# US 11,440,434 B2 · Hybrid vehicle and method for controlling hybrid vehicle

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- Number: US 11,440,434 B2
- Document ID: US11440434B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/902,229
- Filed: 2020-06-15
- Published: 2021-01-21
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-07-17
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Asuka Takasaki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440434B2

## CPC

- B60L 58/14: Preventing excessive discharging
- B60K 6/26: characterised by the motors or the generators
- B60K 6/28: characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
- B60K 6/46: Series type
- B60L 58/40: for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
- B60W 10/30: including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
- B60W 20/13: in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
- B60W 30/18127: {Regenerative braking}
- B60K 6/32: characterised by the fuel cells
- B60L 50/75: using propulsion power supplied by both fuel cells and batteries
- B60W 2510/085: Power
- B60W 2510/244: Charge state
- B60W 2510/305: Power absorbed by auxiliaries
- B60W 2710/305: target power to auxiliaries
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A hybrid vehicle includes an electric generator, a drive motor, a power storage device, a power consuming device, and a controller. The controller is configured to control driving of the power consuming device. The controller is configured to execute power consumption increasing control when a vehicle power balance value is larger than a first threshold while the drive motor operates in a braking-period power generation mode.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A hybrid vehicle comprising:
an electric generator configured to generate electric power for driving the hybrid vehicle;
a drive motor configured to operate in any one of a power running mode in which the drive motor drives the hybrid vehicle and a braking-period power generation mode in which the drive motor generates braking-period electric power by operating as a generator and generates a braking force for the hybrid vehicle;
a power storage device configured to store the electric power generated by the electric generator and the braking-period electric power generated by the drive motor;
a power consuming device configured to consume electric power; and
a controller configured to control driving of the power consuming device, wherein
the controller is configured to execute power consumption increasing control when a vehicle power balance value is larger than a first threshold while the drive motor operates in the braking-period power generation mode,
the vehicle power balance value being a vehicle power balance value that does not include a charging and discharging amount of the power storage device and that is obtained by subtracting vehicle-consuming power consumed by the hybrid vehicle from vehicle-generating power,
the vehicle-generating power being electric power generated by the hybrid vehicle, including an estimated value of the braking-period electric power,
the power consumption increasing control being control for setting power consumption of the power consuming device to be larger than power consumption of the power consuming device at the vehicle power balance value that is smaller than a second threshold set smaller than the first threshold,
the first threshold being preset based on a permissible dischargeable power, which is determined depending on a condition of the power storage device as an upper limit of electric power to be discharged by the power storage device,
the first threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is smaller than a predetermined first reference power value being set larger than the first threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is equal to or larger than the first reference power value,
the second threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is smaller than the first reference power value being set larger than the second threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is equal to or larger than the first reference power value, and
the controller is configured to terminate the power consumption increasing control when the vehicle power balance value is smaller than the second threshold after a start of the power consumption increasing control.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
the first threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is smaller than the first reference power value and larger than a second reference power value that is smaller than the first reference power value is set to increase as the permissible dischargeable power decreases, and
the second threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is smaller than the first reference power value and larger than the second reference power value is set to increase as the permissible dischargeable power decreases.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured such that, when a predetermined first reference time elapses without starting the power consumption increasing control after a termination of the power consumption increasing control, the first threshold is set to zero until the power consumption increasing control is started subsequently.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured such that, when a predetermined second reference time or longer elapses while the vehicle power balance value remains equal to or larger than the second threshold and equal to or smaller than the first threshold without executing the power consumption increasing control, the first threshold is set to zero until the power consumption increasing control is started subsequently.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured such that, when a predetermined third reference time elapses without terminating the power consumption increasing control after a start of the power consumption increasing control, the second threshold is set to zero until the power consumption increasing control is terminated subsequently.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured such that, when a predetermined fourth reference time or longer elapses while the vehicle power balance value remains equal to or larger than the second threshold and equal to or smaller than the first threshold under execution of the power consumption increasing control, the second threshold is set to zero until the power consumption increasing control is terminated subsequently.

### Claim 7

A method for controlling a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle including an electric generator configured to generate electric power for driving the hybrid vehicle, a drive motor configured to operate in any one of a power running mode in which the drive motor drives the hybrid vehicle and a braking-period power generation mode in which the drive motor generates braking-period electric power by operating as a generator and generates a braking force for the hybrid vehicle, a power storage device configured to store the electric power generated by the electric generator and the braking-period electric power generated by the drive motor, and a power consuming device configured to consume electric power, the method for controlling the hybrid vehicle comprising:
executing power consumption increasing control when a vehicle power balance value is larger than a first threshold while the drive motor operates in the braking-period power generation mode,
the vehicle power balance value being a vehicle power balance value that does not include a charging and discharging amount of the power storage device and that is obtained by subtracting vehicle-consuming power consumed by the hybrid vehicle from vehicle-generating power,
the vehicle-generating power being electric power generated by the hybrid vehicle, including an estimated value of the braking-period electric power,
the power consumption increasing control being control for setting power consumption of the power consuming device to be larger than power consumption of the power consuming device at the vehicle power balance value that is smaller than a second threshold set smaller than the first threshold,
the first threshold being preset based on a permissible dischargeable power, which is determined depending on a condition of the power storage device as an upper limit of electric power to be discharged by the power storage device,
the first threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is smaller than a predetermined first reference power value being set larger than the first threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is equal to or larger than the first reference power value,
the second threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is smaller than the first reference power value being set larger than the second threshold at the permissible dischargeable power that is equal to or larger than the first reference power value; and
terminating the power consumption increasing control when the vehicle power balance value is smaller than the second threshold after a start of the power consumption increasing control.