Vehicle control device, vehicle, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025289438-A1
Application number	US-202519055866-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 18, 2025
Priority date	Mar 15, 2024
Publication date	Sep 18, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

The vehicle control device decreases the second driving force at a first rate of decrease when limiting the second driving force in a state where the second driving force limiting process is not executed, and decreases the second driving force at a second rate of decrease smaller than the first rate of decrease when the second determination unit determines that the second condition is fulfilled in a state where the second driving force limiting process is executed.

First claim

1 . A vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle including a first driving source for driving a first drive wheel and a second driving source for driving a second drive wheel,
the vehicle control device comprising one or more processors that execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory, wherein the one or more processors execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the vehicle control device to: determine whether a predetermined first condition is fulfilled; determine whether a second condition different from the first condition is fulfilled; execute a second driving force limiting process for limiting a second driving force output from the second driving source in a case that fulfillment of the first condition is determined, and further limit the second driving force in a case that fulfillment of the second condition is determined while the second driving force limiting process is being executed; decrease the second driving force at a first rate of decrease in a case that the second driving force is limited while the second driving force limiting process is not being executed; and decrease the second driving force at a second rate of decrease smaller than the first rate of decrease in a case that fulfillment of the second condition is determined while the second driving force limiting process is being executed.

2 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first condition includes a situation where a required driving force required for the vehicle continues to exceed a predetermined driving force threshold for a predetermined period of time or longer.

3 . The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the first condition further includes a situation where an outside air temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined outside air temperature threshold.

4 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the second condition includes a situation where a second driving source temperature, which is a temperature of the second driving source, exceeds a predetermined temperature threshold.

5 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors cause the vehicle control device to:
adjust the second rate of decrease based on a required driving force required for the vehicle; and make the second rate of decrease greater as the required driving force required for the vehicle is greater.

6 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors cause the vehicle control device to:
execute the second driving force limiting process by lowering a driving force distribution ratio to the second drive wheel.

7 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors cause the vehicle control device to:
execute the second driving force limiting process by lowering an upper limit value of the second driving force.

8 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein a cooling efficiency of the second driving source is lower than a cooling efficiency of the first drive device.

9 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is provided with an air-cooling device configured to air-cool a refrigerant for cooling the second driving source.

10 . A vehicle comprising the vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

11 . A vehicle control method executed by a computer for controlling a vehicle including a first driving source for driving a first drive wheel and a second driving source for driving a second drive wheel,
the vehicle control method comprising:
a first determination step of determining whether a predetermined first condition is fulfilled;
a first control step of executing a second driving force limiting process for limiting a second driving force output from the second driving source in a case that fulfillment of the first condition is determined in the first determination step; a second determination step of determining whether a second condition different from the first condition is fulfilled; and a second control step of further limiting the second driving force in a case that fulfillment of the second condition is determined in the second determination step while the second driving force limiting process is being executed, wherein in the second control step, the second driving force is decreased at a second rate of decrease smaller than a first rate of decrease at which the second driving force is decreased to be limited while the second driving force limiting process is not being executed.

12 . A non-transitory tangible computer-readable storage medium storing a program configured to cause a computer to execute the vehicle control method according to claim 11 .

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Honjo Takuya

Classifications

• B60W10/04

  including control of propulsion units · CPC title

• B60W20/10 Primary

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

• B60W2510/087

  Temperature · CPC title

• B60W10/08

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

• B60W2555/20

  Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain · CPC title