The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 12, 1998
Filed:
Apr. 25, 1996
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An electric power generating apparatus is mounted on a vehicle which has a propulsive electric motor powered by a battery, and has an electric generator and an internal combustion engine for actuating the electric generator to charge the battery depending on a charged/discharged state of the battery. A first operation controller operates the internal combustion engine to enable the electric generator to charge the battery if the amount of electric energy stored in the battery is smaller than a predetermined value or the time-dependent rate of increase of an amount of electric energy discharged from the battery is greater than a predetermined level. A second operation controller operates the internal combustion engine to purge a canister if the charged/discharged state of the battery fails to satisfy a condition for the first operation controller to operate the internal combustion engine and if the amount of a purged gas adsorbed in the canister is greater than a predetermined amount. The first and second operation controllers operate the internal combustion engine in modes established respectively for the first and second operation controllers such that a load imposed on the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is operated by at least the second operation controller is smaller than a load imposed on the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is operated by the first operation controller.