Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Electric vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-26
2004-02-24
Black, Thomas G. (Department: 3663)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Electric vehicle
C701S201000, C180S065230, C180S065510
Reexamination Certificate
active
06697717
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE OF RELATED APPLICATION
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 with respect to Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-299694 filed on Sep. 28, 2001, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hybrid car using both an electric motor driven by electric power stored in a battery and an internal combustion engine driven by combustion energy of internally burned fuel as sources for driving travel wheels.
2. Description of the Related Art
There can be used a hybrid car which is improved in fuel economy by about twice and in reduction of carbon dioxide emission by about a half compared with an ordinary automobile and in which emissions of nitrogen oxide, carbon hydride, etc. can be reduced to be not larger than a quarter of the regulated value of Exhaust Emission Standard for 2000.
This hybrid car uses both an electric motor driven by electric power stored in a battery and an internal combustion engine driven by combustion energy of internally burned fuel as sources for driving travel wheels. The electric motor and the internal combustion engine are operated in accordance with the travel state or the like so that the characteristics of the electric motor and the internal combustion engine can be used effectively. Thus, reduction both in fuel consumption and in exhaust emission is achieved.
On the other hand, provision of restricted areas in urban regions, semi-national parks, etc. for environmental protection is under consideration so that riding in automobiles such as gasoline-powered automobiles that emit exhaust gases when travel is completely restricted in the restricted area. Only automobiles such as electric automobiles that do not emit exhaust gases are permitted to pass through such restricted areas.
When a restricted area forbidden for automobiles that emit exhaust gases is between a current position of the hybrid car and a destination, the hybrid car needs to bypass the restricted area because the hybrid car more or less emits exhaust gases when traveling. Hence, there is a problem that the hybrid car takes a long time to arrive at the destination.
It may be conceived now that only the electric motor is driven to make the hybrid car pass through the restricted area so that exhaust gases are not emitted from the hybrid car. Electric energy stored in the battery of the hybrid car, however, always varies. Hence, electric energy sufficient to make the hybrid car pass through the restricted area is not always stored in the battery. Hence, there is a problem that the hybrid car may be unable to pass through the restricted area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a hybrid car which can reach a destination via a restricted area forbidden for automobiles that emit exhaust gases even in the case where the restricted area is between the current position of the hybrid car and the destination.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a hybrid car using both an electric motor driven by electric power stored in a battery and an internal combustion engine driven by combustion energy of internally burned fuel as sources for driving travel wheels, the hybrid car including: a restricted area detecting unit for detecting whether a restricted area forbidden for automobiles driven by internal combustion engines is forward in a direction of movement of the hybrid car or not, and detecting arrival of the hybrid car at the restricted area; and a travel mode switching unit for selecting one mode from a motor travel mode using only the electric motor to run the hybrid car and an ordinary travel mode using the electric motor and/or the internal combustion engine suitably to run the hybrid car, on the basis of a detection result detected by the restricted area detecting unit.
There is the case where an ETC (Electronic Toll Charge system) is provided in a toll road so that entrance into the toll road is detected by a receiver which receives electric wave from a transmission antenna provided in front of an entrance ramp of the toll road.
As the restricted area detecting unit, there can be used a unit which has an ETC type receiver for receiving electric wave from a transmission antenna provided in each place in front of an entrance of the restricted area in the same manner as in the ETC to thereby detect the presence and distance of the restricted area forward in a direction of movement of the hybrid car and entrance into the retrained zone.
Alternatively, as the restricted area detecting unit, there can be used a unit which has a receiver for receiving information from a VICS (Vehicle Information Communications System) supplying road and traffic information concerning a road (on which automobiles are traveling) and its vicinity as digital information, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver for locating the current position by using an artificial satellite and in which the presence and distance of the restricted area forward in a direction of movement of the hybrid car and entrance into the restricted area can be detected by these receivers. Alternatively, as the restricted area detecting unit, there can be used a unit in which the presence and distance of the restricted area forward in a direction of movement of the hybrid car and entrance into the restricted area can be detected by a navigation system having map information stored therein and having a GPS receiver.
In the first aspect of the invention, when the hybrid car is traveling in the ordinary travel mode, electric power can be accumulated as follows. That is, the battery is controlled so that charging electric energy is higher than discharging electric energy, or an exclusive battery for supplying electric power to the electric motor in the motor travel mode is provided separately so that the exclusive battery can be charged in the ordinary travel mode. In this configuration, when the restricted area detecting unit detects a restricted area forward in the direction of movement of the hybrid car, electric power is accumulated before the hybrid car arrives at the restricted area. Therefore, when the hybrid car arrives at the restricted area, the travel mode switching unit switches the travel mode from the ordinary travel mode to the motor travel mode, and, at the same time, the electric motor can be driven by the accumulated electric power. Hence, only the electric motor can be used for traveling the hybrid car to make the hybrid car pass through the restricted area.
Moreover, arrival of the hybrid car at the restricted area can be automatically detected by the restricted area detecting unit. Hence, when the hybrid car arrives at the restricted area, the travel mode can be automatically switched from the ordinary travel mode using both the electric motor and the internal combustion engine as drive sources to the motor travel mode using only the electric motor as a drive source. As a result, the internal combustion engine is prevented from being operated in the restricted area, so that environmental protection in the restricted area can be achieved.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a hybrid car using both an electric motor driven by electric power stored in a battery and an internal combustion engine driven by combustion energy of internally burned fuel as sources for driving travel wheels, the battery being rechargeable when the internal combustion engine is driven, the hybrid car including: a restricted area detecting unit for detecting whether a restricted area forbidden for automobiles driven by internal combustion engines is forward in a direction of movement of the hybrid car or not, and detecting arrival of the hybrid car at the restricted area; a required electric energy calculating unit for calculating electric energy required for making the hybrid car pass through the restricted area so that only the electric motor can be operated to make the hybrid car pass through the restricted are
Saito Yukitaka
Shioda Takehiko
Black Thomas G.
Pioneer Corporation
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
To Tuan C
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