Control device for hybrid vehicle

• US 9,944,275 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2012
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tabata, Atsushi, Matsubara, Tooru, Okuda, Koichi, Kumazaki, Kenta, Imamura, Tatsuya, Imai, Keita, Kitahata, Takeshi, Kato, Shunya, Hiasa, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Worden, Thomas E
• Application Number:
  US14/380,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20150142232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,240 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 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A control device of a hybrid vehicle includes an electric motor outputting a running torque at the time of motor running and a starting torque at engine start, in a state of the motor running using even the starting torque, the control device being configured to give a notification of the state to a driver when a charging capacity is smaller than a first predetermined value, and to start an engine when the charging capacity is smaller than a second predetermined value which is smaller than the first predetermined value.

Claims

1. A control device of a hybrid vehicle including at least one electric motor, wherein

the control device is configured to permit an output torque of a first electric motor of the at least one electric motor to exceed an engine start threshold value of an engine when the first electric motor is powered by electric power stored in an electric storage device and an amount of electric power stored in the electric storage device is higher than a threshold power,

the control device is configured to limit the output torque of the first electric motor to the engine start threshold value when the first electric motor is powered by the electric power stored in the electric storage device and the amount of electric power stored in the electric storage device is less than the threshold power,

when the output torque of the first electric motor of the at least one electric motor is greater than the engine start threshold value, the control device is configured to provide a first notification to a driver including a recommendation to slow down the hybrid vehicle or release an accelerator of the hybrid vehicle and indicating a high-load operation state of the first electric motor in response to a charging capacity of the electric storage device becoming smaller than a first predetermined value, and to start the engine in response to the charging capacity of the electric storage device becoming smaller than a second predetermined value, wherein the second predetermined value is smaller than the first predetermined value, and

the output torque of the first electric motor is not limited to zero during a period from when the charging capacity of the electric storage device becomes smaller than the first predetermined value until when the control device starts the engine.

2. The control device of the hybrid vehicle of claim 1, wherein when the engine is started, the control device is configured to provide a second notification to the driver.

3. The control device of the hybrid vehicle of claim 1, wherein when the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the first predetermined value, the control device is further configured to:

determine whether a drive request amount is smaller than a predetermined drive request amount, and

start the engine in response to the drive request amount being smaller than the predetermined drive request amount.

4. The control device of the hybrid vehicle of claim 1, wherein when the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the first predetermined value, the control device is further configured to:

determine whether a drive request amount is smaller than a predetermined drive request amount, and

determine whether the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the second predetermined value in response to the drive request amount not being smaller than the predetermined drive request amount.

5. A control device of a hybrid vehicle including at least one electric motor, wherein

the control device is configured to provide a notification to a driver including a recommendation to slow down the hybrid vehicle or release an accelerator of the hybrid vehicle and indicating a high-load operation state of a first electric motor to a driver in response to the first electric motor of the at least one electric motor and a second electric motor of the at least one electric motor outputting a combined output torque and a charging capacity of an electric storage device becoming smaller than a first predetermined value, wherein the combined output torque includes a first output torque output by the first electric motor and a second output torque output by the second electric motor;

the control device is configured to start an engine in response to the charging capacity of the electric storage device becoming smaller than a second predetermined value, wherein the second predetermined value is smaller than the first predetermined value;

when the first electric motor and the second electric motor are powered by electric power stored in an electric storage device and an amount of electric power stored in the electric storage device is more than a threshold power, the control device is configured to permit the first output torque to exceed an engine start threshold value;

when the first electric motor and the second electric motor are powered by the electric power stored in the electric storage device and the amount of electric power is less than the threshold power, the control device is configured to limit the first output torque to the engine start threshold value, and

the output torque of the first electric motor is not limited to zero during a period from when the charging capacity of the electric storage device becomes smaller than the first predetermined value until when the control device starts the engine.

6. The control device of the hybrid vehicle of claim 5, wherein when the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the first predetermined value, the control device is further configured to:

determine whether a drive request amount is smaller than a predetermined drive request amount, and

start the engine in response to the drive request amount being smaller than the predetermined drive request amount.

7. The control device of the hybrid vehicle of claim 5, wherein when the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the first predetermined value, the control device is further configured to:

determine whether a drive request amount is smaller than a predetermined drive request amount, and

determine whether the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the second predetermined value in response to the drive request amount not being smaller than the predetermined drive request amount.

8. A control device of a hybrid vehicle including at least one electric motor, wherein:

the control device is configured to provide a notification indicating a high-load operation state of a first electric motor of the at least one electric motor to a driver in response to the first electric motor of the at least one electric motor and a second electric motor of the at least one electric motor outputting a combined output torque and a charging capacity of an electric storage device becoming is smaller than a first predetermined value, wherein the combined output torque includes a first output torque output by the first electric motor and a second output torque output by the second electric motor;

the control device is configured to start an engine in response to the charging capacity of the electric storage device becoming smaller than a second predetermined value, wherein the second predetermined value is smaller than the first predetermined value;

the notification includes a recommendation to slow down the hybrid vehicle or release an accelerator of the hybrid vehicle, and

the output torque of the first electric motor is not limited to zero during a period from when the charging capacity of the electric storage device becomes smaller than the first predetermined value until when the control device starts the engine.

9. The control device of the hybrid vehicle of claim 8, wherein when the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the first predetermined value, the control device is further configured to:

determine whether a drive request amount is smaller than a predetermined drive request amount, and

start the engine in response to the drive request amount being smaller than the predetermined drive request amount.

10. The control device of the hybrid vehicle of claim 8, wherein when the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the first predetermined value, the control device is further configured to:

determine whether a drive request amount is smaller than a predetermined drive request amount, and

determine whether the charging capacity of the electric storage device is smaller than the second predetermined value in response to the drive request amount not being smaller than the predetermined drive request amount.