Control device for hybrid vehicle and control method therefor

Abstract

In a hybrid vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine (1) in conjunction with an electric motor (2), when one of a process of regenerating the purification capacity of an exhaust gas purifying device (10) and a process of charging a battery (7) is performed (S102), the presence or absence of a request to perform the other process is determined (S103) so that the two processes may be performed as simultaneously as possible to reduce deterioration in driveability and in the fuel efficiency as much as possible.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to a control device for a hybrid vehicle and a control method therefor, and, more particularly, to a control device for regenerating the purification capacity of an exhaust gas purifying device and for charging a battery, and a control method therefor.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]In recent years, hybrid vehicles which have an internal combustion engine combined with an electric motor and runs on the output power from the internal combustion engine in conjunction or combination with the output power from the electric motor are in practical use. In such hybrid vehicles, the internal combustion engine is operated intermittently as needed and is selectively operable in high-efficiency operating ranges. Therefore, the hybrid vehicles have advantages in terms of fuel efficiency and exhaust gas purification performance as compared with vehicles, which run on only the output power f...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The present invention provides for a process of charging a battery and a process of regenerating the purification capacity of an exhaust gas purifying device to be performed more efficiently in a hybrid vehicle that runs using an internal combustion engine in conjunction or combination with an electric motor to improve the driveability or the fuel efficiency of the hybrid vehicle.

[0012]One aspect of the present invention is that, in a hybrid vehicle, when one of a process of regenerating the purification capacity of an exhaust gas purifying device and a process of charging a battery is performed, the presence or absence of a request to perform the other process is determined so that the two processes can be performed as simultaneously as possible to reduce the opportunities for deterioration of the driveability and the fuel efficiency as much as possible.

[0018]Therefore, since the energy increased by increasing the engine load and / or engine speed can be used for both the PM regenerating process or the SOx regenerating process and the battery charging process, the energy can be used effectively. As a result, the driveability and the fuel efficiency of the hybrid vehicle are improved.

[0022]Therefore, the possibility that the battery charging process and the PM regenerating process or SOx regenerating process are performed simultaneously may be increased, and the driveability and the fuel efficiency of the hybrid vehicle can be improved more reliably.

[0023]The first execution condition is that the amount of charge in the battery is equal to or smaller than a prescribed charge amount, and the first multitasking means may determine the presence or absence of a request to perform the charging process after relaxing the prescribed first execution condition by increasing the value of the prescribed charge amount. The second execution condition is that the amount of matter to be purified accumulated in the exhaust gas purifying device is equal to or greater than a prescribed amount of accumulated matter, and the second multitasking means may determine the presence or absence of a request to perform a regenerating process after relaxing the prescribed second execution condition by decreasing the value of the prescribed amount of accumulated matter.

[0025]The present invention improves the driveability or the fuel efficiency of a hybrid vehicle that runs using an internal combustion engine in conjunction with an electric motor by allowing a process of charging a battery and a process of regenerating the purification capacity of an exhaust gas purifying device to be performed more efficiently in the hybrid vehicle.

Problems solved by technology

However, even the hybrid vehicles cannot run without emitting exhaust gas derived from the operation of the internal combustion engine, and require an exhaust gas purifying device for purifying the exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine.

As for the filter, when a large amount of collected particulate matter (PM) is accumulated, the filter is clogged and the back pressure in the exhaust gas is increased to the extent that the engine performance is reduced.

Therefore, every time any of the above processes is performed, the driveability and the fuel efficiency of the hybrid vehicle as a system may deteriorate.

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