Electric vehicle

• US 9,180,789 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Asakawa, Masanobu, Higashitani, Kosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US14/359,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20140309829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 180/65.23, 180/65.26, 180/65.265, 180/65.275, 180/65.285, 180/65.31, 903/906, 903/930
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/20 Drive modes; Transition between modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/086 Power
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

An electric vehicle is provided with a first operating mode having no limitation relating to power performance, or including a predetermined limitation on power performance, and a second operating mode in which power performance is more limited than in the first operating mode, and in which power consumption is reduced relative to the first operating mode. In the second operating mode, output limiting control is performed for limiting the output of an electric drive motor, a determination is made as to whether a limit discontinuation request has been inputted by the driver to an input device, and when a limit discontinuation request has been inputted from the driver to the input device during travel in the second operating mode, output limiting control is discontinued while the second operating mode is continued.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

an electronic control unit having a first driving mode for performing no limitation on a power performance of the electric vehicle or performing a predetermined limitation on the power performance and a second driving mode for performing a greater limitation on the power performance than the first driving mode thereby to make electric power consumption smaller than the first driving mode; and

a mode changer switch that switches between the first driving mode and the second driving mode,

wherein the electronic control unit is configured to;

perform both of an output limiting control process for limiting an output of a driving electric motor and a vehicle speed limiting control process for limiting a vehicle speed of the electric vehicle when the mode changer switch selects second driving mode;

judge whether a driver of the electric vehicle enters a limitation interrupting request into an input device or not;

interrupt both of the output limiting control process and the vehicle speed limiting control process if the driver enters the limitation interrupting request into the input device even when the mode changer switch selects the second driving mode; and

resume the output limiting control process while continuing to interrupt the vehicle speed limiting control process if the driver stops entering the limitation interrupting request into the input device while the mode changer switch continues selecting the second driving mode.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is characterized by:

resuming the vehicle speed limiting control process if the vehicle speed becomes equal to or smaller than an upper vehicle speed limit value of the second driving mode after having resumed the output limiting control process while continuing to interrupt the vehicle speed limiting control process, the upper vehicle speed limit value being used in the vehicle speed limiting control process.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is characterized by:

interrupting the output limiting control process after having interrupted the vehicle speed limiting control process.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electric vehicle is characterized by:

judging that the limitation interrupting request has been entered if an accelerator opening degree exceeds a preset output limitation interrupting threshold value.