Drive apparatus for hybrid vehicle

• US 5,323,868 A
• Filed: 04/21/1992
• Issued: 06/28/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US07/871,656
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.2, 180/65.3, 180/65.4, 180/309, 180/69.6, 180/165, 123/142.5 E, 60/300
• US Class Current: 180/65.245
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• 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 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• 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 2510/068 Engine exhaust temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/2013 using electric or magnetic heating means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A drive apparatus for a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor, heats the engine or a catalytic converter using the regenerated electricity of the motor. As the temperature of the engine or the catalyst thus rises, air polluting components in an exhaust gas discharged via the motor or the catalyst converter are reduced. Typical air polluting components are NC, NOx and CO.

Claims

1. A drive apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a motor serving as a drive source of the vehicle and at times serving to regenerate electricity;

an electrical generator responsive to a mechanical output of an engine for generating electricity and for supplying the generated electricity to said motor to activate said motor;

means using the regenerated electricity of the motor for heating at least one of the engine and a device positioned in the path of an exhaust gas from the engine;

means responsive to the regenerated electricity for heating the device in the path of the exhaust gas at times when the temperature of said device is lower than a predetermined temperature; and

means for controlling the heating means to suppress the content of pollutants in the exhaust gas.

2. A drive apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a battery;

and means responsive to the regenerated electricity of the motor for heating one of the engine and the device at times when the battery is charged to a predetermined level and when the temperature of said one of the engine and device is lower than a predetermined temperature.

3. A drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the device includes a catalytic converter for reducing the amount of the pollutants in the exhaust gas by catalytic reaction.

4. The drive apparatus of claim 1 wherein the heating means is a discharging resistor for consuming surplus energy of the regenerated electricity of the motor.

5. The drive apparatus of claim 4 wherein the discharging resistor is positioned in the path of the exhaust gas from the engine.

6. A drive apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a battery;

a motor serving as a drive source of the vehicle and at times serving to regenerate electricity;

an electrical generator responsive to a mechanical output of an engine for generating electricity and for supplying the generated electricity to said motor to activate said motor;

means responsive to the regenerated electricity of the motor for heating at least one of the engine and a device in a path of an exhaust gas from the engine at times when the battery is charged to a predetermined level and when the temperature of at least one of the engine and said device is lower than a predetermined temperature;

a device electrically coupled to the motor for consuming the regenerated electricity at times when the battery is charged to a predetermined level and the temperature of said at least one of the engine and the device is higher than the predetermined temperature; and

means for controlling the heating means to suppress the content of pollutants in the exhaust gas.

7. A drive apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said regenerated electricity consuming device includes a discharge resistor.

8. A drive apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a battery;

a motor serving as a drive source of the vehicle and at times serving to regenerate electricity;

an electrical generator responsive to a mechanical output of an engine for generating electricity and for supplying the generated electricity to said motor to activate said motor;

means using the regenerated electricity of the motor for heating at least one of the engine and a device in the path of an exhaust gas from the engine;

means responsive to electricity from the battery, at times when one of the engine and the device has a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature, for deactivating the engine and activating the motor;

means, operable at times when the temperature of the one of the engine and device is higher than the predetermined temperature, for activating the engine and the generator to activate the motor in response to the generated electricity and electricity from the battery; and

means using the regenerated electricity of the motor for heating at least one of the engine and a device in the path of an exhaust gas from the engine; and

means for controlling the heating means to suppress the content of pollutants in the exhaust gas.

9. A drive apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a motor serving as a drive source of the vehicle and at times serving to regenerate electricity;

an electrical generator responsive to a mechanical output of an engine for generating electricity and for supplying the generated electricity to said motor to activate said motor;

means using the regenerated electricity of the motor for heating at least one of the engine and a device in the path of an exhaust gas from the engine;

means for detecting the temperature of engine cooling water to determine the temperature of said at least one of the engine and the device to be heated; and

means for controlling the heating means to suppress the content of pollutants in the exhaust gas.

10. A drive apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a motor serving as a drive source of the vehicle and at times serving to regenerate electricity;

an electrical generator responsive to a mechanical output of an engine for generating electricity and for supplying the generated electricity to said motor to activate said motor;

means using the regenerated electricity directly supplied by the motor for heating at least one of the engine and a device in the path of an exhaust gas from the engine; and

means for controlling the heating means to suppress the content of pollutants in the exhaust gas.