Control device and control method for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017274902-A1
Application number	US-201415509297-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 9, 2014
Priority date	Sep 9, 2014
Publication date	Sep 28, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A control device for a vehicle includes a fuel cell, a motor-generator, a power unit, a transmission, a motor-generator control unit configured to perform a power control on the motor-generator based on a driver request torque, and a generated power control unit configured to control the generated power of the fuel cell based on a load of the fuel cell including the motor-generator. The motor-generator control unit performs a shifting power control for decreasing a rotation speed of the motor-generator during an upshift of the transmission, and a power control on the motor-generator based on a limit torque of the motor-generator during the shifting power control. The limit torque of the motor-generator being calculated based on an actual generated power of the fuel cell per unit time and an acceptable power of the power unit per unit time.

First claim

1 .- 13 . (canceled)

14 . A control device for a vehicle, wherein
the vehicle includes:
a fuel cell;
a motor-generator coupled to the fuel cell as a driving source;
a power unit configured to accept generated power of the fuel cell and the motor-generator; and
a transmission disposed on a power transmission path between the motor-generator and a driving wheel, wherein
the control device for the vehicle comprises:
a motor-generator control unit configured to perform a power control on the motor-generator based on a driver request torque; and
a generated power control unit configured to control the generated power of the fuel cell based on a load of the fuel cell including the motor-generator, wherein:
the motor-generator control unit performs a shifting power control during an upshift of the transmission, setting a target regenerative torque for decreasing a rotation speed of the motor-generator in the shifting power control, the motor-generator control unit calculates a limit torque of the motor-generator during the shifting power control based on an actual generated power of the fuel cell per unit time and an acceptable power of the power unit per unit time, and the motor-generator control unit performs a power control on the motor-generator, limiting the target regenerative torque during an inertia phase with the limit torque of the motor-generator in the power control.

15 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein:
the motor-generator control unit calculates the limit torque based on a surplus power obtained by subtracting the acceptable power from the actual generated power, and the motor-generator control unit performs the power control on the motor-generator so as not to cause a torque of the motor-generator to be decreased to below the limit torque.

16 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 15 , further comprising
a voltage regulator disposed between the fuel cell and the power unit to adjust an output voltage of the fuel cell, wherein the motor-generator control unit determines the surplus power by subtracting a smaller one of the acceptable power and a predetermined upper limit power from the actual generated power, the predetermined upper limit power being allowed to pass through the voltage regulator.

17 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 15 , further comprising
a shift phase determining unit configured to determine, during the upshift, whether or not a shift phase is the inertia phase based on an input rotation speed and an output rotation speed of the transmission, wherein the motor-generator control unit performs the power control on the motor-generator during the inertia phase based on a greater one of the limit torque and a predetermined regenerative torque for decreasing the rotation speed of the motor-generator.

18 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein
the generated power control unit controls the generated power of the fuel cell or halts the power generation of the fuel cell during the inertia phase based on a vehicle speed of the vehicle.

19 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein
the generated power control unit decreases the generated power of the fuel cell in accordance with increase in the vehicle speed.

20 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein:
the shift phase determining unit determines the shift phase to be during the inertia phase when an actual gear ratio is decreased to below a gear ratio of the transmission before the upshift, the actual gear ratio being obtained by dividing the input rotation speed of the transmission by the output rotation speed, and the generated power control unit controls the generated power of the fuel cell based on the load of the fuel cell after the actual gear ratio is decreased to below a predetermined threshold value, the threshold value being greater than a gear ratio of the transmission after the upshift.

21 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 18 , wherein:
the generated power control unit calculates a power lower limit value of the generated power of the fuel cell by subtracting an allowed output power of the power unit from a power consumption of the motor-generator, and the generated power control unit decreases the generated power of the fuel cell during the upshift of the transmission so that a lower limit of the generated power of the fuel cell is the power lower limit value, from a start of the upshift to a time at which the upshift is determined to being during the inertia phase.

22 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 14 , the vehicle includes:
a cathode gas supply passage that supplies the fuel cell with cathode gas; a compressor disposed on the cathode gas supply passage; a bypass passage that causes a part of the cathode gas to bypass the fuel cell so as to be discharged, the cathode gas having been discharged from the compressor; and a bypass valve disposed on the bypass passage to adjust a flow rate of the cathode gas which flows through the bypass passage, wherein the control device for the vehicle comprises: a bypass valve unit configured to control the bypass valve based on a target value of the generated power of the fuel cell, wherein the bypass valve unit, during the inertia phase, causes an opening degree of the bypass valve to be greater than an ordinary opening degree controlled based on the target value of the generated power of the fuel cell.

23 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 22 , wherein
when the opening degree of the bypass valve is increased to greater than the ordinary opening degree, a flow rate of the compressor is increased so as to increase a power consumption of the compressor.

24 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein:
the power unit includes a battery configured to be charged with the generated power of the fuel cell, and an auxiliary machine driven by the generated power of the fuel cell, and the acceptable power of the power unit is a sum of a power amount that is chargeable in the battery per unit time and a power amount consumed by the auxiliary machine per unit time.

25 . The control device for the vehicle according to claim 14 , further comprising:
an upshift request determining unit configured to determine whether or not an upshift request of the transmission exists based on an operating state of the vehicle, and an upshift inhibiting unit configured to inhibit the upshift of the transmission when a power absorbable for the power unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

26 . A control method for a vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes:
a fuel cell; a motor-generator coupled to the fuel cell as a driving source; a power unit configured to accept generated power of the fuel cell and the motor-generator; and a transmission disposed on a power transmission path between the motor-generator and a driving wheel, wherein
the control method for the vehicle comprises:
a motor-generator control step of performing a power control on the motor-generator based on a driver request torque; and
a generated power control step of controlling the generated power of the fuel cell based on a load of the fuel cell including the motor-generator, wherein:

the motor-generator control step comprises:
performing a shifting power control during an upshift of the transmission, with setting a target regenerative torque for decreasing a rotation speed of the motor-generator in the shifting power control;
calculating

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Kumada Mitsunori
• Toyota Ryohey

Classifications

• B60W2710/28

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• B60W2710/083

  Torque · CPC title

• B60W2510/084

  Torque change rate · CPC title

• B60W2510/083

  Torque · CPC title

• B60L2210/10

  DC to DC converters · CPC title