Electric vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11654777-B2
Application number	US-202117352960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2021
Priority date	Aug 7, 2020
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

The electric vehicle according to the present disclosure is configured to be able to select a traveling mode between an MT mode in which an electric motor is controlled with torque characteristics like an MT vehicle having a manual transmission and an internal combustion engine, and an EV mode in which the electric motor is controlled with normal torque characteristics. When the selection of the travelling mode is changed by a driver, the controller of the electric vehicle determines whether a control mode can be switched, based on a condition in which the electric vehicle is placed, and switches the control mode in accordance with the determination result.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric vehicle configured to use an electric motor as a power device for traveling, the electric vehicle comprising:
an accelerator pedal;
a pseudo-clutch pedal;
a pseudo-gearshift;
an external sensor configured to detect a condition in which the electric vehicle is placed;
a mode selector configured to select a control mode of the electric motor between a first mode and a second mode; and
a controller configured to control a motor torque output by the electric motor in accordance with the control mode selected by the mode selector,
wherein the controller comprises:
a memory configured to store:
an MT vehicle model simulating a torque characteristic of a driving wheel torque in an MT vehicle having an internal combustion engine whose torque is controlled by operation of a gas pedal and a manual transmission whose gear stage is switched by operation of a clutch pedal and operation of a gearshift; and
a motor torque command map defining a relationship of a motor torque with respect to an operation amount of the accelerator pedal and a rotation speed of the electric motor; and

a processor configured to execute:
in the first mode,
a process of receiving an operation amount of the accelerator pedal as an input of an operation amount of the gas pedal with respect to the MT vehicle model,
a process of receiving an operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal as an input of an operation amount of the clutch pedal with respect to the MT vehicle model,
a process of receiving a shift position of the pseudo-gearshift as an input of a shift position of the gearshift with respect to the MT vehicle model,
a process of calculating the driving wheel torque determined from the operation amount of the gas pedal, the operation amount of the clutch pedal and the shift position of the gearshift using the MT vehicle model, and
a process of calculating the motor torque for giving the driving wheel torque to driving wheels of the electric vehicle;

in the second mode,
a process of disabling the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal and the operation of the pseudo-gearshift, and
a process of calculating the motor torque using the motor torque command map based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal and the rotation speed of the electric motor; and

in response to a change of selection of the control mode by the mode selector,
a process of performing a first determination whether the control mode can be switched, based on the condition detected by the external sensor, and
a process of switching the control mode according to the result of the first determination.

2. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute in response to a negative result of the first determination,
a process of rejecting switching of the control mode, and
a process of suspending the change of selection of the control mode by the mode selector until the result of the first determination becomes affirmative, any one of the processing executes.

3. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the external sensor is configured to detect at least one of a distance to a preceding vehicle, a distance to a succeeding vehicle, a degree of congestion of a road, and presence or absence of a pedestrian as the condition.

4. The electric vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute in the first mode,
a process of performing a second determination whether it is possible to continue the first mode, based on the condition detected by the external sensor, and
in response to a negative result of the second determination, a process of forcibly switching the control mode from the first mode to the second mode.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nishimine Akiko
• Isami Yoichiro
• Itou Yoshio
• Amano Hiroyuki
• Imamura Tatsuya
• Ebuchi Hiroaki
• Kodera Hiroaki

Classifications

• B60L50/10

  using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines · CPC title

• B60L15/20 Primary

  for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed · CPC title

• B60L15/28

  without contact making and breaking, e.g. using a transductor · CPC title

• B60L15/2054 Primary

  by controlling transmissions or clutches · CPC title

• B60L2250/26

  by pedal actuation · CPC title