Hybrid vehicle

• US 6,059,064 A
• Filed: 04/28/1997
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagano, Shuji, Morisawa, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, J. J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANAMAN, FRANK BENNETT
• Application Number:
  US08/845,820
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.2, 180/65.3, 180/65.4, 180/65.6, 180/165, 180/178, 180/242, 180/243, 180/248, 477/194, 477/195
• US Class Current: 180/243
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/356 having fluid or electric motor, for driving one or more wheels disposition of motor in, or adjacent to, traction wheel B60K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/44 Series-parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/16 longitudinal
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/602 ABS features related thereto
• 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 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• 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 2510/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 : Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 : Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 : Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 : Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18109 : Braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18118 : Hill holding
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 : Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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 903/916 : with plurality of drive axles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/919 : Stepped shift
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/947 : Characterized by control of braking, e.g. blending of regeneration, friction braking

Abstract

A hybrid vehicle including: an engine and a motor-generator for outputting drive forces to run a vehicle; and a brake pedal for applying a braking force to the running vehicle. While an engine braking force is being established, it is detected that the brake pedal is depressed. After this depression of the brake pedal, the vehicle speed is detected so that the regenerative braking is effected by the motor generator on the basis of the detected vehicle speed.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle which has a plurality of prime movers individually controlled for running a vehicle, and a brake unit acting for running and stopping the vehicle, comprising:

brake detecting means for detecting that the braking of the vehicle is executed by said brake unit, when the vehicle is run by one of said prime movers;

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed after the braking by said brake unit;

decide means for deciding whether or not the actual vehicle behavior corresponds to that achieved by the braking, on the basis of the vehicle speed detected by said vehicle speed detecting means; and

assist control means for controlling another of said prime movers so as to increase or decrease its output, when said decide means decides that the behavior of the vehicle does not correspond to the detected activation of the brake unit, to achieve a behavior of the vehicle consistent with activating said brake unit.

2. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein said assist control means include means for controlling any of said prime movers to establish a braking force.

3. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein any of said prime movers includes a motor-generator, and

wherein said assist control means include means for establishing a braking force by controlling a regenerative action of said motor-generator.

4. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

means for increasing the braking force by said motor-generator in accordance with a decision content of said decide means.

5. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein said vehicle speed detecting means includes means for detecting the vehicle speed at the instant when a braking action is released after once effected, and

wherein said decide means includes means for deciding whether or not the vehicle speed, as detected after the braking was released, has a tendency to rise.

6. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an anti-lock brake system for controlling the braking force of wheels so that the wheels may not lock,

wherein said vehicle speed detecting means includes means for detecting the vehicle speed with said anti-lock brake system being inactive.

7. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission for setting a plurality of gear stages;

downshift detecting means for detecting that a downshift is executed in said transmission; and

means for increasing a braking force by any of said prime movers, when the downshift of said transmission is detected by said downshift detecting means, in accordance with a decision of said decide means.

8. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, including means for controlling at least one of said prime movers such that a slip ratio of the wheels is low for a high coefficient of friction with the road surface.

9. A hybrid vehicle which has a plurality of prime movers individually controlled for running a vehicle, and a transmission for setting a forward gear stage, a reverse gear stage and a neutral to transmit no drive force, comprising:

action detecting means for detecting the gear stage or the neutral, which is set by said transmission;

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed;

decide means for deciding whether or not the behavior of the vehicle corresponds to that set by said transmission, on the basis of the vehicle speed detected by said vehicle speed detecting means; and

assist control means for controlling the output of any of said prime movers so that the vehicle may be kept in a stopped state.

10. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 9,

wherein said vehicle speed detecting means includes means for detecting the vehicle speed including a moving direction of the vehicle,

wherein said decide means includes means for deciding whether or not the vehicle speed detected by said vehicle speed detecting means corresponds to the state in which said transmission is set, and

wherein said assist control means include means for controlling any of said prime movers in a direction to keep the vehicle in the stopped state when the moving direction of the vehicle is different from the gear stage set by said transmission.

11. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 10,

wherein said decide means includes means for deciding whether or not the behavior of the vehicle corresponds to the state set by said transmission, on the basis of the vehicle speed after lapse of a predetermined time period from the instant when said vehicle speed detecting means detects the vehicle speed.

12. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising:

select means for preventing behavior of the vehicle, which is different from the state set by said transmission,

wherein said assist control means include means for controlling any of said prime movers so as to keep the vehicle in the stopped state, when it is selected by said select means to prevent the behavior of the vehicle, which is different from the state set by said transmission.

13. A hybrid vehicle which has a plurality of prime movers individually controlled for running a vehicle, and a transmission for setting a forward gear stage, a reverse gear stage and a neutral to transmit no drive force, comprising:

action detecting means for detecting the gear stage or the neutral, which is set by said transmission;

acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration including the moving direction of the vehicle;

decide means for deciding whether or not the behavior of the vehicle corresponds to that set by said transmission, on the basis of the acceleration detected by said acceleration detecting means; and

assist control means for controlling the output of any of said prime movers so that the vehicle may be kept in a stopped state, when the acceleration fails to correspond to the state set by said transmission.

14. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising:

select means for preventing behavior of the vehicle, which is different from the state set by said transmission,

wherein said assist control means include means for controlling any of said prime movers so as to keep the vehicle in the stopped state, when it is selected by said select means to prevent the behavior of the vehicle, which is different from the state set by said transmission.

15. A hybrid vehicle which has a plurality of prime movers individually controlled for running a vehicle, and a transmission for setting forward gear stages and a reverse gear stage of which drive forces are different from each other, comprising:

action detecting means for detecting that the gear stage in which the drive force to be established by wheels is raised, is set by the transmission;

behavior detecting means for detecting that the action to increase the output of one of said prime movers is executed;

decide means for deciding whether or not the action to increase the output of one said prime movers is over a preset reference value; and

assist control means for executing the control of any of said prime movers so as to establish a braking force when the lowest one of the forward gear stages or the reverse gear stage is set by said transmission, when the vehicle speed is within a preset speed range and when no braking action is executed.

16. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 15,

wherein another of said prime movers includes an engine having an output increased according to its throttle opening,

wherein said behavior detecting means include means for detecting said throttle opening, and

wherein any of said prime movers include a motor-generator.