Vehicle, and control method for vehicle

• US 9,744,963 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kinomura, Shigeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Melton, Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROBERSON, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US14/408,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20150191164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/006 to power outlets
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/007 Physical arrangements or structures of drive train converters specially adapted for the propulsion motors of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/44 related to combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/22 Standstill, e.g. zero speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/26 Transition between different drive modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• 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 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 : for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/143 : with multiple generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine, an electric motor, an electrical storage device and a controller. The electric motor generates electric power by using driving force of the engine. The controller controls supply of electric power, which is at least one of electric power generated by the electric motor or electric power stored in the electrical storage device, to an outside of the vehicle. The controller selects, on the basis of setting made by a user, whether to permit or prohibit generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an engine;

an electric motor configured to generate electric power by using driving force of the engine;

a battery configured to store the electric power generated by the electric motor;

a controller configured to

control supply of electric power, which is at least one of first electric power or second electric power, to an electrical load located outside the vehicle, the first electric power being electric power generated by the electric motor, the second electric power being electric power stored in the battery, and

select, based on a setting made by a user, whether to supply electric power to the electrical load located outside the vehicle in either a first supply mode or in a second supply mode, (i) in the first supply mode generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine is permitted while electric power is being supplied to the electrical load located outside the vehicle so that the first electric power and the second electric power are supplied in the first supply mode, (ii) in the second supply mode generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine is prohibited while electric power is being supplied to the electrical load located outside the vehicle so that the second electric power but not the first electric power is supplied in the second supply mode; and

a communication device configured to (a) transmit a signal to a communication terminal carried by the user, the signal requesting the user to select whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine, and (b) receive from the communication terminal carried by the user first information about whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine, which is determined by the user, wherein

the controller is configured to set, based on the first information, whether to supply the electric power to the electrical load located outside the vehicle in the first supply mode or in the second supply mode.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operating unit configured to be operated by the user in order to select whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine, wherein

the controller is configured to set, based on a state of the operating unit, whether to supply the electric power to the electrical load located outside the vehicle in the first supply mode or in the second supply mode.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the operating unit is a switch by which a drive mode of the vehicle is selected through operation of the user.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the vehicle is configured to travel while changing between a first drive mode and a second drive mode, the first drive mode is a drive mode in which the vehicle preferentially travels by using only the electric motor while stopping the engine, the second drive mode is a drive mode in which the vehicle keeps a state quantity of the battery at a predetermined target by operating the engine, the state quantity is an amount that indicates a state of charge of the battery,

the operating unit is a switch that is operated by the user in order to select the first drive mode or the second drive mode, and

the controller is configured to, when the second drive mode is selected in supplying electric power to the outside of the vehicle, supply the electric power to the electrical load located outside the vehicle in the first supply mode.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein, the controller is configured to, when the first drive mode is selected in supplying electric power to the outside of the vehicle, supply the electric power to the electrical load located outside the vehicle in the second supply mode.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the communication device is configured to, when a state of charge of the battery becomes lower than a threshold, transmit the signal to the communication terminal.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to control a state of charge of the battery such that a state quantity of the battery becomes a target value, the state quantity is an amount indicating the state of charge of the battery, and a time period during which the target value is increased is preset by the user.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to start the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine in response to a state of charge of the battery becoming lower than a predetermined value, and a time period during which the predetermined value is increased is preset by the user.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to allow the user to preset a time period during which the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine is carried out irrespective of a state of charge of the battery.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to allow the user to preset a time period during which the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine is prohibited.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the controller is configured to control a state of charge of the battery such that a state quantity of the battery becomes a target value,

when the time period is set, the target value is set before beginning of the time period, and

the target value at the time when the time period is set is higher than the target value at the time when the time period is not set.

12. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the controller is configured to start the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine in response to a state of charge of the battery becoming lower than a threshold, and

the threshold at the time when the time period is set is higher than the threshold at the time when the time period is not set.

13. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the controller is configured to, when the time period is set, generate electric power by using the driving force of the engine before beginning of the time period.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to

determine, based on at least one of preset determination conditions, whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine, and

when a selection made by the user differs from a result of the determination, set whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine by giving a higher priority to the result of the determination, the selection is a selection by the user of whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14, wherein

the determination conditions include a determination condition that is set by the user and a determination condition that is set not by the user.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15, wherein

the determination condition that is set not by the user includes at least one of a state of the vehicle, a region in which the vehicle travels or an environment in which the vehicle is placed.

17. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to

determine, based on a preset determination condition, whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine, and

when a selection made by the user differs from a result of the determination, provide the user with second information, the second information is information prompting confirmation of the selection made by the user, the selection is a selection by the user of whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine.

18. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to start the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine in response to a state of charge of the electric storage device becoming lower than a threshold that is set by the user.

19. A control method for a vehicle, the vehicle including an engine, an electric motor, a battery, a communication device, and a controller, the electric motor being configured to generate electric power by using driving force of the engine, the battery being configured to store the electric power generated by the electric motor, the control method comprising:

controlling, by the controller, supply of electric power, which is at least one of first electric power or second electric, to an electrical load located outside the vehicle, the first electric power being electric power generated by the electric motor, the second electric power being electric power stored in the battery; and

selecting, by the controller, based on a setting made by a user, whether to supply electric power to the electrical load located outside the vehicle in either a first supply mode or in a second supply mode, (i) in the first supply mode generation of electric power using the driving force of the engine is permitted while supplying electric power to the electrical load located outside the vehicle so that the first electric power and the second electric power are supplied in the first supply mode, (ii) in the second supply mode generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine is prohibited while electric power is being supplied to the electrical load located outside the vehicle so that the second electric power but not the first electric power is supplied in the second supply mode, wherein

the communication device (a) transmits a signal to a communication terminal carried by the user, the signal requesting the user to select whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine, and (b) receives from the communication terminal carried by the user first information about whether to permit or prohibit the generation of electric power by using the driving force of the engine, which is determined by the user, and

the controller sets, based on the first information, whether to supply the electric power to the electrical load located outside the vehicle in the first supply mode or in the second supply mode.