VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20140136087A1
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kamatani, Hideki
• Application Number:
  US14/127,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136087A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/113
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/004 for vehicles having a combustion engine and electric drive means, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2218 controlling the operation of electric heaters
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2237 supplementary heating, e.g. during stop and go of a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/224 automatic operation, e.g. control circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2253 related to an operational state of the vehicle or a vehicle component
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2265 related to the quantity of heat produced by the heater
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/905 Combustion engine

Abstract

When there is a request for heating prior to completion of warm-up of an engine, an air-conditioner electronic control unit uses a PTC heater as a heat source for heating and cancels a warm-up request for the engine if the state of charge of a battery is high, while the control unit uses the engine as a heat source for heating and sets a warm-up request for the engine if the state of charge of the battery is low. Thus, stopping the engine for heating is less frequently inhibited while ensuring the heating performance.

Claims

1. A vehicle control apparatus capable of using two heat sources for heating, the heat sources being an electric heat source for generating heat by electric power and an engine,

wherein, when there is a request for heating prior to completion of engine warm-up, the vehicle control apparatus selects the heat source to use for heating from the electric heat source and the engine according to a state of charge of a battery.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when there is the request for heating prior to completion of engine warm-up, the vehicle control apparatus selects the electric heat source as a heat source for heating if the state of charge of the battery is high, and the vehicle control apparatus selects the engine as a heat source for heating if the state of charge of the battery is low.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control apparatus is configured to raise an operation rate of the engine according to setting of a warm-up request,

wherein, when there is the request for heating prior to completion of engine warm-up, the vehicle control apparatus selects the electric heat source as a heat source for heating and cancels the setting of the warm-up request if the state of charge of the battery is high, and the vehicle control apparatus selects the engine as a heat source for heating and sets the warm-up request if the state of charge of the battery is low.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control apparatus is employed for a hybrid vehicle, which includes the engine and a motor as power sources, and is configured to inhibit stopping the engine according to setting of a warm-up request,

wherein, when there is the request for heating prior to completion of engine warm-up, the vehicle control apparatus selects the electric heat source as a heat source for heating and cancels the setting of the warm-up request if the state of charge of the battery is high, and the vehicle control apparatus selects the engine as a heat source for heating and sets the warm-up request if the state of charge of the battery is low.