Control apparatus for hybrid vehicle

• US 6,522,959 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1999
• 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: Matsubara, Atsushi, Takahashi, Hideyuki, Wakashiro, Teruo, Kitajima, Shinichi, Nakamoto, Yasuo, Sawamura, Kazutomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Louis-Jacques, Jacques H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROADHEAD, BRIAN J
• Application Number:
  US09/679,889
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/99, 477/2, 477/20, 318/139, 180/65.2, 180/65.1, 180/65.4
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/54 Transmission for changing ratio
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• 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 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0604 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0609 Throttle change rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1446 the characteristics being exhaust temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• 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

Abstract

A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that can improve the fuel consumption ratio while providing a good drivability is provided. It is determined whether the temperature of a catalyst in an exhaust system is equal to or below a predetermined temperature, and if this condition is satisfied, a Wide Open Throttle determination degree of throttle opening value for determining whether to carry out the Wide Open Throttle control is looked up in a table. Next, it is determined whether a degree of throttle opening is above the Wide Open Throttle determination degree of throttle opening value, and if this condition is satisfied, it is determined whether a remaining battery charge is equal to or above one within the normal use region. If this condition is satisfied, it is determined whether an engine speed is equal to or above a degree of throttle opening Wide Open Throttle prohibiting upper limit engine speed value. If this condition is satisfied, it is determined whether the value of a subtraction timer is zero, and if it is not zero the increase in the amount of fuel is prohibited.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which is provided with an engine which outputs the driving force of said vehicle;

a motor which assists the output of said engine in accordance with the operational state of said vehicle; and

an electricity storage device, which stores generated energy, when said motor is employed as a generator by the output of said engine, and regenerated energy, which is produced by the regenerative state of said motor when said vehicle decelerates, said control apparatus comprising;

a degree of throttle opening detector for detecting the degree of throttle opening in said engine;

an engine speed detector for detecting the speed of said engine;

a degree of throttle opening setting device for fuel amount increase determination for setting a degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination, which is used to determine whether the amount of fuel supplied to said engine should be increased, according to said engine speed;

a fuel amount increase prohibiting device for prohibiting an increase in the amount of fuel supplied to said engine, when said degree of throttle opening detector detects that said degree of throttle opening is equal to or above said degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination and said engine speed detector detects that said engine speed is equal to or below a predetermined engine speed;

a time measuring device for measuring the duration of the state in which said degree of throttle opening detector detects that said degree of throttle opening is equal to or larger than said degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination; and

a fuel amount increasing device for prohibiting the operation of said fuel amount increase prohibiting device so as to increase the amount of fuel supplied to said engine, when said duration measured by said time measuring device is equal to or larger than a predetermined time.

2. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a remaining charge calculator for calculating the remaining charge in said electricity storage device;

wherein, when said remaining charge calculated by said remaining charge calculator is equal to or above a predetermined remaining charge, said fuel amount increase prohibiting device prohibits increasing the amount of fuel supplied to said engine.

3. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which is provided with an engine which outputs the driving force of said vehicle;

a motor which assists the output of said engine in accordance with the operational state of said vehicle; and

an electricity storage device, which stores generated energy, when said motor is employed as a generator by the output of said engine, and regenerated energy, which is produced by the regenerative state of said motor when said vehicle decelerates, said control apparatus comprising;

a degree of throttle opening detector for detecting the degree of throttle opening in said engine;

and engine speed detector for detecting the speed of said engine;

a degree of throttle opening setting device for fuel amount increase determination for setting a degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination, which is used to determine whether the amount of fuel supplied to said engine should be increased, according to said engine speed;

a fuel amount increase prohibiting device for prohibiting an increase in the amount of fuel supplied to said engine, when said degree of throttle opening detector detects that said degree of throttle opening is equal to or above said degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination and said engine speed detector detects that said engine speed is equal to or below a predetermined engine speed; and

a fuel amount increasing device for measuring the delay of the ignition timing in said engine, and for prohibiting the operation of said fuel amount increase prohibiting device so as to increase the amount of fuel supplied to said engine, when said delay of the ignition timing in said engine is above a predetermined time.

4. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle in accordance with claim 3, further comprising:

a remaining charge calculator for calculating the remaining charge in said electricity storage device;

wherein, when said remaining charge calculated by said remaining charge calculator is equal to or above a predetermined remaining charge, said fuel amount increase prohibiting device prohibits increasing the amount of fuel supplied to said engine.

5. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which is provided with an engine which outputs the driving force of said vehicle;

a motor which assists the output of said engine in accordance with the operational state of said vehicle; and

an electricity storage device which stores generated energy, when said motor is employed as a generator by the output of said engine, and regenerated energy, which is produced by the regenerative state of said motor when said vehicle decelerates, comprising;

a degree of throttle opening detector for detecting the degree of throttle opening in said engine;

a remaining charge calculator for calculating the remaining charge in said electricity storage device;

an engine speed detector for detecting the speed of said engine;

a degree of throttle opening setting device for fuel amount increasing determination for setting a degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination, which is used to determine whether the amount of fuel supplied to said engine should be increased, according to said engine speed for each one of a plurality of predetermined values of said remaining charge;

a degree of throttle opening change calculator for calculating the amount of the change in said degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination with respect to the value of said remaining charge;

a degree of throttle opening correction device for fuel amount increase determination for correcting said degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination with respect to the value of said remaining charge in accordance with said degree of throttle opening change calculator;

a time measuring device for measuring the duration of the state in which it is detected that said degree of throttle opening detected by said degree of throttle opening detector is equal to or above the degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination that is corrected by said degree of throttle opening correction device for fuel amount increase determination; and

a fuel amount increasing device for increasing the amount of fuel supplied to said engine, when said duration measured by said time measuring device is equal to or above a predetermined time.