Hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016264124-A1
Application number	US-201615063671-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 8, 2016
Priority date	Mar 9, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The electronic control unit sets a target value of a charging amount of the electrical storage device and increases the charging amount to the target value during traveling on the freeway. The electronic control unit computes a first travel cost being cost per unit travel distance of fuel used when the EV travel is made by using the electric power charged in the electrical storage device at a time when the HV travel is made on the freeway, and the second travel cost being cost per unit travel distance of the electric power used when the EV travel is made by using the electric power charged in the electrical storage device by the charging mechanism at the destination. The electronic control unit sets the target value on the basis of a comparison result between the first travel cost and the second travel cost.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A hybrid vehicle able to be charged by using electric power from a power supply on the outside of the hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle comprising:
an internal combustion engine; an electrical storage device; a motor mechanically coupled to a drive wheel, the motor configured to generate travel drive power by receiving the electric power from the electrical storage device; an electric power generator mechanically coupled to the internal combustion engine, the electric power generator configured to generate electric power to be charged to the electrical storage device by using power of the internal combustion engine; a charging mechanism configured to charge the electrical storage device by using electric power from the power supply on the outside of the hybrid vehicle; and an electronic control unit configured to switch between an EV travel and an HV travel in accordance with a travel situation of the hybrid vehicle, the electronic control unit being configured to stop the internal combustion engine and cause the hybrid vehicle to travel by output of the motor in the EV travel, the electronic control unit configured to cause the hybrid vehicle to travel by actuating the internal combustion engine in the HV travel, and the electronic control unit configured to:
set a target value of a charging amount of the electrical storage device , the target value being a target value at a time when the hybrid vehicle passes an exit of a freeway in a case where a travel route to a destination includes the freeway and an open road from the exit of the freeway to the destination,
execute charging amount recovery control for increasing the charging amount of the electrical storage device to the target value when the hybrid vehicle travels on the freeway,
compute a first travel cost and a second travel cost, the first travel cost being cost per unit travel distance of fuel used when the hybrid vehicle travels in the EV travel by using the electric power charged in the electrical storage device at a time when the hybrid vehicle travels on the freeway in the HV travel, the second travel cost being cost per unit travel distance of the electric power used when the hybrid vehicle travels in the EV travel by using the electric power charged in the electrical storage device by the charging mechanism at the destination, and
set the target value in the charging amount recovery control on the basis of a comparison result between the first travel cost and the second travel cost.

2 . The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the first travel cost is higher than the second travel cost, the electronic control unit is configured to set the target value such that an electric power amount required for the hybrid vehicle to travel on the open road in the EV travel is stored in the electrical storage device when the hybrid vehicle passes the exit of the freeway.

3 . The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the first travel cost is lower than the second travel cost, the electronic control unit is configured to set the target value such that the electrical storage device is brought into a full charge state when the hybrid vehicle passes the exit of the freeway.

4 . The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the first travel cost is equal to the second travel cost, the electronic control unit executes the charging amount recovery control when the hybrid vehicle travels on the freeway and when the internal combustion engine is operated at an operation point at which energy efficiency of the internal combustion engine becomes at least equal to a specified threshold.

5 . The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a switching unit configured to be able to switch either to a coupling state in which a mechanical power transmission path between the internal combustion engine and the drive wheel is established or to a blocking state in which the mechanical power transmission path is blocked, wherein
in a series HV travel, the electronic control unit is configured to control the switching unit to be in the blocking state and actuate the internal combustion engine so as to cause the hybrid vehicle to travel by using output of the motor in conjunction with electric power generation by the electric power generator, in a parallel HV travel, the electronic control unit is configured to control the switching unit to be in the coupling state and actuate the internal combustion engine so as to cause the hybrid vehicle to travel by using at least some of output of the internal combustion engine, the electronic control unit is configured to control the switching unit to be in the blocking state in the EV travel, the electronic control unit is configured to switch between the series HV travel and the parallel HV travel in the HV travel, the electronic control unit configured to execute the charging amount recovery control by selecting the parallel HV travel when the hybrid vehicle travels on the freeway, and the electronic control unit configured to compute, as the first travel cost, cost per unit travel distance of the fuel used when the hybrid vehicle travels in the EV travel by using the electric power charged in the electrical storage device at a time when the hybrid vehicle travels on the freeway in the parallel HV travel.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hotta Makoto

Classifications

• B60Y2200/92

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title

• B60W2510/242

  for electrical energy · CPC title

• Y10S903/93

  Conjoint control of different elements · CPC title

• B60K6/445

  Differential gearing distribution type · CPC title

• B60W20/20 Primary

  Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration · CPC title