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:
Dec. 19, 2000
Filed:
Aug. 26, 1999
Yoshiyuki Nakayama, Toyota, JP;
Masahiko Mitsui, Toyota, JP;
Yoshiaki Kikuchi, Toyota, JP;
Kazuo Tojima, Toyota, JP;
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota, JP;
Abstract
The temperature of a battery in a hybrid car is supervised by temperature sensors. When the temperature of the battery is at a temperature not exceeding a predetermined temperature, a battery ECU issues a command to a control CPU to perform forcible charge/discharge of the battery to raise the temperature of the battery. When raising of the temperature is performed by charging, a requested output from an engine is increased as compared with a usual state. In such a state, motor-generators are operated as generators so as to generate electric power and charge the battery by passing an electric current to the battery rather than generating a driving force. When raising of the temperature is performed by discharging, the requested output from the engine is reduced as compared with the usual state. In this case, the motor-generators are operated as drive motors to consume electric power so as to draw electric current from the battery causing discharge of the battery. The electric current allowed to flow at this time causes internal resistance to be generated in the battery that heats the battery from an inside portion thereof. Thus, an apparatus for controlling a charge/discharge state of a hybrid car can be provided that quickly and easily controls the temperature of the battery to a predetermined temperature.