino, Hayato
• Granted Patent: US 9,359,970 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/102
• 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 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/06 peculiar to engines driving electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1475 Regulating the air fuel ratio at a value other than stoichiometry
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 45/00 Electrical control not provided for in groups F02D41/00 - F02D43/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

An output control device for an internal combustion engine mounted on an electrically powered vehicle has a power generator driven by the engine, a drive battery that saves a power generated by the power generator and detects an SOC value of a power saving state, and a drive motor that propels a vehicle by using the power generated by the power generator or the power saved in the drive battery, and controls an output of the engine at a time of power generation of the power generator. The output control device sets an engine output determination value corresponding to a boundary at which an operation state of the engine shifts from stoichiometric operation to enriched operation, and limits an output of the engine to equal to or less than the engine output determination value in correspondence with the detected SOC value of the drive battery.

Claims

1. An output control device for an internal combustion engine mounted on an electrically powered vehicle having:

a power generator driven by the internal combustion engine;

a drive battery capable of saving a power generated by the power generator and capable of detecting an SOC value of a power saving state; and

a drive motor capable of propelling a vehicle by using the power generated by the power generator or the power saved in the drive battery, and controlling an output of the internal combustion engine at a time of power generation of the power generator,

the output control device setting an engine output determination value corresponding to a boundary at which an operation state of the internal combustion engine shifts from stoichiometric operation to enriched operation, and limiting an output of the internal combustion engine to equal to or less than the engine output determination value in correspondence with the detected SOC value of the drive battery.

2. The output control device for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1,

wherein, when the detected SOC value is equal to or more than a predetermined value being a lower limit value in a common range of the drive battery, the output of the internal combustion engine is limited to equal to or less than the engine output determination value.

3. The output control device for the internal combustion engine according to claim 2,

wherein, when the detected SOC value is less than the predetermined value, limitation to make the output of the internal combustion engine equal to or less than the engine output determination value is released.

4. The output control device for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1,

wherein the output of the internal combustion engine associated with power generation is obtained by adding an actual drive motor output computed based on an acceleration opening degree operated by a driver and a battery request power computed based on the detected SOC value of the drive battery, and when the output of the internal combustion engine is equal to or less than the engine output determination value, limiting to make the output of the internal combustion engine equal to or less than the engine output determination value is not done regardless of a magnitude relation between the detected SOC value and the predetermined value.