Control apparatus for hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137880-B2
Application number	US-201615224245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2016
Priority date	Jul 30, 2015
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle determines a scheduled travel route. The control apparatus further determines a downhill section included in the scheduled travel route by using gradient information acquired for a road section at a time when the vehicle has traveled on the road section and using gradient information stored in a navigation database for a road section on which the vehicle travels for a first time. The control apparatus determines a section from a downhill control start point to an end point of the target downhill section as a downhill control section. The downhill control start point is a point located a predetermined first distance closer to the vehicle from a start point of the target downhill section. When the vehicle travels on the downhill control section, the control apparatus executes downhill control.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control apparatus that is applied to a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine that serves as a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, an electric motor that serves as a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, and a storage battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor, the hybrid vehicle being configured to perform regenerative braking with use of the electric motor and to charge the storage battery with electric power generated through the regenerative braking, the hybrid vehicle being also configured to charge the storage battery with electric power generated by using output power of the internal combustion engine, the control apparatus being configured to control the internal combustion engine and the electric motor such that a required driving force that is required from the hybrid vehicle is satisfied and a remaining amount of charge of the storage battery approaches a target remaining amount of charge set to a normal remaining amount of charge, the control apparatus comprising:
first storage means for storing map information;
scheduled route determination means for determining a scheduled travel route from a current location of the hybrid vehicle to a destination on the basis of the map information;
controlled section determination means for searching for a target downhill section that satisfies a predetermined condition within the scheduled travel route on the basis of measured gradient information pertaining to a gradient and stored in the first storage means for each road section that constitutes the scheduled travel route, and, when there is the target downhill section, determining, within a section from a downhill control start point that is located a predetermined first distance from a start point of the target downhill section to an end point of the target downhill section, a controlled section including at least a section from the downhill control start point to the start point of the target downhill section;
control execution means for, when the hybrid vehicle travels on the controlled section, executing downhill control in which the target remaining amount of charge is changed to a first remaining amount of charge lower than the normal remaining amount of charge;
gradient information acquisition means for, when the hybrid vehicle has traveled on a road section, acquiring actual gradient information pertaining to an actual gradient of the road section with use of a sensor provided in the hybrid vehicle; and
second storage means for storing the actual gradient information in association with the road section, wherein
the controlled section determination means is configured to, when the actual gradient information of the road section that constitutes the scheduled travel route is stored in the second storage means in a case of searching for the target downhill section, search for the target downhill section by using the actual gradient information instead of the measured gradient information for the road section of which the actual gradient information is stored.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
erasing means for, when the road section in the map information has been changed, erasing the actual gradient information corresponding to the changed road section from the second storage means.

3. A control apparatus that is applied to a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine that serves as a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, an electric motor that serves as a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, and a storage battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor, the hybrid vehicle being configured to perform regenerative braking with use of the electric motor and to charge the storage battery with electric power generated through the regenerative braking, the hybrid vehicle being also configured to charge the storage battery with electric power generated by using output power of the internal combustion engine, the control apparatus being configured to control the internal combustion engine and the electric motor such that a required driving force that is required from the hybrid vehicle is satisfied and a remaining amount of charge of the storage battery approaches a target remaining amount of charge set to a normal remaining amount of charge, the control apparatus comprising:
a first storage device to store map information;
a first electronic controller configured to determine a scheduled travel route from a current location of the hybrid vehicle to a destination on the basis of the map information, the first electronic controller being configured to search for a target downhill section that satisfies a predetermined condition within the scheduled travel route on the basis of measured gradient information pertaining to a gradient and stored in the first storage device for each road section that constitutes the scheduled travel route, and, when there is the target downhill section, determine, within a section from a downhill control start point that is located a predetermined first distance from a start point of the target downhill section to an end point of the target downhill section, a controlled section including at least a section from the downhill control start point to the start point of the target downhill section, and the first electronic controller being configured to, when the hybrid vehicle has traveled on a road section, acquire actual gradient information pertaining to an actual gradient of the road section from a sensor provided in the hybrid vehicle;
a second electronic controller configured to, when the hybrid vehicle travels on the controlled section, execute downhill control in which the target remaining amount of charge is changed to a first remaining amount of charge lower than the normal remaining amount of charge; and
a second storage device to store the actual gradient information in association with the road section, wherein
the first electronic controller is configured to, when the actual gradient information of the road section that constitutes the scheduled travel route is stored in the second storage device in a case of searching for the target downhill section, search for the target downhill section by using the actual gradient information instead of the measured gradient information for the road section of which the actual gradient information is stored.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first electronic controller is configured to, when the road section in the map information has been changed, erase the actual gradient information corresponding to the changed road section from the second storage device.

5. A control apparatus that is applied to a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine that serves as a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, an electric motor that serves as a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, and a storage battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor, the hybrid vehicle being configured to perform regenerative braking with use of the electric motor and to charge the storage battery with electric power generated through the regenerative braking, the hybrid vehicle being also configured to charge the storage battery with electric power generated by using output power of the internal combustion engine, the control apparatus being configured to control the internal combustion engine and the electric motor such that a required driving force that is required from the hybrid vehicle is satisfied and a remaining amount of charge of the storage battery approaches a target remaining amount of charge set to a normal remaining amount of charge, the control apparatus comprising:
a first memory to store map information;
circuitry configured to:
determine a scheduled t

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ogawa Yuki
• Oguri Haruki
• Yoshida Kosuke

Classifications

• B60W2710/08

  Electric propulsion units · CPC title

• B60W2710/244

  Charge state · CPC title

• B60W30/18009

  related to particular drive situations · CPC title

• B60W2556/50

  of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data · CPC title

• B60W10/08

  including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators · CPC title