Vehicle controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016231123-A1
Application number	US-201514975034-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Feb 5, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle consumes electric power of a battery when traveling in a first mode and sustains a storage power amount of the battery when traveling in a second mode. The travel planning unit forms a travel plan that assigns one of the first mode and the second mode to each zone included in a route. A control unit sets a travel mode of the vehicle to the first mode when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the formed travel plan.

First claim

1 . A vehicle controller that performs travel control on a vehicle, wherein the vehicle selects one of a first mode and a second mode as a travel mode and travels in the travel mode, the vehicle consumes electric power of a battery when traveling in the first mode and sustains a storage power amount of the battery when traveling in the second mode, and the vehicle travels along a route from an originating point to a destination that includes a plurality of zones, the vehicle controller comprising:
a travel planning unit configured to form a travel plan that assigns one of the first mode and the second mode to each of the zones included in the route; and a control unit configured to control traveling of the vehicle based on the formed travel plan, wherein the control unit is configured to set the travel mode of the vehicle to the first mode when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the formed travel plan.

2 . The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the travel plan and then returns to the route, the control unit is configured to maintain the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode for a predetermined time or a predetermined distance regardless of the formed travel plan.

3 . The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the travel plan and then returns to the route, the control unit is configured to maintain the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode in a zone of the route where the vehicle first travels subsequent to the return regardless of the formed travel plan.

4 . The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the travel plan and then returns to the route, if the second mode is assigned to a zone of the route where the vehicle first travels subsequent to the return and a distance to a zone where the first mode is assigned for a first time after the zone where the vehicle first travels subsequent to the return is shorter than or equal to a fixed distance, the control unit is configured to maintain the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode at least until the zone where the first mode is assigned for the first time after the zone where the vehicle first travels subsequent to the return.

5 . The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the travel planning unit is configured to recalculate the route and form a new travel plan when a fixed time elapses from when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the travel plan, and when the vehicle deviates from the route and the route is recalculated, the control unit is configured to maintain the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode for a predetermined time or a predetermined distance regardless of the newly formed travel plan.

6 . The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the travel planning unit is configured to recalculate the route and form a new travel plan when a fixed time elapses from when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the travel plan, and when the vehicle deviates from the route and the route is recalculated, the control unit is configured to maintain the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode in a zone of the route where the vehicle first travels subsequent to the recalculation regardless of the newly formed travel plan.

7 . The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the travel planning unit is configured to recalculate the route and form a new travel plan when a fixed time elapses from when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the travel plan, and when the vehicle deviates from the route and the route is recalculated, if the second mode is assigned to a zone of the route where the vehicle first travels subsequent to the recalculation and a distance to a zone where the first mode is assigned for a first time after the zone where the vehicle first travels subsequent to the recalculation is shorter than or equal to a fixed distance, the control unit is configured to maintain the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode at least until the zone where the first mode is assigned for the first time after the zone where the vehicle first travels subsequent to the recalculation.

8 . The vehicle controller according to claim 5 , wherein
when deviation of the vehicle from the route or the recalculation is repeated for a predetermined number of times or more, the control unit is configured to maintain the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode, and the travel planning unit is configured to stop forming the travel plan.

9 . A vehicle controller that performs travel control on a vehicle, wherein the vehicle selects one of a first mode and a second mode as a travel mode and travels in the travel mode, the vehicle gives priority to driving of a motor while limiting or prohibiting driving of an internal combustion engine when traveling in the first mode, the vehicle drives at least one of the motor and the internal combustion engine when traveling in the second mode, and the vehicle travels along a route from an originating point to a destination that includes a plurality of zones, the vehicle controller comprising:
a travel planning unit that forms a travel plan that assigns one of the first mode and the second mode as the travel mode to each of the zones included in the route; and a control unit that controls traveling of the vehicle based on the formed travel plan, wherein the control unit is configured to forcibly set the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the travel plan.

10 . A method of travel control on a vehicle performed by a vehicle controller, the method comprising:
selecting one of a first mode and a second mode as a travel mode and the vehicle traveling in the travel mode, consuming electric power of a battery when the vehicle traveling in the first mode; sustaining a storage power amount of the battery when the vehicle traveling in the second mode; traveling by the vehicle along a route from an originating point to a destination that includes a plurality of zones; forming a travel plan that assigns one of the first mode and the second mode to each of the zones included in the route; controlling traveling of the vehicle based on the formed travel plan; and setting the travel mode of the vehicle to the first mode when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the formed travel plan.

11 . A method of travel control on a vehicle performed by a vehicle controller, the method comprising:
selecting one of a first mode and a second mode as a travel mode and the vehicle traveling in the travel mode; giving priority to driving of a motor while limiting or prohibiting driving of an internal combustion engine when the vehicle traveling in the first mode; driving at least one of the motor and the internal combustion engine when the vehicle traveling in the second mode; traveling by the vehicle along a route from an originating point to a destination that includes a plurality of zones; forming a travel plan that assigns one of the first mode and the second mode as the travel mode to each of the zones included in the route; controlling traveling of the vehicle based on the formed travel plan, and forcibly setting the travel mode of the vehicle in the first mode when the vehicle deviates from the route that is in accordance with the travel plan.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Morisaki Keisuke

Classifications

• G01C21/3469

  Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects · CPC title

• B60W30/10

  Path keeping {(cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165)} · CPC title

• 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

• B60W30/182

  Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes · CPC title

• G01C21/34 Primary

  Route searching; Route guidance · CPC title