Reconfigurable system with minimum mobility mode

• US 9,796,377 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Uehara, Yasuo, Prokhorov, Danil
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/920,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20160039408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 180 65265, 701 22, 903930
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• 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 10/28 including control of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0295 Inhibiting action of specific actuators or systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/06 Combustion engines, Gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/08 Electric propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A method includes detecting a fault of a component of a vehicle. The method also includes providing a plurality of modes of operation for the vehicle including an engine only mode, an electric only mode, a hybrid mode, a partial engine only mode, a partial electric only mode and a partial hybrid mode. At least two of the plurality of modes of operation that avoid use of the faulty component are displayed on a display screen, and a selection of one of the at least two of the plurality of modes of operation that are displayed on the display screen is received. The method includes activating at least one electric, mechanical or software isolator to isolate or disengage at least one component associated with electric propulsion of the vehicle or at least one component associated with combustion engine propulsion of the vehicle that includes the faulty component.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

a first propulsion system having a component and configured to generate mechanical power usable to propel the hybrid vehicle;

a second propulsion system configured to generate mechanical power usable to propel the hybrid vehicle;

an axle coupled to the first propulsion system and to the second propulsion system and configured to rotate in response to receiving mechanical power;

a first sensor configured to detect component data corresponding to the component;

an input device configured to receive a selection of at least one preferred criterion; and

a processor coupled to the first sensor and the input device and configured to;

determine that a fault has occurred or is likely to occur in the component based on the component data,

determine that the hybrid vehicle can operate in a second propulsion system only mode, a backup first propulsion system mode and a backup hybrid propulsion system mode in response to determining that the fault that has occurred or is likely to occur to in the component, and

cause the hybrid vehicle to operate in the second propulsion system only mode, the backup first propulsion system mode or the backup hybrid propulsion system mode based on the at least one preferred criterion.

2. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein:

the first propulsion system does not provide any mechanical power to the axle and the second propulsion system provides mechanical power to the axle when the hybrid vehicle is operating in the second propulsion system only mode;

the component does not provide any mechanical power to the axle, the first propulsion system provides mechanical power to the axle and the second propulsion system does not provide mechanical power to the axle when the hybrid vehicle is operating in the backup first propulsion system mode; and

the component does not provide any mechanical power to the axle, the first propulsion system provides mechanical power to the axle and the second propulsion system provides mechanical power to the axle when the hybrid vehicle is operating in the backup hybrid propulsion system mode.

3. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:

a first isolator coupled to the first propulsion system and configured to isolate the first propulsion system from the axle;

a second isolator coupled to the component and configured to isolate the component from the axle; and

a third isolator coupled to the second propulsion system and configured to isolate the second propulsion system from the axle,

wherein the processor is coupled to the first isolator, the second isolator and the third isolator and is configured to cause the hybrid vehicle to operate in the second propulsion system only mode, the backup first propulsion system mode or the backup hybrid propulsion system mode by controlling at least one of the first isolator, the second isolator or the third isolator.

4. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the hybrid vehicle will operate in the second propulsion system only mode, the backup first propulsion system mode or the backup hybrid propulsion system mode based on predetermined criteria.

5. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:

an output device coupled to the processor and configured to output data indicating that the hybrid vehicle can operate in the second propulsion system only mode, the backup first propulsion system mode or the backup hybrid propulsion system mode in response to determining that the fault that has occurred or is likely to occur to the component, wherein the input device is configured to receive a selection of one of the second propulsion system only mode, the backup first propulsion system mode or the backup hybrid propulsion system mode and to cause the hybrid vehicle to operate in the second propulsion system only mode, the backup first propulsion system mode or the backup hybrid propulsion system mode based on the received selection.

6. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein causing the hybrid vehicle to operate in the second propulsion system only mode, the backup first propulsion system mode or the backup hybrid propulsion system mode prevents the component from becoming damaged.

7. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the hybrid vehicle can operate in the second propulsion system only mode, the backup first propulsion system mode and the backup hybrid propulsion system mode by determining that the hybrid vehicle can operate in each of these modes without further damaging the component.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a propulsion system having a first component and a second component and configured to generate mechanical power usable to propel the vehicle;

a first isolator configured to isolate the first component from the propulsion system;

a second isolator configured to isolate the second component from the propulsion system;

an input device configured to receive user input corresponding to a selection of an available mobility mode;

an output device configured to output data; and

a processor coupled to the first isolator, the second isolator, the input device and the output device, and configured to;

determine that a fault has occurred or is likely to occur,

control the output device to output data indicating that the fault has occurred or is likely to occur, and

control the first isolator or the second isolator to isolate the first component or the second component based on the user input.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 further comprising:

a first sensor configured to detect first data corresponding to the first component; and

a second sensor configured to detect second data corresponding to the second component,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the fault has occurred or is likely to occur based on at least one of the first data or the second data.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the vehicle can operate in a first backup mobility mode in which the second component is isolated when the processor determines that the fault has occurred or is likely to occur in the second component based on the second data and in a second backup mobility mode in which the first component is isolated when the processor determines that the fault has occurred or is likely to occur in the first component based on the first data.

11. The vehicle of claim 8 wherein the propulsion system includes at least one of an internal combustion engine, a motor-generator or a fuel cell.

12. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an engine configured to convert fuel into mechanical power;

a motor-generator configured to convert electrical energy into mechanical power;

an axle coupled to the engine and to the motor-generator and configured to rotate in response to receiving mechanical power;

a power splitter coupled to the engine, to the motor generator motor-generator, and to the axle and configured to apply the mechanical power from the engine and the mechanical power from the motor-generator to the axle;

an engine sensor coupled to the engine and configured to detect engine data corresponding to the engine;

a motor-generator sensor coupled to the motor-generator and configured to detect motor-generator data corresponding to the motor-generator;

an engine isolator coupled to the engine, positioned between the engine and the power splitter and configured to isolate the engine from the axle;

a motor-generator isolator coupled to the motor-generator, positioned between the motor-generator and the power splitter and configured to isolate the motor-generator from the axle; and

a processor coupled to the engine sensor, the motor-generator sensor, the engine isolator and the motor-generator isolator and configured to determine that a fault has occurred or is likely to occur in the engine or the motor-generator based on the engine data or the motor-generator data and to isolate the engine or the motor-generator in response to determining that the fault has occurred or is likely to occur.

13. The hybrid vehicle of claim 12 wherein at least one of the engine isolator or the motor-generator isolator is a mechanical isolator.

14. The hybrid vehicle of claim 12 further comprising a component sensor and wherein:

the engine includes an engine component,

the component sensor is configured to detect component data corresponding to the engine component, and

the processor is further configured to determine that the fault has occurred or is likely to occur in the engine component based on the component data and to isolate the engine component in response to determining that the fault has occurred or is likely to occur.

15. The hybrid vehicle of claim 12 further comprising an output device configured to output status data indicating at least one of that the fault has occurred or is likely to occur or that the engine or the motor-generator is being isolated and wherein the processor is further configured to generate the status data.

16. The hybrid vehicle of claim 12 further comprising an input device configured to receive user input and wherein the processor is further configured to isolate the engine or the motor-generator in response to receiving the user input.

17. The hybrid vehicle of claim 16 wherein the user input includes at least one of a confirmation that the processor can isolate the engine or the motor-generator, or a selection of an available mobility mode.