Controller and control method for hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11479237-B2
Application number	US-202016807602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2020
Priority date	Mar 22, 2019
Publication date	Oct 25, 2022
Grant date	Oct 25, 2022

Abstract

Upon a request for switching from a first travel mode of traveling with a clutch disengaged and operation of an engine stopped to a second travel mode of traveling with the clutch engaged and the engine operating, a controller for a hybrid vehicle restarts the engine in the following manner. That is, the controller restarts the engine in a first start mode of starting combustion in the engine with the clutch non-fully engaged when a rotation speed of a motor is greater than a determination value and restarts the engine in a second start mode of starting combustion in the engine with the clutch fully engaged when the rotation speed of the motor is less than or equal to the determination value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A controller for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including a motor arranged on a power transmission path between an engine and a wheel and including a clutch arranged on a portion of the power transmission path between the engine and the motor, the controller being configured to cause the hybrid vehicle to travel in a travel mode selected from multiple travel modes that include a first travel mode of traveling with the clutch disengaged and operation of the engine stopped, and a second travel mode of traveling with the clutch engaged and the engine operating, the controller comprising:
processing circuitry configured to restart the engine in a first start mode of starting combustion in the engine with the clutch non-fully engaged or a second start mode of starting combustion in the engine with the clutch fully engaged, the clutch transmitting torque in a non-slipping state so that the engine and the motor are integrally rotated when the clutch is fully engaged, wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to:
restart the engine in the first start mode when a rotation speed of the motor is greater than a determination value upon a request for switching from the first travel mode to the second travel mode; and
restart the engine in the second start mode when the rotation speed of the motor is less than or equal to the determination value upon the request for switching from the first travel mode to the second travel mode.

2. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to update the determination value in correspondence with an increase amount of an engine rotation speed after combustion in the engine is started.

3. The controller according to claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to update the determination value to be larger than a current value when the engine rotation speed increases beyond the rotation speed of the motor when the engine is restarted in the first start mode.

4. A control method for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including a motor arranged on a power transmission path between an engine and a wheel and including a clutch arranged on a portion of the power transmission path between the engine and the motor, the control method comprising:
causing the hybrid vehicle to travel in a travel mode selected from multiple travel modes that include a first travel mode of traveling with the clutch disengaged and operation of the engine stopped and a second travel mode of traveling with the clutch engaged and the engine operating;
restarting the engine in a first start mode of starting combustion in the engine with the clutch non-fully engaged when a rotation speed of the motor is greater than a determination value upon a request for switching from the first travel mode to the second travel mode; and
restarting the engine in a second start mode of starting combustion in the engine with the clutch fully engaged when the rotation speed of the motor is less than or equal to the determination value upon the request for switching from the first travel mode to the second travel mode, the clutch transmitting torque in a non-slipping state so that the engine and the motor are integrally rotated when the clutch is fully engaged.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakano Tomohiro

Classifications

• B60W20/40 Primary

  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 title

• Y02T10/40

  Engine management systems · CPC title

• B60W10/08

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

• F02N2300/2002

  using different starting modes, methods, or actuators depending on circumstances, e.g. engine temperature or component wear · CPC title

• F02N5/04

  of inertia type · CPC title