Generation control apparatus and generation control method

A generation control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle comprising:

• a rechargeable battery which supplies electric power to an electric motor which is a drive source of the hybrid vehicle;
• and
• a generation unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operation of the internal combustion engine and adapted to supply generated electric power to the electric motor or the battery;
• a processor configured to determine whether or not an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time belongs to a high load zone which is equal to or larger than a threshold;
• the processor configured to count a time that has elapsed from a point in time when a consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time departed from the high load zone;
• the processor configured to set different target states of charge for the battery according to the result of the determination of whether or not the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone;
• the processor configured to set a continuation flag to indicate that the determination continues to be held that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone in the event that the battery has not yet reached a target state of charge even after the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time has departed from the high load zone and the processor has finished counting the predetermined period of time;
• and
• the processor configured to control the operation of the generation unit so that the battery reaches the target state of charge by charging the battery using electric power from the generation unit, wherein:
• the generation control apparatus has one generation mode for suppressing a reduction of the state of charge of the battery by controlling the generation unit;
• when the continuation flag indicates that the determination continues to be held that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone, the processor holds the state of the continuation flag until the state of charge of the battery reaches the target state of charge which is set by the processor when the processor determines that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone;
• and
• the generation control apparatus controls the operation of the generation unit based on the one generation mode in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge when the processor determines that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone.

A generation control method for a hybrid vehicle comprising:

• a rechargeable battery for supplying electric power to an electric motor which is a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, and a generation unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operation of the internal combustion engine and adapted to supply generated electric power to the electric motor or the battery, the method comprising:
• activating the generation unit with a high load state in which an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time becomes larger than a maximum output electric power of the generation unit and thereafter, driving continuously the generation unit until a state of charge of the battery reaches a target state of charge of the battery which is set at the high load state;
• controlling the operation of the generation unit based on one generation mode for suppressing the reduction of the state of charge of the battery in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge and controlling the operation of the generation unit based on another generation mode for holding the state of charge of the battery after the battery has reached the target state of charge;
• and
• counting the number of cycles in which the battery is charged to the target state of charge in the high load state by generated electric power from the generation unit, and characterized in that
• when the number of cycles counted by the counting is equal to or larger than a predetermined number of cycles, the target state of charge which is set at the high load state is set as the target state of charge of the battery.

A generation control method for a hybrid vehicle comprising a rechargeable battery for supplying electric power to an electric motor which is a drive source of the hybrid vehicle, and a generation unit having an internal combustion engine and a generator which generates electric power by operation of the internal combustion engine and adapted to supply generated electric power to the electric motor or the battery, the method comprising:

• determining whether or not an electric power that is consumed in the hybrid vehicle over a predetermined period of time belongs to a high load zone which is equal to or larger than a threshold;
• setting different target states of charge for the battery according to the result of the determination of whether or not a consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone;
• controlling the operation of the generation unit so that the battery reaches a target state of charge by charging the battery using electric power from the generation unit;
• counting a time that has elapsed from a point in time when the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time departed from the high load zone;
• setting a continuation flag to indicate that the determination continues to be held that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge even after the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time has departed from the high load zone and the counting of the predetermined period of time has been finished;
• when the continuation flag indicates that the determination continues to be held that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone, holding the state of the continuation flag until the state of charge of the battery reaches the target state of charge which is set when it is determined that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone;
• and
• when it is determined that the consumed electric power over the predetermined period of time belongs to the high load zone, controlling the operation of the generation unit based on one generation mode for suppressing a reduction of the state of charge of the battery in the event that the battery has not yet reached the target state of charge, and controlling the operation of the generation unit based on another generation mode for holding the state of charge of the battery after the battery has reached the target state of charge.