Hybrid vehicle

Abstract

To provide a hybrid vehicle which does not impair vehicle travel support when a vehicle does not tow another vehicle even when the same learns a travel load when towing another vehicle.SOLUTION: A hybrid vehicle comprises: a storage device capable of external charging; an internal combustion engine; a travel load DB 152 which stores travel load information representing travel power and inclination of each section; and a control device 2 which updates, when a distance of a planned travel route from a current position to a destination is less than a first threshold or an average number of transit times, obtained by averaging the number of transit times of respective sections in the planned travel route, exceeds a second threshold, the travel power and inclination of each section in the travel load information stored in the travel load DB 152 based on actual travel power that the hybrid vehicle required to travel through each section and the inclination obtained through actually traveling each section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a hybrid vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique has been known in which the past driving pattern of a vehicle is learned and the learned driving pattern is used to support the driving of the vehicle.

[0003] For example, the driving support device described in Patent Document 1 learns the stop / deceleration position where the vehicle has stopped or decelerated and the terrain information of the route along which the vehicle has traveled, and performs driving support control of the vehicle using the learning result. When the owner of the vehicle lends the vehicle to another person and the other person drives the owner's vehicle, this driving support device executes learning of the terrain information and does not execute learning of the stop / deceleration position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, a driving support device such as that described in Patent Document 1 may learn the driving load based on the driving load information in a state where the vehicle is towing another vehicle. When the vehicle travels the same driving route in a state where it is not towing another vehicle, this driving support device supports the driving of the vehicle using the driving load information during towing obtained by learning. As a result, the driving support of the vehicle is impaired.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a hybrid vehicle in which, even when the driving load in a state of towing another vehicle is learned, the driving support of the vehicle in a state of not towing another vehicle is not impaired.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0007] The hybrid vehicle of the present disclosure includes an externally chargeable power storage device, an internal combustion engine, a storage device that stores driving load information representing driving power and gradient for each section, and the distance of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination is less than a first threshold value, or when the average number of passages of each section of the planned driving route exceeds a second threshold value, a control device that updates the driving power and gradient of each section of the driving load information stored in the storage device based on the driving power and gradient required when the hybrid vehicle travels each section.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, when the distance of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination is less than a first threshold value, or when the average number of passages of each section of the planned driving route exceeds a second threshold value, even if the driving power and gradient stored in the storage device are updated based on the driving power and gradient in the state of towing another vehicle, the accuracy of the driving power and gradient does not significantly decrease. As a result, it is possible to avoid impairing the driving support of the vehicle in a state where it is not towing another vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 10

Figure 11

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the vehicle 1 according to the embodiment. The vehicle 1 is a so-called plug-in hybrid vehicle. The vehicle 1 includes an engine 10, a first motor generator (hereinafter referred to as "first MG") 20, a second motor generator (hereinafter referred to as "second MG") 30, a power split device 40, a PCU (Power Control Unit) 50, a power storage device 60, an inlet 62, a charger 63, and drive wheels 80.

[0012] The engine 10 is an internal combustion engine that outputs power by converting the combustion energy generated when a mixture of air and fuel burns into the kinetic energy of a moving element such as a piston or a rotor. The power split device 40 includes, for example, a planetary gear mechanism having three rotating shafts of a sun gear, a carrier, and a ring gear. The power split device 40 splits the power output from the engine 10 into the power for driving the first MG 20 and the power for driving the drive wheels 80.

[0013] The first MG 20 and the second MG 30 are AC rotating electric machines. The first MG 20 and the second MG 30 are, for example, three-phase AC synchronous motors in which permanent magnets are embedded in the rotor. The first MG 20 is mainly used as a generator driven by the engine 10 via the power split device 40. The electric power generated by the first MG 20 is supplied to the second MG 30 or the power storage device 60 via the PCU 50.

[0014] The second MG 30 mainly operates as an electric motor and drives the drive wheels 80. The second MG 30 is driven by receiving at least one of the electric power from the power storage device 60 and the generated electric power of the first MG 20, and the driving force of the second MG 30 is transmitted to the drive wheels 80. On the other hand, during braking of the vehicle 1 and when going downhill, the second MG 30 operates as a generator to perform regenerative power generation. The electric power generated by the second MG 30 is recovered to the power storage device 60 via the PCU 50.

[0015] The vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a hybrid vehicle of a type including the engine 10 and two motor generators (the first MG 20 and the second MG 30) as drive sources, but the vehicle to which the present disclosure is applicable is not limited to the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1. For example, the present disclosure is also applicable to a hybrid vehicle including an engine and one motor generator.

[0016] The PCU 50 converts the DC power received from the power storage device 60 into AC power for driving the first MG 20 and the second MG 30. The PCU 50 converts the AC power generated by the first MG 20 and the second MG 30 into DC power for charging the power storage device 60. The PCU 50 is configured to include, for example, two inverters provided corresponding to the first MG 20 and the second MG 30, and a converter that boosts the DC voltage supplied to each inverter to a voltage equal to or higher than the voltage of the power storage device 60.

[0017] The power storage device 60 is a rechargeable DC power source, and is configured to include, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery. The power storage device 60 is charged by receiving the power generated by at least one of the first MG 20 and the second MG 30. The power storage device 60 supplies the stored power to the PCU 50. An electric double layer capacitor or the like can also be adopted as the power storage device 60.

[0018] A monitoring unit 61 is provided in the power storage device 60. The monitoring unit 61 includes a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a temperature sensor (none of which are shown in the figure) that respectively detect the voltage, input / output current, and temperature of the power storage device 60. The monitoring unit 61 outputs the detection values of each sensor (the voltage, input / output current, and temperature of the power storage device 60) to the BAT-ECU 110.

[0019] The inlet 62 is configured to be connectable to a power supply facility (not shown) outside the vehicle. The charger 63 is provided between the inlet 62 and the power storage device 60. The charger 63 is controlled by a control signal from the HV-ECU 100, converts the external power input from the power supply facility outside the vehicle into power that can charge the power storage device 60, and outputs the converted power to the power storage device 60. Hereinafter, the charging of the power storage device 60 using external power is also referred to as "external charging".

[0020] Vehicle 1 further includes an HV-ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 100, a BAT-ECU 110, various sensors 120, a navigation device 130, a driving load learning device 160, and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device 140.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the detailed configurations of the HV-ECU 100, various sensors 120, and navigation device 130 shown in FIG. 1. The HV-ECU 100, BAT-ECU 110, multimedia ECU 150, navigation device 130, and HMI device 140 are configured to be able to communicate with each other through a CAN (Controller Area Network) 150.

[0022] The various sensors 120 include, for example, an accelerator pedal sensor 122, a vehicle speed sensor 124, and a brake pedal sensor 126. The accelerator pedal sensor 122 detects the accelerator pedal operation amount (hereinafter also referred to as "accelerator opening") ACC by the user. The vehicle speed sensor 124 detects the vehicle speed VS of the vehicle 1. The brake pedal sensor 126 detects the brake pedal operation amount BP by the user. Each of these sensors outputs the detection result to the HV-ECU 100.

[0023] The HV-ECU 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a processing program and the like, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores data, an input / output port (not shown) for inputting and outputting various signals, and the like. The CPU executes predetermined arithmetic processing based on the information stored in the memory (ROM and RAM), the information from the various sensors 120, and the information from the BAT-ECU 110. The HV-ECU 100 controls each device such as the engine 10, PCU 50, and HMI device 140 based on the result of the arithmetic processing.

[0024] The BAT-ECU 110 also includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, input / output ports, etc. (none of which are shown). The BAT-ECU 110 calculates the SOC (State Of Charge) indicating the state of charge of the power storage device 60 based on the detected values of the input / output current and / or voltage of the power storage device 60 from the monitoring unit 61. The SOC is, for example, expressed as a percentage of the current state of charge with respect to the full charge capacity of the power storage device 60. The BAT-ECU 110 outputs the calculated SOC to the HV-ECU 100. The HV-ECU 100 may calculate the SOC.

[0025] The BAT-ECU 110 outputs the detected value of the temperature of the power storage device 60 by the monitoring unit 61 to the HV-ECU 100.

[0026] The navigation device 130 includes a navigation ECU 132, a map information database (DB) 134, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 136, and a traffic information receiver 138.

[0027] The map information DB 134 is constituted by a hard disk drive (HDD) or the like and stores map information. The map information includes data regarding "nodes" such as intersections and dead ends, "links" connecting the nodes, and "facilities" (buildings, parking lots, etc.) along the links. The map information includes the position information of each node, the distance information of each link, the road type information (information such as urban areas, highways, ordinary roads, etc.) included in each link, the gradient information of the map, and the like. The map information may be obtained sequentially by communicating with an external database instead of the map information read from the map information DB 134.

[0028] The GPS receiver 136 acquires the current position of the vehicle 1 based on a signal (radio wave) from a GPS satellite (not shown) and outputs a signal indicating the current position of the vehicle 1 to the navigation ECU 132.

[0029] The traffic information receiving unit 138 receives road traffic information (e.g., VICS (registered trademark) information) provided by FM multiplex broadcasting or the like. This road traffic information includes at least traffic jam information, and may also include other road regulation information, parking lot information, etc. This road traffic information is updated, for example, every five minutes.

[0030] The navigation ECU 132 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, input / output ports (not shown), etc. The navigation ECU 132 outputs the current position of the vehicle 1, as well as the surrounding map information and traffic jam information, etc., to the HMI device 140 and the HV-ECU 100 based on various information and signals received from the map information DB 134, the GPS receiving unit 136, and the traffic information receiving unit 138.

[0031] When the destination of the vehicle 1 is input by the user in the HMI device 140, the navigation ECU 132 searches for a planned driving route from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the destination based on the map information DB 134. The planned driving route is composed of a set of nodes and links from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the destination. Then, the navigation ECU 132 outputs the search result (a set of nodes and links) from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the destination to the HMI device 140.

[0032] The navigation ECU 132 outputs the map information and road traffic information (hereinafter, also referred to as "first look-ahead information") in the planned driving route from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the destination to the HV-ECU 100 at predetermined timings (for example, every one minute).

[0033] The driving load learning device 160 includes a multimedia ECU 150 and a driving load database (DB) 152.

[0034] The driving load DB 152 stores a plurality of driving load information.

[0035] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the driving load information stored in the driving load DB 152.

[0036] The running load information includes a link ID, the running load data of the link, and the number of times vehicle 1 has passed through the link (hereinafter referred to as the number of passes NP). The running load data of the link includes data regarding the average running speed (hereinafter referred to as the running speed V) when vehicle 1 runs on the link, the running power (hereinafter referred to as the running power PW) when vehicle 1 runs on the link, and the gradient (hereinafter referred to as the gradient SL) when vehicle 1 runs on the link.

[0037] The multimedia ECU 150 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, input / output ports (not shown), etc. The multimedia ECU 150 outputs the running load information in the running load DB 152 to the HV-ECU 100. The multimedia ECU 150 updates the running load information in the running load DB 152 based on the information from the HV-ECU 100.

[0038] The multimedia ECU 150 outputs, at each predetermined timing, the running speed V, the running power PW, and the gradient SL (hereinafter also referred to as "second look-ahead information") of each link in the planned route from the current position of vehicle 1 to the destination to the HV-ECU 100.

[0039] The output of the first look-ahead information by the navigation ECU 132 and the output of the second look-ahead information by the multimedia ECU 150 are performed simultaneously.

[0040] The HMI device 140 is a device that provides information to the user to assist in the operation of vehicle 1. The HMI device 140 is typically a display provided inside vehicle 1 and also includes a speaker, etc. The HMI device 140 provides various information to the user by outputting visual information (graphical information, character information) and auditory information (voice information, sound information), etc.

[0041] The HMI device 140 functions as the display of the navigation device 130. That is, the HMI device 140 receives the current position of vehicle 1, as well as map information and traffic jam information in its vicinity from the navigation device 130 through the CAN 150, and displays the current position of vehicle 1 together with the map information and traffic jam information in its vicinity.

[0042] The HMI device 140 also operates as a touch panel operable by the user. The user can, for example, change the scale of the displayed map or input the destination of the vehicle 1 by touching the touch panel. When a destination is input in the HMI device 140, the information of the destination is transmitted to the navigation device 130 through the CAN 150.

[0043] As described above, the navigation ECU 132 and the multimedia ECU 150 output the "first pre-read information" and the "second pre-read information" to the HV-ECU 100 simultaneously at predetermined timings respectively.

[0044] The HV-ECU 100 sets the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to either the CD mode or the CS mode, and controls the engine 10, the first MG 20, and the second MG 30 according to the set control mode.

[0045] The CD mode is a mode in which the SOC (electric power) of the power storage device 60 is consumed by traveling using the discharge power of the power storage device 60 without operating the engine 10 as much as possible. In the CD mode, traveling is performed using only the power stored in the power storage device 60 until the SOC of the power storage device 60 reaches a predetermined lower limit value.

[0046] The CS mode is a mode in which the SOC of the power storage device 60 is maintained as much as possible by making it easier to operate the engine 10 than in the CD mode to suppress the discharge of the power storage device 60 or to charge the power storage device 60. In the CS mode, traveling is also performed using the power of the engine 10 so that the SOC of the power storage device 60 is maintained within a predetermined range.

[0047] When the user performs an operation requesting the CS mode (for example, when the user presses a CS mode selection switch not shown), the HV-ECU 100 sets the driving mode to the CS mode.

[0048] When the user does not perform an operation requesting the CS mode, the HV-ECU 100 automatically switches between the CD mode and the CS mode. At this time, the HV-ECU 100 changes the switching mode between the CD mode and the CS mode according to whether the planned travel route of the vehicle 1 is set or not.

[0049] When the planned travel route is not set (when the destination is not input), the HV-ECU 100 travels in the CD mode until the SOC of the power storage device 60 reaches a predetermined lower limit value. When the SOC reaches the predetermined lower limit value, the mode is switched from the CD mode to the CS mode, and the vehicle starts to travel in the CS mode.

[0050] When the planned travel route is set (when the destination is input), the HV-ECU 100 switches between the CD mode and the CS mode using the travel load information of the planned travel route and the like.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of changes in the driving mode when the planned travel route is set. When the planned travel route is set, based on the second look-ahead information, the CD mode and the CS mode are assigned to each travel section so that the SOC is used up when arriving at the destination. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the SOC. The HV-ECU 100 sets the CS mode and the CD mode based on the second look-ahead information. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the driving mode is set to the CS mode in the driving sections from time t1 to t2 and from time t3 to t4, and the driving mode is set to the CD mode in the other driving sections. Here, a travel section consists of one or more links.

[0052] In the driving section from the start of driving to time t1, the SOC decreases during driving in CD mode, and the mode switches from CD mode to CS mode at time t1. In the driving section from time t1 to t2, driving is performed while appropriately adjusting the charge / discharge amount of the power storage device 60 (such as the power generation amount of the first MG 20 using the power of the engine 10) so that the SOC is maintained within a predetermined range based on the SOC at the time (time t1) when the driving mode switches to CS mode.

[0053] When time t2 is reached, the mode switches from CS mode to CD mode, and the SOC decreases during driving in CD mode in the driving section from time t2 to t3. When time t3 is reached, the mode switches to CS mode, and driving is performed while appropriately adjusting the charge / discharge amount of the power storage device 60 so that the SOC is maintained within a predetermined range based on the SOC at the time (time t3) when the driving mode switches. When time t4 is reached, the mode switches from CS mode to CD mode, and the SOC decreases due to driving in CD mode. Then, when arriving at the destination, the SOC reaches the lower limit value Sth, and the SOC is used up when arriving at the destination.

[0054] In this way, the HV-ECU 100 calculates the driving load of each link based on the second predictive information (the driving speed V, driving power PW, and gradient SL of each link) from the driving load learning device 160, and performs control to automatically switch between CD mode and CS mode so that the SOC is used up when arriving based on the driving load of each link. In order to improve the fuel efficiency by making the driving distance in CD mode as long as possible, the HV-ECU 100 assigns CD mode in order from the link with the lowest driving load among the plurality of links included in the planned driving route. For example, since the driving load of a link with a small driving speed V, driving power PW, and gradient SL is smaller than that of a link with a large driving speed V, driving power PW, and gradient SL, CD mode may be assigned first. CD mode may be assigned in order from the link with a small added value obtained by weighted addition of the driving speed V, driving power PW, and gradient SL.

[0055] When the running load information is not stored in the running load DB152, the HV-ECU100 may calculate the running load of each link based on the first look-ahead information from the navigation device 130. For example, the HV-ECU100 may calculate the running load of each link based on the gradient information of each link on the map. Alternatively, the HV-ECU100 may calculate the running load of each link based on the specifications of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, the HV-ECU100 may use the running load obtained by the running of other vehicles.

[0056] FIG. 5 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the control device 2 according to Embodiment 1. The control device 2 includes a navigation information output unit 204, a running load information output unit 205, a learning control unit 202, a running control unit 201, and a learning unit 203.

[0057] The navigation information output unit 204 generates first look-ahead information based on the data stored in the map information DB134, the output of the GPS receiver 136, and the output of the traffic information receiver 138, and outputs the first look-ahead information.

[0058] The running load information output unit 205 generates second look-ahead information based on the running load information stored in the running load DB152, and outputs the second look-ahead information.

[0059] The learning control unit 202 sets the update limit flag FR to on when the distance of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination is equal to or greater than the first threshold TH1 and the average number of passes of each link of the planned driving route is equal to or less than the second threshold TH2.

[0060] The learning control unit 202 sets the update limit flag FR to off when the distance of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination is less than the first threshold TH1 or the average number of passes of each link of the planned driving route exceeds the second threshold TH2.

[0061] When the update restriction flag FR is set to off, the learning unit 203 updates the number of passes, travel speed, travel power, and gradient included in the travel load information of each link stored in the travel load DB 152 based on the travel power when the vehicle 1 travels each link and the gradient information obtained by traveling each link.

[0062] When the update restriction flag FR is set to on, the learning unit 203 updates the number of passes and travel speed included in the travel load information of each link stored in the travel load DB 152 based on the travel power when the vehicle 1 travels each link and the gradient information obtained by traveling each link, and does not update the travel power and gradient.

[0063] Based on the travel load information of each link of the planned travel route, the travel control unit 201 creates a travel plan in which one of a plurality of travel modes is assigned to each link, and controls the travel of the vehicle 1 based on the travel plan. The plurality of travel modes are a CD mode and a CS mode.

[0064] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a travel setting procedure executed by the control device 2.

[0065] This flowchart is repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals after the vehicle 1 is started when the travel support conditions are satisfied. The travel support conditions are, for example, that each system such as the power storage device 60 and the navigation device 130 is operating normally and a destination is set (a destination is input).

[0066] First, in step (hereinafter simply referred to as "S") 10, the travel control unit 201 determines whether the first preview information output from the navigation ECU 132 and the second preview information output from the multimedia ECU 150 have been updated. If the first preview information and the second preview information have not been updated, a negative determination is made and the process returns. When this routine is processed for the first time after the vehicle 1 is started, and thereafter, when the first preview information output from the navigation ECU 132 and the second preview information output from the multimedia ECU 150 are updated at predetermined intervals, an affirmative determination is made and the process proceeds to S12.

[0067] The first preview information includes road type information (such as urban area, highway, general road, etc.) and road traffic information (such as traffic jam information) for each section n in a plurality of sections (links) included in the planned travel route. The second preview information includes the travel speed V, travel power PW, and gradient SL for each section in a plurality of sections (links) included in the planned travel route.

[0068] In S12, the travel control unit 201 calculates the predicted energy consumption En for each section n based on the travel speed V, travel power PW, gradient SL, etc. for each section n. If the second preview information output from the multimedia ECU 150 cannot be obtained, the travel control unit 201 may calculate the predicted energy consumption En for each section n using the gradient information of each link on the map, the specifications of the vehicle 1, and the travel load obtained from the travel of other vehicles. The travel control unit 201 calculates the total (sum) of the predicted energy consumption En for each section n as the total energy consumption Esum.

[0069] In S14, the travel control unit 201 determines whether the total energy consumption Esum is greater than (Esum > current SOC - Mrg) the value (Mrg) obtained by subtracting the SOC corresponding to the aforementioned lower limit value Sth from the current SOC (hereinafter also simply referred to as "current SOC") of the current power storage device 60. This process is for determining whether the planned travel route can be traveled only in CD mode.

[0070] In S14, when a negative determination is made, since the planned travel route can be traveled only in the CD mode and it is not necessary to set the CS mode for each section n, the process proceeds to S16.

[0071] In S16, the travel control unit 201 assigns the CD mode (CD section) to all sections.

[0072] When it is determined that the total energy consumption Esum is greater than “current SOC - Mrg” (when an affirmative determination is made in S14), the process proceeds to S18.

[0073] In S18, the travel control unit 201 assigns the CD mode (CD section) to each section n based on the travel speed V, travel power PW, gradient SL, etc. of each section n included in the planned travel route.

[0074] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are flowcharts showing the procedure of the update process of the travel load information executed by the control device 2 in the first embodiment.

[0075] In S101, the user sets a destination through the HMI device 140. The learning control unit 202 sets the update limit flag FR to off.

[0076] In S102, when the support condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to S103. The support condition is, for example, that each system such as the power storage device 60 and the navigation device 130 is operating normally, a destination is set, and the current location is on the planned travel route.

[0077] In S103, the learning control unit 202 calculates the distance D from the current location to the destination based on the map information (distance information of each link) from the navigation device 130. When the distance D is greater than or equal to the first threshold TH1, the process proceeds to S104. When the distance D is less than the first threshold TH1, the process proceeds to S108.

[0078] In S104, the learning control unit 202 reads the number of passages NPi of each link from the current value to the destination from the travel load DB152. Let each link from the current location to the destination be link i (i = 1 to X). X is the total number of links from the current location to the destination.

[0079] In S105, the learning control unit 202 calculates the average value (hereinafter referred to as the average link passage number MP) of the number of passages NPi (i = 1 to X) of each link i.

[0080] In S106, when the average link passage number MP is less than or equal to the second threshold TH2, the process proceeds to S107. When the average link passage number MP exceeds the second threshold TH2, the process proceeds to S108.

[0081] In S107, the learning control unit 202 sets the update limit flag FR to on.

[0082] In S108, when the vehicle 1 enters link i, the process proceeds to S109.

[0083] In S109, the learning control unit 202 calculates the elevation HS of the position of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 enters link i based on the atmospheric pressure detected by an atmospheric pressure sensor (not shown) or the altitude information of the current position of the vehicle 1 received by the GPS receiver unit 136.

[0084] In S110 and S111, the learning control unit 202 updates the total travel speed SV by adding the current travel speed V of the vehicle 1 to the total travel speed SV at each sampling timing, updates the total travel power SPW by adding the current travel power PW of the vehicle 1 to the total travel power SPW, and increments the sampling number N by 1.

[0085] In S112, when the vehicle 1 exits link i, the process proceeds to S113. When the vehicle 1 has not exited link i, the process returns to S110.

[0086] In S113, in the same manner as the elevation HS, the learning control unit 202 calculates the elevation HE of the position of the vehicle 1 when exiting the link i based on the output of the atmospheric pressure sensor or the GPS receiver 136.

[0087] In S114, the learning control unit 202 calculates the average running speed MV of the link i by dividing the total running speed SV by the number of sampling times N. The learning control unit 202 calculates the average running power MPW of the link i by dividing the total running power SPW by the number of sampling times N. The learning control unit 202 calculates the average gradient MSL of the link i by subtracting the elevation HS at the entry of the link i from the elevation HE at the exit of the link i and dividing the subtracted value by the distance DLi of the link i.

[0088] In S115, when the update limit flag FR is off, the process proceeds to S116. When the update limit flag FR is on, the process proceeds to S117.

[0089] In S116, the learning unit 203 updates the running power PW, the gradient SL, the running speed V, and the number of passing times NP among the running load information corresponding to the link i.

[0090] The learning unit 203 updates the running power PW of the link i stored in the running load DB152 by weighted addition of the running power PW of the link i stored in the running load DB152 and the current average running power MPW of the link i calculated in S114 based on the number of passing times NP of the link i stored in the running load DB152.

[0091] PW = {PW × NP + MPW} / (NP + 1) ··· (1) When NP is large, the influence degree of the current average running power MPW of the link i on the updated PW is small. Therefore, even if the current average running power MPW of the link i is an outlier due to the traction of other vehicles, when NP is large, PW does not change significantly by the update.

[0092] The learning unit 203 updates the travel speed V of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 by weighted addition of the travel speed V of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 and the average travel speed MV of the current link i calculated in S114 according to the following formula, based on the number of passes NP of link i stored in the travel load DB 152.

[0093] V = {V × NP + MV} / (NP + 1) ··· (2) The learning unit 203 updates the gradient SL of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 by weighted addition of the gradient SL of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 and the average gradient MSL of the current link i calculated in S114 according to the following formula, based on the number of passes NP of link i stored in the travel load DB 152.

[0094] SL = {SL × NP + MSL} / (NP + 1) ··· (3) When NP is large, the influence degree of the average gradient MSL of the current link i on the updated SL is small. Therefore, even if the average gradient MSL of the current link i is an outlier due to the traction of other vehicles, when NP is large, SL will not change significantly due to the update.

[0095] The learning unit 203 increments the number of passes NP of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 according to the following formula.

[0096] NP = NP + 1 ··· (4) In S117, the learning unit 203 updates the travel speed V and the number of passes NP among the travel load information corresponding to link i.

[0097] The learning unit 203 updates the travel speed V of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 by weighted addition of the travel speed V of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 and the average travel speed MV of the current link i calculated in S114 according to the formula (2), based on the number of passes NP of link i stored in the travel load DB 152.

[0098] The learning unit 203 increments the number of passes NP of link i stored in the driving load DB 152 according to formula (4).

[0099] In S118, when the support end condition is satisfied, the process ends. When the support end condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to S119. The support end condition is, for example, that any device of vehicle 1 is abnormal, vehicle 1 arrives at the destination, or the ignition off operation of vehicle 1 is performed, etc.

[0100] In S119, the learning control unit 202 initializes SV, SPW, and N to 0. Then, the process returns to S108.

[0101] The learning unit 203 updates the driving load information in the driving load DB 152 using the driving load information of the link obtained by driving. However, if the number of passes of the link is small, the accuracy of the driving load data in the updated driving load DB 152 will greatly depend on the accuracy of the driving load information of the link obtained by driving. According to this embodiment, when the average number of passes obtained by averaging the number of passes of each link in the planned driving route is small, by stopping the update of the driving power and gradient, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of the driving load information in the driving load DB 152 from decreasing due to the low-accuracy driving power and gradient obtained during traction. According to this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of the driving load information in the driving load DB 152 from decreasing without having to determine whether another vehicle is being towed.

[0102] [Second Embodiment] FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are flowcharts showing the procedure of the update process of the driving load information executed by the control device 2 in the second embodiment.

[0103] In S201, the user sets a destination through the HMI device 140. The learning control unit 202 sets the update limit flag FR(i) (i = 1 to X) to off. X is the total number of links from the current location to the destination.

[0104] In S202, when the support condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to S103. The support condition is, for example, that each system such as the power storage device 60 and the navigation device 130 is operating normally, a destination is set, and the current location is on the planned travel route.

[0105] In S203, the learning control unit 202 reads the number of passes NPi of each link from the current value to the destination from the travel load DB152. Each link from the current location to the destination is defined as link i (i = 1 to X). X is the total number of links from the current location to the destination.

[0106] In S204, the learning control unit 202 sets i to 1.

[0107] In S205, when the number of passes NPi of link i is less than or equal to the third threshold value TH3, the process proceeds to S206. When the number of passes NPi of link i exceeds the third threshold value TH3, the process proceeds to S207.

[0108] In S206, the learning control unit 202 sets the update limit flag FR(i) to on.

[0109] In S207, when the vehicle 1 enters link i, the process proceeds to S208.

[0110] In S208, the learning control unit 202 calculates the elevation HS of the position of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 enters link i based on the atmospheric pressure detected by an atmospheric pressure sensor (not shown) or the altitude information of the current position of the vehicle 1 received by the GPS receiver 136.

[0111] In S209 and S210, the learning control unit 202 updates the total travel speed SV by adding the travel speed V of the current vehicle 1 to the total travel speed SV for each sampling timing, updates the total travel power SPW by adding the travel power PW of the current vehicle 1 to the total travel power SPW, and increments the sampling count N by 1.

[0112] In S211, when the vehicle 1 exits from link i, the process proceeds to S212. When the vehicle 1 has not exited from link i, the process returns to S209.

[0113] In S212, the learning control unit 202 calculates the elevation HE of the position of the vehicle 1 when exiting link i based on the output of the barometric pressure sensor or the GPS receiver unit 136 in the same manner as the elevation HS.

[0114] In S213, the learning control unit 202 calculates the average travel speed MV of link i by dividing the total travel speed SV by the sampling count N. The learning control unit 202 calculates the average travel power MPW of link i by dividing the total travel power SPW by the sampling count N. The learning control unit 202 calculates the average gradient MSL of link i by subtracting the elevation HS at the entry of link i from the elevation HE at the exit of link i and dividing the subtracted value by the distance DLi of link i.

[0115] In S214, when the update limit flag FR is off, the process proceeds to S215. When the update limit flag FR is on, the process proceeds to S216.

[0116] In S215, the learning unit 203 updates the travel power PW, the gradient SL, the travel speed V, and the passage count NP among the travel load information corresponding to link i.

[0117] The learning unit 203 updates the running power PW of link i stored in the running load DB 152 by weighted addition of the running power PW of link i stored in the running load DB 152 and the average running power MPW of the current link i calculated in S213, based on the number of passes NP of link i stored in the running load DB 152.

[0118] PW = {PW × NP + MPW} / (NP + 1) ··· (1) The learning unit 203 updates the running speed V of link i stored in the running load DB 152 by weighted addition of the running speed V of link i stored in the running load DB 152 and the average running speed MV of the current link i calculated in S213, based on the number of passes NP of link i stored in the running load DB 152.

[0119] V = {V × NP + MV} / (NP + 1) ··· (2) The learning unit 203 updates the gradient SL of link i stored in the running load DB 152 by weighted addition of the gradient SL of link i stored in the running load DB 152 and the average gradient MSL of the current link i calculated in S213, based on the number of passes NP of link i stored in the running load DB 152.

[0120] SL = {SL × NP + MSL} / (NP + 1) ··· (3) The learning unit 203 increments the number of passes NP of link i stored in the running load DB 152 according to the following formula.

[0121] NP = NP + 1 ··· (4) In S216, the learning unit 203 updates the running speed V and the number of passes NP among the running load information corresponding to link i.

[0122] The learning unit 203 updates the travel speed V of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 by weighted addition of the travel speed V of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 and the average travel speed MV of the current link i calculated in S114 according to Equation (2), based on the number of passes NP of link i stored in the travel load DB 152.

[0123] The learning unit 203 increments the number of passes NP of link i stored in the travel load DB 152 according to Equation (4).

[0124] In S217, when the support end condition is satisfied, the process ends. When the support end condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to S218. The support end condition is, for example, that any device of vehicle 1 is abnormal, vehicle 1 has arrived at the destination, or the ignition off operation of vehicle 1 has been performed.

[0125] In S218, the learning control unit 202 initializes SV, SPW, and N to 0 and increments i. Then, the process returns to S205.

[0126] According to the present embodiment, when the number of passes of the link in the planned travel route is small, by stopping the update of the travel power and gradient of the link, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of the travel load information of the link in the travel load DB 152 from being degraded due to the low-accuracy travel power and gradient obtained during traction.

[0127] [Modification Example] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes, for example, the following modification examples.

[0128] (1) The learning unit 203 may not update the driving power and gradient only for vehicles with a towing hook as a vehicle option or vehicles clearly marked as towing-compatible in the catalog. After S102 in FIG. 7 or S202 in FIG. 9, a step of determining whether to drive a vehicle with a towing hook as a vehicle option or a vehicle clearly marked as towing-compatible in the catalog may be provided. When driving a vehicle with a towing hook as a vehicle option or a vehicle clearly marked as towing-compatible in the catalog, proceed to S103 and S203. When driving a vehicle other than a vehicle with a towing hook as a vehicle option or a vehicle clearly marked as towing-compatible in the catalog, it may be possible to proceed to S116 and S215.

[0129] (2) The learning unit 203 may not update the driving power and gradient only when driving a vehicle in a country where many drivers use towing. After S102 in FIG. 7 or S202 in FIG. 9, a step of determining whether to drive a vehicle in a predetermined country where many drivers use towing may be provided. When driving a vehicle in a predetermined country where many drivers use towing, proceed to S103 and S203. When driving a vehicle in a country other than a predetermined country where many drivers use towing, it may be possible to proceed to S116 and S215.

[0130] (3) When the distance from the current location to the destination is long, the learning unit 203 may not update the driving power and gradient because it can be considered that it does not drive on links with a high number of passes near the home.

[0131] (4) FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the driving load information stored in the driving load DB152.

[0132] The difference between the driving load information in FIG. 11 and the driving load information in FIG. 3 is that the driving load information in FIG. 11 includes the number of times NL of driving power and gradient updates.

[0133] The learning unit 203 updates the driving power PW of link i stored in the driving load DB 152 by weighted addition of the driving power PW of link i stored in the driving load DB 152 and the average driving power MPW of the current link i calculated at S114 or S213 according to the following formula, based on the driving power and the gradient update count NL of link i stored in the driving load DB 152.

[0134] PW = {PW × NL + MPW} / (NL + 1) ··· (5) The learning unit 203 updates the gradient SL of link i stored in the driving load DB 152 by weighted addition of the gradient SL of link i stored in the driving load DB 152 and the average gradient MSL of the current link i calculated at S114 or S213 according to the following formula, based on the driving power and the gradient update count NL of link i stored in the driving load DB 152.

[0135] SL = {SL × NL + MSL} / (NL + 1) ··· (6) The learning control unit 202 sets the update limit flag FR to off when the distance of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination is less than the first threshold TH1, or when the average number of times of the driving power and the gradient update count of each link on the planned driving route exceeds the second threshold TH2.

[0136] (5) In the above embodiments and modifications, although the learning update of the driving power and the gradient is restricted, in addition to or instead of these, the learning update of the driving speed may be restricted.

[0137] The disclosed embodiments should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is shown by the claims rather than the description of the above embodiments, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0138] 1 Vehicle, 2 Control device, 10 Engine, 40 Power split device, 60 Energy storage device, 61 Monitoring unit, 62 Inlet, 63 Charger, 80 Driving wheels, 110 BAT-ECU, 120 Various sensors, 122 Accelerator pedal sensor, 124 Vehicle speed sensor, 126 Brake pedal sensor, 130 Navigation device, 136 GPS receiver, 138 Traffic information receiver, 140 HMI device, 160 Driving load learning device, 201 Driving control unit, 202 Learning control unit, 203 Learning unit, 204 Navigation information output unit, 205 Driving load information output unit, 134 Map information DB, 152 Driving load DB, 132 Navigation ECU, 150 Multimedia ECU.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle, comprising: An externally chargeable power storage device; An internal combustion engine; A storage device that stores driving load information representing driving power and gradient for each section; A control device that updates the driving power and gradient of each section of the driving load information stored in the storage device according to the driving power required when the hybrid vehicle travels each section and the gradient obtained by traveling each section when the average number of passes of each section of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination exceeds a second threshold; a hybrid vehicle.

2. A hybrid vehicle, comprising: An externally chargeable power storage device; An internal combustion engine; A storage device that stores driving load information representing average driving speed, driving power, and gradient for each section; A control device that updates the average driving speed, driving power, and gradient of each section of the driving load information stored in the storage device according to the average driving speed when the hybrid vehicle travels each section, the driving power required when the hybrid vehicle travels each section, and the gradient obtained by traveling each section when the average number of passes of each section of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination exceeds a second threshold, and when the distance of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination is equal to or greater than a first threshold and the average number of passes is equal to or less than the second threshold, updates the average driving speed of each section of the driving load information stored in the storage device according to the average driving speed when the hybrid vehicle travels each section; a hybrid vehicle.

3. A hybrid vehicle, comprising: An externally chargeable power storage device; An internal combustion engine; A storage device that stores driving load information representing driving power and gradient for each section; When the number of passages of each section of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination exceeds a third threshold, a control device that updates the driving power of each section of the driving load information stored in the storage device and the gradient obtained by driving each section according to the driving power required when the hybrid vehicle travels each section and the gradient obtained by driving each section, and a hybrid vehicle equipped with the control device.

4. A hybrid vehicle, An externally chargeable power storage device, An internal combustion engine, A storage device that stores driving load information representing the average driving speed, driving power, and gradient for each section, When the number of passages of each section of the planned driving route from the current location to the destination exceeds a third threshold, the average driving speed when the hybrid vehicle travels each section, the driving power required when the hybrid vehicle travels each section, and the gradient obtained by driving each section are used to update the average driving speed, driving power, and gradient of each section of the driving load information stored in the storage device. When the number of passages of each section is equal to or less than the third threshold, a control device that updates the average driving speed of each section of the driving load information stored in the storage device according to the average driving speed when the hybrid vehicle travels each section, and a hybrid vehicle equipped with the control device.

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