Hybrid electric vehicle

Abstract

To suppress the sense of discomfort of a user caused by switching of vehicle traveling manners, or annoyance of the user about notification of entry to a specific section.SOLUTION: A hybrid electric vehicle includes a control device that switches between electric traveling by an electric motor and hybrid traveling by cooperation of the electric motor and an internal combustion engine. In a case where first and second specific sections and a non-specific section A sandwiched between the first and second specific sections exist on a travel route on which the specific section where the operation of the internal combustion engine is restricted or the non-specific section is assigned to each of a plurality of travel sections on the basis of route information: if a first distance being the distance of the non-specific section A is less than a first threshold, the control device assumes that the non-specific section is the specific section; or otherwise, if the first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the control device maintains the non-specific section A as the non-specific section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a control device for a hybrid vehicle. This control device controls vehicle travel so that the remaining battery level (SOC) required for electric travel in an EV travel section (specific section) included in the travel route is ensured.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There may be a plurality of "specific sections" where the operation of the internal combustion engine is restricted on the travel route. For example, when there is a non - specific section sandwiched between two specific sections, there is a possibility that hybrid travel is performed in the non - specific section after electric travel is performed in the first specific section. When hybrid travel is performed in such a short non - specific section, if the distance of the non - specific section is short, the vehicle will immediately return to electric travel in the second specific section. As a result, there is a risk of giving a sense of discomfort to the vehicle user.

[0005] Also, when the vehicle has a function of notifying the user of the entry into a specific section, if the notification is made when entering each of the two specific sections in a situation where there is a short non - specific section between the two specific sections, there is a risk of giving annoyance to the user.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to suppress discomfort of a user caused by switching of vehicle travel or annoyance of the user with respect to notification of entry into a specific section in a hybrid electric vehicle in which a specific section is set on a travel route.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The hybrid electric vehicle according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a control device that switches between electric travel by an electric motor and hybrid travel by cooperation of the electric motor and an internal combustion engine. When there are a first and a second specific section and a non-specific section A sandwiched between the first and second specific sections on a travel route in which a specific section or a non-specific section where operation of the internal combustion engine is restricted is assigned to each of a plurality of travel sections based on route information, if a first distance, which is the distance of the non-specific section A, is less than a first threshold value, the control device regards the non-specific section as a specific section, and if the first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the control device maintains the non-specific section A as a non-specific section.

[0008] The hybrid electric vehicle according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is configured to be able to switch between electric travel by an electric motor and hybrid travel by cooperation of the electric motor and an internal combustion engine, and includes a notification device that notifies the user of entry into a specific section when the hybrid electric vehicle enters the specific section where operation of the internal combustion engine is restricted. When there are a first and a second specific section and a non-specific section A sandwiched between the first and second specific sections on a travel route in which a specific section or a non-specific section is assigned to each of a plurality of travel sections based on route information, if a first distance, which is the distance of the non-specific section A, is less than a first threshold value, the notification device notifies the user of entry into the first specific section and does not notify the user of entry into the second specific section after passing through the subsequent non-specific section A.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, since the distance of the non-specific section A sandwiched between the first and second specific sections is considered, it becomes possible to suppress the discomfort of the user caused by the switching of vehicle travel or the annoyance of the user with respect to the notification of entry into the specific section.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] 1. Configuration Example of Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a hybrid electric vehicle 1 according to an embodiment. The hybrid electric vehicle 1 includes a power train 10, a control device 20, and an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device 30. The control device 20 includes a vehicle control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 22 and a navigation ECU (navigation ECU) 24.

[0013] The power train 10 includes an internal combustion engine 12, one or more (for example, two) electric motors 14, and a battery 16, and is configured to execute hybrid driving (HEV driving) and power generation by the cooperation of the internal combustion engine 12 and the electric motors 14, and electric driving (BEV driving) performed by the electric motors 14 without operating the internal combustion engine 12. The battery 16 exchanges electric power with the power train 10 (more specifically, the electric motors 14). Specifically, the battery 16 is charged by the electric power generated by the electric motors 14 and discharged by the electric power consumed by the electric motors 14. Note that the type of the hybrid system of the vehicle 1 is not particularly limited, and for example, it may be a series-parallel type, a parallel type, or a series type. More specifically, the vehicle 1 is an externally chargeable plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), but it does not necessarily have to be configured to be externally chargeable.

[0014] The vehicle control ECU 22 includes a processor and a storage device. The vehicle control ECU 22 takes in sensor signals from sensors 26 attached to the vehicle 1 and outputs operation signals to the power train 10. The storage device stores various control programs for controlling the power train 10. The processor reads out and executes the control programs from the storage device, thereby realizing various controls regarding the power train 10. The sensors 26 include various sensors used for controlling the power train 10, such as a vehicle speed sensor and a battery remaining amount sensor. The battery remaining amount sensor detects the remaining amount of the battery 16 (battery remaining amount). In the following description, the battery remaining amount is also referred to as SOC (State Of Charge).

[0015] The navigation ECU 24 includes a processor and a storage device. The navigation ECU 24 is configured to be able to communicate with an external system via a wireless communication network and can acquire various data from the external system.

[0016] For example, the navigation ECU 24 acquires the current position of the vehicle 1 using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). Further, the navigation ECU 24 can identify the current position of the vehicle 1 on the map by, for example, acquiring map information from an external server. The map information here includes information on a specific area SA where the travel of the vehicle 1 accompanied by the operation of the internal combustion engine 12 is restricted, and geographical information (for example, speed limit, distance, and road type). The specific area SA is, for example, a low-emission zone. Whether a certain area corresponds to the specific area SA may change depending on, for example, the time zone or traffic conditions. The navigation ECU 24 can also acquire various traffic information such as traffic jam information, regulation information, and traffic accident information from the traffic information center. The navigation ECU 24 can notify the user of the vehicle 1 of such various information using the HMI device 30. The HMI device 30 includes, for example, an output unit and an input unit provided inside the vehicle 1. The output unit includes, for example, a display of the navigation system or a display unit which is a meter installed on the instrument panel. The output unit may include a speaker. The input unit is a touch panel or switches.

[0017] The navigation ECU 24 can further receive an operation by the user via the HMI device 30. For example, when the user operates the HMI device 30 to input a destination, the navigation ECU 24 creates a predicted travel route PR from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the destination and displays it on the HMI device 30. Also, the specific area SA may be set by, for example, the user who operates the HMI device 30.

[0018] Further, the navigation ECU 24 can calculate the required driving power PW required to drive each driving section of the predicted driving route PR based on at least one of the past driving data and the information such as the type or gradient of the road surface included in the map information. Further, the navigation ECU 24 can also calculate the required energy Esum required to traverse the predicted driving route PR by integrating the estimated value EP of the required driving power in the predicted driving route PR. Additionally, the navigation ECU 24 can also calculate the required energy Eev required to traverse the specific section X described later by BEV driving.

[0019] The navigation ECU 24 is communicably connected to the vehicle control ECU 22, for example, by CAN (Controller Area Network) communication. Thereby, the vehicle control ECU 22 can acquire various information (route information) including the predicted driving route PR described above and various information regarding the predicted driving route PR from the navigation ECU 24. The route information here is information regarding the route ahead of the vehicle to be read in advance, and is hereinafter referred to as "advance reading information". More specifically, the advance reading information includes information regarding each driving section along the predicted driving route PR. The advance reading information includes, for example, the above-described map information, traffic information, section vehicle speed, and required driving power PW.

[0020] 2. Vehicle Driving Control The control device 20 is configured to be able to execute a "driving support function F" for managing the SOC of the battery 16 during vehicle driving. The driving support function F includes, for example, "specific section BEV control". The specific section BEV control is executed when the "specific section X" exists on the predicted driving route PR of the vehicle 1, and manages the SOC so that the vehicle can enter the specific section X in a state having an appropriate SOC required to traverse the specific section X by BEV driving. The specific section X is a driving section on the predicted driving route PR included in the above-described specific area SA (area where the operation of the internal combustion engine 12 is restricted).

[0021] The control device 20 (more specifically, the vehicle control ECU 22) can selectively execute a CD (Charge depleting) mode and a CS (Charge sustaining) mode as the driving modes of the vehicle 1. The CD mode is a mode in which the vehicle runs mainly on the power charged in the battery 16. Examples of the CD mode include a BEV mode in which only BEV driving is performed until the SOC is depleted, and / or an automatic switching mode in which BEV driving is performed as much as possible and BEV driving and HEV driving are switched so that the SOC is consumed. In this automatic switching mode, when a high vehicle output is required by the user, the switching from BEV driving to HEV driving is executed. On the other hand, the CS mode is a mode in which the internal combustion engine 12 and the electric motor 14 are operated so as to maintain the target SOC. An example of the CS mode is an HEV mode in which HEV driving is performed while maintaining the SOC at a target value by using power generation using the power of the internal combustion engine 12. Note that the driving modes of the vehicle 1 include, for example, a charging mode in addition to the CD mode and the CS mode. The charging mode is a mode in which HEV driving is performed to recover the SOC to a predetermined value when the SOC is depleted.

[0022] FIG. 2(A) is a diagram for explaining the acquisition of pre-read information from the navigation ECU 24 by the vehicle control ECU 22. FIG. 2(B) is a diagram showing an example of the section information included in the pre-read information.

[0023] The pre-read information is acquired for each driving section in front of the vehicle 1. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2(A), the pre-read information includes section information acquired for each driving section in order from section 1, which is the driving section to which the current location of the vehicle 1 belongs, at a predetermined cycle (for example, 100 msec). The pre-read information also includes position information related to the position of the vehicle 1. This position information is, for example, the remaining distance to the destination and the current position of the vehicle 1, and is repeatedly acquired at a predetermined cycle (for example, 1000 msec) longer than the cycle for acquiring the section information.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2(B), the section information includes, for example, a section number (e.g., 1 to 100) that identifies a driving section, a section length along the driving route, a section vehicle speed (average vehicle speed), a section power (the required driving power PW described above), a section road type (e.g., a general road or an expressway), a section traffic congestion degree, and a section BEV flag. The section BEV flag is set based on the information of the specific area SA described above. When the section BEV flag is 0, it means that the non-specific section Y is assigned to the driving section, and when the section BEV flag is 1, it means that the specific section X is assigned to the driving section. Note that the setting of whether the section BEV flag is 0 or 1 is performed by the navigation ECU 24 based on, for example, the preview information.

[0025] The navigation ECU 24 updates the preview information (route information) as described above at a predetermined cycle (e.g., 1 minute). When the preview information is updated, the navigation ECU 24 updates the section numbers of each driving section so that the driving section to which the current location of the vehicle 1 belongs at the time of the update becomes the new section 1, and transmits the updated preview information to the vehicle control ECU 22.

[0026] In the specific section BEV control, the vehicle control ECU 22 executes a process of searching for and specifying the specific section X and the non-specific section Y based on the preview information obtained from the navigation ECU 24 (see, for example, FIG. 4 described later). Then, the vehicle control ECU 22 assigns the CD mode as the driving mode for the specific section X, and assigns, for example, the CS mode as the driving mode for the non-specific section Y with priority over the CD mode. As a result, when HEV driving is being executed immediately before the specific section X arrives, a switch to BEV driving is made when entering the specific section X.

[0027] FIG. 3(A) is a diagram for explaining problems and countermeasures (first control example) regarding specification of a specific section X. In FIG. 3(A), nine sections 1 to 9 on the travel route from the current location of the vehicle 1 to the destination are illustrated. Based on the above-described section BEV flag, sections 4, 5, 7, and 8 correspond to the specific section X, and the remaining sections 1-3, 6, and 9 correspond to the non-specific section Y. In a comparative example without the countermeasures of the present embodiment, without any special consideration, section 4 and section 5 are regarded as one integrated specific section X (for convenience, referred to as "first specific section X1"), and section 7 and section 8 are regarded as one integrated specific section X (second specific section X2).

[0028] According to the above-described comparative example, there is a non-specific section Y (Y0; corresponding to the "non-specific section A" according to the present disclosure) sandwiched between the first specific section X1 and the second specific section X2. In this case, after BEV travel is performed in the first specific section X1 that arrives first, there is a possibility that HEV travel is performed in the non-specific section Y0. When HEV travel is performed in the non-specific section Y0 in this way, if the distance D1 of the non-specific section Y0 is short, it will immediately return to BEV travel in the second specific section X2 thereafter. As a result, there is a possibility of giving a sense of discomfort to the user of the vehicle 1 regarding the switching of vehicle travel.

[0029] In view of the above problems, in the first control example, when the first and second specific sections X1 and X2 and the non-specific section Y0 sandwiched therebetween exist on the travel route ahead of the vehicle 1, the following processing is executed.

[0030] That is, if the distance D1 (first distance) of the non-specific section Y0 is less than the threshold value TH1 (first threshold value), the control device 20 regards the non-specific section Y0 as the specific section X. More specifically, the non-specific section Y0 is regarded as an integrated specific section IX1 with the surrounding first and second specific sections X1 and X2. Note that the distance D1 is, more specifically, the distance along the travel route of the non-specific section Y0, but is not necessarily limited to the distance along the travel route, and may be, for example, the straight-line distance between the start point and the end point of the non-specific section Y0. This also applies to the distance D2 described later.

[0031] On the one hand, if the distance D1 is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH1, the unspecified section Y0 is maintained as the unspecified section Y. More specifically, if the distance D1 is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH1, the unspecified section Y0 is not regarded as a continuous specified section IX1 with the surrounding first and second specified sections X1 and X2, and remains as the unspecified section Y.

[0032] In addition, FIG. 3(A) shows an example in which the unspecified section Y0 sandwiched between the two specified sections X1 and X2 is constituted by one driving section (section 6 with one section number). However, the unspecified section Y0 may be constituted by a plurality of driving sections in which the section BEV flag is 0. Further, the threshold value TH1 may be changed according to, for example, the road type of the unspecified section Y0. More specifically, the threshold value TH1 may be determined to be larger when the unspecified section Y0 is an expressway than when the unspecified section Y0 is an ordinary road. Thereby, considering the road type of the unspecified section Y0, it is possible to appropriately determine whether to change the handling of the unspecified section Y0 in consideration of the time required for the vehicle 1 to pass through the unspecified section Y0.

[0033] 2-1. First control example FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing related to the first control example according to the embodiment. The processing of this flowchart (the same applies to FIG. 5 described later) is executed by the control device 20, and more specifically, by the vehicle control ECU 22, but may be executed by, for example, the navigation ECU 24. Further, the processing of this flowchart (the same applies to FIG. 5) is repeatedly executed while the execution condition of the specified section BEV control as the driving support function F is satisfied.

[0034] In step S100, the vehicle control ECU 22 (also simply referred to as "ECU 22") determines whether the preview information including the section information has been updated. If the preview information has been updated, ECU 22 acquires the section information in which the section to which the current location of vehicle 1 belongs has been updated to a new section 1. For this reason, in step S102, ECU 22 clears the start section number and the end section number for specifying the specific section X and the non-specific section Y to 0 for a plurality of driving sections included in the acquired section information.

[0035] Next, in step S104, ECU 22 substitutes the current section number (the number of the currently processed section) for the section number i. Then, in step S106, ECU 22 determines whether section i (the driving section with the section number i) is the specific section X based on the information of the section BEV flag.

[0036] If the determination result in step S106 is Yes, ECU 22 determines in step S108 whether the start section number (X start section number) of the specific section X currently being searched is the initial value of 0. As a result, if this determination result is Yes (that is, when the current section i corresponds to the X start section), ECU 22 substitutes the current section number i for the X start section number in step S110.

[0037] After step S110, or if the determination result in step S108 is No, ECU 22 clears the distance D1 of the non-specific section Y (more specifically, the non-specific section Y0) to 0 in step S112. The reason is that the currently searched section i is not the non-specific section Y but the specific section X.

[0038] Next, in step S114, ECU 22 substitutes the current section number i for the "X last section number", which is the section number counted to specify the end section of the specific section X currently being searched. Then, in step S116, ECU 22 sets the X detection flag to ON. The X detection flag is a flag that is set to ON when it is determined in the process of step S106 that the current section i is the specific section X.

[0039] Next, the ECU 22 increments the section number i in step S118 (i = i + 1), and determines in step S120 whether the current section number i is greater than the last section number. Here, the "last section number" refers to the number of the last section among the plurality of driving sections included in the section information (latest section information) that is the target of the search for the specific section X. For example, when the section information has information on sections 1 to 100, the number 100 of the last section 100 corresponds to the last section number.

[0040] When the ECU 22 finishes the processing for the last section and proceeds to step S120, the determination result in step S120 becomes Yes, and the processing proceeds to step S136 described later. On the other hand, when the processing for the last section has not been completed yet (that is, when there are still driving sections to be searched), the determination result is No, and the processing returns to step S106. As a result, the processing after step S106 is repeatedly executed.

[0041] When the determination result in step S106 is No (that is, when the current section i is the non-specific section Y), the processing proceeds to step S122. In step S122, the ECU 22 calculates the current value of the distance D1 by adding the distance of the current section i to the previous value of the distance D1 of the non-specific section Y. According to such calculation, even when the driving sections corresponding to the non-specific section Y are continuous, the total distance of the continuous driving sections can be calculated as the distance D1.

[0042] Next, in step S124, the ECU 22 determines whether the distance D1 of the non-specific section Y is equal to or greater than the above-mentioned threshold value TH1. As a result, when the distance D1 is less than the threshold value TH1, the processing proceeds to step S118. That is, the processing for the current section i is completed. On the other hand, when the distance D1 is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH1 in step S124, the ECU 22 determines in step S126 whether the X detection flag is ON.

[0043] After the start of the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 4, if the process proceeds to step S126 without the determination result in step S106 being Yes, the determination result in step S126 is No. In this case, since the non-specific section Y of the current processing target does not correspond to the non-specific section Y0, the process proceeds to step S118.

[0044] On the other hand, after the determination result in step S106 becomes Yes after the start of the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 4 (that is, after searching for the specific section X), if the process proceeds to step S126, the determination result in step S126 is Yes. In this case, it can be seen that the non-specific section Y of the current processing target may correspond to the non-specific section Y0 (that is, the non-specific section Y sandwiched between two specific sections X), and the distance D1 is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH1. Therefore, in step S128, the ECU 22 substitutes the X final section number (see step S114) for the end section number (X end section number) of the specific section X currently being searched. As a result, the travel section having the section number substituted for the X final section number most recently in step S114 can be specified as the end section of the specific section X currently being searched before the process proceeds to step S128. As a result, when the non-specific section Y of the current processing target corresponds to the non-specific section Y0, the end section of the specific section X currently being searched can be specified without regarding the non-specific section Y0 as a single specific section IX1 connected to the surrounding first and second specific sections X1 and X2.

[0045] After step S128, the ECU 22 increments the section number i in step S130 (i = i + 1), and determines in step S132 whether the current section number i is greater than the final section number. As a result, if this determination result is Yes, the process proceeds to End, and if this determination result is No, the process proceeds to step S134.

[0046] In step S134, after the ECU 22 stores the X start section number and the X end section number identified by the most recent search in the storage device of the ECU 22, it clears these X start section number and X end section number to 0. Then, for the search of the next specific section X, the process returns to step S106.

[0047] Also, when the determination result in step S120 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S136. In step S136, the ECU 22 determines whether the X start section number is greater than 0. When the process proceeds to step S136 after the determination result in step S106 becomes Yes and the search for the specific section X is performed, the determination result in step S136 becomes Yes, and the process proceeds to step S138. On the other hand, when the process proceeds to step S136 from step S124 or S126 without the determination result in step S106 ever becoming Yes (that is, without searching for the specific section X), the determination result in step S136 becomes No, and the process proceeds to the end.

[0048] In step S138, the ECU 22 substitutes the X final section number (see step S114) into the X end section number. Thereby, the running section determined to correspond to the specific section X last during the search for the specific section X can be specified as the end section of the specific section X. And as a case where the final section of the specific section X is specified in this way, it includes the case where after the search for the specific section X is performed (step S106; Yes), the search for the specific section X is performed again (step S106; Yes) with the distance D1 of the non-specific section Y calculated because the determination result in step S106 becomes No and being less than the threshold value TH1. That is, according to the process of step S138, when there are the first and second specific sections X1, X2 and the non-specific section Y0 sandwiched therebetween, the end section of the specific section X can be specified so that the first and second specific sections X1, X2 and the non-specific section Y0 are regarded as one continuous specific section IX1.

[0049] As described above, according to the first control example shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 4, when there are first and second specific sections X1, X2 and an unspecified section Y0 sandwiched therebetween on the driving route ahead of the vehicle 1, if the distance D1 of the unspecified section Y0 is less than the threshold value TH1, the unspecified section Y0 is regarded as a specific section X. As a result, continuous BEV driving is executed for the entire specific section IX1 including the unspecified section Y0. That is, switching between BEV driving and HEV driving is not performed for the driving of the short unspecified section Y0 located between the two specific sections X. Therefore, it becomes possible to suppress the discomfort of the user caused by the switching of vehicle driving.

[0050] 2-2. Second control example As already described, the navigation ECU 24 updates the pre-read information (route information) at a predetermined cycle. When the pre-read information is updated, the prediction driving route PR may be updated (re-planned). Further, the update of the pre-read information is also executed, for example, when the user (driver) operates the vehicle 1 so as to deviate from the prediction driving route PR during route guidance.

[0051] Here, when the first and second specific sections X1, X2 and the unspecified section Y0 are regarded as a single specific section IX1 as in the first control example described above, the pre-read information may be updated when the vehicle 1 is driving in the unspecified section Y0. In this case, if the re-planning of the prediction driving route PR is executed along with the update, the unspecified section Y0 (for example, section 6 in FIG. 3(A)) where the vehicle 1 is driving at the time of update is no longer regarded as the specific section IX1. As a result, there is a possibility of changing from BEV driving to HEV driving along with the update. If such a change to HEV driving is made while the vehicle is driving in the specific section IX1, the user may feel discomfort with respect to the switching of vehicle driving. Further, due to the re-planning accompanying the update of the pre-read information, for example, the length of the driving section ahead of the current location of the vehicle 1 may change. Therefore, it is desirable that the countermeasure against the update of the pre-read information during the driving of the unspecified section Y0 be taken in consideration of the change in the length of the driving section ahead of the current location.

[0052] Figure 3(B) is a diagram for explaining countermeasures (second control example) against additional problems related to the specification of the specific section X. Considering the above-mentioned additional problems, instead of the first control example, the following second control example may be adopted. Specifically, in the second control example, when the preview information is updated during the travel in the non-specific section Y0, the following processing is executed.

[0053] That is, if the distance D2 (second distance) of the travel section B (non-specific section Y) from the current location of the vehicle 1 to the start point of the updated second specific section X2' is less than the threshold TH2 (second threshold), the travel section B is regarded as the specific section X. More specifically, the travel section B is regarded as a continuous specific section IX2 with the updated second specific section X2'.

[0054] On the other hand, if the distance D2 is greater than or equal to the threshold TH2, the travel section B is maintained as a non-specific section. More specifically, if the distance D2 is greater than or equal to the threshold TH2, the travel section B is not regarded as a continuous specific section IX2 with the updated second specific section X2', but remains as the non-specific section Y.

[0055] In addition, the travel section B may be a non-specific section Y specified by one section number, or may be a non-specific section Y specified by a plurality of section numbers as in the example shown in Figure 3(B). Also, the threshold TH2 may be changed according to, for example, the road type of the travel section B. More specifically, the threshold TH2 may be determined to be larger when the travel section B is an expressway than when the travel section B is a general road. Thereby, considering the road type of the non-specific section Y0, it is possible to appropriately determine whether to change the handling of the travel section B in consideration of the time required for the vehicle 1 to pass through the travel section B.

[0056] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing related to the second control example according to the embodiment. This flowchart is different from the flowchart shown in Figure 4 in that the processing of steps S200 to S212 is added.

[0057] In FIG. 5, when the determination result in step S106 is No, before step S122, the processes of steps S200 and S202 are executed. In step S200, it is determined whether the Y start section number, which is the start section number of the non-specific section Y being processed currently, is 0. As a result, if this determination result is Yes, in step S202, the current section number i is substituted into the Y start section number. And after step S202, or when the determination result in step S200 is No, the process proceeds to step S122.

[0058] According to such a process, when the pre-read information is updated during the travel of the non-specific section Y0, in step S122, the distance D1 of the non-specific section Y to which the current location of the vehicle 1 belongs at the time of the update is calculated. Also, when there is one or more non-specific sections Y continuous to this non-specific section Y, the distance D1 is calculated to include the one or more non-specific sections Y. That is, the distance D1 is the distance to the next specific section X (X2' in FIG. 3(B)). In FIG. 5, when the search for the specific section X is performed thereafter, the determination result in step S106 becomes Yes, and the process proceeds to step S204.

[0059] In step S204, it is determined whether the entry flag is ON. The "entry flag" here is a flag that becomes ON when the vehicle 1 enters the specific section IX1 (see FIG. 3(A)) during the execution of the specific section BEV control and becomes OFF when exiting from the specific section IX1. Therefore, when there is a history that the entry flag is ON, it can be known that the current position of the vehicle 1 is within the specific section IX1 before the update of the latest pre-read information.

[0060] In step S204, when the entry flag is ON, the process proceeds to step S212 on the condition that the determination results in the next steps S206, S208, and S210 are Yes. When the determination result in step S204, S206, S208, or S210 is No, the process proceeds to step S112.

[0061] Specifically, in step S206, it is determined whether or not the driving section to which the current location of the vehicle 1 belongs is the unspecified section Y. In step S208, it is determined whether or not the Y start section number is not 0 (that is, whether or not the calculation of the distance D1 of the unspecified section Y has been performed). Then, in step S210, after calculating the above-described distance D2, it is determined whether or not the distance D2 is less than the threshold value TH2. The distance D1 is the distance from the unspecified section Y to which the current location belongs to the next specified section X (the updated second specified section X2'), while the distance D2 is the distance of the driving section B from the current location to the next specified section X (X2'). Therefore, the distance D2 is calculated by subtracting the distance from the start point of the unspecified section Y to which the current location belongs to the current location from the distance D1. In step S212, the Y start section number set by the process of the most recent step S202 is substituted into the currently searched X start section number.

[0062] According to the second control example shown in FIGS. 3(B) and 5 described above, the same effects as those of the first control example described above can be obtained, and the following effects can be obtained. That is, according to the processes of steps S204 to S212 described above, when the distance D2 of the driving section B is less than the threshold value TH2, the driving section B is connected to the updated second specified section X2', so that the driving section B and the updated second specified section X2' are regarded as one continuous specified section IX2. Thereby, during the travel in the specified section IX1, it is possible to suppress the switching of the vehicle travel from the BEV travel to the HEV travel due to the update of the preview information, so that the discomfort of the user can be suppressed. Further, when the distance D2 is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH2, the process of step S212 is not executed. As a result, the driving section B is not regarded as one continuous specified section IX2 with the updated second specified section X2'. Thereby, when there is a possibility that the user has changed the travel route of the vehicle 1 because the distance D2 is long, it is possible to avoid performing BEV travel in the long driving section B that is not originally the specified section X. Thus, according to the second control example, even when the preview information is updated during the BEV travel in the unspecified section Y0, it is possible to appropriately switch the vehicle travel according to the distance D2.

[0063] 3. Notification to the User In the present disclosure, instead of the first and second control examples described above, the notification to the user may be executed as follows.

[0064] 3-1. First Notification Example The HMI device 30 corresponding to an example of the "notification device" of the present disclosure is basically configured to notify the user of the entry of the vehicle 1 into the specific section X each time the vehicle 1 enters the specific section X based on a command from the control device 20 (navigation ECU 24). Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 3(A), when there is a short non-specific section Y0 between the first and second specific sections X1 and X2, if notifications are made each time the vehicle enters the two specific sections X1 and X2, the notifications will be made twice in a short period, which will cause annoyance to the user. In view of such a problem, the switching of the notification to the user may be executed as in the following first notification example.

[0065] FIG. 6(A) is a flowchart showing the process related to the first notification example according to the embodiment. In step S300, the control device 20 determines whether the distance D1 is less than the threshold value TH1. The distance D1 can be obtained, for example, by the method shown in FIG. 4. As a result, if the distance D1 is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH1, the HMI device 30 makes a notification each time the vehicle enters the first and second specific sections X1 and X2.

[0066] On the other hand, when the distance D1 is less than the threshold value TH1 in step S300, the HMI device 30 notifies the user of the entry into the first specific section X1, and does not notify the user of the entry into the second specific section X2 after passing through the subsequent non-specific section Y0 (non-specific section A). Thereby, the notifications are not repeated in a short period before and after the short non-specific section Y0, so that the annoyance of the user regarding the notifications can be suppressed.

[0067] 3-2. Second Notification Example Also, together with the first notification example described above, the following second notification example may be executed. FIG. 6(B) is a flowchart showing the processing related to the second notification example according to the embodiment. In step S400, the control device 20 determines whether the route information has been updated during the travel in the unspecified section Y0 (see FIG. 3(A)). As a result, if this determination result is Yes, the process proceeds to step S402.

[0068] In step S402, it is determined whether or not the above-described distance D2 is less than the threshold value TH2. The distance D2 can be obtained, for example, by the method shown in FIG. 5. As a result, when the distance D2 is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH2, the HMI device 30 gives a notification when entering the updated second specific section X2' (see FIG. 3(B)). On the other hand, when the distance D2 is less than the threshold value TH2, the HMI device 30 does not give a notification when entering the second specific section X2'.

[0069] As illustrated in FIG. 3(B), when the route information is updated during the travel in the unspecified section Y0, the distance D2 from the current location at the time of update to the next specific section X (the updated second specific section X2') can change depending on the content of the update. According to the second notification example described above, the notification of entering the specific section X when such an update is performed is made in consideration of the distance D2. Specifically, according to the second notification example, when the distance D2 is short, by avoiding the notification of entering the second specific section X2' that arrives in a short period of time from the notification of entering the first specific section X1 before the update, the annoyance of the user can be suppressed. Also, when the distance D2 is long, even if a notification of entering the second specific section X2' is given, the possibility of annoying the user is low, and since some time has passed since the notification of entering the previous specific section X (X1), it can be said that it is rather preferable to give the notification. Thus, according to the second notification example, the above-described notification after the update can be appropriately performed according to the distance D2.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0070] 1 Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), 12 Internal Combustion Engine, 14 Electric Motor, 16 Battery, 20 Control Device, 22 Vehicle Control ECU, 24 Navigation ECU, 26 Sensors, 30 HMI Device

Claims

1. A hybrid electric vehicle comprising a control device for switching between electric running by an electric motor and hybrid running by cooperation of the electric motor and an internal combustion engine, on a travel route in which a specific section or a non-specific section where the operation of the internal combustion engine is restricted is assigned to each of a plurality of travel sections based on route information, when there are a first and a second specific sections and a non-specific section A sandwiched between the first and second specific sections, the control device, if a first distance, which is the distance of the non-specific section A, is less than a first threshold value, regards the non-specific section as a specific section, and if the first distance is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, maintains the non-specific section A as a non-specific section Hybrid electric vehicle.

2. When the route information is updated during travel in the non-specific section A, the control device, if a second distance, which is the distance of a travel section B from the current location of the hybrid electric vehicle to the updated second specific section, is less than a second threshold value, regards the travel section B as a specific section, and if the second distance is greater than or equal to the second threshold value, maintains the travel section B as a non-specific section The hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 1.

3. A hybrid electric vehicle capable of switching between electric running by an electric motor and hybrid running by cooperation of the electric motor and an internal combustion engine, comprising a notification device for notifying a user of entry into a specific section where the operation of the internal combustion engine is restricted when the hybrid electric vehicle enters the specific section, on a travel route in which the specific section or the non-specific section is assigned to each of a plurality of travel sections based on route information, when there are a first and a second specific sections and a non-specific section A sandwiched between the first and second specific sections, the notification device, if a first distance, which is the distance of the non-specific section A, is less than a first threshold value, notifies the user of entry into the first specific section and does not notify the user of entry into the second specific section after passing through the subsequent non-specific section A Hybrid electric vehicle.

4. When the route information is updated during the travel in the non-specific section A, the notification device If a second distance, which is the distance of a travel section B from the current location of the hybrid electric vehicle to the updated second specific section, is less than a second threshold value, the user is not notified about entry into the updated second specific section, If the second distance is equal to or greater than the second threshold value, the user is notified about entry into the updated second specific section The hybrid electric vehicle according to claim 3.

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