Vehicle energy consumption efficiency learning in the energy domain

• US 10,157,510 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Meyer, Jason, Sangameswaran, Sangeetha
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/964,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20160093125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/46 by self learning
• 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: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, learning an energy consumption efficiency of a vehicle in an energy domain by periodically filtering a ratio of a distance traveled to an energy consumed. The learning step is executed by a control module configured to monitor the energy consumption efficiency.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

learning an energy consumption efficiency of a vehicle in an energy domain by periodically filtering a ratio of a distance traveled to an energy consumed, wherein the learning step is executed by a control module that is configured to monitor the energy consumption efficiency; and

utilizing the energy consumption efficiency to calculate at least one of a grade estimation and a towing load estimation; and

controlling a transmission, a propulsion device, or an energy source of the vehicle based on the grade estimation or the towing load estimation.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the learning includes monitoring the energy consumption and periodically adapting an energy consumption efficiency prediction.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the learning includes:

integrating a speed of the vehicle to obtain the distance traveled; and

integrating a power consumption of the vehicle to obtain the energy consumed.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the filtering is selectively performed after the integrating steps.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, comprising multiplying the ratio by a filter constant.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, comprising updating the energy consumption efficiency if the energy consumed since a prior integrator reset is greater than or equal to an energy consumed threshold.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising using a prior energy consumption efficiency if the energy consumed since the prior integrator reset is not greater than or equal to the energy consumed threshold.

8. The method as recited in claim 3, comprising resetting a vehicle speed integral and a power consumption integral if the energy consumed since a prior integrator reset is greater than or equal to an energy consumed threshold.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising utilizing the energy consumption efficiency to calculate at least one end use feature associated with the vehicle.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one end use feature is a distance to empty estimation.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one end use feature is an instantaneous consumption rate display.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one end use feature is at least one of an average consumption rate/efficiency over a trip odometer, a running average consumption rate/efficiency for a current key cycle and a lifetime running average consumption rate/efficiency.

13. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the at least one end use feature is an ECO-routing or an ECO-coaching feature.

14. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising suspending the learning during steep grade driving conditions.

20. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein learning the energy consumption efficiency in the energy domain includes updating the energy consumption efficiency each time a predefined amount of energy is consumed by the vehicle.

15. A vehicle, comprising:

a transmission;

a propulsion device coupled to wheels by said transmission;

an energy source configured to power said propulsion device; and

a control module configured to learn an energy consumption efficiency associated with the vehicle in an energy domain and calculate at least one of a grade estimation and a towing load estimation based on the learned energy consumption efficiency,

wherein the control module is further configured to control the transmission, the propulsion device, or the energy source based on the grade estimation or the towing load estimation.

16. The vehicle as recited in claim 15, wherein the control module is configured to update the energy consumption efficiency each time a predefined amount of energy is consumed by the propulsion device.

17. The vehicle as recited in claim 15, wherein the control module is configured to suspend learning the energy consumption efficiency of the vehicle during steep grade driving conditions.

18. The vehicle as recited in claim 15, wherein the control module is configured to:

integrate a speed of the vehicle to obtain a distance travelled; and

integrate a power consumption of the vehicle to obtain an energy consumed.

19. The vehicle as recited in claim 18, wherein the control module is configured to filter a ratio of the distance travelled to the energy consumed.