Hybrid vehicle

• US 9,180,864 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Yoshiki, Tagawa, Masaaki, Ohkuma, Hitoshi, Hosoe, Yukihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US13/981,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20140025243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 903/930, 320/109, 320/134, 123/179.3, 180/65.4, 477/99, 290/37.A
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 10/26 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 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• 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: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A hybrid vehicle includes: a charge state calculator which calculates a charge state of an electricity storer; a standard opening and closing device which turns off a contactor when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculator is lower than a standard lower-limit value; and an engine startup opening and closing device which maintains the contactor in an on state when an engine startup signal is input even when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculator is a value for turning off the contactor, wherein the contactor turning-on operation executed by the engine startup opening and closing device is executed when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculator is higher than an engine startup lower-limit value set lower than the standard lower-limit value by a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle which outputs power generated from an engine and a motor generator to a drive shaft through a power transmitting mechanism, the hybrid vehicle comprising:

an electricity storing means for exchanging power with the motor generator;

a contactor which enables or disables a connection between the motor generator and the electricity storing means;

a charge state calculation means for calculating a charge state of the electricity storing means;

a standard opening and closing means for turning off the contactor when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculation means is lower than a standard lower-limit value; and

an engine startup opening and closing means for maintaining the contactor in an on state when an engine startup signal is input, even when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculation means is a value for turning off the contactor by the standard opening and closing means,

wherein the contactor turning-on operation executed by the engine startup opening and closing means is executed when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculation means is higher than an engine startup lower-limit value which is lower than the standard lower-limit value by a predetermined value, and the engine is started by the motor generator.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the contactor turning-on operation executed by the engine startup opening and closing means is stopped to turn off the contactor when the charge state does not exceed the standard lower-limit value within a predetermined time.