Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Electric vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-05
2003-02-18
Louis-Jacques, Jacques H. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Electric vehicle
C701S099000, C477S002000, C477S020000, C180S065100, C180S065230, C180S065510
Reexamination Certificate
active
06522959
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle with an engine and a motor, and in particular, to a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which controls the quantity of the increase in fuel to be supplied to the engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, hybrid vehicles having motors as power sources for driving the vehicles in addition to engines are known.
A parallel hybrid vehicle is a kind of hybrid vehicle that uses the motor as an auxiliary power source to supplement (assist) the output of the engine. Such a parallel hybrid vehicle performs various operations, for example, making the motor assist the output of the engine in the course of acceleration, and charging a battery by deceleration regeneration in the course of deceleration, so as to maintain sufficient remaining charge (electric energy) in the battery in order to meet demands of drivers (as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication, No. Hei 7-123509).
In the aforementioned conventional control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle, when a degree of throttle opening (e.g., the extent of the throttle opening) is high, controls to increase quantity of fuel supplied to an engine are carried out as in a gasoline engine vehicle so as to maintain drivability. However, the motor supplements the output of the engine in the hybrid vehicle, and within a range in which the engine speed is a predetermined value or less, while it is possible to secure adequate drivability with the assistance of the output of the engine by the motor, this may cause the problem that fuel consumption deteriorates due to an excessive increase in the amount of fuel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which prohibits the increase in the amount of fuel supplied to the engine within a range in which the engine speed is a predetermined value or less, and thereby drivability can be guaranteed and fuel consumption can be improved.
In order to accomplish the object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a control apparatus (in the embodiment described hereinafter, control apparatus
1
) for a hybrid vehicle which is provided with an engine (engine E) which outputs the driving force of the vehicle (hybrid vehicle
10
); a motor (motor M) which assists the output of the engine in accordance with the operational state of the vehicle; and an electricity storage device (battery
22
), which stores generated energy, when the motor is employed as a generator by the output of the engine, and regenerated energy, which is produced by the regenerative state of the motor when the vehicle decelerates, comprising: a degree of throttle opening detector (step S
6
) for detecting the degree of throttle opening in the engine; an engine speed detector (step S
2
) for detecting the speed of the engine; a degree of throttle opening setting device for fuel amount increase determination (step S
103
) for setting a degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination, which is used to determine whether the amount of fuel supplied to the engine should be increased, according to the engine speed; and a fuel amount increase prohibiting device (steps S
104
, S
110
, and S
113
to S
115
) for prohibiting an increase in the amount of fuel supplied to the engine, when the degree of throttle opening detector detects that the degree of throttle opening is equal to or above the degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination and the engine speed detector detects that the engine speed is equal to or below a predetermined engine speed.
According to the above-mentioned structure, in the region in which the engine speed is equal to or below a predetermined value, the assistance of the output of the engine by the motor makes it possible to provide good drivability, and prohibiting an increase in the amount of fuel supplied to the engine provides reduced fuel consumption.
The second aspect of the present invention provides a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising: a remaining charge calculator (battery ECU
13
) for calculating the remaining charge in the electricity storage device, wherein, when the remaining charge calculated by the remaining charge calculator is equal to or above a predetermined remaining charge, the fuel amount increase prohibiting device prohibits to increase the amount of fuel supplied to the engine (steps S
106
and S
107
).
According to the above-mentioned structure, when it is determined that the remaining charge in the electricity storage device is equal to or above a predetermined value in the region in which the engine speed is equal to or below a predetermined value, the assistance of the output of the engine by the motor makes it possible to provide good drivability, and prohibiting the increase in the amount of fuel supplied to the engine provides reduced fuel consumption.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising: a time measuring device (steps S
105
and S
112
) for measuring the duration of the state in which the degree of throttle opening detector detects that the degree of throttle opening is equal to or larger than the degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination; and a fuel amount increasing device (steps S
108
to S
110
) for prohibiting the operation of the fuel amount increase prohibiting device so as to increase the amount of fuel supplied to the engine, when the duration measured by the time measuring device is equal to or larger than a predetermined time.
According to the above-mentioned structure, when the state in which the degree of throttle opening is high continues for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the driver is requesting an increase in the output, then the amount of fuel supplied to the engine is increased so as to respond to the will of the driver and provide good drivability.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, further comprising: a fuel amount increasing device (steps S
108
, S
109
, and S
111
) for measuring the delay of the ignition timing in the engine, and for prohibiting the operation of the fuel amount increase prohibiting device so as to increase the amount of fuel supplied to the engine, when the delay of the ignition timing in the engine is above a predetermined time.
According to the above-mentioned structure, even if there is a possibility that the use of inferior gasoline as fuel degrades the exhaust system, the amount of fuel supplied to the engine is increased, and the exhaust system can be protected.
In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a control apparatus (control apparatus
1
) for a hybrid vehicle which is provided with an engine (engine E) which outputs the driving force of the vehicle (hybrid vehicle
10
); a motor (motor M) which assists the output of the engine in accordance with the operational state of the vehicle; and an electricity storage device (battery
22
), which stores generated energy, when the motor is employed as a generator by the output of the engine, and regenerated energy, which is produced by the regenerative state of the motor when the vehicle decelerates, comprising: a degree of throttle opening detector (step S
6
) for detecting the degree of throttle opening in the engine; a remaining charge calculator (battery ECU
13
) for calculating the remaining charge in the electricity storage device; an engine speed detector (step S
2
) for detecting the speed of the engine; a degree of throttle opening setting device for fuel amount increase determination (step S
203
) for setting a degree of throttle opening for fuel amount increase determination, which is used to determine whet
Kitajima Shinichi
Matsubara Atsushi
Nakamoto Yasuo
Sawamura Kazutomo
Takahashi Hideyuki
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Broadhead Brian
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
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