Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yasuyuki Sando

Hiromitsu Sato

Osamu Hasegawa

Yasuo Kitami

Koichiro Ozawa

Yoshihiro Ito

Harumi Takedomi

Shigeru Suzuki

Yoshinori Mita

Masahiro Sakanushi

Takuya Sugino

Minoru Nakajima

Kazuhiko Yagi

Kenichiro Kinoshita

Noboru Sato

Toshihiro Sone

Toshiyuki Watanabe

Tatsurou Horie

Shinji Katou

Yuichi Nakamura

A power system includes: an internal combustion engine; a motor to perform power running; a generator to perform power generating operation and the power running; a power transmission mechanism via which the internal combustion engine, the motor, and the generator are connected to drive a driven load by at least one of the internal combustion engine, the motor, and the generator and to perform power transmission between the internal combustion engine and the generator; and a processor configured to perform a first control process to control the motor to perform the power running so that the driven load is driven only by the motor and to perform a second control process to control both the motor and the generator to perform the power running so that the driven load is driven by both of the motor and the generator.

Power system

A battery temperature regulating apparatus efficiently controls the charging temperature of a battery assembly which serves as a power source to energize a propulsive motor on an electric vehicle to run on a road. A fluid jacket is disposed in heat exchange relationship with the battery assembly and supplied with a coolant to regulate the temperature of the battery assembly with a radiator or an electric heater for allowing the battery assembly to be charged in a temperature range from 20.degree. C. to 35.degree. C., for example, which is optimum for the charging of the battery assembly. The battery temperature regulating apparatus can maintain the optimum temperature range more reliably than a conventional apparatus which regulates the temperature of the battery assembly as it is charged with a forced flow of hot air or cool air, and can reduce the electric energy consumption to 1/3 of that of the conventional apparatus.

Battery temperature regulating apparatus

An initial output of a secondary battery on an electrically propelled vehicle is set to a value which is at least the sum of an established power output of a motor, an output reduction due to the memory effect of the secondary battery, and an allowable output reduction due to aging of the secondary battery. Since the established power output of the motor is determined taking into account the output reduction due to the memory effect and the output deterioration due to the aging, a minimum power output which the battery has as its capability is prevented from dropping below the established power output within the prescribed number t=n of times that the battery is charged and discharged, even when the output reduction and deterioration take place. Therefore, the driver, which is the user of the electrically propelled vehicle, does not feel a reduction in the power performance of the electrically propelled vehicle, i.e., a reduction in the established power output of the motor, caused by the output reductions of the battery.

Electric vehicle propulsion system and batteries therefor

For measuring a temperature with a thermistor, an electrical circuit including the thermistor and resistors for voltage division has to be maintained in the normally energized state and a variation in the voltage caused by resistance variation is detected. This requires a considerable amount of power consumption. On the other hand, thermal reed switches SW1 to SWn are mounted on the surfaces of the unit cells 1-1 to 1-n included in the battery pack 10. Each of the thermal reed switches is connected at one end to a common power source VDD and at the other end to a corresponding input terminal of a selector switch 20. The selector switch 20 is responsive to a switch signal from a determining unit 30a for passing selectively and periodically input signals of the input terminals to the determining unit 30a which in turn detects the temperature of a corresponding unit cell on the basis of the input signal selected by the switch signal.

Monitor for battery pack

A battery assembly has a temperature control mechanism for effecting cooling or heating unit batteries for operation in a desired temperature range. First heat-exchange planar members of respective heat-transfer plates are sandwiched between the unit batteries that are arranged in an array, and second heat-exchange planar members thereof are held against transverse narrow side walls of the unit batteries. The unit batteries and the heat-transfer plates are securely fastened together by holder plates. Heat produced when the unit batteries are in operation is transferred through the first and second heat-exchange planar members of the heat-transfer plates and dissipated into an appropriate cooling medium, such as atmospheric air or another cooling fluid, through a heat-exchange.

Battery assembly with temperature control mechanism

A battery discharge gas control system, which releases a hydrogen gas generated from the battery assembly when the battery assembly is charged and discharged, is capable of keeping the battery structure highly resistant to water or humidity. The battery discharge gas control system has a battery having a gas release port, a passage connected to the gas release port, a control valve connected to the passage, a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure in the passage, and a control circuit for opening the control valve to release a gas generated by the battery from the passage, depending on the pressure in the passage as detected by the pressure sensor. During a period of time in which no hydrogen gas is generated or a generated hydrogen gas is not plenty enough to be released while the battery is being charged or discharged, the passage is closed for thereby keeping the battery structure highly resistant to water or humidity. The control valve has a solenoid-operated valve openable in response to a control signal outputted by the control circuit, and a relief valve mechanically openable depending on the pressure in the passage. Even in the event of a failure of the solenoid-operated valve, the relief valve is mechanically opened depending on the pressure in the passage, thereby protecting the passage from damage.

Battery discharge gas control system

A supercharging pressure control system for supercharged internal combustion engines includes a supercharging pressure control valve for controlling supercharging pressure of intake air, supplied by a supercharger. A desired value of the opening of the supercharging pressure control valve is determined depending on operating conditions of the engine. When the supercharging pressure detected has reached the desired value of the supercharing pressure, a feedback control mode is selected, in which the opening of the supercharging pressure control valve is controlled so as to make the supercharging pressure detected equal to the desired value of the supercharging pressure. On the other hand, when an actual value of the opening of the supercharging pressure control valve determined during the feedback control becomes smaller than the desired value of the opening of the supercharging pressure control valve, an open-loop control mode is selected, in which the opening of the supercharging pressure control valve is controlled to the desired value of the opening of the supercharging pressure control valve.

Supercharging pressure control system for supercharged internal

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Yasuyuki Sando