Vehicular control apparatus and method

• US 7,178,618 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2002
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Komeda, Osamu, Tabata, Mitsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanaman; Frank
• Application Number:
  US10/301,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20030098185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.2, 180/65.3, 180/65.4, 180/165, 477/3, 477/5, 477/174, 701/51, 701/53
• US Class Current: 180/65.275
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/356 having fluid or electric motor, for driving one or more wheels disposition of motor in, or adjacent to, traction wheel B60K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/105 the accumulator being a flywheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/30 characterised by chargeable mechanical accumulators, e.g. flywheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/387 Actuated clutches, i.e. clutches engaged or disengaged by electric, hydraulic or mechanical actuating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/54 Transmission for changing ratio
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/606 Axle differential or center differential features related thereto
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• 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 2510/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/087 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/027 : Clutch torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/19 : Improvement of gear change, e.g. by synchronisation or smoothing gear shift
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 : Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/3067 : Speed of the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/3115 : Vehicle wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/3144 : Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/3168 : Temperature detection of any component of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/50287 : Torque control
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/50684 : Torque resume after shifting
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/50858 : Selecting a Mode of operation
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/70605 : Adaptive correction; Modifying control system parameters, e.g. gains, constants, look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/70663 : State analysis; Analysing potential states of the machine and developing control strategies at each state
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 48/06 : Control by electric or electronic means, e.g. of fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/914 : Actuated, e.g. engaged or disengaged by electrical, hydraulic or mechanical means

Abstract

A control apparatus of a vehicle includes a clutch provided between a driving force source and a drive wheel; a torque transfer power controller that controls a torque transfer power of the clutch based on a predetermined condition; a behavior control apparatus that is provided separately from the clutch, that adjusts a physical quantity related to a speed of the vehicle that changes with a control of the torque transfer power of the clutch by the torque transfer power controller; and a function determiner that determines a vehicle speed control function of the behavior control apparatus, wherein the torque transfer power controller controls the torque transfer power of the clutch based on the predetermined condition and a result of determination provided by the function determiner.

Claims

1. A control apparatus of a vehicle, comprising:

a clutch provided between a driving force source and a drive wheel;

a clutch actuator that controls a torque transfer power of the clutch based on a predetermined condition;

a behavior control apparatus that is provided separately from the clutch, that adjusts a physical quantity related to a speed of the vehicle that changes with a control of the torque transfer power of the clutch by the clutch actuator; and

a function determiner that determines a driving force adjusting function or a braking force adjusting function in order to determine if a target torque can be output or if a target regenerative braking force can be generated by the behavior control apparatus, wherein

the clutch actuator controls the torque transfer power of the clutch based on the predetermined condition and a result of a determination of the driving force adjusting function or the braking force adjusting function provided by the function determiner.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition includes a speed shift control of a transmission provided between the clutch and the drive wheel.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a speed shift vehicle speed selector that selects a vehicle speed that serves as a reference for the speed shift control of the transmission based on a vehicle speed adjusting function of the behavior control apparatus determined by the function determiner.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the behavior control apparatus has a motor-generator,

the function determiner determines a possible output of the motor-generator based on at least one of a temperature of the motor-generator and a possible output of an electricity storage, which supplies electric power to the motor-generator, and

the speed shift vehicle speed selector sets a speed shift vehicle speed that serves as a reference for reducing a speed ratio of the transmission at a lower speed if the possible output of the motor-generator is below a predetermined value than if the possible output of the motor-generator is above the predetermined value.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the behavior control apparatus has a motor-generator.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the function determiner determines a possible output of the motor-generator based on at least one of a temperature of the motor-generator and a possible output of an electricity storage, which supplies electric power to the motor-generator.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clutch actuator controls the torque transfer power of the clutch such that a mode switch is selectively performed among a first mode in which the clutch is engaged, a second mode in witch the clutch is released, and a third mode selecting in which the clutch slips.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the behavior control apparatus has a flywheel that adjusts the vehicle speed by storing a kinetic energy during a run of the vehicle and transferring a stored kinetic energy to a wheel.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the function determiner determines the driving force adjusting function or the braking force adjusting function based on a rotation speed of the flywheel.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the flywheel is provided within a vacuum container.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an energy conversion apparatus that has a function of converting a kinetic energy transferred from the wheel to the flywheel into an electric energy and retaining the electric energy, and a function of converting a retained electric energy into a kinetic energy and transferring the kinetic energy to the wheel via the flywheel.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the energy conversion apparatus includes a motor-generator that converts a rotation energy of the flywheel into an electric energy.

13. A control method for a vehicle in which a torque transfer power of a clutch provided between a driving force source and a drive wheel is controlled by a clutch actuator based on a predetermined condition, and a physical quantity related to a speed of the vehicle that changes with a control of the torque transfer power of the clutch is adjusted by a behavior control apparatus that is provided separately from the clutch, the control method characterized by the steps of:

determining a driving force adjusting function or a braking force adjusting function in order to determine if a target torque can be output or a target regenerative braking force can be generated by the behavior control apparatus; and

controlling the torque transfer power of the clutch based on the predetermined condition and a result of a determination of the driving force adjusting function or the braking force adjusting function.

14. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined condition includes a speed shift control of a transmission.

15. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of selecting a vehicle speed that serves as a reference for the speed shift control of the transmission based on a determined driving force adjusting function or braking force adjusting function of the behavior control apparatus.

16. The control method according to claim 13, wherein the behavior control apparatus adjusts the vehicle speed by storing a kinetic energy during a run of the vehicle and transferring a stored kinetic energy to a wheel.

17. The control method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of converting a kinetic energy transferred from the wheel into an electric energy and retaining the electric energy, and a step of converting a retained electric energy into a kinetic energy and transferring the kinetic energy to the wheel.