VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING VEHICLE

• US 20140300302A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 10/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Amano, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,219,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/400.09
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/24 Coasting mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/26 Transition between different drive modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• 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 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 : having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 : including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• 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 2710/083 : Torque
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 6/28 : Arrangements for controlling current H02P6/10 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle includes a motor generator generating driving power for running, and an ECU. The ECU performs driving power variation operation on the motor generator in which the motor generator is switched between a first state (acceleration running) and a second state (inertial running) when power requested by a user varies within a prescribed range to run the vehicle. In the first state, the motor generator generates driving power. In the second state, the motor generator generates driving power smaller than the driving power in the first state. The ECU controls the motor generator in such a manner that the driving power during the acceleration running has a non-rectangular shape. As a result, gradual variation in driving power can be provided at the time of switching between the acceleration running and the inertial running, to improve drivability.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a rotating electric machine generating driving power for running the vehicle; and

a control device for controlling the rotating electric machine,

the control device performing driving power variation operation on the rotating electric machine in which the rotating electric machine is switched between a first state and a second state to run the vehicle, the rotating electric machine generating driving power in the first state, the rotating electric machine generating driving power smaller than the driving power in the first state in the second state,

the control device controlling the rotating electric machine in such a manner that the driving power in the first state has a non-rectangular shape.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the control device gradually varies the driving power output from the rotating electric machine during at least one of a transition of the driving power from the first state to the second state and a transition of the driving power from the second state to the first state.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein

the control device causes magnitude of temporal variation in the driving power during the transition of the driving power from the first state to the second state and magnitude of temporal variation in the driving power during the transition of the driving power from the second state to the first state to have different values.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the control device varies the driving power in the first state over time.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the control device performs the driving power variation operation when driving power requested by a user varies within a prescribed range.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the control device causes switching between the first and second states so as to maintain a speed of the vehicle within an acceptable range while the driving power variation operation is performed.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein

the control device starts a transition to the first state in response to a decrease in the speed of the vehicle to a first threshold value determined from a lower limit value of the acceptable range, and starts a transition to the second state in response to an increase in the speed of the vehicle to a second threshold value determined from an upper limit value of the acceptable range.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the driving power in the first state is set to be larger than reference driving power of constant output capable of maintaining a speed of the vehicle, and

the driving power in the second state is set to be smaller than the reference driving power.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein

the control device stops the generation of the driving power from the rotating electric machine in the second state.

10. The vehicle according to claim 8, wherein

the vehicle runs mainly with inertial force of the vehicle in the second state.

11. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising an other driving source generating driving power for running the vehicle.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein

the control device sets a sum of the driving power of the rotating electric machine and the other driving source in the first state to be larger than reference driving power of constant output capable of maintaining a speed of the vehicle, and sets a sum of the driving power of the rotating electric machine and the other driving source in the second state to be smaller than the reference driving power.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein

the control device performs driving power variation operation on the other driving source in which the other driving source is switched between a third state and a fourth state, the other driving source generating driving power in the third state, the other driving source generating driving power smaller than the driving power in the third state in the fourth state.

14. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein

the other driving source is an internal combustion engine.

15. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein

the other driving source is an other rotating electric machine different from the rotating electric machine.

16. A method of controlling a vehicle including a rotating electric machine generating driving power for running, comprising the steps of:

putting the rotating electric machine in a first state where the rotating electric machine generates driving power;

putting the rotating electric machine in a second state where the rotating electric machine generates driving power smaller than the driving power in the first state;

performing driving power variation operation of switching between the first and second states to run the vehicle; and

controlling the rotating electric machine in such a manner that the driving power in the first state has a non-rectangular shape.