JP2011063047A - Controller for hybrid vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller of a hybrid vehicle that prevents a fuel from igniting early in an engine. <P>SOLUTION: In the controller of a hybrid vehicle which is equipped with an engine and a motor as a power source of a vehicle and equipped with a battery for supplying a power to the motor, it is determined whether the vehicle belongs to either a first traveling area (area A), in which a vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed and the load is less than a predetermined load, or second traveling areas (areas B and C) other than the first traveling area. When it is determined that the vehicle belongs to the first traveling area, the vehicle is driven by the motor using the power of the battery while stopping the engine, and when it is determined that the vehicle belongs to the second traveling areas, the vehicle is driven by using the power of the engine. When it is determined that the vehicle belongs to the second traveling areas and a high load state is continuously detected for a predetermined time, division of the traveling area is changed to increase the first traveling area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device for a hybrid vehicle including an engine and a motor as power sources and a battery for supplying electric power to the motor.

  In Patent Document 1, regarding a so-called parallel type hybrid vehicle, the vehicle travel region defined by the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening is set in advance into a first travel region and a second travel region, and the vehicle travels. When the state belongs to the first traveling region, motor traveling based on battery power is performed, and when the vehicle traveling state belongs to the second traveling region, engine traveling or parallel traveling (engine driving force and motor driving force). And a technique for performing traveling in combination with the above.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, regarding the so-called series-type hybrid vehicle, the traveling region is set in the same manner as the technology of Patent Document 1, and when the traveling state of the vehicle belongs to the first traveling region, the battery power is A technique for performing motor traveling using the generated power of the generator generated by driving the engine when the traveling state of the vehicle belongs to the second traveling region is performed.

  According to the techniques of these Patent Documents 1 and 2, traveling using an electric power of a battery with the engine stopped (motor traveling) and traveling using at least power generated by the engine (engine traveling, parallel traveling, or engine) Is switched as appropriate according to the traveling state of the vehicle, so that a desired driving force can be ensured while efficiently using energy.

JP-A-6-80048 JP 2008-189069 A

  By the way, if a high load is continuously applied to the engine mounted on the vehicle, the temperature of the spark plug of the engine rises remarkably, so that the fuel ignites before ignition and the engine output cannot be sufficiently obtained. Sometimes. Such early ignition is particularly likely to occur when a highly ignitable fuel such as hydrogen fuel is used.

  This problem also applies to the engine mounted on the hybrid vehicle as described above, and the development of a technique for suppressing the occurrence of early ignition as described above is required for the hybrid vehicle.

  Therefore, a basic object of the present invention is to provide a control device for a hybrid vehicle that can suppress the occurrence of early fuel ignition in an engine.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
A hybrid vehicle control device comprising an engine and a motor as a power source of a vehicle, and a battery for supplying electric power to the motor,
Vehicle speed detection means for detecting the vehicle speed;
Load detecting means for detecting the load of the vehicle;
Based on the detection results by these detection means, the traveling state belongs to any of the first traveling region where the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed and the load is less than the predetermined load, and the second traveling region other than the first traveling region. Determination means for determining whether or not
When the determination means determines that the traveling state belongs to the first traveling region, the engine is stopped, traveling with the motor using the electric power of the battery is performed, and it is determined that the traveling state belongs to the second traveling region. Control means for controlling the vehicle to travel using the power of the engine;
When the determination unit determines that the traveling state belongs to the second traveling region, and the high load state is continuously detected for a predetermined time by the load detecting unit, the traveling is performed so that the first traveling region is expanded. And an area changing means for changing the division of the area.

  Here, “the high load state continues for a predetermined time” means, for example, a case where the accelerator opening degree is fully open or substantially fully open for a predetermined time, or the ratio of time during which the accelerator is fully open or substantially fully open within a predetermined time. This is the case when the ratio is over a certain percentage.

The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 2 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1,
When the region change means changes the section of the travel region so that the first travel region expands, the longer the duration of the high load state detected by the load detection means, the longer the amount of expansion of the first travel region. It is characterized by being enlarged.

The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 3 of the present application is the invention according to claim 1 or 2,
When the area change means changes the area of the travel area so that the first travel area expands, the area change period during which the changed state is maintained is the duration of the high load state detected by the load detection means. The longer the length, the longer.

The control device for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 4 of the present application is the invention according to claim 3,
Charging state detecting means for detecting the charging state of the battery;
When the area changing means changes the area of the travel area so that the first travel area expands, if the remaining charge amount of the battery detected by the charge state detection means is less than a predetermined amount, the remaining charge Compared with the case where the amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the enlargement amount of the first traveling region is reduced and / or the region change period is shortened.

The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 5 of the present application is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The hybrid vehicle
A generator connected to the output shaft of the engine and capable of operating as a motor while charging the battery;
The motor is configured to be driven by at least one of power generated by the generator or power from the battery,
The control means determines that the travel area has been changed so that the first travel area is expanded by the area change means, and the travel state has been determined to belong to the first travel area by the determination means. When the electric power is supplied from the battery to the generator, the engine is motored by the generator.

The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 6 of the present application is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When the control means has changed the section of the travel area so that the first travel area is expanded by the area change means, and the determination means determines that the travel state belongs to the second travel area The fuel is supplied to the engine so that the air-fuel ratio becomes lean and the vehicle is driven using the power of the engine, and the shortage of the driving force is controlled by driving the motor with the power of the battery. It is characterized by doing.

The control device for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 7 of the present application is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A fuel selection means for selecting either the first fuel or the second fuel having lower ignitability than the first fuel as the fuel to be supplied to the engine;
The region changing means is characterized in that the change of the section of the running region is executed only when the first fuel is selected by the fuel selection means.

The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 8 of the present application is the invention according to claim 7,
When the first fuel is selected by the fuel selection means, the control means supplies the engine when the travel area division is changed so that the first travel area is expanded by the area change means. The fuel to be switched is switched to the second fuel.

  According to the invention of claim 1 of the present application, when the traveling state of the vehicle belongs to the second traveling region using the power of the engine and the high load state continues for a predetermined time, that is, overheating of the ignition plug of the engine occurs. When predicted, since the first travel region in which the temperature of the spark plug can be lowered by stopping the engine is expanded, by increasing the chance that the spark plug is cooled while traveling according to the travel region, The occurrence of early ignition due to overheating of the spark plug can be suppressed.

  According to the invention of claim 2 of the present application, as the duration of the high load state is longer, that is, as the spark plug is more likely to be overheated, the first traveling region is greatly expanded, so that the occurrence of early ignition is effective. Can be suppressed.

  According to the invention of claim 3 of the present application, the region change period is set longer as the duration of the high load state is longer, that is, as the spark plug is more easily overheated. Can be suppressed.

  According to the invention of claim 4 of the present application, when the remaining charge amount of the battery is smaller than the predetermined amount, the expansion amount of the first travel region is reduced or the region change period is shortened. It is possible to suppress an increase in the chance of running the motor using electric power. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of early ignition while avoiding problems due to excessive reduction in the remaining charge amount of the battery, for example, problems such as hindering motor travel.

  According to the invention of claim 5 of the present application, when the travel region is changed so that the first travel region is expanded, the travel state belongs to the first travel region that does not use the power of the engine. Since the engine is motored by the generator, the spark plug can be efficiently cooled by introducing the outside air into the combustion chamber of the engine by the motoring.

  According to the invention of claim 6 of the present application, when the traveling state belongs to the second traveling region in the state where the traveling region is changed so that the first traveling region is expanded, the air-fuel ratio is made lean. Thus, while suppressing the occurrence of early ignition, it is possible to secure a desired driving force by compensating for the shortage of the driving force by driving the motor with the electric power of the battery.

  According to the invention of claim 7 of the present application, in the case where the first fuel and the second fuel are selectively supplied, the change of the division of the traveling region for expanding the first traveling region is relatively ignitable. Since it is executed only when a high first fuel is selected, it is possible to perform normal operation at the time of selecting the second fuel that is unlikely to cause early ignition while suppressing the occurrence of early ignition.

  According to the invention of claim 8 of the present application, when the travel region is changed so that the first travel region is enlarged when the first fuel is selected, the fuel supplied to the engine has a relatively low ignitability. Since the fuel is switched to fuel No. 2, early ignition can be prevented even when the temperature of the spark plug is not sufficiently lowered.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a series hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a control system figure of the vehicle shown in FIG. It is a map which divides the running area of vehicles. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the continuation time of a high load state, and the expansion amount of the area | region A. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the continuation time of a high load state, and an area | region change period. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the remaining charge amount of a battery, and a correction coefficient. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the concrete control action which the control unit of a vehicle performs. 8 is a flowchart showing a continuation of the control operation shown in FIG. It is a time chart which shows an example of a time-dependent change of various elements when the division of a driving | running | working area is not changed. It is a time chart which shows an example of a time-dependent change of the various elements in case the division of a driving | running | working area | region is changed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, the overall configuration of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The vehicle 1 is a so-called series-type hybrid vehicle, but the present invention can also be applied to systems other than the series-type, for example, so-called parallel-type hybrid vehicles.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes an engine 10 and a motor 60 as power sources of the vehicle 1, and a high voltage battery 40 that supplies electric power to the motor 60. The vehicle 1 includes a generator 20 that is connected to the output shaft of the engine 10 and charges the battery 40 and can operate as a motor. Further, a first inverter 30 is provided between the generator 20 and the battery 40, and a second inverter 50 is provided between the battery 40 and the motor 60.

  The drive source of the vehicle 1 is exclusively a motor 60. Motor 60 is driven by at least one of the power generated by generator 20 or the power from battery 40. The driving force of the motor 60 is transmitted to the left and right driving wheels (front wheels in the embodiment) 71 and 72 via the differential device 70, whereby the vehicle 1 travels. Further, the motor 60 can operate as a generator, and the motor 60 operates as a generator when the vehicle 1 decelerates, whereby energy regeneration is performed in the motor 60.

  The driving force of the engine 10 is used for power generation by the generator 20. The engine 10 is a dual fuel engine in which gasoline as liquid fuel stored in a gasoline fuel tank 80 and hydrogen as gaseous fuel stored in a hydrogen fuel tank 90 are selectively supplied. Here, when gasoline fuel and hydrogen fuel are compared, the ignitability of hydrogen fuel is higher than that of gasoline fuel. Therefore, early ignition in the engine 10 is particularly likely to occur when hydrogen fuel is used, and it is advantageous to use gasoline fuel from the viewpoint of reliably suppressing the occurrence of early ignition.

  Next, the control system of the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the engine 10 according to the present embodiment is a twin rotor type rotary engine, and the rotor 12 that contacts the trochoidal surface of the rotor housing 11 at three points and defines three working chambers rotates. As a result, the eccentric shaft 13 as the output shaft is rotationally driven. An intake passage 14 and an exhaust passage 16 are connected to the rotor housing 11, a throttle valve 15 and a gasoline fuel injection valve 102 are disposed in the intake passage 14, and an exhaust purification catalyst 17 is disposed in the exhaust passage 16. ing. The hydrogen fuel injection valve 103 and the spark plug 104 are attached to the rotor housing 11 so as to face the working chamber of the rotor housing 11. In FIG. 2, the arrows shown in the intake passage 14 and the exhaust passage 16 indicate the flow of intake or exhaust.

  In the vehicle 1, a battery voltage / current sensor 111 that detects a current flowing in and out of the battery 40 and a voltage of the battery 40, and a fuel supplied to the engine 10 by an occupant operation are switched between gasoline fuel and hydrogen fuel. A fuel changeover switch 112, a vehicle speed sensor 113 for detecting the vehicle speed (traveling speed of the vehicle 1), and an accelerator opening sensor 114 for detecting an accelerator opening (depressing amount of an accelerator pedal) as a load of the vehicle. ing. Among the above sensors, the battery voltage / current sensor 111 corresponds to “charge state detection means” in the claims, and the fuel changeover switch 112 corresponds to “fuel selection means” in the claims, and the vehicle speed. The sensor 113 corresponds to “vehicle speed detection means” in the claims, and the accelerator opening sensor 114 corresponds to “load detection means” in the claims.

  The output signals of the battery voltage / current sensor 111, the fuel changeover switch 112, the vehicle speed sensor 113, and the accelerator opening sensor 114 are input to the control unit 100. The control unit 100 functions as “determination means”, “control means”, and “area changing means” in the claims, and specific configurations of these functions will be described later.

  The control unit 100 also outputs control signals to the first inverter 30, the second inverter 50, the throttle valve actuator 101, the gasoline fuel injection valve 102, the hydrogen fuel injection valve 103, and the spark plug 104.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the control unit 100, the traveling region of the vehicle 1 defined by the vehicle speed and the vehicle load (accelerator opening) is divided into region A, region B, and region C and set in advance. Yes.

  Region A is a region where the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined threshold and the accelerator opening is less than the predetermined threshold, that is, a region where low load traveling is performed. The region C is a region where the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined threshold smaller than the threshold of the region A and the accelerator opening is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold larger than the threshold of the region A, that is, a region where high load low vehicle speed traveling is performed. . Further, the region B is a region other than the region A and the region C, that is, a region where mainly medium load traveling is performed. The region corresponding to the “first traveling region” in the claims is the region A, and the region corresponding to the “second traveling region” in the claims is a region obtained by combining the region B and the region C. It is.

  Based on the detection results of the vehicle speed sensor 113 and the accelerator opening sensor 114, the control unit 100 determines which of the above-described regions A to C the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to. The power supply source is controlled to be switched appropriately.

  Specifically, when the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region A, that is, during low load traveling, power is supplied from the battery 40 to the motor 60 via the second inverter 50, so that the engine 10 is stopped. Motor running using only the electric power of the battery 40 is performed.

  In contrast, when the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region C, that is, when traveling at a high load and a low vehicle speed, traveling using both the electric power of the battery 40 and the power of the engine 10 is performed. Specifically, the electric power generated by the generator 20 generated by driving the engine 10 and the electric power from the battery 40 are supplied to the motor 60, so that the motor traveling based on the electric power generated by the driving of the engine 10 and the discharge of the battery 60 can be performed. Done.

  Further, when the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region B, that is, during traveling in the middle load region other than the regions A and C, the power of the engine 10 out of the electric power of the battery 40 and the power of the engine 10. Travel using only. Specifically, the electric power generated by the generator 20 generated by driving the engine 10 is supplied to the motor 60 via the first and second inverters 30 and 50, so that the motor traveling based only on the electric power generated by driving the engine 10 can be performed. Done.

  When the generator 20 generates power by driving the engine 10, surplus power generated by the generator 20 is supplied to the battery 40 via the first inverter 30, so that the battery 40 is charged. The battery 40 is also charged by supplying regenerative power generated by operating the motor 60 as a generator during deceleration of the vehicle 1 to the battery 40 via the second inverter 50.

  By the way, if the accelerator position is fully opened or substantially fully opened continuously or intermittently during travel using the power of the engine 10, the temperature of the spark plug of the engine 10 rises remarkably and early ignition occurs. It becomes easy.

  In order to suppress the occurrence of such early ignition, the control unit 100 determines that the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region B or the region C, and the high load state continues for a predetermined time by the accelerator opening sensor 114. When the vehicle is detected, the section of the traveling area is changed so that the area A is enlarged (see the one-dot chain line in FIG. 3). Specifically, with respect to both the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening, the division of the travel region is changed so that the threshold value that separates the region A and the region B increases.

  In the present embodiment, “the high load state continues for a predetermined time” means that the ratio of the time during which the accelerator opening is fully open or substantially fully open within the predetermined time (full open travel time) is a predetermined ratio or more. Say. In other words, in the present embodiment, the state in which the high load state continues is not limited to the case where the accelerator opening is fully open or substantially fully open, but the accelerator opening is intermittently fully open or substantially fully open. This state is also included.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the region A is enlarged when the overheating of the ignition plug of the engine 10 due to the continuation of the high load state is predicted, so the traveling according to the traveling region is continued. On the other hand, the occurrence of early ignition due to overheating of the spark plug can be suppressed by increasing the chance that the traveling state belongs to the region A, that is, the chance that the spark plug is cooled by the stop of the engine 10.

  When the division of the travel area is changed, an enlargement amount of the area A (a reduction amount of the area B) and an area change period in which the state where the travel area classification is changed so that the area A is enlarged is maintained. These are set based on the maps shown in FIGS.

  The enlargement amount of the area A is set by correcting the value obtained from the map of FIG. 4 based on the map of FIG. Note that the amount of enlargement of the region A is set for each of the increase width of the threshold value on the horizontal axis (vehicle speed) in FIG. 3 and the increase width of the threshold value on the vertical axis (accelerator opening) in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the value before correction of the enlargement amount of the region A is set to increase as the duration of the high load state (the time from the start of the current high load state to the present time) is longer. Therefore, since the region A is greatly enlarged as the spark plug of the engine 10 is easily overheated, the occurrence of early ignition can be effectively suppressed.

  Similarly, the region change period is set by correcting a value obtained from the map of FIG. 5 based on the map of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the region change period is set to be longer as the duration of the high load state is longer. Therefore, since the region A is expanded for a longer period as the spark plug of the engine 10 is easily overheated, the occurrence of early ignition can be effectively suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, both the expansion amount of the region A and the region change period are set according to the duration of the high load time. However, in the present invention, the expansion amount of the region A or the region change period Only one of them may be set according to the duration of the high load state, and the other may be fixed to a constant value.

  The values obtained in the map of FIG. 4 and the values obtained in the map of FIG. 5 are corrected by multiplying by the correction coefficient obtained in the map of FIG. Set as quantity or area change period.

  In the map of FIG. 6, the correction coefficient (0 to 1) is obtained according to the remaining charge amount SOC of the battery 40. More specifically, first, when the remaining charge amount SOC is equal to or less than the first amount SOC1, that is, when the motor charge using only the power of the battery 40 is insufficient, the correction coefficient Is set to 0, and the area A is not enlarged. On the other hand, when the remaining charge amount SOC is equal to or greater than the second amount SOC2 that is larger than the first amount SOC1, the correction coefficient is set to 1, and the value obtained from the maps of FIGS. Is set as an enlargement amount or an area change period. Further, when the remaining charge amount SOC is larger than the first amount SOC1 and smaller than the second amount SOC2, the correction coefficient is a value larger than 0 and smaller than 1, and as the remaining charge amount SOC increases. Set to be larger.

  Thus, when the remaining charge amount SOC of the battery 40 is smaller than the second amount SOC2, the expansion amount of the region A is smaller than when the remaining charge amount SOC is equal to or greater than the second amount SOC2, Since the region change period is set to be shorter, it is possible to suppress an increase in the chance of motor traveling using the power of the battery 40 in a state where the region A is enlarged. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of early ignition while avoiding problems due to excessive reduction in the remaining charge amount SOC of the battery 40, for example, problems that hinder motor travel.

  In the present embodiment, both the enlargement amount of the area A obtained by the map of FIG. 4 and the area change period obtained by the map of FIG. 5 are corrected based on the map of FIG. In the invention, only one of the enlargement amount of the region A and the region change period may be corrected based on the map of FIG. 6, and the value obtained from the map of FIG. 4 or 5 may be set as it is for the other. .

  Next, an example of a specific control operation performed by the control unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

  First, in step S1, various signals are read. Specifically, signals of the vehicle speed, the accelerator opening, the voltage / current value of the battery 40, and the fuel selected by the fuel changeover switch 112 are read.

  In the next step S2, the remaining charge amount SOC of the battery 40 is calculated based on the voltage / current value of the battery 40 read in step S1.

  In the subsequent step S3, it is determined whether or not the fuel selected by the occupant is hydrogen based on the fuel selected by the fuel changeover switch 112 read in step S1.

  If the result of determination in step S3 is that hydrogen fuel has been selected by the occupant, processing proceeds to step S4.

  In step S4, it is determined whether or not the flag F is set to “0”. Here, the flag F is a flag indicating whether or not the traveling area has been changed so that the area A is enlarged as described above. When the traveling area is in the initial state, the flag F is set to “0”. It is set and is set to “1” when the area A is in an expanded state due to the change of the traveling area section.

  As a result of the determination in step S4, when the flag F is set to “0”, that is, when the travel region is in the initial state, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, it is determined whether or not the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region A in the initial state (before enlargement). Further, as a result of the determination in step S5, if the running state does not belong to the region A, that is, if it belongs to the region B or the region C, it is further determined in step S6 whether or not the high load state continues for a predetermined time or more. Is done. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the ratio of the fully open travel time (the time during which the accelerator opening is fully open or substantially fully open) within a past predetermined time calculated from the present time is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio.

  As a result of the determination in step S5 and step S6, if the running state belongs to the region A, or if it does not belong to the region A but the high load state has not continued for a predetermined time or more, the temperature rise of the ignition plug of the engine 10 is remarkable. Since it is predicted that there is no concern about early ignition, the process proceeds to step S19 without changing the section of the travel region, and the normal operation according to the travel state of the vehicle 1, that is, the map of FIG. Driving is performed according to

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S5 and step S6, when the traveling state belongs to the region B or the region C and the high load state continues for a predetermined time or more, the temperature of the ignition plug of the engine 10 rises and early ignition occurs. It is predicted that this is likely to occur. Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to step S7 in order to change the section of the travel area so that the area A is enlarged.

  In step S7, the flag F is set to “1”, and in step S8, the time from the start of the current high load state to the present time (the duration of the high load state), the remaining charge amount SOC of the battery 40, and Accordingly, the enlargement amount of the area A and the area change period (set time T1) are set. Specifically, as described above, the enlargement amount of the area A and the area change period (set time T1) are set based on the maps of FIGS.

  In the subsequent step S9, based on the setting in step S8, the change of the travel area classification is executed so that the area A is enlarged. Thereafter, after the timer count T is started in step S10, the processes of steps S11 to S18 described later are performed.

  On the other hand, when the flag F is set to “1” as a result of the determination in step S4, that is, when the change of the travel area has already been executed (when the area A is enlarged), first, In step S20, it is determined whether or not the timer count T has passed the set time T1.

  As a result of the determination in step S20, when the count T of the timer has passed the set time T1, the travel region classification is returned to the initial state (step S21), and the flag F is reset to “0” (step S22). ), Normal operation is performed according to the travel region to which the travel state of the vehicle 1 belongs (step S19).

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S20 is that the timer count T has not reached the set time T1, processing in steps S11 to S18 described below is continued.

  In step S11, it is determined whether or not the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region A. In the subsequent step S12 or step S14, whether or not the flag F is set to “1”, that is, the region A is enlarged. It is determined whether or not it is in a state.

  If the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the enlarged area A as a result of the determination in step S11 in the state where the area A is enlarged, it is determined in step S12 that the flag F is “1”, and the step Proceed to S13.

  In step S13, the traveling according to the traveling region, that is, the motor traveling using only the electric power of the battery 40 by stopping the engine 10 is performed, and the electric power of the battery 40 is also supplied to the generator 20, and the engine by the generator 20 is operated. Ten motoring operations are performed. Since motoring of the engine 10 introduces outside air into the combustion chamber of the engine 10, the spark plug can be efficiently cooled. The motoring of the engine 10 is performed until the traveling region is returned to the initial state (step S21) or until the traveling region of the vehicle 1 belongs to a region other than the region A (region B or region C). Will continue.

  On the other hand, even if the area A is enlarged, if the traveling state of the vehicle 1 does not belong to the area A as a result of the determination in step S11, that is, if it belongs to the area B or the area C, the flag F is “1” in step S14. And the process proceeds to step S15.

  In step S15, it is determined whether or not early ignition has occurred within a predetermined time in the past going back from the present time. A method for determining whether or not early ignition has occurred is not particularly limited. For example, the presence or absence of a decrease in the generated current value of the generator 20 within a predetermined time in the past going back from the present time is detected, and a decrease in the generated current value is detected. In this case, it can be determined that early ignition has occurred, and when no decrease in the generated current value is detected, it can be determined that early ignition has not occurred.

  If the result of determination in step S15 is that early ignition has occurred, gasoline fuel is forcibly selected in step S16, and the engine 10 is driven at a lean air-fuel ratio. Thus, even if the temperature of the spark plug is not sufficiently lowered by forcibly switching the fuel supplied to the engine 10 to gasoline fuel having lower ignitability than hydrogen fuel, It is possible to prevent the occurrence of early ignition. In addition, since the air-fuel ratio is set to be lean, it is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of early ignition.

  In this embodiment, gasoline fuel may be used at a lean air-fuel ratio as in step S15. Therefore, even when gasoline fuel is used at a lean air-fuel ratio, the exhaust gas is appropriately supplied to the exhaust system of the engine 10. It is preferable to provide a purifiable catalyst.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S15 is that early ignition has not occurred, engine 10 is driven at a lean air-fuel ratio while hydrogen fuel is selected in step S17. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of early ignition by making the air-fuel ratio lean while respecting the intention of the occupant who selected the hydrogen fuel.

  When the air-fuel ratio is set to lean in step S16 or step S17, the shortage of the driving force caused by making the air-fuel ratio lean in the subsequent step S18 is caused by driving the motor 60 with the power of the battery 40. Be compensated. The assisting of the driving force by the electric power of the battery 40 is performed not only when the traveling region of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region C but also when it belongs to the region B, and thereby a desired driving force can be reliably obtained. it can.

  As described above, the control (step S15 to step S18) for assisting the driving force with the electric power of the battery 40 while keeping the air-fuel ratio lean is whether the travel region is returned to the initial state (step S21), or the vehicle 1 This is continued until the traveling area belongs to area A.

  Finally, the case where gasoline fuel is selected by the passenger as a result of the determination in step S3 will be described.

  In this case, if the travel region is in the initial state, it is determined in step S23 that the flag F is “0”, and normal driving corresponding to the travel region is performed (step S19). On the other hand, when the fuel selected by the occupant is switched to gasoline fuel during the region change period (set time T1), it is determined in step S23 that the flag F is “1”, and then in step S21, the travel region The partition is returned to its initial state. Thereafter, in the subsequent step S22, the flag F is reset to “0”, and the normal operation corresponding to the travel region is performed (step S19).

  As described above, since the change of the travel region for expanding the region A is not performed when a gasoline fuel having a relatively low ignitability is selected, but only when a hydrogen fuel having a relatively high ignitability is selected, the occurrence of early ignition is suppressed. While driving, it is possible to perform normal operation when selecting gasoline fuel that is unlikely to cause early ignition.

  Finally, an example of a change over time of various elements when the control operations of FIGS. 7 to 8 are performed will be described with reference to the time charts of FIGS. 9 and 10.

  The time chart of FIG. 9 shows an example of the control operation in the case where the travel region classification does not change from the initial state.

  In the initial state shown in FIG. 9, the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region B, the hydrogen fuel selected by the occupant is used to drive the engine 10, and the motor is based on the power generation using the power of the engine 10. It is a state where traveling is performed.

  On the other hand, the middle state of FIG. 9 is a state in which the accelerator opening is increased or decreased intermittently below the threshold. When the accelerator opening is less than the threshold, the traveling state of the vehicle 1 belongs to the region A. Become. While the traveling state belongs to the region A, the engine 10 is stopped and the motor traveling based only on the electric power of the battery 40 is performed.

  In the final state of FIG. 9, the accelerator opening increases beyond the threshold value, and the traveling state belongs to the region B again. Accordingly, the motor traveling is performed based on the power generation using the power of the engine 10. It is a state that is being done.

  On the other hand, the time chart of FIG. 10 shows an example of the control operation in the case where the travel region classification is changed so that the region A is enlarged on the way.

  The initial state of FIG. 10 is the same as the initial state of FIG. 9, but the travel region classification is changed so that the region A is expanded as the accelerator opening is fully opened for a predetermined time. It is different in point. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, it is assumed that the early ignition occurred during the continuous open travel.

  Immediately after the area of the traveling area is changed so that the area A expands, the traveling state remains in the area B. While the running state belongs to the region B, gasoline fuel is forcibly selected as the fuel to be supplied to the engine 10, the engine 10 is driven at a lean air-fuel ratio, and the shortage of the driving force is the power of the battery 40. This is compensated by driving the motor 60.

  Thereafter, as the accelerator opening decreases, the traveling state belongs to the region A, and accordingly, the engine 10 is stopped and traveling based on the electric power of the battery 40 is started. At the same time, motoring of the engine 10 by the generator 20 is started, whereby the spark plug is cooled.

  Thereafter, the accelerator opening increases beyond the threshold value, and the traveling state belongs to the region B again. Along with this, driving of the engine 10 using gasoline fuel at a lean air-fuel ratio is started again, and driving force assistance by the power of the battery 40 is also started.

  At the end of FIG. 10, the region change period ends, and the travel region classification is returned to the initial state. Along with this, the fuel supplied to the engine 10 is returned to the hydrogen fuel selected by the occupant, the engine 10 is driven at the ideal air-fuel ratio, and driving force assistance by the power of the battery 40 is stopped.

  While the present invention has been described with reference to the above-described embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

  For example, the engine used in the present invention is not limited to the rotary engine 10 as in the above-described embodiment, and may be a reciprocating engine.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which hydrogen fuel is used as the first fuel and gasoline fuel is used as the second fuel has been described. However, the present invention is more ignitable than the first fuel. If the condition is lower, it does not prevent the use of a fuel other than hydrogen fuel as the first fuel or the use of fuel other than gasoline fuel as the second fuel.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to a vehicle equipped with a dual fuel engine that uses two types of fuel, but also to a vehicle equipped with an engine that uses only one type of fuel.

1: vehicle, 10: engine, 20: generator, 40: battery, 60: motor, 100: control unit, 111: battery voltage / current sensor, 112: fuel selector switch, 113: vehicle speed sensor, 114: accelerator opening sensor .

Claims (8)

A hybrid vehicle control device comprising an engine and a motor as a power source of a vehicle, and a battery for supplying electric power to the motor,
Vehicle speed detection means for detecting the vehicle speed;
Load detecting means for detecting the load of the vehicle;
Based on the detection results by these detection means, the traveling state belongs to any of the first traveling region where the vehicle speed is less than the predetermined speed and the load is less than the predetermined load, and the second traveling region other than the first traveling region. Determination means for determining whether or not
When the determination means determines that the traveling state belongs to the first traveling region, the engine is stopped, traveling with the motor using the electric power of the battery is performed, and it is determined that the traveling state belongs to the second traveling region. Control means for controlling the vehicle to travel using the power of the engine;
When the determination unit determines that the traveling state belongs to the second traveling region, and the high load state is continuously detected for a predetermined time by the load detecting unit, the traveling is performed so that the first traveling region is expanded. A hybrid vehicle control apparatus comprising: a region changing unit that changes a region division.   When the region change means changes the travel region classification so that the first travel region is expanded, the longer the duration of the high load state detected by the load detection means, the longer the duration of the first travel region is increased. The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is large.   When the area change means changes the area of the travel area so that the first travel area expands, the area change period during which the changed state is maintained is the duration of the high load state detected by the load detection means. The control device for a hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the longer the vehicle is, the longer the vehicle is. Charging state detecting means for detecting the charging state of the battery;
When the area changing means changes the area of the travel area so that the first travel area expands, if the remaining charge amount of the battery detected by the charge state detection means is less than a predetermined amount, the remaining charge 4. The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the amount of expansion of the first travel region is reduced and / or the region change period is shortened compared to a case where the amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. . The hybrid vehicle
A generator connected to the output shaft of the engine and capable of operating as a motor while charging the battery;
The motor is configured to be driven by at least one of power generated by the generator or power from the battery,
The control means determines that the travel area has been changed so that the first travel area is expanded by the area change means, and the travel state has been determined to belong to the first travel area by the determination means. 5. The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when the electric power is supplied from the battery to the generator, the engine is motored by the generator. 6.   When the control means has changed the section of the travel area so that the first travel area is expanded by the area change means, and the determination means determines that the travel state belongs to the second travel area The fuel is supplied to the engine so that the air-fuel ratio becomes lean and the vehicle is driven using the power of the engine, and the shortage of the driving force is controlled by driving the motor with the power of the battery. The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is a hybrid vehicle control device. A fuel selection means for selecting either the first fuel or the second fuel having lower ignitability than the first fuel as the fuel to be supplied to the engine;
7. The region change unit according to claim 1, wherein the region change unit executes the change of the division of the travel region for expanding the first travel region only when the first fuel is selected by the fuel selection unit. The control apparatus of the hybrid vehicle of any one of Claims.   When the first fuel is selected by the fuel selection means, the control means supplies the engine when the travel area division is changed so that the first travel area is expanded by the area change means. The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein the fuel to be switched is switched to a second fuel.

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