Control system for hybrid vehicle

• US 6,366,059 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• 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: Iwamoto, Takashi, Matsubara, Atsushi, Wakashiro, Teruo, Kitajima, Shinichi, Kuroda, Shigetaka, Sawamura, Kazutomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US09/628,165
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 322/15, 322/16, 322/37, 290/40.C, 180/65.2
• US Class Current: 322/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• 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 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0622 Air-fuel ratio
• 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 903/917 with transmission for changing gear ratio

Abstract

A control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle is provided, capable of charging the storage battery, when the residual capacity of the storage battery is decreasing and when a predetermined amount of the initial residual capacity is decreased. The control apparatus of the present invention comprises a initial residual capacity comparison means S058 for comparing the initial capacity of the storage battery with the discharge depth limiting initial lower limit; a lower limit threshold value setting means S060 and an upper limit setting means S061 for setting the lower limit threshold value and the upper limit threshold value for the discharge amount from the initial residual capacity; a motor control changing means S054 for changing the control mode of the motor when the residual capacity of the storage battery reaches the upper limit threshold value; and a mode setting release means S062 for releasing the setting of the motor control mode set by the motor control changing means when the residual capacity of the storage battery reaches the lower limit threshold value; wherein the control apparatus further comprises a initial residual capacity setting means S059 for assigning the lower limit initial residual capacity to the initial residual capacity when it is determined by the initial residual capacity comparison means that the initial residual capacity of the storage battery is lower than the lower limit initial residual capacity.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle comprising an engine for outputting a driving force of the vehicle, a motor for generating an auxiliary driving force for assisting the engine power in response to the driving condition of the vehicle, and a storage battery for storing a regenerative energy obtained by a regenerative operation of the motor at the time of supplying electric power to the motor or at the time of reducing speed of the vehicle;

the control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle comprises;

a travel start detecting device for detecting a travel start of the vehicle;

a residual capacity detecting device for detecting a residual capacity of the storage battery;

an initial residual capacity comparison device for comparison of the initial residual capacity with the lower limit initial residual capacity;

a lower limit threshold value setting device for setting the lower limit threshold value of the discharge quantity for said initial residual capacity;

a lower limit threshold value setting device for setting the lower limit threshold value of the discharge quantity for said initial residual capacity;

an upper limit threshold value setting device for setting the upper limit threshold value of the discharge quantity for said initial residual capacity;

a motor control changing device for changing the control of said motor when the residual capacity of the storage battery reduces to said lower limit threshold value; and

a mode setting release device for releasing the setting of the motor control mode changed by said motor control changing device when the residual capacity of the storage battery reaches said upper limit threshold value;

said control apparatus further comprises;

an initial residual capacity setting device for setting the initial value by assigning the lower limit initial residual value to the initial residual value when it is determined by said initial residual capacity comparison device that the initial residual capacity is lower than the lower limit threshold value.

2. A control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said control apparatus further comprises an initial value updating device for updating the upper limit threshold value and the lower limit threshold value in response to the updating the initial residual capacity by the residual capacity detected by the residual capacity detecting device when the motor control mode is released by said mode setting release device.

3. A control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the control apparatus further comprises an upper value comparison device for comparing the residual capacity of said storage battery with a discharge depth limiting execution upper limit, and the motor control mode is released by said mode setting release device when said upper value comparison device detects that the residual capacity of the storage battery is higher than the discharge depth limiting execution upper limit.

4. A control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the change of the motor control in the case of decreasing the residual capacity of the storage battery to said lower limit threshold value corresponds to an increase of the charge quantity of the storage battery and to a change of the judgement threshold value for assisting the engine power by the motor.

5. A control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the change of the motor control in the case of decreasing the residual capacity of the storage battery to said lower limit threshold value corresponds to an increase of the charge quantity of the storage battery and to a change of the judgement threshold value for assisting the engine power by the motor.

6. A control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the change of the motor control in the case of decreasing the residual capacity of the storage battery to said lower limit threshold value corresponds to an increase of the charge quantity of the storage battery and to a change of the judgement threshold value for assisting the engine power by the motor.