GENERATION CONTROL APPARATUS AND GENERATION CONTROL METHOD
First Claim
1. A generation control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle comprising:
- a rechargeable battery which supplies electric power to an electric motor which is a drive source of the hybrid vehicle; and
a generation unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operation of the internal combustion engine and adapted to supply generated electric power to the electric motor or the battery, wherein;
the generation control apparatus having a second generation mode which controls the generation unit so as to suppress the reduction of a state of charge of the battery; and
the generation control apparatus activates the generation unit with a high load state in which an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time becomes larger than a maximum output electric power of the generation unit, while controlling the generation unit to operate in the second generation mode unless the battery reaches the target state of charge and thereafter continues to drive the generation unit until the state of charge of the battery reaches a target state of charge of the battery which is set at the high load state, when the electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over the predetermined period of time becomes smaller than the maximum output electric power of the generation unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a generation control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle having a second generation mode which controls a generation unit so as to suppress the reduction of a state of charge of a battery, wherein the generation control apparatus activates the generation unit with a high load state in which an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time becomes larger than a maximum output electric power of the generation unit, while controlling the generation unit to operate in the second generation mode unless the battery reaches the target state of charge and thereafter continues to drive the generation unit until the state of charge of the battery reaches a target state of charge of the battery, when the electric power over the predetermined period of time becomes smaller than the maximum output electric power.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A generation control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle comprising:
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a rechargeable battery which supplies electric power to an electric motor which is a drive source of the hybrid vehicle; and a generation unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operation of the internal combustion engine and adapted to supply generated electric power to the electric motor or the battery, wherein; the generation control apparatus having a second generation mode which controls the generation unit so as to suppress the reduction of a state of charge of the battery; and the generation control apparatus activates the generation unit with a high load state in which an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time becomes larger than a maximum output electric power of the generation unit, while controlling the generation unit to operate in the second generation mode unless the battery reaches the target state of charge and thereafter continues to drive the generation unit until the state of charge of the battery reaches a target state of charge of the battery which is set at the high load state, when the electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over the predetermined period of time becomes smaller than the maximum output electric power of the generation unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 10, 11)
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3. A generation control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle comprising:
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a rechargeable battery which supplies electric power to an electric motor which is a drive source of the hybrid vehicle; and a generation unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operation of the internal combustion engine and adapted to supply generated electric power to the electric motor or the battery; a zone determination module which determines whether or not an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time belongs to a high load zone which is equal to or larger than a threshold; a time counting module which counts a time that has elapsed from a point in time when the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time departed from the high load zone; a target state of charge setting module which sets different target states of charge for the battery according to the result of the determination of whether or not the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone; a continuation flag setting module which sets a continuation flag to indicate that the determination continues to be held that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge even after the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time has departed from the high load zone and the time counting module has finished counting the predetermined period of time; and a generation control module which controls the operation of the generation unit so that the battery reaches the target state of charge by charging the battery using electric power from the generation unit, wherein; the generation control apparatus has a second generation mode for controlling the generation unit so as to suppress the reduction of the state of charge of the battery; when the continuation flag indicates that the determination continues to be held that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone, the continuation flag setting module holds the state of the continuation flag until the state of charge of the battery reaches the target state of charge which is set by the target state of charge setting module when the zone determination module determines that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone; and the generation control apparatus controls the operation of the generation unit based on the second generation mode in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge when the zone determination module determines that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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12. A generation control method for a hybrid vehicle comprising
a rechargeable battery for supplying electric power to an electric motor which is a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, and a generation unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operation of the internal combustion engine and adapted to supply generated electric power to the electric motor or the battery, the method comprising: -
activating the generation unit with a high load state in which an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time becomes larger than a maximum output electric power of the generation unit and thereafter, driving continuously the generation unit until a state of charge of the battery reaches a target state of charge of the battery which is set at the high load state; and controlling the operation of the generation unit based on a second generation mode for suppressing the reduction of the state of charge of the battery in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge and controlling the operation of the generation unit based on a first generation mode for holding the state of charge of the battery after the battery has reached the target state of charge.
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13. A generation control method for a hybrid vehicle comprising a rechargeable battery for supplying electric power to an electric motor which is a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, and a generation unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operation of the internal combustion engine and adapted to supply generated electric power to the electric motor or the battery, the method comprising:
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determining whether or not an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time belongs to a high load zone which is equal to or larger than a threshold; setting different target states of charge for the battery according to the result of the determination of whether or not the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone; controlling the operation of the generation unit so that the battery reaches the target state of charge by charging the battery using electric power from the generation unit; counting a time that has elapsed from a point in time when the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time departed from the high load zone; setting a continuation flag to indicate that the determination continues to be held that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge even after the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time has departed from the high load zone and the counting of the predetermined period of time has been finished; when the continuation flag indicates that the determination continues to be held that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone, holding the state of the continuation flag until the state of charge of the battery reaches the target state of charge which is set when it is determined that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone; and when it is determined that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone, controlling the operation of the generation unit based on a second generation mode for suppressing the reduction of the state of charge of the battery in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge, and controlling the operation of the generation unit based on a first generation mode for holding the state of charge of the battery after the battery has reached the target state of charge.
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Specification