Patents by Inventor Masaaki Tagawa

Masaaki Tagawa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9527388
    Abstract: A regenerative control capable of realizing a comfortable operation, along with an efficient collection of a regenerative energy of a motor generator and an effective regenerative braking control. A regenerative control device for a motor generator generates a regenerative braking power for decelerating a motor vehicle at a time of collecting regenerative energy generated by driving of the motor vehicle. The arrangement includes a driving state detection unit for detecting a driving state and a deceleration level acquisition unit for acquiring a deceleration level. A braking force setting unit sets the regenerative braking force of the motor generator at a time of detection of a deceleration operation by the driving state detection unit. A braking force adjustment unit adjusts and suppresses the regenerative braking force set by the braking force setting unit, according to acquired deceleration level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masakazu Saito, Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 9493129
    Abstract: An arrangement which prevents excessive engine speed, satisfies a driver's requested torque and protects a battery from overvoltage. A control apparatus provides a torque control to a hybrid electric vehicle, and calculates an engine speed final target so that an engine speed temporary target does not exceed an upper limit. In addition, the control recalculates an engine operating point target based on the calculated engine speed final target, and calculates an engine power final target based on the recalculated engine operating point target. An electrical power target is calculated and may not exceed an upper limit for battery charging and an upper limit for battery discharging. Engine torque is controlled based on the calculated engine operating point target (especially the engine torque final target). Motor generators are controlled to operate based on the calculated engine operating point target and electrical power target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 9346458
    Abstract: A process in which a crank angle predicted stop position is calculated based on a target engine rotation speed reduction rate that is calculated in advance, a crank angle integration target value is calculated based on the crank angle predicted stop position, the target engine rotation speed reduction rate is recalculated based on the crank angle integration target value and an actual crank angle, a target crank angle is calculated based on the crank angle integration target value and the target engine rotation speed reduction rate, a crank deviation angle is calculated based on the target crank angle and the actual crank angle, a crank angle feedback torque of the motor is calculated based on the crank angle deviation angle, and a torque instruction value of the motor is calculated by adding the basic torque of the motor and the crank angle feedback torque when the engine is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yoshiki Ito, Masakazu Saito, Masaaki Tagawa, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 9340198
    Abstract: A drive control device of a hybrid vehicle including a motor torque instruction value calculator, an electric power loss predictor, an electric power upper limit/lower limit value calculator, and a target electric power calculator are arranged, and the motor torque instruction value calculator calculates torque instruction values of a plurality of motor generators using a torque balance equation including target engine torque required at a target engine operating point and an electric power balance equation including target electric power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 9290169
    Abstract: A control unit (17) includes a regenerative coordination control unit (17D) and a vehicle speed calculation unit (17E). The regenerative coordination control unit (17D) performs a regeneration cooperative control to distribute the hydraulic braking force and the regenerative braking force. The vehicle speed calculation unit (17E) calculates a vehicle speed. The control unit (17) calculates a basic target driving force based on: an amount of accelerator operation detected by an accelerator operation amount detecting unit (32), and the vehicle speed calculated by the vehicle speed calculation unit (17E), and adds a value corresponding to the regenerative braking force distributed by the regenerative coordination control unit (17D) to the basic target driving force, thus obtaining a target driving force to be generated by motors (4 and 5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masakazu Saito, Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 9242640
    Abstract: A controller for a hybrid vehicle includes a maximum regeneration torque calculator which calculates a motor generator maximum regeneration torque necessary for supplying power to an electricity storer and calculates each of an engine operation maximum regeneration torque for operating an engine changing in accordance with a vehicle speed and an engine stop maximum regeneration torque and a change value calculator which sets an engine stop prohibition vehicle speed in which an engine is not stopped when a vehicle speed is equal to or faster than a predetermined vehicle speed and calculates a maximum regeneration torque when stopping the engine at the engine stop prohibition vehicle speed as a maximum regeneration torque change threshold value from the engine stop regeneration torque of the maximum regeneration torque calculator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Tagawa, Yoshiki Ito, Yukihiro Hosoe, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 9221455
    Abstract: An apparatus that both prevents excessive engine speed and satisfies a driver's requested drive torque. A control apparatus provides torque control to a hybrid electric vehicle and uses a calculated engine speed final target, and engine speed temporary target, which may not exceed an upper limit. In addition the control recalculates an engine operating point target based on the calculated engine speed final target and calculates an engine power final target based on the recalculated engine operating point target. An electrical power target is calculated based on the calculated engine power final target. Engine torque is controlled based on the calculated engine operating point target (especially the engine torque final target). In addition, motor generators are controlled to operate in power running mode or regenerating mode, based on the calculated engine operating point target and electrical power target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 9180867
    Abstract: A drive control apparatus of a hybrid vehicle, in which a motor torque instruction value operator of controller calculates a torque instruction value of each of a plurality of motor generators by using a torque balance equation including a target engine torque which is obtained from a target engine operation point and an electric power balance equation including a target charge/discharge power. Thus, control of the plurality of motor generators in the case where there is a charge/discharge to/from a battery can be performed, and both of assurance of a target drive force and assurance of a target charge/discharge can be satisfied in consideration of an operation point of an internal combustion engine (engine operation point).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 9180864
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes: a charge state calculator which calculates a charge state of an electricity storer; a standard opening and closing device which turns off a contactor when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculator is lower than a standard lower-limit value; and an engine startup opening and closing device which maintains the contactor in an on state when an engine startup signal is input even when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculator is a value for turning off the contactor, wherein the contactor turning-on operation executed by the engine startup opening and closing device is executed when the charge state calculated by the charge state calculator is higher than an engine startup lower-limit value set lower than the standard lower-limit value by a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukihiro Hosoe, Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 9150217
    Abstract: A drive control apparatus for hybrid vehicles adapted to facilitate controlling a rotation speed of an internal combustion engine, preventing excess speeds of a motor generator. The drive control apparatus for hybrid vehicles is adapted for a drive control of a vehicle using outputs from an engine and motor generators, and includes a target engine operating point setter for setting up a target engine operating point to determine target engine torque and a target engine rotation speed of the engine from target engine power and an efficiency of system. A motor torque command value calculator sets up respective torque command values of the motor generators, and an engine torque corrector corrects the target engine torque by a target engine torque correction value set up based on the torque command values of the motor generators and permissible output torque of the motor generators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yukihiro Hosoe, Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 9114803
    Abstract: An engine, a first motor generator and a second motor generator are controlled by calculating an engine power target from a driving power target required for a vehicle, and finding a target engine operating point expressed by a set of an engine speed target and an engine torque target on a target operating line determined in response to the engine power target. When the found target engine operating point is different from the previously found one, a change in engine speed target is limited to a predetermined amount of change and the engine torque target of the set is reset versus an engine speed target involving the limited change based on the determined target operating line. Consequently, the engine power target and thus the driving power target are ensured so as to restrain or prevent sudden or frequent changes in engine speed with the efficiency kept high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Tagawa, Yoshiki Ito, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 9043064
    Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle, a controller includes a target drive power setting device which sets a target drive power requested for the running of the vehicle, a target drive power calculator which calculates target drive power from the target drive power set by the target drive power setting device and the vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed detector, an output limiter which limits the amount of power obtained from an electricity storer based on the state of the electricity storer, and a transition prohibitor which prohibits the transition of an engine to a stopped state when the power consumed for the transition of the engine from an operational state to a stopped state exceeds a value obtained by subtracting the target drive power calculated by the target drive power setting device from the output limit value set by the output limiter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masaaki Tagawa, Yoshiki Ito, Yukihiro Hosoe, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 9026293
    Abstract: A drive control device of a hybrid vehicle in which an electric power loss predictor and a target electric power calculator are arranged, a target engine power calculator calculates a target engine power based on a target driving power, target charging/discharging power, and estimated power that is an electric power loss, and a motor torque instruction value calculator calculates the torque instruction values of a plurality of motor generators using a torque balance equation including the target engine torque and an electric power balance equation including the target electric power. In the electric power balance equation, the electric power generated or consumed by the plurality of motor generators, the estimated power that is the electric power loss, and input/output electric power of the battery are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 9002561
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle, a drive control apparatus, and a drive control method to prevent overcharging a battery, and providing an output drive force depending on a driver's request. The drive control apparatus for hybrid vehicles outputs generated power at an internal combustion engine and a motor generator through a power transmission mechanism to drive axles, and includes an output shaft fixing mechanism which fixes an internal combustion engine output shaft to disable rotation. A request drive force setter sets a request drive force depending on a driver's request. A controller executes a control based on a detected battery stored energy level to operate irrespective of a magnitude of the request drive force to stop the internal combustion engine, uses the shaft fixing mechanism to fix the output shaft, and provides travel using generated power from the motor generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Tagawa, Yoshiki Ito, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 8983700
    Abstract: Objects are to set up control of a plurality of motor generators in a case where a battery is charged or discharged, to secure both a target driving force and target charging/discharging, and to have the breath of control of using electric power of the battery under a more specific condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 8983701
    Abstract: An upper rotational speed limit NengUL and a lower rotational speed limit NengLL of an engine operation prohibition area are set from an upper rotational speed limit Nmg2UL and a lower rotational speed limit Nmg2LL of a motor operation predetermined prohibition area of a second motor generator. When an engine speed target Nengt, calculated from a preset target operating line, lies in the engine operation prohibition area, the engine operating point target is corrected so that the second motor generator rotational speed target Nmg2t lies outside the motor operation prohibition area. When the engine speed target Nengt is greater than or equal to a change-direction engine speed NengCD at which direction of shift to/from an allowable range of engine operation is changed, the engine speed Neng is increased. When the engine speed target Nengt is less than the change-direction engine speed NengCD, the engine speed Neng is decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Tagawa, Yoshiki Ito, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 8948949
    Abstract: A torque applied to a one-way clutch when a first motor generator and second motor generator are operated in a motor generator drive mode is restrained or prevented from becoming excessively high by setting a first motor generator sharing ratio in response to a driving torque target for the vehicle, by controlling operation of the first motor generator in response to a first motor generator first sharing ratio when vehicle vibrations due to cogging torque are likely to take place, and by reducing the torque from the first motor generator when the driving torque target is large. Torque applied to the one-way clutch which otherwise would become excessively high immediately after engine shutdown, is restrained or prevented by reducing the torque from the first motor generator in response to a second motor generator second sharing ratio when engine downtime is short.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Tagawa, Yoshiki Ito, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma
  • Patent number: 8948950
    Abstract: In a drive control apparatus (1) of a hybrid vehicle, a provisional target engine power calculator (17D) of a controller (17) compares provisional target engine power which is calculated from a target drive power and a target charge/discharge power with a target engine power lower limit value and, when the provisional target engine power is smaller than the target engine power lower limit value, sets the target engine power lower limit value to the provisional target engine power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masakazu Saito, Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Patent number: 8818604
    Abstract: Ina drive control apparatus (1) of a hybrid vehicle, a change rate restriction value of a target engine rotational speed which is set on the basis of a vehicle speed is preset, a restriction value of the target engine rotational speed is calculated from the change rate restriction value and a previous target engine rotational speed, a target engine operation point to decide the target engine rotational speed and a target engine torque is set on the basis of the restriction value of the target engine rotational speed and the provisional target engine rotational speed, a target electric power is calculated from a difference between a target engine power which is calculated from the target engine operation point and a target drive power, and torque instruction values of a plurality of motor generators (4, 5) are calculated by using a torque balance equation including a target engine torque which is obtained from the target engine operation point and an electric power balance equation including the target electri
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Tagawa, Yoshiki Ito, Masakazu Saito, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe
  • Publication number: 20140088807
    Abstract: Ina drive control apparatus (1) of a hybrid vehicle, provisional target engine power calculating means (17D) of control means (17) compares provisional target engine power which is calculated from a target drive power and a target charge/discharge power with a target engine power lower limit value and, when the provisional target engine power is smaller than the target engine power lower limit value, sets the target engine power lower limit value to the provisional target engine power. Motor torque instruction value operating means (17L) of the control means (17) calculates a torque instruction value of each of a plurality of motor generators (4, 5) by using a torque balance equation including a target engine torque which is obtained from a target engine operation point and an electric power balance equation including a target electric power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2011
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Inventors: Masakazu Saito, Yoshiki Ito, Masaaki Tagawa, Hitoshi Ohkuma, Yukihiro Hosoe