Vehicle control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11904833-B2
Application number	US-202117530482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2021
Priority date	Dec 21, 2020
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A boundary is at an engine drive restricted zone where operation of the internal combustion engine is restricted. An adjusting device adjusts of at least one of the temperature inside the cabin using electric power, the humidity inside the cabin using electric power, or the air pollution degree inside the cabin. In response to a prediction that (1) a host vehicle will enter the inside of the engine drive restricted zone and that (2a) the time period for the host vehicle to reach the boundary is within a preset time period or that (2b) the distance between the host vehicle and the boundary is within a preset distance, the value of at least one of the temperature inside the cabin, the humidity inside the cabin, and the air pollution degree inside the cabin is reduced before the host vehicle enters the inside of the engine drive restricted zone.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle control device of a hybrid vehicle driven by only an electric motor or by both of the electric motor and an internal combustion engine, wherein a boundary is set between an inside of an engine drive restricted zone where operation of the internal combustion engine is restricted and an outside of the engine drive restricted zone, said vehicle control device comprising:
an adjusting device configured to perform at least one adjustment among adjustment of a temperature inside a cabin performed using electric power, adjustment of a humidity inside the cabin performed using electric power, and adjustment of an air pollution degree inside the cabin performed using electric power;
a navigation device configured to search for a running route up to a destination upon input of the destination;
an information acquiring unit configured to acquire position information of the hybrid vehicle and information relating to said boundary;
a judging unit configured to judge whether a time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is within a preset time period or whether a distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is within a preset distance in response to (i) judging, based on the information acquired by the information acquiring unit that the hybrid vehicle is positioned at the outside of the engine drive restricted zone and (ii) predicting, based on search results by the navigation device that the hybrid vehicle will enter the inside of the engine drive restricted zone; and
an internal cabin environment control unit configured to change, in response to judging by said judging unit (a) that the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is within the preset time period or (b) that the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is within the preset distance, a value of at least one of a temperature inside the cabin, a humidity inside the cabin, or an air pollution degree inside the cabin from a current value to a value closer to a preset set value than an intermediate value of the current value and the preset set value before the hybrid vehicle enters the engine drive restricted zone,
wherein
said adjusting device includes a cooling device having a refrigerant-use compressor, and
the internal cabin environment control unit is configured to control the refrigerant-use compressor to cause, in response to judging by said judging unit that (a) the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is within the preset time period or (b) that the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is within the preset distance, the temperature inside the cabin to change from a current temperature to a cooling temperature closer to a preset set cooling temperature than an intermediate value of the current temperature and the preset set cooling temperature before the hybrid vehicle enters the inside of the engine drive restricted zone.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the internal cabin environment control unit is configured to change, in response to judging by said judging unit that (a) the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is within the preset time period or (b) that the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is within the preset distance, the value of at least one of the temperature inside the cabin, the humidity inside the cabin, or the air pollution degree inside the cabin from the current value to the preset set value before the hybrid vehicle enters the inside of the engine drive restricted zone.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein
in a first case, the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is within the preset time period or the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is within the preset distance,
in a second case, the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is more than the preset time period or the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is more than the preset distance,
a temperature difference between the current temperature inside the cabin and the preset set cooling temperature in the first case is the same as a temperature difference between the current temperature inside the cabin and the preset set cooling temperature in the second case, and
the internal cabin environment control unit is configured to cause a drive electric power of the refrigerant-use compressor to increase in the first case compared with the second case.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein
said adjusting device further includes a heating device having a heater core through which cooling water of the internal combustion engine circulates, and
the internal cabin environment control unit is configured to control a thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine so that in response to judging by said judging unit that (a) the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is within the preset time period or (b) that the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is within the preset distance, the temperature inside the cabin is made to change from a current temperature to a heating temperature closer to a preset set heating temperature than an intermediate value of the current temperature and the preset set heating temperature before the hybrid vehicle enters the inside of the engine drive restricted zone.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4 , wherein
in a first case, the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is within the preset time period or the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is within the preset distance,
in a second case, the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is more than the preset time period or the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is more than the preset distance,
a temperature difference between the current temperature inside the cabin and the preset set heating temperature in the first case is the same as a temperature difference between the current temperature inside the cabin and the preset set heating temperature in the second case, and
the internal cabin environment control unit is configured to cause the thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine to be lowered in the first case compared with the second case.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5 , wherein the thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine is lowered by retarding an ignition timing of the internal combustion engine.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 5 , wherein the thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine is lowered by decreasing an amount of recirculated exhaust gas recirculated to an intake passage of the internal combustion engine.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein
said adjusting device further includes a dehumidifying device having a refrigerant-use compressor and a heater core through which cooling water of the internal combustion engine circulates, and
the internal cabin environment control unit is configured to control the refrigerant-use compressor so that in response to judging by said judging unit that (a) the time period required for the hybrid vehicle to reach said boundary is within the preset time period or (b) that the distance between the hybrid vehicle and said boundary is within the preset distance, the humidity inside the cabin is made to change from a current humidity to a humidity closer to a preset set humidity than an intermediate value of the current humidity and the preset set humidity before the hybrid vehicle enters the

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yokoyama Daiki
• Chiba Hiroya
• Kageura Yoshiyuki
• Shimada Masanori
• Sakayanagi Yoshihiro
• Kurihashi Sui
• Morita Hiroki
• Ogiso Makoto

Classifications

• B60W20/12 Primary

  using control strategies taking into account route information {(estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00)} · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• B60W10/08

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

• B60W10/30

  including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps · CPC title

• B60W2510/0676

  Engine temperature · CPC title