US 7,540,344 B2
Control apparatus for hybrid vehicle
Akihiro Yamamoto, Utsunomiya (Japan); and Kazuhisa Yamamoto, Utsunomiya (Japan)
Assigned to Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Sep. 01, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/215,970.
Claims priority of application No. 2004-256859 (JP), filed on Sep. 03, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2006/0048982 A1, Mar. 09, 2006
Int. Cl. B60W 20/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 180—65.2  [903/942] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle comprising:
an engine as a first driving source for driving the vehicle, the engine being configured to support a deactivation operation in which an intake valve and an exhaust valve are closed;
a motor as a second driving source for driving the vehicle;
a power generator driven by the engine; and
an electric storage device for storing regeneration energy from the power generator and the motor,
the control apparatus comprising a drive mode determination device that determines one drive mode from a plurality of drive modes based on a status of the vehicle,wherein the drive modes comprise:
an engine stop motor drive mode in which the vehicle is driven by a driving force from the motor while stopping the engine in a state in which cylinders of the engine are deactivated;
an idle cylinder deactivation motor drive mode in which the vehicle is driven by the driving force from the motor by operating the power generator as an electric motor by running the engine in an idle state while maintaining the cylinders of the engine deactivated; and
an engine drive mode in which the vehicle is driven by a driving force from the engine; and
wherein the drive mode determination device determines that a mode transition from a current drive mode to another drive mode should take place, when an allowance output of the electric storage device is smaller than a threshold output of the electric storage device,
wherein the threshold output is determined based on a current vehicle speed and is increased as the current vehicle speed increases, and
wherein the allowance output is calculated using:
the electric storage device output available electric power;
a required electric power for performing either the engine stop motor drive mode or the idle cylinder deactivation motor drive mode; and
an electric power used when the power generator works as an electric motor, which is determined at least according to a rate of a change in a degree of an opening of an accelerator pedal.