Hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011188-B2
Application number	US-201615212348-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2016
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

A hybrid vehicle includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to a) control operation of the power generation mechanism such that a state of charge of the secondary battery is kept at a predetermined control target; b) calculate an estimated actual state of charge of the secondary battery based on an integrated current value and a state of charge decrease amount due to self-discharge of the secondary battery, the integrated current value being obtained by integrating an input current and an output current of the secondary battery; and c) when the estimated actual state of charge has decreased below a predetermined first lower limit state of charge, raise the control target.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hybrid vehicle comprising:
a secondary battery;
a drive mechanism configured to generate driving force by using electric power from the secondary battery;
an internal combustion engine;
a power generation mechanism configured to generate electric power for charging the secondary battery by using power output from the internal combustion engine; and
an electronic control unit configured to
a) control operation of the power generation mechanism such that a state of charge of the secondary battery is kept at a predetermined control target,
b) calculate an estimated actual state of charge of the secondary battery based on an integrated current value and a state of charge decrease amount due to self-discharge of the secondary battery, the integrated current value being obtained by integrating an input current and an output current of the secondary battery, and
c) when the estimated actual state of charge has decreased below a first lower limit state of charge, raise the predetermined control target.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the electronic control unit is configured to
d) calculate a control state of charge based on the integrated current value,
e) when the control state of charge has decreased to a second lower limit state of charge, forcibly charge the secondary battery by operating the power generation mechanism, the second lower limit state of charge being higher than the first lower limit state of charge, and
f) when the estimated actual state of charge has decreased below the first lower limit state of charge, and a number of times that the secondary battery has been forcibly charged is smaller than a predetermined number of times, prohibit raising the predetermined control target.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an auxiliary load, wherein
the electronic control unit is configured to
g) when the hybrid vehicle has been left standing in a parking range for over a predetermined time and electric power consumed by the auxiliary load is larger than or equal to a predetermined value, raise the control target.

4. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the state of charge decrease amount due to self-discharge of the secondary battery is based on a duration of a time period in which there is no battery current.

5. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the state of charge decrease amount due to self-discharge of the secondary battery is based on a duration of a non-use time of the secondary battery.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Minamiura Keiichi

Classifications

• B60K6/445

  Differential gearing distribution type · CPC title

• B60L2240/545

  Temperature · CPC title

• B60W20/15

  Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect · CPC title

• B60W2510/242

  for electrical energy · CPC title

• B60L50/15

  with additional electric power supply (with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61) · CPC title