Generation control device

• US 9,010,469 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2011
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Saito, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Shriver, II, J. Allen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frick, Emma K
• Application Number:
  US13/220,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20120049806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.285, 180/65.29, 180/65.275, 180/65.265, 701/22, 322/23
• US Class Current: 180/65.285
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/30 Parking brake position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/10 using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/56 Mechanical storage means, e.g. fly wheels
• 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 10/24 including control of energy storage means
• 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 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/101 Transmission neutral state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18054 at stand still, e.g. engine in idling state hill holding B60W30/18118
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/188 Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1882 characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/6823 Sensing neutral state of the transmission
• 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 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A generation control device for a hybrid vehicle in which an electrical generator is driven by an engine, and a battery is charged by operation of the electrical generator and the engine, includes: a shift position detection unit that detects a shift position; a brake detection unit that detects whether a brake is on or off; a charging start unit; an increasing/decreasing unit that conducts increasing operation or decreasing operation; and a control unit that starts to charge the battery when the shift position is a non-travel position, the brake is on, and the charging start unit is operated. The control unit that, after starting to charge the battery, increases a parameter related to the electrical generation when the increasing operation is conducted, or the decreases the parameter when the decreasing operation is conducted. The control unit controls the engine and the power generator based on the set parameter.

Claims

1. A generation control device for a hybrid vehicle in which an electrical generator is driven by an engine, and a battery is charged by electrical generation performed by the electrical generator and the engine, the generation control device comprising:

a shift position detection unit that detects a shift position;

a brake detection unit that detects whether a brake is on or off;

a charging start unit that forces the engine and the electrical generator to operate to charge the battery by a manual operation of the charging start unit;

an increasing/decreasing unit that conducts an increasing operation or a decreasing operation according to manual user operations; and

a control unit that starts to charge the battery when the shift position is a non-travel position, the brake is on, and the charging start unit is operated, and

wherein, after starting to charge the battery, a parameter related to the electrical generation is incrementally increased by the control unit in response to successive increasing operations of the increasing/decreasing unit, or

wherein, after starting to charge the battery, a parameter related to the electrical generation is incrementally decreased by the control unit in response to successive decreasing operations of the increasing/decreasing unit, and

wherein, the control unit controls the engine and the electrical generator so as to perform the electrical generation based on the set parameter.

2. The generation control device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter related to the electrical generation is electrical power, and

the control unit sets the electrical power and controls the engine and the electrical generator so as to perform the electrical generation with the set electrical power.

3. The generation control device according to claim 2, wherein

the control unit stops charging the battery when the decreasing operation is continuously conducted for a predetermined period.

4. The generation control device according to claim 2, wherein

the control unit has a map in which an efficiency map of a fuel efficiency with respect to a number of revolutions and a torque of the engine and an output curve of electrical power with respect to the number of revolutions and the torque of the engine overlap with each other, and

the control unit determines the number of revolutions and the torque of the engine, which are highest in the fuel efficiency, according to the map on the basis of the set electrical power, and controls the engine according to the determined number of revolutions and torque to drive the electrical generator.

5. The generation control device according to claim 2, wherein the increasing/decreasing unit includes a paddle shift that conducts a shift-up operation and a shift-down operation when the shift position is in a travel position, and increases or decreases the parameter when the shift position is in the non-travel position.

6. The generation control device according to claim 1, wherein

the parameter related to the electrical generation is generation time, and

the control unit sets the generation time and controls the engine and the electrical generator so as to perform the electrical generation in the set generation time.

7. The generation control device according to claim 6, wherein

the control unit stops charging the battery when the decreasing operation is continuously conducted for a predetermined period.

8. The generation control device according to claim 6, wherein

the control unit divides a chargeable capacity of the battery by the generation time to obtain maximum chargeable electrical power per unit time, and compares the maximum chargeable electrical power with an acceptable electrical power of the battery,

when the maximum chargeable electrical power is equal to or smaller than the acceptable electrical power, the control unit sets the maximum chargeable electrical power as electrical power for the electrical generation,

when the maximum chargeable electrical power exceeds the acceptable electrical power, the control unit sets the acceptable electrical power as electrical power for the electrical generation, and

the control unit controls the engine and the electrical generator so as to perform the electrical generation with the set electrical power.

9. The generation control device according to claim 8, wherein

the control unit has a map in which an efficiency map of a fuel efficiency with respect to a number of revolutions and a torque of the engine and an output curve of electrical power with respect to the number of revolutions and the torque of the engine overlap with each other, and

the control unit determines the number of revolutions and the torque of the engine, which are highest in the fuel efficiency, according to the map on the basis of the set electrical power, and controls the engine according to the determined number of revolutions and torque to drive the electrical generator.

10. The generation control device according to claim 6, wherein the increasing/decreasing unit includes a paddle shift that conducts a shift-up operation and a shift-down operation when the shift position is in a travel position, and increases or decreases the parameter when the shift position is in the non-travel position.

11. The generation control device according to claim 1, wherein

the increasing/decreasing unit is integrally formed with the charging start unit, such that the engine and the electrical generator are forced to operate by a manual operation of the increasing/decreasing unit.

12. The generation control device according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit starts to charge the battery only when the shift position is the non-travel position, the brake is on, and the charging start unit is operated.