Control apparatus for hybrid vehicle

• US 8,282,527 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2009
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jatco Limited (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.), Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Jatco Limited (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Shingo, Yagi, Kan
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Justin
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, HUAN G
• Application Number:
  US12/558,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20100075798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 477/5, 701/67, 903/912, 903/914
• US Class Current: 477/5
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/40 characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/023 Fluid clutches
• 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 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• 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 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/081 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/60 Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility

Abstract

A control apparatus of hybrid vehicle having a first clutch which is in a disengaged state by being supplied with hydraulic fluid and a second clutch which is in an engaged state by being supplied with the hydraulic fluid, has a line pressure controller controlling a line pressure of the hydraulic fluid, and a drive mode controller changing a drive mode between HEV mode in which the first clutch is engaged and the vehicle travels with the engine and the motor/generator being a power source and EV mode in which the first clutch is disengaged and the vehicle travels with only the motor/generator being the power source. The line pressure controller sets the line pressure in HEV mode to a pressure level required for the engagement of the second clutch, and sets the line pressure in EV mode to a higher line pressure than the line pressure in HEV mode.

Claims

1. A control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle having a first clutch which is arranged between an engine and a motor/generator and is in a disengaged state by being supplied with a hydraulic fluid and a second clutch which is arranged between the motor/generator and driving wheels and is in an engaged state by being supplied with the hydraulic fluid, the control apparatus comprising:

a line pressure controller that controls a line pressure of the hydraulic fluid supplied to the first and second clutches; and

a drive mode controller that changes a drive mode between an HEV mode in which the first clutch is engaged and the vehicle travels with the engine and the motor/generator being a power source and an EV mode in which the first clutch is disengaged and the vehicle travels with only the motor/generator being the power source, and

the line pressure controller setting the line pressure in the HEV mode to a pressure level required for the engagement of the second clutch and setting the line pressure in the EV mode to a higher line pressure than the line pressure in the HEV mode.

2. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the line pressure controller has a line pressure characteristic setting section for setting a line pressure characteristic on the basis of a line pressure setting parameter including at least one of an input torque and an input revolution speed of the second clutch, and

the line pressure characteristic setting section sets an HEV mode line pressure characteristic that proportionately increases according to the line pressure setting parameter, and sets an EV mode line pressure characteristic by which the line pressure is set to such a high level as to maintain the disengaged state of the first clutch in a low parameter area where the line pressure setting parameter cannot achieve the disengaged state of the first clutch on the HEV mode line pressure characteristic.

3. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

when a command of a motor WSC control in which the first clutch is disengaged while controlling the second clutch to a slip-engaged state is issued in the HEV mode, the line pressure controller sets the line pressure to be higher than the line pressure in the HEV mode.

4. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the line pressure controller has a second line pressure transition control section for setting the line pressure when engaging the first clutch after a mode change command from the EV mode to the HEV mode is issued, and

the second line pressure transition control section holds the line pressure at an EV mode line pressure until a predetermined condition is satisfied from the start of the first clutch engagement, and sets the line pressure to an HEV mode line pressure that is lower than the EV mode line pressure after the predetermined condition is satisfied.

5. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

as the predetermined condition, it is judged whether or not a revolution speed difference between an engine rpm and a motor revolution speed is a second threshold value or less.

6. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

as the predetermined condition, it is judged whether or not a certain time elapses after holding the line pressure at the EV mode line pressure.

7. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

the second line pressure transition control section has a second line pressure ramp control operating section that gradually decreases the line pressure from the EV mode line pressure to the HEV mode line pressure.

8. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the line pressure controller has a first line pressure transition control section for setting the line pressure when disengaging the first clutch after a mode change command from the HEV mode to the EV mode is issued, and

the first line pressure transition control section sets the line pressure to a first clutch disengagement line pressure that is a pressure level required for the disengagement of the first clutch until a predetermined condition is satisfied from the start of the first clutch disengagement, and sets the line pressure to an EV mode line pressure which is lower than the first clutch disengagement line pressure and is able to maintain the disengaged state of the first clutch after the predetermined condition is satisfied.

9. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

as the predetermined condition, it is judged whether or not a revolution speed difference between an engine rpm and a motor revolution speed is a first threshold value or more.

10. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

as the predetermined condition, it is judged whether or not a certain time elapses after setting the line pressure to the first clutch disengagement line pressure.

11. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the first line pressure transition control section has a disengagement pressure control operating section by which, in a case where an oil amount for the first clutch disengagement line pressure cannot be obtained by a discharge pressure from a mechanical oil pump that is driven by the engine or the motor/generator, the oil amount shortage is compensated by an electric pump.

12. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the first line pressure transition control section has a first line pressure ramp control operating section that gradually decreases the line pressure from the first clutch disengagement line pressure to the EV mode line pressure.

13. A method for controlling a line pressure of a hydraulic fluid for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle having a first clutch which is arranged between an engine and a motor/generator and is in a disengaged state by being supplied with the hydraulic fluid and a second clutch which is arranged between the motor/generator and driving wheels and is in an engaged state by being supplied with the hydraulic fluid, the hybrid vehicle further having the following drive modes;

an HEV mode in which the first clutch is engaged and the vehicle travels with the engine and the motor/generator being a power source and an EV mode in which the first clutch is disengaged and the vehicle travels with only the motor/generator being the power source, the method comprising;

setting the line pressure in the HEV mode to a pressure level required for the engagement of the second clutch, and

setting the line pressure in the EV mode to a higher line pressure than the line pressure in the HEV mode.

14. The method for controlling the line pressure for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

when changing the mode from the HEV mode to the EV mode,

setting the line pressure to a first clutch disengagement line pressure that is a pressure level required for the disengagement of the first clutch until a predetermined condition is satisfied from the start of the first clutch disengagement, and

setting the line pressure to an EV mode line pressure which is lower than the first clutch disengagement line pressure and is able to maintain the disengaged state of the first clutch after the predetermined condition is satisfied.

15. The method for controlling the line pressure for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 13, further comprising:

when changing the mode from the EV mode to the HEV mode,

holding the line pressure at an EV mode line pressure until a predetermined condition is satisfied from the start of the first clutch engagement, and

setting the line pressure to an HEV mode line pressure that is lower than the EV mode line pressure after the predetermined condition is satisfied.