HYBRID VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD

• US 20130151056A1
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakano, Yuuzou
• Granted Patent: US 9,221,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/461 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• 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 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/18 for avoiding ageing of fuel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0623 Fuel flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/00 Estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters for road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub unit, e.g. by using mathematical models
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0625 Fuel consumption, e.g. measured in fuel liters per 100 kms or miles per gallon
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/00 Electrical control of supply of combustible mixture or its constituents F02D43/00 takes precedence ; control of engine starters F02N11/08, electrical control of engine ignition timing F02P5/145
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• 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 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

In a hybrid vehicle control apparatus, the hybrid vehicle including an engine is driven by a supply with fuel from a fuel tank; and a motor drives drive wheels of the vehicle by a supply of electric power at least from a battery, an interval of time required until a time at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or at which a fuel quantity becomes zero, with the present time as a starting point, is estimated, an interval of time required until the time at which fuel is deteriorated, with the present time as the starting point, is estimated, and a switching to a fuel consumption promotion mode is carried out in a case where a timing at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or at which the fuel quantity becomes zero is after the timing at which fuel is deteriorated.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

an engine driven by a supply with fuel from a fuel tank;

a motor driving drive wheels of the vehicle by a supply of electric power at least from a battery;

fuel consumption estimation means for estimating an interval of time required until a time at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or at which a fuel quantity becomes zero with the present time as a starting point;

fuel deterioration estimation means for estimating an interval of time required until the time at which fuel is deteriorated with the present time as the starting point; and

fuel deterioration suppression control means for switching to a fuel consumption promotion mode in a case where a timing at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or at which the fuel quantity becomes zero is after the timing at which fuel is deteriorated.

2. The control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuel consumption estimation means estimates a number of days required until the timing at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or at which the fuel quantity becomes zero, with the present time as the starting point, and the fuel deterioration estimation means estimates the number of days required until the timing at which fuel is deteriorated, with the present time as the starting point.

3. The control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuel consumption estimation means learns and stores an average travel distance of a vehicle driver per day, a frequency of the driver getting in the vehicle, and a charge pattern history from an external charge installation and, in addition to these pieces of stored information, estimates the interval of time required until the timing at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or at which the fuel quantity becomes zero from the present time according to an estimated motor travelable distance after the charge to the battery through the external charge installation is carried out and an estimated fuel consumption rate value.

4. The control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuel deterioration suppression control means calculates an engine working rate from the fuel quantity to be consumed required for the getting in the vehicle per one time, in the interval of time from the present time point to the timing at which fuel is deteriorated, and a driver average travel distance information and an engine driving according to the calculated engine working rate is carried out, when the switching to the fuel consumption promotion mode is carried out.

5. The control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuel deterioration suppression control means provides a driving according to an engine operating point at a fuel consumption operating point deviated from an optimum fuel consumption line.

6. The control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuel deterioration suppression control means lowers an upper limit value of a charge quantity charged from an external charge installation to the battery.

7. The control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fuel deterioration suppression control means drives the engine according to an engine output which is an addition of a charge driving force corresponding output to a required driving force corresponding output, when the vehicle travels after the charging according to an upper limit charge quantity from the external charge installation is carried out.

8. The control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuel consumption estimation means estimates a travel distance using a user set information, if the user set information is provided in a navigation system, when a consumption of fuel of the user is estimated.

9. The control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuel consumption promotion mode includes a plurality of kinds of fuel consumption means and the fuel deterioration suppression control means selects one or more of the plurality of fuel consumption promotion means in accordance with a gap quantity between the timing at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or the fuel quantity becomes zero and the timing at which fuel is deteriorated.

10. A control method for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including:

an engine driven by a supply with fuel from a fuel tank; and

a motor driving drive wheels of the vehicle by a supply of electric power at least from a battery,

the control method comprising;

estimating an interval of time required until a time at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or a to quantity of fuel becomes zero with the present time as a starting point;

estimating an interval of time required until a timing at which fuel is deteriorated with the present time as the starting point; and

executing a fuel consumption promotion process, in a case where the timing at which the supply with fuel is to be carried out or the fuel quantity becomes zero is after the timing at which fuel is deteriorated.