ANALYSIS OF HYBRID MODEL DESIGN

OF TOYOTA PRIUS

Minor Project by Grandhi Sri Vyshnavi

CONTENTS :

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Etimology and terminology of Toyota Prius
4. Design and technology
5. Control Problem Formulation
6. Control Strategy
7. Simulation and Discussion
8. Conclusion
9. References
 ABSTRACT

Toyota Hybrid System is the innovative powertrain used in the current best-selling hybrid
vehicle on the market—the Prius. It uses a split-type hybrid configuration which contains both a parallel and a
serial power path to achieve the benefits of both. The main purpose of this paper is to develop a dynamic
model to investigate the unique design of THS, which will be used to analyze the control strategy, and explore
the potential of further improvement. A Simulink model is developed and a control algorithm is derived.
Simulations confirm our model captures the fundamental behavior of THS reasonably well.
 INTRODUCTION

Due to their significant potential in reducing fuel consumption and emissions, hybrid electric
vehicles (HEV) are now actively developed by many car companies. In the late 1997, Toyota Motor Corp.
released the first generation Prius, which features the Toyota hybrid system (THS). The MY2004 Prius model is
based on an improved power train, the THS-II, with significantly improved vehicle performance, interior
volume, and fuel economy.
The new Prius is quite popular and has reached a sales volume of about 5,500 car/month. A
scaled-up and more sophisticated version of THS (a.k.a. Toyota Synergy Drive) is being developed and two
hybrid SUVs (Highlander and Lexus RX 400H) will be offered by Toyota within MY2005.
The power train configuration of THS is intriguing because it does not belong to the
conventional categories of either series or parallel hybrids. For these two simpler hybrid configurations, the
operation of the power train is relatively easy to understand. For example, Honda’s hybrid Civic with the
integrated motor assist system (IMA) clearly belongs to the parallel type, albeit it is a “mild” hybrid.
Many prototype hybrid buses and trucks use the series hybrid configuration because of the
simpler power transfer layout and control strategy. Duoba at al provided in-depth characterization and
experimental comparison of two of the earliest production hybrid vehicles—Toyota Prius and Honda Insight.
Both vehicles offer lower emissions and much improved fuel economy compared with their conventional
counterparts.
Both parallel and series configurations have been widely studied and there has been a wealth
of literature. The parallel configuration, includes two separate power paths. When the secondary power
source is small (“Mild” hybrids), the control problem becomes much simpler, as the two power sources do not
work simultaneously. When the motor is relative large (“Full” hybrids), the internal combustion engine and
electrical motor can drive the vehicle individually or simultaneously. The basic role of the motor is to help the
engine to operate efficiently and to capture regenerative braking energy. However, the control algorithm can
be a lot more elaborative.
The series configuration, only has the motor (sometime motors) driving the wheels—the engine
is not directly connected to the wheels. The motor power is supplied by either battery or the generator. Since
the engine operation is independent from the vehicle speed and road condition, it can operate near the
optimal condition most of the time. In addition, the lost due to torque converter and transmission is avoided.
 Fig 1: Hybrid Vehicle Cofiguration (A):parallel configuration (B):series configuration
(C): power split (parallel/series)
The THS uses a planetary gear set to connect the three power sources including an engine, a
motor, and a generator. Since both the motor and the generator can operate in both charging and discharging
modes, they are sometimes denoted as Motor/Generator 1 and Motor/Generator 2. We will use the former
naming scheme to reflect their major roles. It has both a parallel power path and a series power path. In
addition, the planetary gear set provides infinite gear ratio between the engine and the vehicle speed so it is
both a power summing device and a gear ratio device. Because of the complexity of the system, more
elaborative control algorithm needs to be designed. A split-type hybrid vehicle model was developed and
optimal control algorithm studied in by using the dynamic programming technique.
Their dynamic model does not analyze detail component behavior. A MY2000 Toyota Prius
vehicle (which was sold only in Japan) was analyzed in. They developed vehicle models in PSAT and ADVISOR.
Rizoulis et al. Presented a mathematical model of a vehicle with a power split device based on the steady
state transmission performance. Despite of these early efforts, to our knowledge a complete forward-looking
dynamic model including the hybrid control algorithm does not yet exist in the literature.
Based on the information on THS and the new THS-II (Muta, at al.), we found that the
enhancement from the first generation to second generation of THS includes improved component sizing,
higher efficiency, and increased generator operating range. It appears that the power split gear set remains
the same—i.e., the basic dynamic equations governing the vehicle remain unchanged. Due to the fact much
more information was available about THS (e.g., compared with THS-II ), we decided to develop a dynamic
model based on THS (and the MY2000 Prius).
We believe such a model is still valuable. When detailed information about THS-II become
available, a model can be easily constructed based on the same model architecture. In summary, the main
contribution of this paper is the development and analysis of a dynamic model of the THS system. Due to the
fact that the planetary gear plays the central role of integrating the power devices together, we will focus
around the planetary gear and derive associated dynamic equations.
 Etimology and Terminology of Toyota Prius

Prius is a Latin word meaning "first", "original", "superior" or "to go before"

In February 2011, Toyota USA asked the US public to decide on what the most proper plural form of Prius
should be, with choices including Prien, Prii, Prium, Prius, or Priuses. The company announced on 20 February
that "Prii" was the most popular choice, and the new official plural designation in the US.
In Latin prius is the neuter singular of the comparative form (prior, prior, prius) of an adjective with only
comparative and superlative (the superlative being primus, prima, primum). As with all neuter words,
the Latin plural is priora, but that brand name was used by the Lada Prion in 2007. Despite the "official" plural
form used by Toyota USA, "Priuses" is widely used in English.
Beginning in September 2011, Toyota USA began using the following names to differentiate the original Prius
from some newer members of the Prius family: the standard Prius became the Prius Liftback, the Prius
v(known as the Prius α in Japan, and Prius + in Europe), the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and the Prius c (called Toyota
Aqua in Japan)

First generation (XW10; 1991)

Toggle First generation (XW10; 1997) subsection

Second generation (XW20; 2003)

Third generation (XW30; 2009)

Toggle Third generation (XW30; 2009) subsection

Fourth generation (XW50; 2015)

Toggle Fourth generation (XW50; 2015) subsection

Fifth generation (XW60; 2022)

 DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
The Prius is a power-split or series-parallel (full) hybrid sometimes referred to as a combined hybrid, a vehicle
that can be propelled by gasoline or electric power or both. Wind resistance is reduced by a drag coefficient
of Cd=0.25 (0.29 for 2000 model) with a Kammback design to reduce air resistance. Lower rolling-resistance
tires are used to reduce road friction. An electric water pump eliminates serpentine belts. In the US and
Canada, a vacuum flask is used to store hot coolant when the vehicle is powered off for reuse so as to reduce
warm-up time. The Prius engine makes use of the Atkinson cycle.
EV mode
When the vehicle is turned on with the "Power" button, it is ready to drive immediately with the electric
motor. In the North American second generation Prius, electric pumps warm the engine by pumping
previously saved hot engine coolant from a coolant thermos. before the internal combustion engine is started.
The delay between powering the car on and starting the internal combustion engine is a few seconds. The
third generation Prius does not have a coolant thermos. Instead, the engine is heated by recapturing exhaust
heat. A button labelled "EV" maintains Electric Vehicle mode after being powered on and under most low-load
conditions at less than 25 mph (40 km/h). This permits driving with low noise and no fuel consumption for
journeys under 0.5 miles (0.80 km). Longer journeys are possible as long as the speed is kept below 25 mph
(40 km/h), acceleration is kept low and the battery has enough charge. The engine starts automatically when
the battery starts to run low. Prior to the 2010 model, the North American model did not have the "EV"
button, although one can be added to enable the "EV" mode supported internally by the Prius Hybrid Vehicle
management computer. For the North American market, the third generation can remain in EV mode until
70 km/h (43 mph) depending on throttle and road gradien.
Batteries

Battery pack from the second generation Prius

There are two batteries: the high voltage (HV) battery pack, also known as the traction battery, and a 12-volt
battery known as the low voltage (LV) battery. The traction battery of the first generation Prius update (2000
onwards) was a sealed 38-module nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack with a capacity of 1.78 kWh at a
voltage of 273.6 V, and weighing 53.3 kg (118 lb) and is supplied by Japan's Panasonic EV Energy Co. They are
normally charged between 40 and 60% of maximum capacity to prolong battery life as well as allow
headroom for regenerative braking. Each battery pack uses 10–15 kg (22–33 lb) of lanthanum, and each Prius
electric motor contains 1 kg (2 lb) of neodymium; production of the car is described as "the biggest user
of rare earths of any object in the world."] The LV battery provides power to the computer and various
accessories such as wiper motors, headlights etc.
The Second Generation Prius contains a 1.310 kWh battery, composed of 28 modules. Each battery module is
made of six individual 1.2 V 6.5 Ah Prismatic NiMH cells in series forming a 7.2 V 6.5 Ah module with 46 Wh/kg
energy density and 1.3 kW/kg output power density. Each module contains an integrated charge controller
and relay. These modules are connected 28 in series to form a 201.6 V 6.5 Ah battery (traction battery), also
known as the energy storage system. The computer-controlled charge controller and battery management
computer systems keep this battery between 38% and 82% state of charge, with a tendency to keep the
average state of charge around 60%. By shallow cycling the battery, only a small portion of its net available
energy storage capacity is available for use (approximately 400 Wh) by the hybrid drive system, but the
shallow computer-controlled cycling dramatically improves the cycle life, thermal management control, and
net long term calendar life of the battery. Active cooling of this battery is achieved by a blower motor and air
ducting, while passive thermal management was accomplished through the metal case design]
Battery life cycle
As the Prius reached ten years of being available in the US market, in February 2011 Consumer
Reports examined the lifetime and replacement cost of the Prius battery. The magazine tested a 2002 Toyota
Prius with over 320,000 km (200,000 miles) on it and compared the results to the nearly identical 2001 Prius
with 3,200 km (2,000 miles) tested by Consumer Reports 10 years before. The comparison showed little
difference in performance when tested for fuel economy and acceleration. Overall fuel economy of the 2001
model was 40.6 miles per US gallon (5.79 L/100 km; 48.8 mpg-) while the 2002 Prius with high mileage
delivered 40.4 miles per US gallon (5.82 L/100 km; 48.5 mpg-). The magazine concluded that the effectiveness
of the battery has not degraded over the long run.[189] The cost of replacing the first generation battery varies
between US$2,200 and US$2,600 from a Toyota dealer, but low-use units from salvage yards are available for
around US$500. One study indicates it may be worthwhile to rebuild batteries using good blades from
defective used batteries.
Air conditioning (HVAC)
The HVAC system uses an AC induction motor to drive a sealed-system scroll compressor, a design principle
not usually used in automotive applications. Using a scroll compressor increases the efficiency of the system
while driving it with an AC induction motor makes the system more flexible, so the AC can run while the
engine is off. Because the oil used with the refrigerant gas also flows in the area of the high-voltage motor-
windings, the fluid must be electrically insulating to avoid transmitting electric current to exposed metal parts
of the system. Therefore, Toyota specifies that a polyolester (POE) oil (designated ND11) is required for
repairs. The system cannot be serviced with equipment normally employed for regular cars, which typically
use polyalkylene glycol (PAG) oil, as the equipment would contaminate the ND11 oil with PAG oil. According
to SAE J2843, the oil provided from maintenance equipment must contain less than 0.1% PAG when filling.
One percent PAG oil may result in an electrical resistance drop by a factor of about 10.
 CONTROL PROBLEM FORMULATION

Overall, present the governing equations for the three states of THS. The ring gear speed, which directly
relates to the vehicle forward speed, the engine speed, and the SOC of the battery are the three states.
Torques from the engine, the motor, and the generator are the three inputs. The aerodynamic drag and
resistance force of the vehicle give the disturbance of the system. Here since we are ignoring gravity force and
we are interested in matching the Prius performance under wide open throttle (WOT) and driving cycles—for
which cases it is a common practice to assume flat roads. A multiple inputs multiple outputs (MIMO) control
problem is formulated as shown in the below figure. In the below figure, Plant P(s) contains the dynamic
model we just derived. Actuator E(s), G(s), and M(s) present the relationship between the control signals and
the generated torque signals. Compared to the engine dynamic E(s), the generator G(s) and motor M(s) have
much faster response. Within their working boundaries, it is reasonable to ignore the dynamics involved in the
G(s) and M(s) and represent them by nonlinear algebraic look-up tables. In addition, it is obvious that present
a linear relations between the speeds and input torques. If we ignore the temperature effect on the battery,
the open circuit voltage can be linearized around SOC. Furthermore, it is possible to linearize the actuator
behaviors, or define virtual inputs so that the actuator mapping can be inverted. The vehicle system is then
linear and can be solved by linear feedback control techniques. This linear control design and analysis will be
shown in a future work.

Fig: Closed loop of the THS control system

 CONTROL STRATEGY

Even though a linear control approach is possible, as discussed in the previous section, the control algorithms
used in many HEV prototype vehicles are rule-based. This is because of the multiple-input and multiple-
objective nature of the control problem. It is intuitive that since the engine is the predominant power
source—and if we can operate the engine at an efficient manner, the overall vehicle efficiency will be
reasonable. This simple idea is an easy way to provide a near-optimal solution quickly, even though there is no
guarantee of its closeness to optimality. For engineers pressed for time, the rule-based design strategy is a
safe approach.
Hermance presented the basic idea of the rule-based control logic of the THS system. Similar description can
be also found in . In the following, a rule-based control strategy is developed following these references to
approximate the control law used in the THS.
As shown in the below figure, the driving force can be provided by motor and/or engine. When the power
demand is low and the battery SOC is sufficiently high, the motor works individually to drive the vehicle. As
the vehicle speed increases, power demand increases, or the battery SOC becomes too low, the engine will be
started to supply the power. The generator cooperates with the motor to help start the engine. Within the
engine operating range, its engine power will be split through the planetary gear system. Part of the power
goes to the vehicle driving wheel through the ring gear. The rest drives the generator to charge the battery
and/or directly supply the motor power. In other words, although the engine fully supplies the power at this
stage, the power is split and executed through two paths, the ring gear to the final wheel and the generator to
the motor. As the power demand keeps increasing, the engine might be stretched to operate outside of its
efficient range. For those cases, the motor can provide assistant power so that the engine efficiency remains
high (as long as the battery is able to supply power).

When the vehicle decelerates, the regenerative control system commands the motor to operate as a
generator to recharge the battery. The friction brake is used whenever the requested braking power exceeds
the capability of the motor or the battery. The engine and other components in the THS are set to free-rolling.
To simplify the system, the effect of engine brake is ignored. Table I summarizes the basic ideas discussed
above.
 TABLE 1

The below figure shows the power split block of the Simulink model for the THS. The rule-based power split
control command is given in the power management control block. The charging power if necessary is
calculated in the battery charge demand block. Based on the engine power demand, the engine controller
calculates the optimal engine operating point and computes the corresponding engine speed. A target
generator speed unit then calculates the generator command speed according to the optimal engine speed
and the ring gear speed, which is proportional to the vehicle speed. The generator controller then
manipulates generator torque to achieve the generator speed. In the meantime, the motor controller receives
a torque command from the power management control. The motor power is supplied either through the
engine generator path or the battery directly

Fig: Power split controller in Simulink

 SIMULATION AND DISCUSSION

The below figure shows the top level of the Simulink model for the THS system. A Driver model takes
reference speed command from the Driving Cycle data file, compares it with the simulation speed of the
vehicle and gives the driving command. The Hybrid Controller block follows the driver command to decide the
power split and driving commands. Those command inputs then go to the power source components, Engine,
Generator, and Electric Motor, which produce the actual input signals to the plant, Planetary Gear Set &
Vehicle and Battery. Speeds responses are captured and feed back to the control system.

Fig: THS Power train Simulink model

All the vehicle parameters, engine maps and efficiency look-up tables are obtained from ADVISOR 2002 and.
In the below figure, the vehicle response under a launching profile, as part of the US06 driving cycle, is
presented. Part (a) shows the power from the engine, motor and generator. Note the initial power is supplied
solely by the motor and then the engine starts up to drive the vehicle and charge the battery. Part (b) shows
the component speeds. The results agree with the experimental results reported in qualitatively.

Fig: Vehicle acceleration simulation results

Fig: Vehicle operating simulation results

In the below figure, the vehicle speed and battery SOC response under the EPA city cycle are presented. The
actual vehicle speed follows the specified speed closely and the battery SOC is kept within a small range—
similar to the reported Prius behavior in . The fuel economy results under the EPA cycles are shown in Table
II. It can be seen that our model overestimates the fuel economy for both cycles. As stated before, our model
ignores friction losses, vehicle auxiliary system load, and secondary inertias. In addition, the simplified engine
model omits the throttle control and transient engine operations. A better engine model will be developed as
part of our future study to capture the engine behavior more accurately. In addition, we speculate that there
may be practical issues (NVH, drivability, component reliability etc.) that necessitate control patches which
negatively impact fuel economy. Judging from the fact the MY2003 Prius, a larger vehicle, achieves better fuel
economy, we think the results predicted by our simulation model is very reasonable, compared with the
ADVISOR.

CONCLUSION

A dynamic model of the Toyota Prius hybrid system, THS, was developed in this paper. A rule-based controller
was implemented to control the overall behavior of the vehicle in a Matlab/Simulink model. Simulation results
confirms that the vehicle mimics the behavior of the THS operation reasonable well. This dynamic model is
currently used for control and system analysis. We are also exploring configuration, component design and
control methods to further improve the vehicle performance.
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