Electricity storage control device for hybrid vehicle

• US 8,880,252 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2011
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Saito, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH-STEWART, DEMETRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/151,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20110301799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/26 Transition between different drive modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/142 acoustic
• 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 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• 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 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An electricity storage control device for a hybrid vehicle that includes: an internal combustion engine; a battery that is charged by a power generator driven by the internal combustion engine; and a motor that is driven upon receiving an electric power from the battery, the hybrid vehicle conducting travel in an EV mode for traveling with only the motor, includes: a planned traveling distance setting unit that sets a planned traveling distance in the EV mode; and a residual control unit that calculates a traveling enable distance in the EV mode according to an electricity storage state of the battery and that, when the planned traveling distance is longer than the traveling enable distance, operates the internal combustion engine to cause the power generator to charge the battery so that amount of storage in the battery reaches amount of storage corresponding to the planned traveling distance.

Claims

1. An electricity storage control device for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including:

an internal combustion engine;

a battery that is charged by a power generator driven by the internal combustion engine; and

a motor that is driven upon receiving an electric power from the battery, the hybrid vehicle conducting travel in an EV mode for traveling with only the motor, the electricity storage control device comprising;

a planned traveling distance setting unit that sets a planned traveling distance in the EV mode in advance;

an EV switch that sets a travel mode of the hybrid vehicle to the EV mode by operation of a vehicle occupant;

a residual control unit that;

calculates a traveling enable distance in the EV mode according to an electricity storage state of the battery and that,

when the planned traveling distance is longer than the traveling enable distance, operates the internal combustion engine to cause the power generator to charge the battery so that amount of storage in the battery reaches amount of storage corresponding to the planned traveling distance, and

after the amount of storage corresponding to the planned traveling distance is ensured in the battery, makes the EV switch effective; and

an annunciation unit that, while the EV switch is effective, notifies the vehicle occupant that the amount of storage corresponding to the planned traveling distance is ensured in the battery,

wherein the residual control unit calculates a unit electric energy consumed per a unit travel distance in the travel in the EV mode and calculates the traveling enable distance according to the electricity storage state of the battery based on at least one of the history of past travel output and the history of a travel distance in the EV mode.

2. The electricity storage control device according to claim 1,

wherein the annunciation unit includes a light source that lights up when the amount of storage corresponding to the planned traveling distance is ensured in the battery.

3. The electricity storage control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an indicator that indicates the traveling enable distance calculated by the residual control unit.

4. The electricity storage control device according to claim 1, wherein

while the EV switch is effective, the residual control unit continues to control such that amount of storage for traveling the planned traveling distance set by the planned traveling distance setting unit in the EV mode remains in the battery.

5. The electricity storage control device according to claim 1, wherein

when the planned traveling distance is longer than the traveling enable distance, the residual control unit operates the internal combustion engine to drive the power generator, with a target electricity generation which is increased by an amount corresponding to the difference obtained by subtracting the traveling enable distance from the planned traveling distance, to charge the batter so that amount of storage in the battery reaches amount of storage corresponding to the planned traveling distance.