Control device for hybrid vehicle

• US 6,694,232 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2003
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Saito, Osamu, Kubodera, Masao, Tatara, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US10/457,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20030236599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 252 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 606/98, 607/06, 318/139, 318/140, 318/149, 180/65.1, 180/65.3, 180/65.5, 123/198.F
• 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 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/18 Controlling the braking effect B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/26 Controlling the braking effect
• 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 10/18 including control of braking systems
• 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 20/14 in conjunction with braking regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• 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: Y10S 903/917 : with transmission for changing gear ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/947 : Characterized by control of braking, e.g. blending of regeneration, friction braking

Abstract

A control device for a hybrid vehicle which comprises an engine and a motor-generator that is capable of generating electrical power as power sources, and in which the power of at least one of the engine and the motor-generator is transmitted to an output shaft for driving the hybrid vehicle. The control device comprises a battery which is capable of supplying energy to the motor-generator, a state of charge measuring section for measuring the state of charge of the battery, and a drive control section that preliminarily stores information of a motor drive permissible vehicle speed below which a motor drive mode, in which the engine outputs no power and the motor is operated solely for driving the hybrid vehicle, is employed. The drive control section is adapted to control so to increase the motor drive permissible vehicle speed when the state of charge of the battery measured by the state of charge measuring section is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A control device for a hybrid vehicle which comprises an engine and a motor that is capable of generating electrical power as power sources, and in which the power of at least one of the engine and the motor is transmitted to an output shaft for driving the hybrid vehicle, the control device comprising:

an energy storage section which is capable of supplying energy to the motor;

a state of charge measuring section for measuring the state of charge of the energy storage section; and

a drive control section that preliminarily stores information of a motor drive permissible vehicle speed below which a motor drive mode, in which the engine outputs no power and the motor is operated solely for driving the hybrid vehicle, is employed,

wherein the drive control section is adapted to control so to increase the motor drive permissible vehicle speed when the state of charge of the energy storage section measured by the state of charge measuring section is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

2. A control device according to claim 1, wherein the engine is adapted to perform a cylinder deactivation operation, in which the operations of associated intake and exhaust valves are suspended, on at least some of cylinders thereof in the motor drive mode in which the engine outputs no power.

3. A control device according to claim 1, wherein the motor drive permissible vehicle speed is set so as to be gradually increased as the state of charge of the energy storage section increases.

4. A control device according to claim 3, wherein the drive control section is further adapted to control so as to lower the motor drive permissible vehicle speed to the level before being increased when the state of charge of the energy storage section measured by the state of charge measuring section becomes less than the state of charge corresponding to the motor drive permissible vehicle speed after being increased.

5. A control device according to claim 4, wherein the state of charge corresponding to the motor drive permissible vehicle speed after being increased is provided with hysteresis that is set depending on the motor drive permissible vehicle speed.

6. A control device according to claim 1, wherein a motor drive permissible period after the motor drive permissible vehicle speed is increased is preliminarily set depending on the vehicle speed and the state of charge of the energy storage section.

7. A control device for a hybrid vehicle which comprises an engine and a motor that is capable of generating electrical power as power sources, and in which the power of at least one of the engine and the motor is transmitted to an output shaft for driving the hybrid vehicle, the control device comprising:

an energy storage section which is capable of supplying energy to the motor;

a state of charge measuring section for measuring the state of charge of the energy storage section;

a cylinder deactivation executing section which executes a cylinder deactivation operation on at least some of cylinders of the engine by suspending the operations of associated intake and exhaust valves; and

a drive control section which is adapted to control the cylinder deactivation executing section, when the motor performs a regenerative operation during deceleration of the hybrid vehicle, so as to execute a cylinder deactivation operation when the state of charge of the energy storage section measured by the state of charge measuring section is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and so as to prohibit a cylinder deactivation operation when the state of charge of the energy storage section measured by the state of charge measuring section is greater than the predetermined value.

8. A control device according to claim 7, wherein the drive control section is further adapted to set the amount of regeneration, when the cylinder deactivation executing section is prohibited to execute a cylinder deactivation operation, to be less than that in a state in which the state of charge is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

9. A control device according to claim 8, wherein the drive control section is further adapted to gradually decrease the amount of regeneration as the state of charge of the energy storage section increases.