Electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10351011-B2
Application number	US-201815861162-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2018
Priority date	Jan 17, 2017
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

An electric vehicle includes: a rotating electric machine; a photovoltaic cell; a first electricity storage device that is charged with electricity output from the photovoltaic cell; a second electricity storage device that is chargeable with electricity generated by the rotating electric machine, and serves as a power source for generating driving force of the vehicle; and a control device. The control device either prohibits charging the first electricity storage device or lowers an upper limit value of an SOC of the first electricity storage device while the control device is executing second charge control of charging the second electricity storage device with generated electricity generated by the rotating electric machine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric vehicle comprising:
a rotating electric machine;
a photovoltaic cell that converts energy of light into electricity;
a first electricity storage device that is charged with electricity output from the photovoltaic cell;
a second electricity storage device that is chargeable with electricity generated by the rotating electric machine, and serves as a power source for generating driving force of the vehicle; and
an electronic control unit that is configured to be able to execute at least one of first charge control of charging the second electricity storage device with electricity from the first electricity storage device, and second charge control of charging the second electricity storage device with generated electricity generated by the rotating electric machine, wherein
the electronic control unit is configured to either prohibit charging the first electricity storage device or lower an upper limit value of an SOC of the first electricity storage device while the control device is executing the second charge control.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to prohibit charging the first electricity storage device when a temperature of the first electricity storage device is higher than a threshold value while the electronic control unit is executing the second charge control.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to lower the upper limit value of the SOC of the first electricity storage device when a temperature of the first electricity storage device is lower than a threshold value while the electronic control unit is executing the second charge control.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an engine coupled to the rotating electric machine, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to make the rotating electric machine generate electricity using power from the engine while the control device is executing the second charge control.

5. The electric vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute the second charge control on demand from a user.

6. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotating electric machine is coupled to a driving wheel, and
the electronic control unit is configured to either prohibit charging the first electricity storage device or lower the upper limit value of the SOC of the first electricity storage device, when a difference value obtained by subtracting, from an amount of electricity required to increase an SOC of the second electricity storage device from a current value to an upper limit value, an estimated value of an amount of electricity corresponding to an amount of increase in the SOC that is increased by regenerative energy generated by the rotating electric machine while the electric vehicle travels from a current position to a destination, is smaller than an estimated value of an amount of generated electricity generated by the photovoltaic cell during the travel.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kubo Kazuki
• Machida Kiyohito
• Kawasaki Tsutomu

Classifications

• B60K6/445

  Differential gearing distribution type · CPC title

• B60K1/04

  of the electric storage means for propulsion · CPC title

• B60K6/28

  characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors · CPC title

• B60W2510/246

  Temperature · CPC title

• B60W50/082

  Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling · CPC title