Control apparatus for hybrid vehicle

• US 8,548,657 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Goto, Keisuke, Fukuda, Toshihiko, Okagawa, Yohei, Ito, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US12/667,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20100332062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/54, 701/101, 701/70, 701/99, 180/65.265, 180/65.21, 180/65.23, 180 6525- 6529, 180/65.245, 180/65.285, 180/165, 320/132, 320/135, 903/903, 903/947, 903/930, 903/946, 475/5, 290/40.A, 290/40.B, 290/40.C, 290/40.R, 477/3, 477/16, 477/20, 477/101, 477/109, 477/47
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/28 Accelerator pedal thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• 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 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/103 Accelerator thresholds, e.g. kickdown
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/065 Idle condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 : Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 : Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 : Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/112 : Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• 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 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle includes an internal combustion engine and a generator motor, a capacitor, and a driving force assisting unit. Further, the control device includes a switching unit that selects an appropriate traveling range from a plurality of traveling ranges including at least a normal traveling range and a charging priority range for preferentially charging the capacitor and switches the range, and a threshold value increasing unit that increases, when the charging priority range is selected by the switching unit, the predetermined determination threshold value as compared to when the normal traveling range is selected by the switching unit.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine and a generator motor that are used as power sources of a vehicle, a capacitor that supplies and receives electrical energy to and from the generator motor, and a driving force assisting unit that assists a driving force of the internal combustion engine by a driving force of the generator motor when a driving force command of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined determination threshold value, the control apparatus comprising:

a switching unit that selects an appropriate traveling range according to a state of transmission corresponding to a driver'"'"'s input operation and a state of the internal combustion engine and of the generator motor from a plurality of traveling ranges including at least a normal traveling range and a charging priority range for preferentially charging the capacitor, and switches the ranges; and

a threshold value increasing unit that increases, when the charging priority range is selected by the switching unit, the predetermined determination threshold value as compared to when the normal traveling range is selected by the switching unit

wherein the predetermined determination threshold value comprises an accelerator opening.

2. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

a generated power increasing unit that increases, when the charging priority range is selected by the switching unit, an amount of power generated by the generator motor as compared to when the normal traveling range is selected by the switching unit.

3. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

a generated power increasing unit that increases an amount of power generated by the generator motor when the traveling state of the vehicle is a constant speed traveling state and the charging priority range is selected by the switching unit.

4. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising

a generated power increasing unit that

prohibits a stop of an idle operation of the internal combustion engine during the stop of the vehicle when the charging priority range is selected by the switching unit, and

increases an amount of power generated by the generator motor during the stop of the vehicle as compared to when the normal traveling range is selected by the switching unit.

5. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a gradient acquisition unit that acquires an ascending gradient of a traveling road for the vehicle;

a traveling road determining unit for determining whether the traveling road is an ascending road or a flat road, according to the ascending gradient acquired by the gradient acquisition unit; and

a generated power increasing unit that increases an amount of power generated by the generator motor while the idle operation of the internal combustion engine is performed during the stop of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped on the ascending road as compared to when the vehicle is stopped on the flat road.

6. The control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a gradient acquisition unit that acquires an ascending gradient of a traveling road for the vehicle;

a traveling road determining unit for determining whether the traveling road is an ascending road or a flat road, according to the ascending gradient acquired by the gradient acquisition unit; and

a generated power increasing unit that increases idle speed and increases an amount of power generated by the generator motor while the idle operation of the internal combustion engine is performed during the stop of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped on the ascending road as compared to when the vehicle is stopped on the flat road.