Vehicle control device and vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11623632-B2
Application number	US-202016992570-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 13, 2020
Priority date	Aug 14, 2019
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle control device includes a control unit. In a state where a first electric motor generates electricity by rotating an internal combustion engine and a target driving force is decided based on an operation for an accelerator pedal, the control unit performs a first driving control in which driving of a vehicle by a first driving force, which is a driving force of a first driving device including the internal combustion engine and the first electric motor, is prioritized. In a state where the first electric motor generates electricity by rotating the internal combustion engine and the target driving force is decided without being based on the operation for the accelerator pedal, the control unit performs a second driving control in which driving of the vehicle by a second driving force, which is a driving force of a second driving device including a second electric motor, is prioritized.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control device configured to control a vehicle including a first driving device configured to only drive a first set of driving wheels through a transmission, a second driving device configured to only drive a second set of driving wheels without a transmission, and an energy storage device, the first driving device including an internal combustion engine and a first electric motor configured to generate electricity by being rotated by the internal combustion engine, the second driving device including a second electric motor, the energy storage device being configured to store electric power supplied from the first electric motor and supply the electric power to the first electric motor and the second electric motor, the vehicle control device comprising one or more processors, wherein:
the one or more processors are configured to decide a target driving force of the vehicle;
the one or more processors are configured to control at least one of a first driving force, which is a driving force of the first driving device, and a second driving force, which is a driving force of the second driving device, based on the target driving force, and when an amount of electric power stored in the energy storage device has become less than an electric power amount threshold, the one or more processors are configured to cause the first electric motor to generate electricity by rotation of the internal combustion engine;
in a state where the first electric motor generates electricity by rotation of the internal combustion engine and the target driving force is decided based on user's operation for an accelerator pedal, the one or more processors are configured to perform a first driving control in which driving of the vehicle by the first driving force is prioritized; and
in a state where the first electric motor generates electricity by rotation of the internal combustion engine and the target driving force is decided without being based on the user's operation for the accelerator pedal, the one or more processors are configured to perform a second driving control in which driving of the vehicle by the second driving force is prioritized.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a state where the internal combustion engine does not rotate and the vehicle is driven by the second driving force, when the amount of the electric power stored in the energy storage device has become less than the electric power amount threshold, the one or more processors are configured to start to rotate the internal combustion engine to thereby start electric power generation by the first electric motor, and continue driving of the vehicle by the second driving force.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the state where the target driving force is decided without being based on the user's operation for the accelerator pedal is a state where the target driving force is decided based on information from a parking control device configured to assist the vehicle in parking.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
a maximum driving force of the first driving device is greater than a maximum driving force of the second driving device; and
in a state where the vehicle is driven by the second driving force, when the target driving force has become more than or equal to a target driving force threshold, or in the state where the vehicle is driven by the second driving force, when the target driving force has become more than or equal to the maximum driving force of the second driving device, the one or more processors are configured to make a transition from the state where the vehicle is driven by the second driving force to a state where the vehicle is driven by at least the first driving force.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein in a state where the internal combustion engine rotates, the vehicle is driven by the first driving force, and the target driving force is decided without being based on the user's operation for the accelerator pedal, when the amount of the electric power stored in the energy storage device has changed from a value less than the electric power amount threshold to a value more than or equal to the electric power amount threshold, the one or more processors are configured to continue rotation of the internal combustion engine.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a state where the internal combustion engine rotates, the vehicle is driven by the second driving force, and the target driving force is decided without being based on the user's operation for the accelerator pedal, when the amount of the electric power stored in the energy storage device has changed from a value less than the electric power amount threshold to a value more than or equal to the electric power amount threshold, the one or more processors are configured to stop rotation of the internal combustion engine.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the transmission includes a plurality of gears;
a number of gears meshed when the vehicle moves backward, among the plurality of gears, is greater than a number of gears meshed when the vehicle moves forward, among the plurality of gears; and
when a speed of the vehicle that is moving backward by the first driving force has changed from a value more than or equal to a first speed threshold to a value less than the first speed threshold, the one or more processors are configured to continue rotation of the internal combustion engine and make a transition from a state where the vehicle is driven by the first driving force to a state where the vehicle is driven by the second driving force and then, stop the rotation of the internal combustion engine when the speed of the vehicle has become less than a second speed threshold that is smaller than the first speed threshold.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein, in a state where the vehicle is driven by the second driving force and the target driving force is decided without being based on the user's operation for the accelerator pedal, when a skid has occurred on the second set of driving wheels, the one or more processors are configured to drive the vehicle by the first driving force and the second driving force.

9. A vehicle comprising a vehicle control device, the vehicle control device being configured to control the vehicle including a first driving device configured to only drive a first set of driving wheels through a transmission, a second driving device configured to only drive a second set of driving wheels without a transmission, and an energy storage device, the first driving device including an internal combustion engine and a first electric motor configured to generate electricity by being rotated by the internal combustion engine, the second driving device including a second electric motor, the energy storage device being configured to store electric power supplied from the first electric motor and supply the electric power to the first electric motor and the second electric motor, the vehicle control device comprising one or more processors, wherein:
the one or more processors are configured to decide a target driving force of the vehicle;
the one or more processors are configured to control at least one of a first driving force, which is a driving force of the first driving device, and a second driving force, which is a driving force of the second driving device, based on the target driving force, and when an amount of electric power stored in the energy storage device has become less than an electric power amount threshold, the one or more processors are configured to cause the first electri

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iwamitsu Atsuki
• Nakada Yuki
• Kawano Takumi
• Kuwabara Takaaki
• Kazehare Shigeki

Classifications

• B60L2260/22

  Standstill, e.g. zero speed · CPC title

• B60L2260/26

  Transition between different drive modes · CPC title

• B60L2260/28

  Four wheel or all wheel drive · CPC title

• B60L2270/145

  Structure borne vibrations · CPC title

• B60L58/14

  Preventing excessive discharging · CPC title