Hybrid vehicle

• US 9,834,202 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takara, Atsushi, Ueoka, Kiyoshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US15/003,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20160214602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• 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 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

When an EV cancellation switch is turned on while a control mode is a CD mode and a traveling mode is an EV traveling mode, when a catalyst temperature is lower than a threshold and when a vehicle speed is lower than a threshold, a controller executes control processing including a step of executing first VVT control, a step of, when the catalyst temperature is higher than or equal to the threshold or when the vehicle speed is higher than or equal to the threshold, executing second VVT control and a step of switching the control mode into a CS mode.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an electric motor configured to generate driving force of the vehicle;

an engine including a valve timing adjustment device configured to adjust an advance amount with the use of an electric actuator, the advance amount indicating opening and closing timing of at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve;

a catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of the engine;

a controller configured to select any one of a charge depleting mode and a charge sustaining mode, the controller being configured to cause the vehicle to travel while switching between a first traveling mode and a second traveling mode in response to a traveling condition in each of the charge depleting mode and the charge sustaining mode, the first traveling mode being a mode in which the engine is stopped and the vehicle travels with the use of the electric motor, the second traveling mode being a mode in which the vehicle travels by operating the engine; and

an operating member configured to receive cancellation operation to require a cancellation of the selected charge depleting mode,

a threshold of power at which the traveling mode switches from the first traveling mode to the second traveling mode while the charge depleting mode is selected being larger than the threshold while the charge sustaining mode is selected, and

the controller being configured to, while the charge depleting mode is selected and the vehicle is traveling in the first traveling mode, when a cancellation of the selected charge depleting mode is required through the cancellation operation, control the electric actuator such that the advance amount becomes a target value that is determined on the basis of a temperature of the catalyst and a speed of the vehicle.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to, when the temperature of the catalyst is lower than a first threshold, set the advance amount that is set when the speed of the vehicle is lower than a second threshold, to a value on a more retarded side than the advance amount that is set when the speed of the vehicle is higher than or equal to the second threshold.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the controller is configured to, when the temperature of the catalyst is lower than the first threshold, set the advance amount that is set when the speed of the vehicle is lower than the second threshold, to a value at which warm-up of the catalyst is more facilitated after a startup of the engine than the advance amount that is set when the speed of the vehicle is higher than or equal to the second threshold.