Route and model based energy estimation

• US 10,048,082 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2014
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Meyer, Jason, Tseng, Fling Finn, Kristinsson, Johannes Geir
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US14/474,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20160061616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

Described herein is a route and model based energy estimation system and methods therein for predicting an energy consumption of a vehicle for a selected road segment. The predicted energy consumption may be generated for the vehicle based on information specifically related to the vehicle, such as historical energy consumption information for the vehicle, external information that may affect energy consumption by the vehicle, vehicle information, and/or selected road segment information.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a display

a climate control; and

an apparatus for predicting energy consumption of the vehicle comprising;

a memory configured to store energy consumption information for the vehicle; and

a processor in communication with the memory, the processor configured to;

receive the energy consumption information;

analyze the energy consumption information;

generate an energy consumption profile based on the analysis of the energy consumption information;

receive a route, desired cabin temperature, current outside temperature, and vehicle window states;

estimate travel time along the received route;

load an historical climate control energy consumption (HCCEC) based on the desired cabin temperature and current outside temperature;

estimate route climate control energy consumption based on received vehicle window states, the loaded historical climate control energy consumption, and the estimated travel time;

estimate total route energy consumption based in part on the estimated route climate control energy consumption; and

display the total route energy consumption.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

estimate a warmup energy consumption based on measured ambient and coolant temperatures; and

estimate the total route energy consumption based in part on the estimated warmup energy consumption.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:

estimate the warmup energy consumption based on measured tire pressures.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

estimate the route climate control energy consumption based in part on a current cabin temperature.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

load the (HCCEC) based on the desired cabin and current outside temperatures by at least;

accessing a database storing a plurality of HCCECs, each of the stored HCCECs being associated with a reference desired cabin temperature and a reference current outdoor temperature;

selecting one of the HCCECs based on a comparison of the desired cabin and current outdoor temperatures to the reference desired cabin temperatures and the reference current outdoor temperatures; and

loading the selected HCCEC.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

load the HCCEC from a database storing a plurality of different HCCECs;

determine an actual climate control maintenance energy consumption along the route, the climate control maintenance energy consumption being an energy consumption needed to maintain cabin temperature at the desired cabin temperature;

update at least one of the plurality of different HCCECs stored in the database based on the determined actual climate control maintenance energy consumption.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

estimate the route climate control energy consumption by at least;

(a) estimating a climate control maintenance energy consumption based on the HCCEC and the estimated travel time, (b) modifying (a) based on an initial cabin temperature, and (c) setting the modified energy consumption as the estimated route climate control energy consumption.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

modify the estimated climate control maintenance energy consumption based on a state of at least one vehicle window.

9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

cap the estimated route climate control energy consumption according to a preset maximum energy consumption capability of the climate control.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the loaded HCCEC accounts for energy consumed to maintain cabin temperature at the desired cabin temperature, but does not account for energy consumed to bring a current cabin temperature to the desired cabin temperature.

11. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle comprising:

a wheel, a combustion engine configured to power the wheel, a battery configured to power the wheel, and a hybrid regeneration system configured to charge the battery with energy recovered from braking the wheel.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

break the received route into segments;

estimate an elevation energy consumption for each segment based on (i) a received elevation profile of the segment and (ii) an estimated energy recovery by the hybrid regeneration system during the segment;

wherein the estimated energy recovery during the segment is based on the received elevation profile of the segment.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:

break the received route into segments based on received traffic conditions along the route.

14. A vehicle comprising:

a display, climate control (CC), and processor for;

receiving a route, desired cabin and current outside temperatures, and window states;

estimating travel time along the route;

loading an historical CC energy consumption (HCCEC) based on the temperatures;

estimating route CC energy consumption based on the HCCEC, travel time, and window states;

estimating total route energy consumption based in part on the route CC energy consumption; and

displaying the total route energy consumption.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the processor is further provided for:

loading the HCCEC from a database storing a plurality of different HCCECs;

determining an actual climate control maintenance energy consumption along the route, the climate control maintenance energy consumption being an energy consumption needed to maintain cabin temperature at the desired cabin temperature;

updating at least one of the plurality of different HCCECs stored in the database based on the determined actual climate control maintenance energy consumption.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the processor is further provided for:

estimating the route climate control energy consumption by at least;

(a) estimating a climate control maintenance energy consumption based on the HCCEC and the estimated travel time, (b) modifying (a) based on an initial cabin temperature and a detected state of at least one vehicle window, (c) setting the modified energy consumption as the estimated route climate control energy consumption.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the loaded HCCEC accounts for energy consumed to maintain cabin temperature at the desired cabin temperature, but does not account for energy consumed to bring a current cabin temperature to the desired cabin temperature.