Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Primearth Ev Energy Co., Ltd.

Toyoda Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Takeshi Kotani

Kiyoshi Nakanishi

Takeshi Okumura

Tokuta Inoue

Mutsumi Kanda

Shoichi Sasaki

Eiji Yamada

Yasutomo Kawabata

Yoshihide Nii

Tomoharu Maeda

Takashi Kawai

Takashi Amano

Katsuhiko Yamaguchi

Masaaki Yamaoka

Hiroshi Kanai

Katsuhiko Hirose

Toru Sugiyama

Toshifumi Takaoka

Hideki Kamatani

Yoshinori Shibata

Yoshihiro Iwashita

Hideo Nakamura

Masatoshi Uchida

Souichi Matsushita

Hiroshi Nomura

Shouji Katsumata

Kenichi Nomura

Akihiko Kanamori

Akihiro Yamanaka

Satoshi Koide

Tetsuya Abe

Takahiro Kuhara

Eishi Ohno

Junya Mizuno

Soichi Matsushita

Hirohumi Kubota

Yoshinori Nishio

Satoshi Yoneyama

Disclosed is a vehicle control apparatus which can execute a start-up control for improving acceleration performance at the time of starting an internal combustion engine during the running of a hybrid vehicle. When a hybrid ECU determines that a predetermined time has not yet elapsed after termination of the start-up control of the engine, and that the hybrid vehicle is in a high speed, high load condition, but not in a warming-up state, the hybrid ECU sets a value Nupestlarger than a value Nupest, that is usually set as a maximum value Krmx of a rise rate of an engine rotational speed.

Vehicle control apparatus

Provided is a method of manufacturing a battery having an electrode module including: a positive plate having a cathode collector portion formed by attaching a lead member to a cathode substrate made of a foamed metal plate; and a cathode collector plate welded to the cathode collector portion. The method includes: a pre-welding positive plate forming process of forming a pre-welding positive plate, which is the positive plate before welding, such that the pre-welding positive plate has a projection projecting from a pre-welding cathode collector portion, which is the cathode collector portion before welding; and a welding process of melting a pre-welding cathode collector plate to weld it to the projection. In the pre-welding positive plate forming process, the projection is formed into such a shape that the condition that S&#x2266;1.3W is satisfied, where W and S represent the width and the circumferential length of the projection, respectively.

Battery manufacturing method, battery, pre-welding positive plate manufacturing method, and pre-welding positive plate

To provide a control system capable of setting a various kinds of driving mode, and shifting the driving mode regardless of the rotational speed of the engine. The control system comprises: a power distribution mechanism having three rotary elements rotating differentially amongst each other; a speed change mechanism capable of setting a first speed change mode in which the power transmitted from the second rotary element connected with the first electric motor is outputted to an output member, and a second speed change mode in which the power transmitted from the third rotary element connected with the second electric motor is outputted to the output member; and a first speed change control means (steps Sand S), which sets an EV running mode by temporarily disabling the internal combustion engine to transmit the power thereof to the output member while transmitting the power outputted from any of the electric motors to the output member instead of transmitting the power of the internal combustion engine, in case of shifting the speed change mode of the speed change mechanism under a condition in which the power of the internal combustion engine is being transmitted to the output member without being converted into an electric power by the electric motors.

Control system for hybrid drive unit

A motor vehicle is equipped with an outside air introduction assemblyfunctioning to introduce the outside air into a radiatorin an engine cooling system during driving, as well as with an outside air introduction assemblyfunctioning to introduce the outside air into an engineduring driving. The motor vehicle is also equipped with shutter platescapable of regulating the amount of the outside air to be introduced by the outside air introduction assembly, as well as with shutter platescapable of regulating the amount of the outside air to be introduced by the outside air introduction assembly. The shutter platesand the shutter platesare individually actuated and controlled to increase the amount of the outside air to be introduced by the outside air introduction assemblyand the amount of the outside air to be introduced by the outside air introduction assemblywith an increase of temperature of cooling water detected as a cooling water temperature Twe in the engine cooling system. Such actuation and control assures the adequate cooling performances to cool down the cooling water by the radiatorand to cool down the engine

Motor vehicle and control method of motor vehicle

A hybrid vehicle is provided, in which lean limit operation of an engine can be achieved while consumption of electric power of a battery is suppressed when a change of engine torque in the vicinity of a lean limit is suppressed or when an air-fuel ratio is controlled so as to come close to a lean limit during engine operation. The hybrid vehicle, in which an engine, a motor-generator, and a drive wheel are mutually connected via a differential connection unit, includes a control device which maintains an output of the engine at a constant level by increasing/decreasing an engine rotational speed and decreasing/increasing a rotational speed of the motor-generator in accordance with a decrease/increase of the engine torque in the vicinity of the lean limit.

Hybrid vehicle

A power output apparatusincludes a clutch motor, an assist motor, and a controller. The clutch motor and the assist motor are controlled by the controller to enable the power output from an engine to a crankshaft, and expressed as the product of its revolving speed and torque, to be converted to the power expressed as the product of a revolving speed and a torque of a drive shaft and to be output to the drive shaft. The engine can be driven at an arbitrary driving point defined by a revolving speed and a torque, as long as the energy or power output to the crankshaft is identical. A desired driving point that attains the highest possible efficiency with respect to each amount of output energy is determined in advance. In order to allow the engine to be driven at the desired driving point, the controller controls the clutch motor and the assist motor as well as the fuel injection and the throttle valve position. Such control procedures of the power output apparatus enhance the energy efficiency of the whole power output apparatus.

Power output apparatus, method of controlling power output apparatus, and driving system with power output apparatus incorporated therein

A hybrid vehicle of the present invention includes a brake that fixes a sun gear shaft linked with a sun gear of a power distribution integration mechanism , and a clutch that mechanically connects a drive shaft with a motor MG and releases the mechanical connection of the drive shaft with the motor MG . In the case of a relatively low vehicle speed, the power of an engine is subjected to torque conversion by the power distribution integration mechanism and motors MG and MG and is output to the drive shaft , while the brake is in OFF position and the clutch is in ON position. In the case of a relatively high vehicle speed, on the other hand, the power of the engine is directly output to the drive shaft , while the brake is in ON position and the clutch is in OFF position.

Power output apparatus and automobile with power output apparatus mounted thereon

A power output apparatus includes a planetary gear having a planetary carrier, a sun gear, and a ring gear, an engine having a crankshaft linked with the planetary carrier, a first motor attached to the sun gear, and a second motor attached to the ring gear. In response to an engine operation stop instruction, the power output apparatus stops a fuel injection into the engine and controls the first motor, in order to enable a torque acting in reverse of the rotation of the crankshaft to be output to the crankshaft via the planetary gear and a carrier shaft until the revolving speed of the engine becomes close to zero. This structure allows the revolving speed of the engine to quickly approach zero.

Power output apparatus, engine controller, and methods of controlling power output apparatus and engine

A power output apparatus includes a planetary gear having a planetary carrier, a sun gear, and a ring gear. A crankshaft of an engine is mechanically linked with the planetary carrier, a first motor with the sun gear, and a second motor with the ring gear. A controller drives the second motor with electric power regenerated by the first motor or drives the first motor with electric power regenerated by the second motor, based on a gear ratio of the sun gear to the ring gear of the planetary gear, thereby enabling the power output from the engine to be converted to a desired power and output to a power transmission gear mechanically connected with the ring gear. The engine may be driven at any driving point that can output energy identical with the energy output to the ring gear. This structure allows the engine to be driven at a desired driving point of highest possible efficiency, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the whole apparatus.

Power output apparatus and method of controlling the same

Power output apparatus, method of controlling power output apparatus,

The object of the present invention is to carry out control and enable an engine to output a desired power, thereby preventing unexpected charge or discharge of storage battery means. A power output apparatus of the present invention sets energy Pe to be output from an engine, in order to cancel a deviation .DELTA.Pb of a charge-discharge electric power Pb of a battery from its target value Pb* , and controls operation of the engine to output the energy Pe. The energy Pe output from the engine is subjected to torque conversion by means of a clutch motor and an assist motor and output to a drive shaft as a required power. In case that the converted energy is not equal to the required power, the battery is charged with the surplus electric power or is discharged to supplement the shortage of electric power. Namely regulation of the energy Pe results in controlling the charge-discharge electric power Pb of the battery. When the target value Pb* is set equal to zero, the power output apparatus enables a desired power to be output to the drive shaft without causing unexpected charge or discharge of the battery.

An electric power generation control method in a hybrid vehicle. A target generator output is calculated based on a state of charge, a catalyst temperature, etc., and the target number of engine revolutions is calculated based on the target generator output. A field current is corrected in response to the comparison result between a control target range determined in response to the target number of engine revolutions and the detected number of engine revolutions, thereby performing target control of the number of engine revolutions. Then, a correction amount of a throttle angle is set in response to the comparison result between a control target range determined in response to the target generator output and the detected generator output and the throttle angle is corrected, thereby performing target control of the generator output of a generator. Since target control of the number of revolutions is first performed and then target control of the generator output is performed, a control error caused due to engine load being high or low can be prevented. Preferred target control of the number of engine revolutions and the generator output of the generator can be performed regardless of whether engine load is high or low.

Electric power generation control method in a hybrid vehicle utilizing

A control method and apparatus of an engine for driving a generator. When a weight W of a charcoal canister is greater than a predetermined value W.sub.1 ` and a vehicle runs, the engine is actuated. As the result of the actuation of the engine, when a gasoline vapor within a fuel tank is purged and the weight W of the charcoal canister is lower than a second predetermined value W.sub.2, a vacuum switching valve for purging the canister is turned off and the engine is stopped. Even when the vehicle runs while a battery is frequently charged by an external charger, the occurrence of a certain amount of the fuel vapor which can not be caught and collected by the charcoal canister can be prevented and a low pollution vehicle can be obtained. In place of the vehicle running state, a vehicle running distance, or a vehicle running time can be used. In place of the predetermined value W.sub.2, a fuel purge amount can be used.

Control method and apparatus of engine for driving generator

An exhaust gas purification system for an internal combustion engine includes an engine capable of fuel combustion at lean air-fuel ratios, a catalyst constructed of zeolite carrying at least one kind of metal selected from transition metals and noble metals to reduce NOx under oxidizing conditions and in the presence of HC, engine operating condition detecting means for detecting the current engine operating condition, engine operating range determining means for determining whether or not the current engine operating condition is within an insufficient HC amount range, and an HC amount control means for controlling the amount of HC included in the exhaust gas when the engine operating range determining means determines that the engine operating condition is within the insufficient HC amount range. The HC amount control means degrades automization or evaporation of fuel injected from a fuel injection valve to thereby generate unburned fuel and to increase the HC amount in the exhaust gas, so that the NOx purification rate of the catalyst is improved.

Exhaust gas purification system for an internal combustion engine

An intake system construction for an internal combustion engine having a generally straight first intake port, a generally helical second intake port, both intake ports opening to one combustion chamber, and a common intake passage for supplying fuel-air mixture to the two intake ports. A control valve is fitted in the first intake port for selectively throttling the first intake port at low load operation of the engine, and a deflection valve is fitted in the commmon intake passage for selectively constricting intake flow through the common intake passage to deflect the flow toward the second intake port and away from the first intake port at low load operation of the engine, so that fuel accumulation on the cotrol valve closed at low load operation of the engine is avoided.

Growing community of inventors

Nisshin, Japan

Takeshi Kotani