Engine control system for hybrid vehicle

• US 6,316,842 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Issued: 11/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1999
• 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: Takahashi, Hideyuki, Wakashiro, Teruo, Kuroda, Shigetaka, Fukuchi, Hironao
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US09/520,163
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 290/40.C, 290/40.A, 290/40.B, 290/40.R, 322/16, 180/65.4
• US Class Current: 290/40.00C
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/543 the transmission being a continuously variable transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• 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 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0616 Position of fuel or air injector
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0825 related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/084 State of vehicle accessories, e.g. air condition or power steering
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/061 Battery state of charge [SOC]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/907 Electricity storage, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/918 Continuously variable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/919 : Stepped shift

Abstract

The engine control system, according to the present invention, for a hybrid vehicle, which has an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as driving force sources, and permits stopping and starting of the engine in accordance with predetermined drive conditions, the engine control system comprises: power-consumption detector for detecting an amount of power consumption by predetermined device; first power storage unit for supplying electric energy to the motor and storing energy generated when the electric motor is operated as a generator by the internal combustion engine and energy regenerated by regeneration; second power storage unit for supplying electric energy to the predetermined device; remaining-amount detector for detecting a remaining charge of said first power storage unit; stop/start determination device for determining whether to permit stopping or starting of the engine in accordance with the amount of power consumption by the predetermined device and the remaining charge of the first power storage unit; engine stopper for stopping the engine based on a result of a decision by the stop/start determination device; and engine starter for starting the engine based on the result of the decision by the stop/start determination device.

Claims

1. An engine control system for a hybrid vehicle, which has an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as driving force sources, and permits stopping and starting of said engine in accordance with predetermined drive conditions, said engine control system comprising:

power-consumption detector for detecting an amount of power consumption by a predetermined device;

first power storage unit for supplying electric energy to said motor and storing energy generated when said electric motor is operated as a generator by said internal combustion engine and energy regenerated by regeneration;

second power storage unit for supplying electric energy to said predetermined device;

remaining charge detector for detecting a remaining charge of said first power storage unit;

stop/start determination device for determining whether to permit stopping or starting of said engine in accordance with said amount of power consumption by said predetermined device and said remaining charge of said first power storage unit;

engine stopper for stopping said engine based on a result of a decision by said stop/start determination device; and

engine starter for starting said engine based on said result of said decision by said stop/start determination device.

2. An engine control system according to claim 1, wherein said first power storage unit supplies electric energy to said second power storage unit via a downverter, and is capable of supplying power to drive said predetermined device via said downverter, said stop/start determination device determines to permit stopping of said engine when said remaining charge of said power storage unit is equal to or greater than an upper threshold value of said remaining charge of said power storage unit set in association with said amount of power consumption by said predetermined device, and determines to permit starting of said engine when said remaining charge of said power storage unit is equal to or smaller than a lower threshold value of said remaining charge of said power storage unit set in association with said amount of power consumption by said predetermined device.