JPH02101903A - electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the size and the weight of a battery by mounting at least one of a plurality of motors onto a motor vehicle and driving the motor through at least one generating engine then connecting the motor with the battery for a motor car. CONSTITUTION:Front wheels 2, 3 of a car 1 are driven through one motor M16 while the rear wheels 4, 5 thereof are driven through another motor M27, where the two motors 6, 7 are connected with a battery 9. The wheels W can be made free by disengaging a clutch C. Since the battery is charged during low speed running, idle running or stoppage, discharge amount of the battery is low even after long time running of a motor vehicle and thereby the discharge depth decreases, the service life of the battery is lengthened and the size and the weight of the battery charger are reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an electric vehicle propelled by a plurality of electric motors, and particularly relates to charging of a storage battery mounted on the electric vehicle and serving as an energy supply source for the electric motors. It is related to the device.

(Prior Art) In automobiles powered by internal combustion engines, pollution such as air pollution caused by exhaust gas and noise generated when the vehicle is running has been a serious problem. For this reason, electric vehicles have been researched and developed. This electric vehicle travels by rotating its wheels using an electric motor. Since these electric vehicles are not equipped with an internal combustion engine for propulsion, they do not emit exhaust gas or make a lot of noise.

(Problems to be Solved by the Present Invention) Incidentally, in order to run such an electric vehicle, an electric motor must be driven, and a storage battery is required as an energy source for driving this motor. Many types of storage batteries have been researched and developed, but various problems have made it difficult to put them into practical use. One type of battery that has been put into practical use under these circumstances is a lead-acid battery.

In general, storage batteries have very low power density, which indicates the amount of power that can be instantaneously output, and energy density, which indicates the amount of energy that can be stored, compared to general internal combustion engines. Therefore, in order to achieve almost the same driving performance as current gasoline-powered vehicles, the capacity of the storage battery must be considerably increased.

Therefore, if you try to significantly increase the capacity of the storage battery,
The weight becomes very large; for example, in the case of a lead-acid battery, it weighs more than six times the weight of the drive system of the Transmitsiron engine installed in a gasoline-powered vehicle. For this reason, when such a lead battery is mounted on a vehicle body, vehicle performance becomes extremely poor. Moreover, since the lead battery is large, it takes up a large amount of space inside the vehicle.

Furthermore, lead batteries have contradictory characteristics: increasing the energy density lowers the power density, and increasing the power density lowers the energy density. Therefore, a lead battery is
It cannot be directly applied to electric vehicles, which require high power density and high energy density.

Furthermore, in general, a storage battery has a property that the greater the depth of discharge representing one discharge, the shorter its lifespan. That is, if the depth of discharge is large, the number of times the battery can be charged and discharged will decrease. Therefore, it is difficult to enable electric vehicles to run for long periods of time without shortening the life of the storage battery.

The present invention was made in view of these problems, and its purpose is to extend the life of the storage battery by not increasing the depth of discharge, while also making the storage battery as small as possible. An object of the present invention is to provide a charging device for a storage battery in an electric vehicle that can reduce weight.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a charging device for an electric vehicle that can compensate for a decrease in energy density even if the power density of the storage battery is increased.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is such that a plurality of wheels are rotationally driven by a plurality of electric motors, and a plurality of wheels are driven to rotate by a plurality of electric motors. At least one of them is driven to rotate by at least one power generation engine mounted on an electric vehicle.

An electric motor rotationally driven by this power generation engine is electrically connected to a storage battery of the electric vehicle.

Moreover, in the invention of claim 2, the electric motor and the wheels are connected by a clutch.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 3, the electric motor and the power generation engine are connected by a clutch.

(Function) In the charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention having such a configuration, when the electric vehicle travels, each wheel is rotated by the rotational driving force of the electric motor. In that case, when the vehicle starts, runs at high speed, or accelerates, a relatively large amount of driving force from the electric motor is required, so all the electric motors installed rotate the wheels that correspond to those electric motors. Driven.

On the other hand, when driving at low speeds, coasting, or when the vehicle is stopped, the driving force of the electric motor is not so large, so it is sufficient to use some of the electric motors to drive the rotation of the wheels. become. Therefore, the remaining electric motors do not need to contribute to the rotational drive of the wheels.

Therefore, by rotating this remaining electric motor by a power generation engine mounted on the vehicle, the remaining electric motor generates an electromotive force. That is, when the vehicle is running at low speed, coasting, or stopped, the remaining electric motor functions as a generator driven by the engine. Then, the electricity generated by the remaining electric motor is stored in the storage battery of the electric vehicle. That is, the storage battery will be charged.

Further, if the electric motor and the wheels are disconnected by the clutch, the electric motor is not affected by the rotation of the wheels when functioning as a generator.

Therefore, power generation is always performed in a region where the combustion efficiency of the engine is high.

As described above, according to the present invention, the storage battery is always charged when traveling at low speed, coasting, or when the vehicle is stopped, so even if the electric vehicle travels for a long time, the amount of discharge is relatively small. That is, the depth of discharge of the storage battery becomes smaller.

Furthermore, since the storage battery is always charged when the electric vehicle is running, the capacity of the storage battery does not need to be increased so much. Therefore, since the energy density of the storage battery may be small, it becomes possible to use a storage battery with a high power density.

Furthermore, if a regenerative brake is adopted as the brake of an electric vehicle and an electric motor is used as its generator, the storage battery can also be charged with electricity generated when the vehicle's brakes are operated.

Therefore, the depth of discharge can be further reduced. In that case, if the electric motor and engine are separated by a clutch, the engine brake will not act during regenerative braking, so the loss caused by this engine braking will be eliminated, and the amount of power generated during regenerative braking can be increased.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the arrangement of front, rear, left, and right wheels, an electric motor, a power generation engine, and a storage battery in an electric vehicle according to the present invention, and (A) to (C) are explanatory diagrams illustrating different examples of this arrangement. . Note that in (A) to (C), the same components are given the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation.

In the arrangement example shown in FIG. 1(A), the electric vehicle 1 includes a pair of left and right front wheels 2, 3 and a rear wheel 4.5. The front wheels 2 and 3 are rotatably driven by one electric motor M16, and the rear wheels 4.5 are rotatably driven by one electric motor M27, and are also rotatably driven by an engine E8. It is designed to be rotationally driven. This engine 8 also rotates the electric motor 7. The two electric motors 6.7 are each connected to a storage battery 9.

Furthermore, in the arrangement example shown in FIG. 1(B), the front wheels 2
, 3 are rotated by separate electric motors MIS, 6, respectively.

In this case too, the two electric motors 6.6 which rotate the front wheels 2.3 are connected to a storage battery 9.

Furthermore, in the arrangement example shown in FIG. 1(C), the rear wheels 4
, 5 are each rotated by a separate electric motor M27.7, and each is also rotated by a separate engine 8.8.
Different from (B). In this case as well, both engines 8.8 rotate respective electric motors 7.7.

Both electric motors 7, 7 are also connected to a storage battery 9.

Figure 2 shows the layout of the driving force transmission system, (A) is a schematic diagram without a power generation engine, and (B) is a schematic diagram with a power generation engine. .

What is shown in Figure 2 (A) is the electric motor M.
l is directly connected to the wheel W. In this case, since the electric motor Ml and the wheel W are always connected, the wheel W cannot be made free.

In addition, in the case shown by (■) in the same figure (A), an electric motor M1 is connected to a wheel W via a clutch C. In this case, the wheels W can be made free by disengaging the clutch C.

Therefore, for example, when the vehicle runs out of power while the vehicle is running, if the clutch C is disengaged, the wheels W and the electric motor Ml become independent of each other, so that the inertia of the motor Ml no longer acts on the wheels W. Further, even if the vehicle is in a stopped state, the electric motor Ml can be maintained in an operating state.

The electric motor Ml in this case is used only to drive the rotation of the wheels W for propulsion of the vehicle, except when it is used as a generator for regenerative braking during vehicle deceleration.

As shown in FIG. 2(B), the electric motor M2 and the power generation engine E are connected in series and in parallel to the wheels W. Series coupling and parallel coupling differ only in the form of coupling,
They are substantially the same in terms of driving force transmission.

In the vehicle shown in (B) in the same figure, the electric motor M2 and the power generation engine E are directly connected to the wheel W, and the motor M2 and the power generation engine E are directly connected to each other.

In this layout, the electric motor M2 is used to rotationally drive the wheels W when the vehicle starts, which requires a relatively large driving force. In that case, when a large driving force is required, the driving force of the power generation engine E can be added.

Similarly, the motor M2 is used to rotationally drive the wheels W during acceleration and high-speed running.

When traveling at low speeds where a large driving force is not required, the electric motor M2 does not need to be used to drive the rotation of the wheels W. Therefore, by rotating this motor M2 with the engine E, the motor M2 is caused to generate electricity.

That is, during low speed running, motor M2 is used as a generator. In this way, the engine E can generate electricity. However, in this case, engine E
Since both the motor M2 and the motor M2 are directly connected to the wheel W, the rotation speed of the engine E is determined by the vehicle speed, that is, the rotation speed of the wheel W. Therefore, it is impossible to constantly use engine E in a region with good combustion efficiency.

Furthermore, since the wheels W are stopped when the vehicle is stopped, both the motor M2 and the engine E cannot operate, and therefore power generation is impossible. Furthermore, during coasting, the motor M2 and engine E simply rotate due to coasting, making it almost impossible to generate electricity.

On the other hand, the electric motor M2 is used as a generator for regenerative braking during vehicle deceleration. In this case, since the engine E is directly connected to the motor M2, the amount of regeneration is reduced by the loss due to engine braking.

Furthermore, when starting the engine, since the wheels W are stationary, it is impossible to start the engine E from a vehicle stopped state.

Since there is no clutch in this layout, there is an advantage that not only the number of parts is reduced, but the structure is also simple.

The motor M2 and the engine E are connected to each other via a clutch CI in the case shown by (■) in FIG. 2(B). Further, as in the case (B) (2), the motor M2 and the engine E are directly connected to each other.

When the vehicle starts, accelerates, or travels at high speed, the motor M2 is used to drive the wheels W by connecting the clutch CI. That is, when the clutch C1 is connected, the motor M2 and the engine E are directly connected to the wheels W, so the situation is exactly the same as the case (B) (2) above.

Since much driving force is not required when the vehicle is running at low speed, stopped, or coasting, the motor M2 is disconnected from the wheels W by disengaging the clutch Ct. Therefore, the motor M2 is not used for driving the rotation of the wheel W. The motor M2 is rotationally driven by the engine E to generate an electromotive force. That is, motor M2 comes to be used as a generator. In that case,
Since the motor M2 and the engine E are separated from the wheel W, the rotation of the wheel W does not affect the rotation of the engine E. As a result, a region of the engine E with good combustion efficiency can be used at all times. Therefore, it becomes possible to charge the storage battery more efficiently.

When the vehicle decelerates, by connecting the clutch Ct,
The motor M2 can function as a generator for regenerative braking. In this case, the engine E and the motor M2 are directly connected as in the case (B) (2) above, so the amount of roundworms is reduced by the amount of loss due to engine braking.

Further, when starting the engine, by disengaging the clutch C1 and separating the motor M2 and the engine E from the wheels W, the engine E can be started by the motor M2. Therefore, in this case, a starter motor for driving the engine is not required.

In the case shown in (B) in the same figure, the motor M2 is directly connected to the wheel W, but the engine E is connected to the wheel W and the motor M2 via a clutch CI.

In this layout, when the clutch C1 is connected, the result is exactly the same as in the case (B) (2) described above. Therefore, a description of when the clutch CI is connected when the vehicle starts, accelerates, runs at high speed, and runs at low speed will be omitted.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is stopped, the motor M2 cannot be driven, and when the vehicle is coasting, the motor M2 simply rotates due to coasting, so this case is also the same as the case of CB) (2).

Furthermore, when the vehicle is decelerating, the motor M2 functions as a generator for regenerative braking. In that case, if clutch CI is disconnected to disconnect wheel W and motor M2 from engine E,
Since the engine brake is no longer activated, there is no loss caused by the engine brake. Therefore, since there is no reduction in the amount of regeneration, it is possible to obtain approximately the same amount of power generation as in the case of a conventional electric vehicle.

Further, when starting the engine E, the motor M2 and the engine E are disconnected when the clutch CI is disengaged, so the motor M2 cannot drive the engine E. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a starter motor. Furthermore, when clutch CI is connected, wheel W1, motor M2, and engine E are directly connected to each other, which is exactly the same as in case (B) (2). That is, it becomes impossible to start the engine E from a stopped state of the vehicle.

In the case shown in (B) in the same figure, the motor M2 is connected via a clutch C1, and the engine E is connected via two clutches CI and C2. Further, the motor M2 and the engine E are connected via a clutch C2.

Therefore, this layout adds one more clutch.

When the vehicle starts, accelerates, or travels at high speed, the motor M2 can be used to drive the wheels W by connecting the clutch CI. Furthermore, when both clutches CI and C2 are connected, the motor M2 and the engine E are directly connected to the wheels W, so the situation is exactly the same as the case (B) (2) above. Therefore, the explanation thereof will be omitted.

When driving at low speed, the motor M2 can be used as a generator by disengaging the clutch C1 and connecting the clutch C2. That is, if the motor M2 is driven by the engine E, the motor M2 will generate an electromotive force, and the engine E will be able to generate electricity. Moreover, since the clutch C1 is disengaged and the wheel W, motor M2, and engine E are disconnected, the rotation of the engine E will not be affected by the rotation of the wheel W, as in the case of (B)■. do not have. Therefore, the engine E can be constantly used in a region with good combustion efficiency to generate electricity.

Furthermore, when the vehicle is stopped or coasting, the clutch CI is disengaged and the clutch C2 is engaged, thereby connecting the motor M2 and the engine E and disconnecting them from the wheels W. Thereby, electric power is generated by driving the motor M2 with the engine E. At this time too,
(B) As in the case (2), the engine E can be used constantly in a region with good combustion efficiency.

Furthermore, by connecting the clutch CI and disengaging the clutch C2 when the vehicle is decelerating, the motor M2 can be used as a generator for regenerative braking, as in the case (B) (2). In this case as well, the amount of regeneration is not reduced due to loss due to engine braking, so the motor M2 generates power equivalent to that of a conventional electric vehicle.

Further, when starting the engine, the motor M2 is disconnected from the wheels W and the motor M2 is connected to the engine E by disengaging the clutch C1 and connecting the clutch C2.

Therefore, in this case, the result is the same as in case (B) (2). Thereby, it becomes possible to drive the motor M2 by the engine E regardless of the wheel W, and it becomes possible to start the engine E from a stopped state of the vehicle.

As a result, a starter motor for driving engine E becomes unnecessary.

In the case shown in (B) of the same figure, the motor M2 is connected to the wheel W via the clutch CI, and
An engine E is connected to wheels W via a clutch C2.

When the vehicle starts, accelerates, or travels at high speed, the motor M2 can be used to drive the wheels W by connecting the clutch CI. Also, when both clutches CI and C2 are connected, motor M2 and engine E are directly connected to wheel W, so
(B) It will be the same as ■.

Furthermore, when motor M2 is used as a generator for power generation by engine E during low-speed driving, both clutches C1
, C2 will be connected, so it will be the same as in case (B) (2). Therefore, the explanation of these cases will be omitted.

Also, when the vehicle is stopped or coasting, the clutch CI
, C2 are both turned off so that the driving force of motor M2 and engine E is not transmitted to wheels W, motor M2 and engine E are also not coupled.

Therefore, since motor M2 cannot be driven by engine E, motor M2 does not generate electricity.

When the vehicle is decelerating, clutch C1 is connected and clutch C2 is connected.
By turning off, the motor M2 and the wheel W are directly connected.

Therefore, since this case is the same as the case (B) (2), the explanation thereof will be omitted.

When starting the engine, if both clutches CI and C2 are connected together in order to drive the engine E by the motor M2, the result is the same as in case (B)■.

Therefore, if clutch C2 is disengaged and engine E is separated from wheel W, the result will be the same as in case (B)■.

Therefore, another starter motor is required.

In the vehicle shown in (B) in the figure, the engine E is directly connected to the wheels W, and the motor M2 is connected to the wheels W via the clutch CI.

In this layout, when clutch CI is connected (B) ■
It will be the same as in the case of . Therefore, the clutch CI is engaged when starting the vehicle, accelerating, running at high speed, running at low speed, decelerating the vehicle, and starting the engine.
(B) It will be exactly the same as ■. Therefore, its explanation will be omitted.

When the vehicle is stopped, the engine E is directly connected to the wheels W, so it stops, and the engine E does not generate electricity. Furthermore, during coasting, the engine E only rotates due to inertia, so that the motor M2 is not rotated to a sufficient speed for the engine E to generate electricity, regardless of whether the clutch C1 is connected or disconnected.

In the case shown by ■ in the same figure (B), the engine E is connected to the wheels W via the clutch C1, and
A motor M2 is connected to a wheel W via clutches CI and C2. Further, motor M2 and engine E are connected via clutch C2.

In this layout, when both clutches CL C2 are connected together, the result is the same as in case (B) (2). Therefore, when the vehicle starts, accelerates, runs at high speed, and decelerates,
Since both clutches CI and C2 will be connected,
(B) It will be exactly the same as ■. Therefore, its explanation will be omitted.

Moreover, in this case, if clutch C1 is disengaged and clutch C2 is connected, the result will be the same as in case (B) (2). Therefore, when driving at low speed, when the vehicle is stopped, when coasting, and when starting the engine, clutch C1 is disengaged and clutch C2 is connected. Explanation will be omitted.

In the case shown in (B) of the same figure, the motor M2 is connected to the wheels W via the clutches CI and C3, and the engine E is connected to the clutch CI.

It is connected to the wheel W via C2. Also motor M2
and engine E are connected via a clutch C2.

In this layout, all clutches CI, C2,
If C3 is connected together, it will be the same as (B) (■).

Therefore, when the vehicle starts, accelerates, and runs at high speed, clutches CI, C2, and C3 are all connected, so the situation is exactly the same as in case (B) (2). Therefore,
The explanation will be omitted.

Also, in this case, disengage clutch CI, clutch C2,
When C3 is connected, the result will be the same as in (B) ■. Therefore, when driving at low speed, when the vehicle is stopped, when coasting, and when starting the engine, the clutch Ct is disengaged and the clutch C
2, C3 will be connected, so it will be exactly the same as in case (B)■.

Therefore, its explanation will be omitted.

Furthermore, in this case, if clutches CI and C3 are connected and clutch C2 is disengaged, the result will be the same as in case (B)■. Therefore, when the vehicle is decelerating, clutches C1 and C3 are connected and clutch C2 is disengaged, so the situation is exactly the same as in case (B)■. Therefore, its explanation will be omitted.

In the case shown by ■ in FIG. 3(B), the motor M2 is connected to the wheel W via the clutch Ct. Further, the engine E is not only connected to the wheels W via clutches CI and C2, but also connected to the wheels W via a clutch C3.

In this layout, when clutch C3 is disengaged, (B)■
It will be exactly the same as in the case of Therefore, its explanation will be omitted. In this case, the clutch C3 is connected to the wheel W by the engine E.
This is used when directly driving the motor M2 regardless of the motor M2.

In this way, in any case of ■ to ■ in Figure 2 (B),
By driving the motor M2 by the engine E when a large amount of driving force is not required, the motor M2 generates an electromotive force.

That is, motor M2 functions as a generator.

Therefore, if this motor M2 is connected to a storage battery, the storage battery can be charged by power generation by the engine E. In particular, the layouts shown in (B) (1), (2), (2), (2) and (2) in which the engine E can be used constantly in a region with good combustion efficiency can charge the storage battery effectively.

However, the layout of these driving force transmissions is
Since one to three clutches are provided, not only the number of parts increases, but also the structure thereof becomes complicated depending on the case. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately select which layout to select depending on the purpose of use.

On the other hand, even when the vehicle is decelerating, the motor M2 functions as a generator for regenerative braking. In that case, the same figure (B)■
, ■, ■, ■, and ■ generate power particularly effectively. Therefore, it is desirable to select the layout while also considering the amount of power generated by the regenerative brake.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a power transmission device corresponding to the layout shown in FIG. 2(B) (2) as an example of a specific power transmission device with the above-described layout.

As shown in FIG. 3, a drive shaft 32 driven by an engine is rotatably supported by the housing 31. This drive shaft 32 has an electric motor 3 capable of generating electricity.
The rotor 34 of No. 3 is fixed, and the flywheel 35 is also fixed. Also, the gear 36 is connected to the drive shaft 32.
A clutch disc 37 is provided on the right end surface of the gear 36. The clutch disc 37 is attracted by the excitation of the electromagnetic coil 38 and is brought into frictional contact with the flywheel 35. That is, the flywheel 35, the clutch disk 37, and the electromagnetic coil 38 constitute an electromagnetic clutch 39. The gear 36 is also connected to a gear 41 of a well-known differential 40.

In such a power transmission device, when the electromagnetic coil 38 is excited and the electromagnetic clutch 39 is connected, the motor 33
and the wheels connected to the differential bag [40] are connected. Therefore, when the motor 33 is driven, the wheels will rotate.

Also, the electromagnetic coil 38 is not excited and the electromagnetic clutch 39
When the motor 33 is turned off, the connection between the motor 33 and the wheel is released. Therefore, the driving force of the motor 33 is not transmitted to the wheels. On the other hand, since the motor 33 and the engine are connected, the motor 33 can be driven by the engine.

As a result, the motor 33 generates an electromotive force. That is, the motor 33 comes to function as a generator.

In this case, the motor 33 is the motor M2 shown in ■ in FIG. 2(B).
, electromagnetic clutch 39 corresponds to clutch cl, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram for controlling each of the aforementioned motors, clutches, and engine.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control circuit 41 receives signals from the following sensors: an accelerator 42, a brake 43, a vehicle speed 44, an engine speed 45, a front/rear switch 48, and a battery voltage 47. is input. The control circuit 41 determines the vehicle operating state based on these signals and controls the motors M1, M248 . 49, clutch 5
In order to control the engine throttle control motor 51 and the ignition switch disconnection relay 62, control signals are output to their respective drivers 48a to 52a.

The control circuit 41 divides the driving state into four modes in order to determine the driving state of the vehicle.

Figure 5 shows the operating state of the vehicle when the electric vehicle is configured as shown in Figure 1 (A) using ■ in Figure 2 (A) and ■ in Figure 2 (B) as the power transmission system layout. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the modes in which (A) shows the mode at the time of driving, and (B) shows each motor Ml in each mode,
It shows the operating states of M2, engine E, and clutch C2.

Mode A represents the driving state when the vehicle speed is low, less than or equal to a predetermined value vO, or when the vehicle speed is greater than the predetermined value vO but the accelerator amount is less than the predetermined value aO, and mode B represents the driving state when the vehicle speed is greater than or equal to the predetermined value 70. This represents the operating state when the accelerator amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value of 30. These modes A and B both represent operating conditions during driving.

That is, mode A corresponds to the low-speed running described in the explanation of the layout in FIG. 2. Therefore, this mode A does not require much driving force from the motor, so
Clutch CI is disengaged and motor M2 is no longer used to drive the rotation of wheels W, but motor M2 is driven by engine E and used as a generator.

Mode B corresponds to when the vehicle starts, accelerates, and travels at high speed in the layout explanation in FIG. Therefore, since this mode B requires a large motor driving force, the clutch C1 is connected and the motor M2 is used for rotationally driving the wheels W.

Furthermore, mode C corresponds to when the vehicle is stopped and when the vehicle is coasting. In this mode C, the clutch CI is disengaged and the motor M2 is driven by the engine E to be used as a generator. Furthermore, mode D is designed to correspond to times when the vehicle is decelerating. In this mode D, the motor M2 is used as a generator for regenerative braking by connecting the clutch CI and connecting the motor M2 and the wheels W.

FIG. 6 shows the control circuit 4 according to each mode A to D described above.
1 is a flowchart of the control performed by No. 1, in which (A) is a control routine for each controlled member such as a motor, clutch, and engine, and (B) is a subroutine for power generation by the engine.

Control of each controlled member shown in FIG. 4 will be explained according to this control flow. After the initial settings are made in step 60, each sensor 42 in FIG. 4 is set in step θ1.
- 47, each signal is input to the control device 41.

In step 62, the control device 4 determines whether the accelerator amount is greater than O based on the accelerator signal. If it is determined that the accelerator amount is greater than O, the process advances to YES, and in step 63 the mode is determined from the accelerator amount and vehicle speed. That is, since it is determined that the vehicle is in a driving state when the accelerator amount is greater than O, the mode is determined to be A or B.

In step 64, it is determined whether the vehicle is in mode A or not. YES if mode is determined to be A
, and in step 65 the control device 41 switches the clutch C.
Less than 150. That is, the motor M249 is separated from the wheel W and used as a generator.

Therefore, in step 66, the process moves to the power generation subroutine (B), where the motor M249 generates power. That is, in step 67, it is determined whether the voltage of the storage battery is greater than the fully charged voltage value α. If it is determined that the voltage is smaller than the value α, the process proceeds to NO, and in step 68 it is determined whether the engine E is in operation. If it is determined that the engine E is not operating, the process proceeds to NO, and in step 69 the control device 41 drives the engine E by the motor M248. As a result, motor M248 is driven, and motor M249 generates an electromotive force. That is, motor M24
9 functions as a generator.

Next, in step 70, the control device 41 controls the engine throttle control motor 51 so that the throttle opening becomes a predetermined value. Furthermore, in step 71, the control device 41 controls the motor M248 so that its power generation amount is constant. Electricity generated by motor M249 is stored in a storage battery. That is, the storage battery is charged. Power generation by this motor M248 is performed until the voltage of the storage battery becomes larger than the value α.

If it is determined in step 67 that the voltage of the storage battery is greater than the value α, each control from step 68 to step 71 is not performed. That is, power generation by motor M24θ is not performed.

When the power generation subroutine ends, in step 72, the torque of the motor M148 is determined according to the accelerator amount. Next, in step 73, forward/reverse travel is set using the forward/reverse selector switch. Then, in step 74, the control device 41 uses the determined torque and the sensor 46 of the forward/reverse changeover switch.
A signal is output to the driver 48a of the motor M148 in order to drive the motor M148 based on the signal from the motor M148. As a result, motor M148 is driven and the vehicle starts moving.

When the accelerator amount exceeds the predetermined value aO and the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined value vO, the driving state changes to mode A in step 84.
It is determined that the mode is not, that is, mode B, and the process proceeds to NO, and it is determined in step 75 whether or not the vehicle is moving backward. YES if it is determined that the vehicle is moving backwards
Step 65 to Step 7 as described above.
Control is performed according to 4. If it is determined that the vehicle is moving forward, the answer is NO in step 75, and it is determined in step 78 whether or not the engine E is operating. If the engine E is not operating, the process goes to NO, and in step 77, the clutch C150 is disengaged.

Next, in step 78, engine E is started by motor M249. Once engine E starts, step 79
And clutch C! 50 are connected.

Then, in step 80, the driving torque of the motor M148 is set to the maximum and a signal is output to the driver 48a of the motor M148. As a result, motor M148 is driven with maximum torque. Next, in step 81, the drive torque and throttle amount of the motor M249 are determined according to the accelerator amount, and in step 82, the driver 4 of the motor M249
A signal is outputted to the driver 51a of the throttle motor 51 to drive the motor 51 at step 83.

As a result, the motor M249 is driven with the determined driving torque, and the throttle motor 51 is driven by the engine E.
is driven to make the throttle amount equal to the determined throttle amount. In this way, the vehicle accelerates or runs at high speed.

If the engine E is operating in step 78, the answer is YES, and steps 79 to 83 as described above are performed.
Control is performed up to.

If the accelerator amount is O in step e2, the process advances to NO and 1
At step 84, it is determined whether the brake amount is greater than zero. If it is determined that the brake amount is 0, the process proceeds to NO and it is determined that the vehicle running state is in mode C, and the clutch C150 is disengaged in step 85.

Next, in step 86, a subroutine for power generation as described above is performed. That is, the motor M249 generates power by driving the engine. When the power generation routine is completed, a signal is outputted to the driver 48a of the motor M148 so that the torque of the motor M14B becomes O in step 87. In this way, the drive torque of motor M148 is reduced to 0, and the vehicle enters a coasting state or a stopped state.

If it is determined in step 84 that the brake amount is greater than O, the answer is YES, and it is determined that the vehicle running state is mode D, and in step 88 the ignition switch disconnection relay 52 is activated to disconnect the ignition switch. A signal is output to the driver 52a. As a result, the ignition switch is turned off and the engine E is stopped.

Next, in step 89, clutch C150 is connected,
In step 90, the regenerative forces of motor M148 and motor M249 are determined according to the brake amount. Then, based on the roundworm force determined in step 91, a signal is output to each driver 48a, 49a of motor M148 and motor M249.

In this way, motor M! 48 and motor M249 function as a generator for regenerative braking during vehicle deceleration, and motor M! 48 and motor M249 generate electromotive force.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the layout of the driving force transmission system of the electric vehicle is as shown in Figure 2 (A) for the front wheels, and as shown in Figure 2 (B) for the rear wheels. Although the layout (2) is adopted, the present invention is not limited to this, and other layouts can also be adopted. In that case, each motor Ml, M
An appropriate selection may be made depending on the purpose of use, taking into account the power generation efficiency (2), the number of parts such as a clutch, or the simplification of the structure.

Further, various settings for each mode characterizing the operating state can be made finer or rougher.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, the storage battery charging device for an electric vehicle according to the present invention utilizes all the driving forces of a plurality of electric motors when a large driving force is required for vehicle propulsion. The wheels are driven to rotate, and when a large amount of driving force is not required for vehicle propulsion, at least one of the plurality of electric motors is separated from the wheels and the other motor is driven by a power generation engine, thereby causing the motor to generate electricity. This allows the engine to effectively charge the storage battery. Therefore, the depth of discharge of the storage battery can be reduced, and the life of the storage battery can be extended.

Furthermore, since the storage battery is always charged when the electric vehicle is running, the capacity of the storage battery does not need to be increased so much. Therefore, since the energy density of the storage battery may be small, a storage battery with a high power density can be used as the storage battery.

Furthermore, since the capacity can be reduced, the storage battery can be made more compact, so not only can the weight of the storage battery be reduced, but also the installation space in the vehicle body can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 shows the arrangement of an electric motor, a power generation engine, and a storage battery of a storage battery charging device in an electric vehicle according to the present invention, and (A) to (C) are explanatory diagrams explaining different examples of this arrangement, respectively; Figure 2 shows the layout of the driving force transmission system, (A) is a schematic diagram without a power generation engine, (B) is a schematic diagram with a power generation engine, and Figure 3. The figure is a cross-sectional view of a power transmission device corresponding to the layout shown in FIG. The driving state mode of the vehicle is shown when the electric vehicle is configured as shown in FIG. 1(A) using ■ in FIG. 2(A) and ■ in FIG. 2(B) as the power transmission system layout,
(A) shows the mode during driving, and (B) shows each motor Ml in each mode. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of control performed based on each of the above-mentioned modes, and (A) is a diagram showing the operating states of M2, engine E, and clutch C2, respectively. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing a subroutine for power generation by the engine. 48...Electric motor Ml, 49...Electric motor M2
．． 50...Clutch CI

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In an electric vehicle in which a plurality of wheels are rotationally driven by a plurality of electric motors, at least one power generation engine is provided, and at least one of the plurality of electric motors is connected to the power generation engine. 1. A charging device for a storage battery in an electric vehicle, characterized in that the electric motor is electrically connected to the storage battery. (2) The charging device for a storage battery in an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of electric motors is connected to the wheel via a clutch. (3) The charging device for a storage battery in an electric vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the power generation engine is connected to the electric motor via a clutch.