Automatic drive mode selection

• US 10,112,597 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2016
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Belt, Bryan Whitney, Okubo, Shunsuke, Esler, Craig Edward, Skaff, Ryan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Application Number:
  US15/244,378
• Publication Number:
  US 20180056973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• 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 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 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A vehicle includes, an engine, an electric machine having an associated battery, and a controller. The controller is configured to disable the engine and operate the electric machine to propel the vehicle when a proximity of the vehicle to a destination is less than a drive range of the battery.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a vehicle comprising:

at an engine, propelling the vehicle;

responsive to a vehicle speed exceeding a predetermined threshold, switching, by a controller, the vehicle from a charge deplete mode to a charge sustain mode; and

while the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined threshold, responsive to a range of a battery exceeding an expected drive distance, switching, by the controller, the vehicle from the charge sustain mode to the charge deplete mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a state of charge of a traction battery generally decreases in the charge deplete mode, and wherein the state of charge of the traction battery is generally maintained in the charge sustain mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the range of the battery is a distance associated with a state of charge of the battery.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the distance associated with the state of charge of the battery is a distance the vehicle may travel before the state of charge is depleted below a predefined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected drive distance is a distance from a geographic location of the vehicle to a geographic destination.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the geographic destination is a geographic location entered by a user.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the geographic destination is a geographic location stored in a memory.

8. A method for controlling a vehicle comprising:

at an electric machine, propelling the vehicle;

at a controller,

responsive to a vehicle speed achieving a predetermined threshold, disabling the electric machine and enabling an engine; and

while the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined threshold, responsive to a proximity of the vehicle to a destination being less than a drive range of a traction battery, disabling the engine and enabling the electric machine to propel the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the drive range is a distance associated with a state of charge of the traction battery.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the distance associated with the state of charge of the traction battery is a distance the vehicle may travel before the state of charge is depleted below a predefined threshold.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the proximity is a distance from a geographic location of the vehicle to a geographic destination.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the geographic destination is a geographic location entered by a user.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the geographic destination is a geographic location stored in a memory.

14. A vehicle comprising:

an engine;

an electric machine having an associated battery;

a sensor that determines a vehicle speed; and

a controller configured to

enable the engine responsive to a vehicle speed achieving a predetermined threshold; and

while the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined threshold, disable the engine and operate the electric machine to propel the vehicle when a proximity of the vehicle to a destination is less than a drive range of the battery.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the drive range is a distance associated with a state of charge of the battery.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the distance associated with the state of charge of the battery is a distance the vehicle may travel before the state of charge is depleted below a predefined threshold.

17. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the proximity is a distance from a geographic location of the vehicle to a geographic destination.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the predetermined threshold is a dynamic predetermined threshold that corresponds to a speed limit associated with a road the vehicle is traveling.

19. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to enable the engine responsive to the vehicle speed achieving the predetermined threshold for a predetermined period of time.

20. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to disable the engine and operate the electric machine to propel the vehicle when a cruise control setting has been disabled.