Cruising distance calculation apparatus for a hybrid vehicle

• US 8,862,376 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Yabuta, Ryosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANG, MICHAEL DEAN
• Application Number:
  US14/086,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20140142836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 701/123
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/169 Remaining operating distance or charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/169 Remaining operating distance or charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• 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 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 2530/209 Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• 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 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A cruising distance calculation apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that includes a motor and an engine for driving a generator is disclosed. The cruising distance calculation apparatus includes a traveling mode decision unit that decides in which one of traveling modes the vehicle is traveling, the traveling modes including at least EV traveling mode and series traveling mode, an electricity consumption calculation unit that calculates, when the traveling mode is the EV traveling mode, an electric power consumption amount Ec of the battery based on electric power consumption of the battery whereas the electricity consumption unit calculates, when the traveling mode is the series traveling mode, the electric power consumption amount Ec based on output power of the motor, an electric mileage calculation unit that calculates an electric mileage Eef, and a cruising distance calculation unit that estimates a first cruising distance Dp1.

Claims

1. A cruising distance calculation apparatus for a hybrid vehicle, comprising a motor to drive the hybrid vehicle and an engine to drive a generator, the hybrid vehicle travelling in a traveling mode selected from a plurality of traveling modes including a first traveling mode in which the vehicle travels with electric power supplied from a battery while the engine is not driven and a second traveling mode in which the vehicle travels with electric power generated by the generator being driven by the engine while transmission of driving force from the engine to wheels is interrupted,

an electricity consumption calculation unit that calculates an electric power consumption amount of the battery consumed by the traveling of the vehicle;

an electric mileage calculation unit that calculates a traveling distance per a unit capacity of the battery as an electric mileage based on electric power consumption amount calculated by the electricity consumption calculation unit and a traveling distance of the vehicle; and

a cruising distance calculation unit that estimates a distance which the vehicle can travel with a remaining amount of electric power of the battery as a first cruising distance based on the electric mileage calculated by the electric mileage calculation unit and the remaining amount of electric power,

wherein the electricity consumption calculation unit calculates, when the first traveling mode is selected, the electric power consumption amount of the battery based on power consumption of the battery whereas the electricity consumption calculation unit calculates, when the second traveling mode is selected, the electric power consumption amount based on output power of the motor.

2. The cruising distance calculation apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the traveling modes further include a third traveling mode in which the vehicle travels with the driving force transmitted from the engine to the wheels;

the cruising distance calculation apparatus further comprises a fuel mileage calculation unit that calculates, when the second traveling mode or the third traveling mode is selected, a traveling distance per a unit fuel amount as a fuel mileage based on the consumption amount of fuel consumed by the engine and the traveling distance of the vehicle traveled in the selected traveling mode; and

the cruising distance calculation unit estimates a distance which the vehicle can travel with a remaining amount of fuel as a second cruising distance based on the fuel mileage calculated by the fuel mileage calculation unit and the remaining amount of fuel.

3. The cruising distance calculation apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the cruising distance calculation unit calculates a total cruising distance that is an overall cruising distance calculated by adding the first cruising distance and the second cruising distance,

the vehicle further comprises a display unit that displays the total cruising distance calculated by the cruising distance calculation unit.

4. The cruising distance calculation apparatus for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the display unit displays the first cruising distance and the second cruising distance that are calculated by the cruising distance calculation unit.