Hybrid electric vehicle

• US 5,881,559 A
• Filed: 07/26/1996
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
• Original Assignee: Isuzu Ceramics Research Institute Co., Ltd. (Isuzu Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Kawamura, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): KOCZO JR, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US08/686,645
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 60/597, 60/607, 60/608, 680/65.2, 680/65.4, 680/65.6, 680/65.8, 290/1 C
• US Class Current: 60/597
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/24 characterised by the combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/26 characterised by the motors or the generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/40 characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/12 of exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• 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 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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: B60Y 2400/435 Supercharger or turbochargers
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2019/006 with thermal insulation
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2023/0612 the material having a high temperature and pressure resistance, e.g. ceramic
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 23/0627 having additional bores or grooves machined into the piston for guiding air or charge flow to the piston bowl
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 23/0633 : the combustion space being almost completely enclosed in the piston, i.e. having a small inlet in comparison to its volume
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 23/0651 : the fuel spray impinging on reflecting surfaces or being specially guided throughout the combustion space
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 23/0696 : W-piston bowl, i.e. the combustion space having a central projection pointing towards the cylinder head and the surrounding wall being inclined towards the cylinder wall
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 : with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 37/10 : at least one pump being alternatively or simultaneously driven by exhaust and other drive, e.g. by pressurised fluid from a reservoir or an engine-driven pump
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 39/10 : electric
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 41/10 : in exhaust turbines use of exhaust turbines for charging F02B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 : Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 : Improving ICE efficiencies
• 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: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/905 : Combustion engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/906 : Motor or generator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 : Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/909 : Gearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/91 : Orbital, e.g. planetary gears
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/916 : with plurality of drive axles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/947 : Characterized by control of braking, e.g. blending of regeneration, friction braking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/951 : Assembly or relative location of components

Abstract

A hybrid electric vehicle which is driven by a motor powered with electric power generated by an engine, wherein the cylinder, piston, and sub-combustion chamber of the engine have insulation structure so that heat sufficient for evaporating fed fuel is held in the sub-combustion chamber. The sub-combustion chamber having a central communicating orifice is formed on the central portion of the piston head, a fuel collision table is formed in the sub-combustion chamber, and a plurality of radial communicating orifices for jetting flame from the sub-combustion chamber against the cylinder is provided, the burning is easy even with using a low pressure fuel injection mechanism, therefore a solenoid valve type injection pump with simple structure is used, the burning is smooth with using alcohol fuel such as methanol and ethanol, the fuel injection timing is adjusted dependently on load to the optimal timing, the number of working cylinders is controlled so as to match to the load, the control allows the engine to operate at the optimal fuel consumption, therefore emission of hazardous substance contained in exhaust gas is minimized. The engine of the present invention needs no cooling mechanism, and also needs no heavy gear box and no clutch mechanism, the weight of the whole vehicle is significantly reduced comparing with conventional vehicles, the fuel consumption is reduced also in terms of the light weight.

Claims

1. A hybrid electric vehicle comprising:

an engine having an exhaust system,

a main generator driven by said engine for generation of power,

dynamo-electric machines coupled with a drive shaft of a pair of wheels driven by the power from said main generator, and

a controller for controlling said dynamo-electric machines,

combustion chambers formed in said engine and consisting of ceramic material and a thermal insulation member with an insulation layer provided on an outside periphery of a wall of the exhaust system,

a turbo-charger provided in the exhaust system,

an energy recovery turbine provided downstream from said turbo-charger,

sub-generators coupled with shafts of said turbo-charger and energy recovery turbine, respectively, and

a controller for merging output electric power obtained from said sub-generators and for driving the hybrid electric vehicle.

2. A hybrid electric vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a heater for heating fuel provided in the exhaust system of the engine,

a temperature sensor fixed to the engine,

a catalyst for reforming a fed fuel to a fuel with a higher cetane number than that of the fed fuel provided downstream from said heater, and

a power supply control member for supplying electric power to the heater in response to a signal from the temperature sensor when the temperature of the engine is low.

3. The hybrid electric vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the crank shaft of the engine and a speed increasing power transmission member are connected so that the speed increasing power transmission member is rotated at a speed twice that of the crank shaft, the main generator is coupled with a shaft which is rotated in a direction reverse to that of the crank shaft, wherein a rotor of said speed increasing transmission member is unbalanced mechanically, and the main generator is provided so that the unbalance of the crank shaft of a four-cylinder engine is compensated.

6. The hybrid electric vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 4, wherein said main generator has a planetary gear mechanism and a peripheral gear, and a generation mechanism is provided on the peripheral gear.

7. The hybrid electric vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 4, wherein said main generator has a planetary gear mechanism with a peripheral gear and an inner speed increasing gear, and generation mechanisms are provided on the peripheral gear and the inner speed increasing gear, respectively.

8. The hybrid electric vehicle as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 4, further comprising a device to detect the temperature of the engine, throttle an exhaust gas passage when the temperature is low, and introduce combustion gas from an exhaust hole to the cylinder.

4. A hybrid electric vehicle comprising:

an engine having a crank shaft and an exhaust system,

a main generator driven by said engine for generation of power,

dynamo-electric machines coupled with a drive shaft of a pair of wheels driven by the power from said main generator, and

a controller for controlling said dynamo-electric machines,

combustion chambers formed in said engine and consisting of ceramic material and a thermal insulation member with an insulation layer provided on an outside periphery of a wall of the exhaust system,

a turbo-charger provided in the exhaust system,

an energy recovery turbine provided downstream from said turbo-charger,

sub-generators coupled with shafts of said turbo-charger and energy recovery turbine, respectively,

a controller for merging output electric power obtained from said sub-generators and for driving the hybrid electric vehicle,

a plurality of second main generators provided respectively on both ends of the crank shaft, and

a second controller for merging outputs from the second main generators and the energy recovery turbine and for operating the dynamo-electric machine coupled with the drive shaft of the vehicle as a motor.

5. The hybrid electric vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sub-combustion chamber provided on the piston head of the engine is formed on the central portion of the piston head.