# US 11,299,140 B2 · Vehicle provided with generator > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,299,140 B2 - Document ID: US11299140B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/351,875 - Filed: 2019-03-13 - Published: 2019-10-03 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-03-27 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki - Inventors: Fuminori Honjo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11299140B2 ## CPC - B60W 20/13: in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion - B60K 6/22: characterised by apparatus, components or means specially adapted for HEVs - B60K 6/46: Series type - B60L 50/61: by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles - B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC] - B60L 58/13: Maintaining the SoC within a determined range - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators - B60W 40/13: Load or weight - B60L 2200/36: Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks - B60L 2200/40: Working vehicles - B60L 2240/26: Vehicle weight - B60W 2510/081: Speed - B60W 2510/083: Torque - B60W 2510/087: Temperature - B60W 2510/244: Charge state - B60W 2520/105: Longitudinal acceleration - B60W 2530/10: Weight - B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position - B60W 2540/18: Steering angle - B60W 2552/15: Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction - B60W 2556/50: of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data - B60W 2710/244: Charge state - Y02P 90/60: Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes - Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A vehicle provided with a generator generating electric power by using motive power outputted from an internal combustion engine includes an electric power storage device, an electric motor driving a vehicle, a controller executing charging control of the electric power storage device, and a weight estimator estimating a vehicle weight while the vehicle is moving. While the vehicle is driven by the electric motor, the controller starts operation of the internal combustion engine to start charging the electric power storage device when a SOC of the electric power storage device is reduced to a charging start SOC or less, and to stop the operation of the internal combustion engine to stop charging the electric power when the SOC of the electric power storage device is at or greater than a charging stop SOC. The charging stop SOC is set based on the vehicle weight estimated by the weight estimator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle provided with a generator, the generator being configured to generate electric power by using motive power outputted from an internal combustion engine, the vehicle provided with a generator comprising: an electric power storage device in which the electric power generated by the generator is stored; an electric motor configured to drive the vehicle, the electric motor being configured to be driven by at least one of electric power discharged from the electric power storage device and the electric power generated by the generator; and a controller configured to execute charging control of the electric power storage device and estimate a current vehicle weight while the vehicle is moving, wherein the vehicle is a series hybrid vehicle, wherein while the vehicle is driven by the electric motor, the controller is configured to start operation of the internal combustion engine to start charging the electric power storage device by the generator when a state of charge (SOC) of the electric power storage device is reduced to a charging start SOC or less, and to stop the operation of the internal combustion engine to stop charging the electric power when the SOC of the electric power storage device is at or greater than a charging stop SOC, wherein the charging stop SOC is set based on the current vehicle weight estimated by the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to set the charging stop SOC so that a charging amount per cycle increases as the current vehicle weight becomes larger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle provided with the generator according to claim 1, wherein the charging stop SOC increases as the current vehicle weight becomes larger within a specified vehicle weight range, and the charging start SOC is constant within the specified vehicle weight range. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle provided with the generator according to claim 1, wherein the charging stop SOC is set so that the number of charging cycles per unit time while the vehicle is moving is a constant value regardless of the current vehicle weight within the specified vehicle weight range. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle provided with the generator according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to estimate the current vehicle weight based on weight estimation conditions being satisfied. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle provided with the generator according to claim 1, wherein the charge stop SOC is set based on road grade information at a current location of the vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle provided with the generator according to claim 1, wherein the weight of the vehicle is estimated based on a calculated work amount of the drive motor and an acceleration of the vehicle. ### Claim 7 A vehicle provided with a generator, the generator being configured to generate electric power by using motive power outputted from an internal combustion engine, the vehicle provided with a generator comprising: an electric power storage device in which the electric power generated by the generator is stored; an electric motor configured to drive the vehicle, the electric motor being configured to be driven by at least one of electric power discharged from the electric power storage device and the electric power generated by the generator; and a controller configured to execute charging control of the electric power storage device and estimate a current vehicle weight while the vehicle is moving, wherein while the vehicle is driven by the electric motor, the controller is configured to start operation of the internal combustion engine to start charging the electric power storage device by the generator when a state of charge (SOC) of the electric power storage device is reduced to a charging start SOC or less, and to stop the operation of the internal combustion engine to stop charging the electric power when the SOC of the electric power storage device is at or greater than a charging stop SOC, wherein the charging stop SOC is set based on the current vehicle weight estimated by the controller, wherein the controller is configured to estimate the current vehicle weight based on a weight estimation conditions being satisfied, and wherein the weight estimation conditions are satisfied based on a determination that the vehicle is moving straight on flat land, a driving force of the motor is stabilized within a predetermined range, a temperature of the motor is stabilized within a predetermined range, and electric loss due to components other than the motor is below a threshold value. ### Claim 8 A vehicle provided with a generator, the generator being configured to generate electric power by using motive power outputted from an internal combustion engine, the vehicle provided with a generator comprising: an electric power storage device in which the electric power generated by the generator is stored; an electric motor configured to drive the vehicle, the electric motor being configured to be driven by at least one of electric power discharged from the electric power storage device and the electric power generated by the generator; and a controller configured to execute charging control of the electric power storage device and estimate a current vehicle weight while the vehicle is moving, wherein while the vehicle is driven by the electric motor, the controller is configured to start operation of the internal combustion engine to start charging the electric power storage device by the generator when a state of charge (SOC) of the electric power storage device is reduced to a charging start SOC or less, and to stop the operation of the internal combustion engine to stop charging the electric power when the SOC of the electric power storage device is at or greater than a charging stop SOC, wherein the charging stop SOC is set based on the current vehicle weight estimated by the controller, and wherein the charge stop SOC is set based on weather information at a current location of the vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle provided with the generator according to claim 8, wherein the weather information is determined based on one or more of movement of a wiper of the vehicle and information provided by an outside temperature sensor of the vehicle.