Patent ID: 7099757
Filing Date: 2006-08-29
Classification: B60K,B60L,B60W,F02D,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle which includes: a variable cylinder internal-combustion engine capable of switching between an all cylinders operation which operates all cylinders and a cylinders deactivation operation which operates with some cylinders deactivated, and a motor as a power source; and a power storage unit which transfers electric energy with said motor, and at least one of said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine and said motor is connected to driving wheels of the vehicle through a transmission so as to transmit a driving force to said driving wheels, wherein said control apparatus comprises: a fuel supply canceling device which cancels fuel supply to said some cylinders according to an operating state of the vehicle; a cruise control device which controls at least one of a cruise control to drive the vehicle so that the vehicle speed follows a predetermined target speed, and a cruise control to make said vehicle travel while maintaining a predetermined vehicular gap with respect to a preceding vehicle; an upper limit engine torque calculating device which calculates an upper limit value of an engine torque capable of being output from said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine during said cylinders deactivation operation; an upper limit motor torque calculating device which calculates an upper limit value of motor torque capable of being output from said motor during an assisting operation which assists the output of said variable cylinders internal-combustion engine by the output from said motor; a torque limiting device which limits a target torque for a power plant torque capable of being output from a power plant comprising said variable cylinder internal-combustion engine and said motor during operation of said fuel supply canceling device and said cruise control to under a value equivalent to a predetermined torque related to a cylinder deactivation upper limit torque obtained by adding the upper limit value of said engine torque and the upper limit value of said motor torque; and a fuel supply cancel releasing device which releases cancellation of the fuel supply to at least some of the cylinders among said cylinders to which the fuel supply is cancelled by said fuel supply canceling device, when said vehicle speed is decreased under a speed obtained by subtracting from said target speed, a predetermined speed during operation of said torque limiting device.