Externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle

• US 7,899,588 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisan AW Co., Ltd., Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishii, Eiichi, Soma, Takaya, Takahara, Masatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US12/733,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• 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 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• 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: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An object is to take measures to reduce engine exhaust gas of an externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle. An externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle comprises a battery for supplying electrical power to the motor, a generator that charges the battery with electrical power generated by the driving forces of the engine, and an external charging unit that supplies electrical power from an external power supply device to the battery to charge the battery, and the vehicle travels in either an EV mode or an HV mode. The vehicle further comprises a charged amount measuring unit for measuring externally charged electrical energy supplied from the external charging unit to the battery, and a travel mode determination unit for determining in which driving mode of the EV mode or the HV mode the vehicle travels, based on the externally charged electrical energy. The vehicle travels in a travel mode according to the result determined by the travel mode determination unit.

Claims

1. An externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle, comprising:

a battery for supplying electrical power to a motor;

a generator that generates electrical power using a driving force of an engine and charges the battery with generated electrical power; and

an external charging unit that supplies electrical power from an external power supply device to the battery so as to charge the battery,

the externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle traveling in a travel mode of either an EV mode in which the vehicle travels not by the driving force of the engine but by a driving force of the motor, or an HV mode in which the vehicle travels using at least one of the driving force of the motor and the driving force of the engine, wherein

the externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle further includes;

a charged amount measuring unit that measures externally charged electrical energy supplied from the external charging unit to the battery; and

a travel mode determination unit that determines whether the vehicle travels in the EV mode or the HV mode, based on the externally charged electrical energy, and

the externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle travels in a travel mode according to a result determined by the travel mode determination unit.

2. The externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising,

a total charged electrical energy measuring unit that measures total charged electrical energy of the battery, wherein

the travel mode determination unit determines to travel in the HV mode when a ratio of the externally charged electrical energy to the total charged electrical energy is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

3. The externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a regenerative charging unit that supplies regenerative braking-generated electrical power, generated by the motor through regenerative braking, to the battery so as to charge the battery; and

a regenerative amount measuring unit that measures regenerative charged electrical energy supplied from the regenerative charging unit to the battery, wherein

the travel mode determination unit calculates a sum of the externally charged electrical energy and the regenerative charged electrical energy as determination reference electrical energy, and determines the travel mode based on the determination reference electrical energy.

4. The externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising,

a total charged electrical energy measuring unit that measures total charged electrical energy of the battery, wherein

the travel mode determination unit determines to travel in the HV mode when a ratio of the determination reference electrical energy to the total charged electrical energy is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

5. The externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising,

a discharged electrical energy measuring unit that measures discharged electrical energy output from the battery, wherein

the travel mode determination unit calculates determination reference electrical energy by subtracting a value, obtained by multiplying the discharged electrical energy by a predetermined constant, from the externally charged electrical energy, and determines the travel mode based on the determination reference electrical energy.

6. The externally chargeable electric/hybrid vehicle according to claim 5, further comprising,

a total charged electrical energy measuring unit that measures total charged electrical energy of the battery, wherein

the travel mode determination unit determines to travel in the HV mode when a ratio of the determination reference electrical energy to the total charged electrical energy is smaller than a predetermined threshold.