Hybrid vehicle with low power battery

• US 10,124,792 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2017
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Books, Martin T., Kumar, Mahesh Madurai
• Primary Examiner(s): Soofi, Yazan A
• Application Number:
  US15/421,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20170232954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/24 Using the vehicle's propulsion converter for charging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• 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 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• 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 20/14 in conjunction with braking regeneration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0091 of control inputs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/305 Power absorbed by auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 : External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 : Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/086 : Power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 : Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/248 : Current for loading or unloading
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 : Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 : Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 : Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 : Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 : Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 : Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 : Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 : for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1446 : in response to parameters of a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 27/06 : using dc to ac converters or inverters H02P27/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• 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 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• 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: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus for controlling operation a hybrid powertrain are disclosed that use low power storage and motor/generator components in line haul operations. In one embodiment, a line haul drive cycle includes a low power motor/generator executing a power assistance operation of the hybrid powertrain powered by electricity from a low power storage responsive to a monitoring by a line haul controller of ascensions of the hybrid vehicle at or near a constant speed over an uneven terrain. The line haul drive cycle further includes the low power motor/generator executing a regenerative braking operation of the hybrid powertrain supplying captured electric energy to the low power storage responsive to a monitoring by the line haul controller of descensions of the hybrid vehicle at or near the constant speed over the uneven terrain.

Claims

1. A hybrid powertrain system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

an internal combustion engine structured to output power to propel the vehicle;

a motor/generator structured selectably operate as a generator to receive mechanical power from the powertrain and output AC electrical power and to selectably operate as a motor to output mechanical power to the powertrain;

power electronics structured to selectably convert the AC electrical power received from the motor/generator to DC power provided to a DC bus and to selectably convert DC power from the DC bus to AC power to drive the motor/generator;

a low power battery operatively coupled with the DC bus of the power electronics, the low power battery having a C-Rate less than 0.9-C; and

a controller operatively coupled with the motor/generator and the power electronics, the controller being configured to

identify a hybrid-compatible line haul operating state of vehicle wherein the vehicle experiences a plurality of ascensions and descensions,

in response to an ascension of the vehicle operate the motor/generator and the power electronics to output mechanical power to the hybrid powertrain using electrical power from the low power batter, said operation being optimized to draw electrical power from the DC bus consistent with the C-Rate of the low power battery,

in response to a descension of the vehicle operate the motor/generator and the power electronics to output electrical power to charge the low power battery responsive using mechanical power from the hybrid powertrain, said operation being optimized to provide electrical power to the DC bus consistent with the C-Rate of the low power battery.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to identify a hybrid-compatible line haul operating state of vehicle based at least in part upon input received from an inclinometer.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to evaluate an auxiliary electrical load on the DC bus while operating the motor/generator and the power electronics to output electrical power to charge the low power battery.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the controller is configured to adjust operation of the motor/generator and the power electronics to one of increase and decrease power provided to the DC bus in response a change in demand of the auxiliary electrical load.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the controller is configured to adjust operation of the motor/generator and the power electronics to one of increase and decrease power provided to the DC bus in response a change in demand of mechanical power demand of the hybrid powertrain.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein vehicle speed during the ascensions and descensions is controlled to a constant target speed of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to identify a hybrid-compatible line haul operating state of vehicle based at least in part upon input received wirelessly from a system external to the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the low power battery has a C-Rate less than 0.2-C.

9. A method comprising:

operating a hybrid vehicle system including an internal combustion engine structured to output power to propel the vehicle, a motor/generator structured selectably operate as a generator to receive mechanical power from the powertrain and output AC electrical power and to selectably operate as a motor to output mechanical power to the powertrain, power electronics structured to selectably convert the AC electrical power received from the motor/generator to DC power provided to a DC bus and to selectably convert DC power from the DC bus to AC power to drive the motor/generator, a low power battery operatively coupled with the DC bus of the power electronics, the low power battery having a C-Rate less than 0.9-C, and a controller operatively coupled with the motor/generator and the power electronics, wherein the controller is structured to

identify a hybrid-compatible line haul operating state of vehicle wherein the vehicle experiences ascensions and descensions,

in response to an ascension of the vehicle operate the motor/generator and the power electronics to output mechanical power to the hybrid powertrain using electrical power from the low power batter, said operation being optimized to draw electrical power from the DC bus constrained by the C-Rate of the low power battery,

in response to a descension of the vehicle operate the motor/generator and the power electronics to output electrical power to charge the low power battery responsive using mechanical power from the hybrid powertrain, said operation being optimized to provide electrical power to the DC bus constrained by the C-Rate of the low power battery.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the controller is configured to identify a hybrid-compatible line haul operating state of vehicle based at least in part upon input received from an inclinometer.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the controller is configured to evaluate an auxiliary electrical load on the DC bus while operating the motor/generator and the power electronics to output electrical power to charge the low power battery.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the controller is configured to adjust operation of the motor/generator and the power electronics to one of increase and decrease power provided to the DC bus in response a change in demand of the auxiliary electrical load.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the controller is configured to adjust operation of the motor/generator and the power electronics to one of increase and decrease power provided to the DC bus in response a change in demand of mechanical power demand of the hybrid powertrain.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the low power battery has a C-Rate less than 0.5-C.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory controller readably memory medium configured with instructions executable by a controller to operate at least in part a hybrid vehicle system including an internal combustion engine structured to output power to propel the vehicle, a motor/generator structured selectably operate as a generator to receive mechanical power from the powertrain and output AC electrical power and to selectably operate as a motor to output mechanical power to the powertrain, power electronics structured to selectably convert the AC electrical power received from the motor/generator to DC power provided to a DC bus and to selectably convert DC power from the DC bus to AC power to drive the motor/generator, a low power battery operatively coupled with the DC bus of the power electronics, the low power battery having a C-Rate less than 0.9-C, the instructions being executable to executable instructions a controller operatively coupled with the motor/generator and the power electronics, wherein the instructions are executable by the controller to;

identify a hybrid-compatible line haul operating state of vehicle wherein the vehicle is experiencing ascension or descension,

in response to an ascension of the vehicle operate the motor/generator and the power electronics to output mechanical power to the hybrid powertrain using electrical power from the low power batter, said operation being optimized to draw electrical power from the DC bus optimized for the C-Rate of the low power battery,

in response to a descension of the vehicle operate the motor/generator and the power electronics to output electrical power to charge the low power battery responsive using mechanical power from the hybrid powertrain, said operation being optimized to provide electrical power to the DC bus optimized for the C-Rate of the low power battery.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the instructions are executable to identify a hybrid-compatible line haul operating state of vehicle based at least in part upon input received from an inclinometer.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the instructions are executable to evaluate an auxiliary electrical load on the DC bus while operating the motor/generator and the power electronics to output electrical power to charge the low power battery.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the instructions are executable to adjust operation of the motor/generator and the power electronics to one of increase and decrease power provided to the DC bus in response a change in demand of the auxiliary electrical load.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the instructions are executable to adjust operation of the motor/generator and the power electronics to one of increase and decrease power provided to the DC bus in response a change in demand of mechanical power demand of the hybrid powertrain.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the low power battery has a C-Rate less than 0.5-C.