VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20140330472A1
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Published: 11/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Toshiya, Yaguchi, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,902,390 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 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/14 in conjunction with braking regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

When the accelerator and the brake pedal are simultaneously depressed, braking occurs with drive force being produced. This increases the amount of heat produced by a friction braking device. Therefore, when the accelerator and the brake pedal are simultaneously depressed (S100: Yes), the range of use for a regenerative braking device is increased by expanding the regenerative braking limit (S101), thereby decreasing the range of use for the friction braking device, so that the produced heat to be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to simplify the friction braking device and eliminate the need to install a cooling mechanism equipped a high cooling performance.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device comprising a friction brake device and a regenerative brake device, wherein, when driver'"'"'s accelerating operation and braking operation are being simultaneously conducted, a range of use of the regenerative brake device is expanded as compared with a case where only the braking operation is being conducted.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the greater a drive force of the vehicle is, the greater an expansion amount of the range of use of the regenerative brake device becomes.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when a period during which the accelerating operation and the braking operation are being simultaneously conducted becomes long, the expansion amount of the range of use of the regenerative brake device decreases.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when a charging rate of a battery, which stores electricity generated by the regenerative brake device, is equal to or more than a threshold value, an expansion amount of the range of use of the regenerative brake device is smaller as compared with that in a case where the charging rate of the battery is less than the threshold value.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when voltage of a battery, which stores electricity generated by the regenerative brake device, is equal to or more than a threshold value, an expansion amount of the range of use of the regenerative brake device is smaller as compared with that in a case where the voltage of the battery is less than the threshold value.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of a battery, which stores electricity generated by the regenerative brake device, is equal to or more than a threshold value, an expansion amount of the range of use of the regenerative brake device is smaller as compared with that in a case where the temperature of the battery is lower than the threshold value.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the regenerative brake device includes a generator, which carries out regenerative electricity generation, and

when a temperature of the generator is equal to or higher than a threshold value, an expansion amount of the range of use of the regenerative brake device is smaller as compared with that in a case where the temperature of the generator is lower than the threshold value.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when the driver'"'"'s accelerating operation and braking operation are being simultaneously conducted, output of a drive source of the vehicle is reduced.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the range of use is expanded by increasing an upper limit value of a braking force generated by the regenerative brake device.