Control system and control method

• US 8,676,418 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshimi, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US13/159,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/101, 701/1, 701/112, 447/3, 447/5, 447/15, 477/3, 477/5, 477/15
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• 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 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/06 Improving the dynamic response of the control system, e.g. improving the speed of regulation or avoiding hunting or overshoot
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

A control for a hybrid vehicle includes; obtaining information that an EV switch that is operated when a travel of the vehicle in an EV mode in which priority is given to an EV travel in which the vehicle travels by a motive power only from a rotary electric machine is to be selected has been operated; starting a permission preparation control for causing a transition from a state in which a situation of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined reservation condition for reserving the EV mode to a state in which the situation of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined permission condition for permitting the EV mode if the situation of the vehicle does not satisfy the permission condition but satisfies the reservation condition when the EV switch has been operated; and enabling to control the travel of the vehicle in the EV mode if the predetermined permission condition is satisfied.

Claims

1. A control system for a hybrid vehicle capable of traveling by motive power from at least one of an internal combustion engine and a rotary electric machine, comprising:

an EV switch that is operated when a travel of the vehicle in an EV mode is to be selected, in the EV mode priority is given to an EV travel in which the vehicle travels by the motive power only from the rotary electric machine; and

a control apparatus that obtains information about a state of operation of the EV switch, and the control apparatus controls a state of travel of the vehicle according to the information about the state of operation obtained,

wherein the control apparatus includes;

an obtainment portion that executes an operation information obtainment control of obtaining information that the EV switch has been operated;

a permission preparation portion that starts a permission preparation control for causing a transition from a state in which a situation of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined EV mode reservation condition to a state in which the situation of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined EV mode permission condition if the situation of the vehicle does not satisfy the EV mode permission condition but satisfies the EV mode reservation condition when the EV switch has been operated; and

a standby control portion checks that a permission standby state in which a transition to an EV mode travel control is feasible is present, after the EV mode condition is satisfied due to the permission preparation control,

wherein the control apparatus is configured to be able to perform a transition to the EV mode travel control when the EV mode permission condition is satisfied, and

wherein the travel of the vehicle in the EV mode is controlled in the EV mode travel control.

2. The control system according to claim 1, further comprising

a display portion that changes a display manner according to a state of control of the control apparatus,

wherein the display portion presents an unlit display as the display manner during a primary state, and presents a blinking display as a preparation state display manner during execution of the permission preparation control, and presents a continuous-on display as a standby state display manner when it is checked that the permission standby state is present.

3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

when the EV switch is operated, the permission preparation portion determines whether or not the situation of the vehicle satisfies the EV mode permission condition, and causes a transition to the EV mode travel control if the EV mode permission condition is satisfied, and determines whether or not the situation of the vehicle satisfies the EV mode reservation condition, if the EV mode permission condition is not satisfied, and causes a transition to a cancellation control of canceling an EV mode travel request made by operation of the EV switch if the EV mode reservation condition is not satisfied, and starts the permission preparation control if the EV mode reservation condition is satisfied.

4. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

the standby control portion causes a transition to a cancellation control of canceling an EV mode travel request made by operation of the EV switch and avoids bringing about the permission standby state, if a pre-set time-out period elapses following a start of the permission preparation control by the permission preparation portion, and the standby control portion checks that the permission standby state is present, if the EV mode permission condition is satisfied before the time-out period elapses.

5. The control system according to claim 4, wherein

the standby control portion automatically causes the transition to the EV mode travel control when the standby control portion has checked that the permission standby state is present.

6. The control system according to claim 4, wherein

the standby control portion causes the transition to the EV mode travel control when the standby control portion has obtained the information that the EV switch has been operated again after checking that the permission standby state is present.

7. The control system according to claim 2, wherein

the display portion presents, as the display manner during execution of the EV mode travel control, a continuous-on display in a display color that is different from both the display color of the preparation state display manner and the display color of the standby state display manner.

8. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

the permission preparation portion imposes, as the EV mode permission condition, a condition that a state of charge of an electricity storage device that supplies electric power for driving the rotary electric machine be greater than or equal to a predetermined EV permission threshold value, and imposes, as the EV mode reservation condition, a condition that the state of charge of the electricity storage device be less than the EV permission threshold value but greater than or equal to a predetermined EV reservable threshold value, and performs, as the permission preparation control, a charging control of the electricity storage device with an increased target amount of stored electricity, if the EV mode reservation condition is satisfied.

9. The control system according to claim 1, wherein

the permission preparation portion imposes, as the EV mode reservation condition, one of a condition that a requested temperature regarding cabin air-conditioning be outside a predetermined temperature range, a condition that a vehicle speed be greater than or equal to a predetermined vehicle speed and a condition that a requested acceleration be greater than or equal to a predetermined acceleration, and the permission preparation portion performs, as the permission preparation control, one of a control of setting a target temperature to a temperature that is closer to an actual temperature than the requested temperature, a control of controlling the vehicle speed with a reduced target vehicle speed and a control of controlling the acceleration with a reduced target acceleration, corresponding to the condition imposed as the EV mode reservation condition.

10. A control method for a hybrid vehicle capable of traveling by motive power from at least one of an internal combustion engine and a rotary electric machine, comprising:

obtaining information that an EV switch that is operated when a travel of the vehicle in an EV mode is to be selected, in the EV mode priority is given to an EV travel in which the vehicle travels by the motive power only from the rotary electric machine;

avoiding entry into the EV mode and starting a permission preparation control for causing a transition from a state in which a situation of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined reservation condition for reserving the EV mode to a state in which the situation of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined permission condition for permitting the EV mode if the situation of the vehicle does not satisfy the permission condition but satisfies the reservation condition when the EV switch has been operated;

checking that a permission standby state in which the a transition to an EV mode travel control is feasible is present, after the EV mode condition is satisfied due to the permission preparation control; and

enabling to control the travel of the vehicle in the EV mode if the predetermined permission condition is satisfied.