Control system for hybrid vehicle

• US 6,216,465 B1
• Filed: 12/13/1999
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Matsubara, Atsushi, Wakashiro, Teruo, Kitajima, Shinichi, Nakamoto, Yasuo, Kuroda, Shigetaka, Sawamura, Kazutomo
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOANG M
• Application Number:
  US09/459,334
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 606/98, 607/06, 180/65.1, 180/65.2, 180/65.3
• US Class Current: 60/706
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/543 the transmission being a continuously variable transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/917 with transmission for changing gear ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/918 Continuously variable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/919 Stepped shift

Abstract

A control system is provided for a hybrid vehicle with an engine, a motor, and a power storage unit. The control system comprises: an assist trigger threshold value setting device for setting a throttle opening state when the motor starts assist for the output from the engine; a throttle opening state lower limit setting device for setting a lower limit by subtracting a predetermined value from the threshold value obtained by the assist trigger threshold value setting device; a generation reduction device for gradually reducing the generation by the motor between the lower limit and the threshold value so that the generation finally becomes zero when the present throttle opening state reaches the threshold value, when the vehicle shifts from a generation state, in which the motor acts as a generator and the output is supplied only from the engine, to an output assist state in which the motor assists the output.

Claims

1. A control system for a hybrid vehicle with an engine for producing a driving force for said vehicle, a motor for producing an assist driving force to assist the output from said engine, and a power storage unit for supplying electric energy to said motor and storing regenerated energy produced by regeneration of said motor when said vehicle decelerates, said control system comprising:

an assist trigger threshold value setting device for setting a throttle opening state when said motor starts assist for the output from said engine;

a throttle opening state lower limit setting device for setting a lower limit by subtracting a predetermined value from the threshold value obtained by said assist trigger threshold value setting device; and

a generation reduction device for gradually reducing the generation by the motor between the lower limit and the threshold value so that the generation finally becomes zero when the present throttle opening state reaches the threshold value, when the vehicle shifts from a generation state, in which the motor acts as a generator and the output is supplied only from the engine, to an output assist state in which said motor assists the output.