IP Library Granted Patent US 8,655,533
Granted Patent B2
US 8,655,533 · App. 13/340,514 · Granted Feb 18, 2014

Electric vehicle

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,655,533
App. No.
13/340,514
Granted
Feb 18, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electric vehicle is provided. The electric vehicle may include a motor for driving a wheel; a brake device for braking the wheel in response to a driver's operation of a brake operation member; and a controller for controlling the motor in response to the driver's operation of an accelerator operation member. The controller may include a first motor control section for causing the motor to be placed in a regenerative braking mode to generate a first regenerative braking force, when a displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreases to an amount less than a predetermined reference displacement amount; and a second motor control section for causing the motor to generate a second regenerative braking force which is a sum of the first regenerative braking force and a predetermined additional braking force, in response to the operation of the brake operation member.

Claims (46)

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

a motor for driving a wheel;

a hydraulic brake device for braking the wheel in response to a driver's operation of a brake operation member; and

a controller for controlling the motor in response to the driver's operation of an accelerator operation member;

wherein the controller includes:

a first motor control section for causing the motor to be placed in a regenerative braking mode to generate a first regenerative braking force, when a displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreases to an amount less than a predetermined reference displacement amount; and

a second motor control section for causing the motor to generate a second regenerative braking force which is a sum of the first regenerative braking force and a predetermined additional braking force, in response to the operation of the brake operation member; and

the second motor control section is configured to decrease the second regenerative braking force according to a decrease in a vehicle speed of the electric vehicle.

2. The electric vehicle according to Claim 1 ,

wherein a ratio of a magnitude of the additional braking force with respect to a magnitude of the first regenerative braking force is substantially constant.

3. The electric vehicle according to Claim 1 , further comprising:

a battery for storing electric power supplied to the motor; and

an engine electric generator including an engine and an electric generator, the electric generator being actuated by the engine and generating electric power; wherein

the electric generator of the engine electric generator is not mechanically coupled to the wheel and the electric generator provides the electric power to the battery;

the controller includes an engine electric generator controller for controlling the engine electric generator based on at least an SOC value of the battery; and

the engine electric generator controller is configured to cause the engine electric generator to stop power generation and to cause the engine to continue running, when the displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreases to an amount which is not more than the predetermined reference displacement amount, in a state where the engine electric generator is activated.

4. The electric vehicle according to Claim 3 ,

wherein the engine electric generator controller is configured to gradually decrease an engine speed, after the displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreases to an amount which is not more than the predetermined reference displacement amount.

5. The electric vehicle according to Claim 3 ,

wherein the second motor control section is configured to cause the motor to generate the second regenerative braking force, irrespective of the SOC value of the battery.

6. The electric vehicle according to Claim 1 ,

wherein the motor includes a front wheel motor for driving a front wheel, and a rear wheel motor for driving a rear wheel; and

the second motor control section is configured to allocate the additional braking force with a priority to a wheel which is at a forward side in a direction in which the electric vehicle moves.

7. The electric vehicle according to Claim 6 ,

wherein the second motor control section is configured to cause the additional braking force to be generated only in the motor corresponding to the wheel which is at the forward side in the direction in which the electric vehicle moves.

8. An electric vehicle comprising:

a motor for driving a wheel;

a hydraulic brake device for braking the wheel in response to a driver's operation of a brake operation member;

a battery for storing electric power supplied to the motor;

an engine electric generator including an engine and an electric generator; and

controller for controlling the motor in response to the driver's operation of an accelerator operation member, the controller including:

a first motor control section for causing the motor to be placed in a regenerative braking mode to generate a first regenerative braking force, when a displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreases to an amount less than a predetermined reference displacement amount;

a second motor control section for causing the motor to generate a second regenerative braking force which is a sum of the first regenerative braking force and a predetermined additional braking force, in response to the operation of the brake operation member; and

an engine electric generator controller for controlling the engine electric generator based on at least an SOC value of the battery;

wherein the engine electric generator controller is configured to cause the engine electric generator to stop power generation and to cause the engine to continue running, when the displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decrease to an amount which is not more than the predetermined reference displacement amount, in a state where the engine electric generator is activated, the engine electric generator controller is configured to gradually decrease an engine speed, after the displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreased to an amount which is not more than the predetermined reference displacement amount, and

wherein the engine electric generator controller is configured to decrease the engine speed, when a predetermined delay time passes, after the displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreases to an amount which is not more than the predetermined reference displacement amount.

9. An electric vehicle comprising:

a motor for driving a wheel;

a battery for storing electric power supplied to the motor;

an engine electric generator including an engine and an electric generator;

a brake device for braking the wheel in response to a drive's operation of a brake operation member;

controller for controlling the motor in response to the driver's operation of an accelerator operation member, where in the controller further includes:

a first motor control section for causing the motor to be placed in a regenerative braking mode to generate a first regenerative braking force, when a displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreases to an amount less than a predetermined reference displacement amount;

a second motor control section for causing the motor to generate a second regenerative braking force which is a sum of the first regenerative braking force and a predetermined additional braking force, in response to the operation of the brake operation member; and

an engine electric generator control section for controlling the engine electric generator based on at least a SOC value of the battery; and

the engine electric generator control section is configured to decrease an engine speed, when a predetermined delay time passes, after the displacement amount of the accelerator operation member decreases to an amount which is not more than the predetermined reference displacement amount.

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Jun 2, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 060300/0504 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2011
From: TAKAGI, IZUMI
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 027460/0817 →