Vehicle

• US 9,598,031 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2016
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ro, Bentsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): DINH, THAI T
• Application Number:
  US15/052,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20160254661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 361/31, 361/32, 361/37, 361/102, 361/103, 361/104, 318/139, 318/471
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/033 characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/044 Checking correct functioning of protective arrangements, e.g. by simulating a fault for differential current circuit breakers H02H3/335
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/05 with means for increasing reliability, e.g. redundancy arrangements for logic circuits H03K19/003
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/18 for batteries; for accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/008 Intrinsically safe circuits

Abstract

A vehicle capable of running by using dynamic power of a motor includes: a battery to perform input/output of electric power for the motor; a fuse to be connected in series with the battery and to melt when an electric current exceeding a permissible value flows; and a control apparatus to restrict magnitude of the input/output electric power of the battery to less than an upper limit electric power. The control apparatus calculates a degradation level of the fuse such that degradation proceeds whenever temperature of the fuse exceeds a threshold temperature, and reduces the upper limit electric power when the degradation level of the fuse exceeds a target degradation level. The target degradation level is a value that is lower than a limit degradation level corresponding to a degradation level when the degradation of the fuse reaches a limit and that becomes higher as mileage of the vehicle increases.

Claims

1. A vehicle capable of running by using dynamic power of a motor, the vehicle comprising:

a battery configured to perform input and output of electric power for the motor;

a fuse configured to be connected in series with the battery and to melt when an electric current exceeding a permissible value flows; and

a control apparatus configured to restrict magnitude of the input and output electric power of the battery to less than an upper limit electric power, wherein

the control apparatus is configured to calculate a degradation level of the fuse such that degradation proceeds whenever temperature of the fuse exceeds a threshold temperature, and is configured to reduce the upper limit electric power when the degradation level of the fuse exceeds a target degradation level, and

the target degradation level is a value that is lower than a limit degradation level and that becomes higher as mileage of the vehicle increases, the limit degradation level corresponding to a degradation level when the degradation of the fuse reaches a limit.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 wherein

the temperature of the fuse is lower than the threshold temperature, when the magnitude of the input and output electric power of the battery is a predetermined electric power or less, and

the control apparatus is configured to set the upper limit electric power to a first electric power greater than the predetermined electric power, when the degradation level of the fuse is lower than the target degradation level, and is configured to reduce the upper limit electric power to a second electric power equal to or less than the predetermined electric power, when the degradation level of the fuse exceeds the target degradation level.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 wherein

the control apparatus is configured to reduce the upper limit electric power from the first electric power to the second electric power in stages, depending on a difference by which the degradation level of the fuse exceeds the target degradation level.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 wherein

the control apparatus is configured to execute a slope inhibition control when electric power supply from an auxiliary-machine battery to the control apparatus is restarted after the electric power supply is interrupted, the slope inhibition control being a control to reduce the upper limit electric power when an increase amount of the degradation level of the fuse per unit mileage exceeds an increase amount of the target degradation level per unit mileage.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4 wherein

the control apparatus is configured to store a difference right before the electric power supply is interrupted, and to hold the difference even after the electric power supply is interrupted, the difference being a difference resulting from subtracting the target degradation level from the degradation level of the fuse, and

the control apparatus is configured to start the slope inhibition control from a state in which the mileage is reset to zero and the degradation level of the fuse is reset to a value depending on the difference, when the electric power supply is restarted.