Hybrid vehicle system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12344253-B2
Application number	US-202318190845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2023
Priority date	Jun 14, 2022
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A hybrid vehicle system is configured to be capable of switching among four or more of a plurality of traveling modes including a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode and an electric vehicle (EV) mode, and includes one toggle switch for selecting any one of the plurality of traveling modes and a controller. The controller selects the plurality of traveling modes in sequence whenever the toggle switch accepts each of operations to a first direction and a second direction. The HEV mode is set to be changed to different traveling modes between when the toggle switch accepts one or a plurality of operations to the first direction and when the toggle switch accepts an operation to the second direction, and the HEV mode and the EV mode are set to be continuous in an order of selection by the controller.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hybrid vehicle system configured to be capable of switching among four or more of a plurality of traveling modes including a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode in which an engine and a motor output traveling torque and an electric vehicle (EV) mode in which only the motor outputs the traveling torque, and comprising one operation device for selecting any one of the plurality of traveling modes, the hybrid vehicle system comprising:
a controller electrically connected to the operation device, wherein
the operation device is configured by a toggle switch that accepts one or a plurality of operations to a predetermined first direction and one or a plurality of operations to a second direction different from the first direction, and configured to output a signal corresponding to each operation to the controller;
the controller selects the plurality of traveling modes in sequence whenever the operation device accepts each of the operations to the first direction and the second direction;
the HEV mode is set to be changed to different traveling modes between when the operation device accepts the one or plurality of operations to the first direction and when the operation device accepts the one or plurality of operations to the second direction; and
the HEV mode and the EV mode are set to be continuous in an order of selection by the controller.

2. The hybrid vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of traveling modes further include a sport mode and a fourth mode,
the plurality of traveling modes are switched by the controller in sequence to:
change the sport mode to the HEV mode or the HEV mode to the EV mode when the operation device accepts the operation to the first direction, and
change the EV mode to the HEV mode or the HEV mode to the sport mode when the operation device accepts the operation to the second direction, and

the fourth mode is selected by the controller when the operation device accepts the operation to the first direction in the EV mode or when the operation device accepts the operation to the second direction in the sport mode.

3. The hybrid vehicle system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a startup mode setting device that is configured as a separate component from the toggle switch and that can set the EV mode to be selected during vehicle startup, wherein
the controller preferentially selects:
the HEV mode over the EV mode during the vehicle startup when the startup mode setting device does not make any settings, and
the EV mode over the HEV mode during the vehicle startup when the startup mode setting device makes settings.

4. The hybrid vehicle system according to claim 3 , wherein the startup mode setting device is adjacent to the toggle switch across a shift lever.

5. The hybrid vehicle system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a startup mode setting device that is configured as a separate component from the toggle switch and that can set the EV mode to be selected during vehicle startup, wherein
the controller preferentially selects:
the HEV mode over the EV mode during the vehicle startup when the startup mode setting device does not make any settings, and
the EV mode over the HEV mode during the vehicle startup when the startup mode setting device makes settings.

6. The hybrid vehicle system according to claim 5 , wherein the startup mode setting device is adjacent to the toggle switch across a shift lever.

Assignees

• Mazda Motor

Inventors

• Imamura Yasumasa
• Matsuo Juntaro
• Umetsu Daisuke
• Okada Kohei
• Kubo Junichi

Classifications

• B60W20/10

  Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand · 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

• B60W2710/083

  Torque · CPC title

• B60W50/082 Primary

  Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling · CPC title