Charging strategy

• US 10,082,400 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2016
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Company KG (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Company KG (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gutruf, Philipp, Goellner, Julian, Martin, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US15/345,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20170191844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/12 of exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/28 including control of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/16 for reducing engine exhaust emissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/28 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/209 : Fuel quantity remaining in tank
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 : Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 : Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 : through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 : Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A method for determining and optionally additionally implementing an optimal route for a vehicle that has an electrical drive system having an energy storage device, and a converter to charge the energy storage device.

Claims

1. A method for determining an optimal route for a vehicle having a control unit having logic, an electrical drive system with an energy storage device, and a converter to charge the energy storage device, and which is operated via a fuel, the control unit being configured to perform the method comprising:

providing a destination for the vehicle;

determining one or more possible routes from a current position of the vehicle to the destination, wherein the one or more routes is/are determined in dependence upon a geographical position of refueling stations for the fuel and electric charging stations in the region between the current position and the destination;

setting an optimal route via selecting from the determined one or more possible routes; and

implementing the optimal route via expediently operating the converter to charge the energy storage device when driving along the optimal route,

wherein if the optimal route is a route that is optimized for use of a refueling station, the optimal route is implemented in such a manner that a level of intensity of use of the converter is maximized so that a fill level of fuel is as low as possible when reaching the refueling station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the converter is a fuel cell.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fuel comprises hydrogen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible routes comprises at least one route that is optimized for use of refueling stations for the fuel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible routes comprises at least one route that is optimized for use of electric charging stations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible routes comprise:

at least one route that is optimized for use of refueling stations for the fuel; and

at least one route that is optimized for the use of electric charging stations.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising visually displaying, to a user of the vehicle, the determined at least one possible routes.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising visually displaying, to a user of the vehicle, a recommended route from the determined at least one possible routes.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising visually displaying, to a user of the vehicle, at least one route that is optimized for use of refueling stations for the fuel.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising visually displaying, to a user of the vehicle, at least one route that is optimized for use of electric charging stations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal route is manually selected from the determined routes by the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible routes are determined in dependence upon a prevailing state of charge of the energy storage device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible routes are determined in dependence upon a prevailing fill level of fuel.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible routes are determined in dependence upon a prevailing state of charge of the energy storage device and the prevailing fill level of fuel.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible routes are determined in dependence upon emissions requirements at the destination.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimal route is implemented in such a manner that, after reaching the destination, the converter is operated in order to charge the energy storage device.

17. A vehicle, comprising:

an electrical drive system having an energy storage device;

a converter to charge the energy storage device, and which is operated via a fuel; and

a control unit having logic, at least partially comprising hardware configured to;

provide a destination for the vehicle;

determine one or more possible routes from a current position of the vehicle to the destination, wherein the one or more routes is/are determined in dependence upon a geographical position of refueling stations for the fuel and electric charging stations in the region between the current position and the destination;

set an optimal route via selecting from the determined one or more possible routes; and

implement the optimal route via expediently operating the converter so as to charge the energy storage device when driving along the optimal route,

wherein;

if the optimal route is a route that is optimized for use of a refueling station, the optimal route is implemented in such a manner that a level of intensity of use of the converter is maximized so that a fill level of fuel is as low as possible when reaching the refueling station, and

if the optimal route is a route that is optimized for use of electric charging station, the optimal route is implemented in such a manner that a level of intensity of use of an electrical drive system of the vehicle is maximized so that a state of charge of the energy storage device is as low as possible when reaching an electric charging station.

18. A method for operating a vehicle having a control unit having logic, the control unit being configured to perform the method comprising:

providing a destination for the vehicle;

determining, from a current position of the vehicle to the destination, one or more possible routes in dependence upon a geographical position of refueling stations for fuel for the vehicle and electric charging stations for the vehicle in the region between the current position and the destination;

setting an optimal route via selecting from the determined one or more possible routes; and

implementing the optimal route by expediently operating a converter to charge an energy storage device of an electrical drive system of the vehicle when driving along the optimal route,

wherein if the optimal route is a route that is optimized for use of an electric charging station, the optimal route is implemented in such a manner that a level of intensity of use of the electrical drive system is maximized so that a state of charge of the energy storage device is as low as possible when reaching an electric charging station.