Vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control method
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorNaoto Suzuki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle control apparatus which starts an engine to generate electric power, and charges a battery for supplying electric power to a motor with the generated electric power when a state of charge (SOC) of the battery is reduced. The vehicle control apparatus starts the engine earlier when a load of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined set value than when the load is not larger than the predetermined set value.
Claims14
A vehicle control apparatus which is mounted in a vehicle that runs using at least one of driving forces of an internal combustion engine and a motor, comprising:
- a controller which starts the internal combustion engine to generate electric power, and charges a battery for supplying electric power to the motor with the generated electric power when a state of charge of the battery is reduced, and which starts the internal combustion engine to generate electric power earlier when a load of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined set value, than when the load is not larger than the predetermined set value.
A control method for a vehicle which runs using at least one of driving forces of an internal combustion engine and a motor, comprising
- driving the internal combustion engine to generate electric power, and charging a battery for supplying electric power to the motor with the generated electric power when a state of charge of the battery is reduced;
- determining whether a load of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined set value;
- and
- starting the internal combustion engine to generate electric power earlier when it is determined that the load of the vehicle is larger than the predetermined set value, than when it is determined that the load is not larger than the predetermined set value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.