Low charge acceptance mitigation

• US 10,252,622 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Symanow, David Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Pacheco, Alexis B
• Application Number:
  US15/292,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20180105046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 320100, 320107, 320109, 320129, 320131, 320139, 320156, 320160, 320163, 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/12 Buck converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/10 using propulsion power supplied by engine-driven generators, e.g. generators driven by combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• 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: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A vehicle may include a battery and a controller programmed to set a bus voltage threshold such that during a next charging event a voltage of the battery achieves a desulfation value. The controller may set the bus voltage threshold in response to charge acceptance of the battery falling below a predetermined sulfation value. The controller may be programmed to lower the threshold such that the voltage of the battery falls below the desulfation value. The controller may lower the threshold in response to the charge acceptance exceeding the predetermined sulfation value during the event.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a battery; and

a controller programmed to,

in response to charge acceptance of the battery falling below a predetermined sulfation value, set a bus voltage threshold such that during a next charging event a voltage of the battery achieves a desulfation value, and

in response to the charge acceptance exceeding the predetermined sulfation value during the event, lower the threshold such that the voltage of the battery falls below the desulfation value.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the charge acceptance is based on a current output of an electric machine.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the charge acceptance falling below a predetermined stratification value, set the bus voltage threshold such that during the next charging event the voltage of the battery achieves a destratification value, and in response to the charge acceptance exceeding the predetermined stratification value during the event, lower the threshold such that the voltage of the battery falls below the destratification value.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the event is a plug-in charging event.

5. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the bus voltage threshold associated with the desulfation value is 15.5 volts.

6. The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the bus voltage threshold associated with the destratification value is 15.9 volts.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the charge acceptance is adjusted to be temperature independent.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a battery; and

a controller programmed to,

in response to charge acceptance of the battery falling below a predetermined stratification value, set a bus voltage threshold such that during a next charging event a voltage of the battery achieves a destratification value, and

in response to the charge acceptance exceeding the predetermined stratification value during the event, lower the threshold such that the voltage of the battery falls below the destratification value.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the bus voltage threshold associated with the destratification value is 15.9 volts.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the charge acceptance falling below a predetermined sulfation value, set the bus voltage threshold such that during the next charging event the voltage of the battery achieves a desulfation value, and in response to the charge acceptance exceeding the predetermined sulfation value during the event, lower the threshold such that the voltage of the battery falls below the desulfation value.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the bus voltage threshold associated with the desulfation value is 15.5 volts.

12. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the charge acceptance is based on a current output of an electric machine.

13. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the event is a plug-in charging event.

14. A vehicle comprising:

an electric machine;

a battery electrically connected to the electric machine; and

a controller programmed to, in response to indication of a charge acceptance of the battery falling below a first predetermined value indicative of sulfation, raise a bus voltage associated with the vehicle battery to a sulfation threshold during a charging event until the battery charge acceptance rises above the first predetermined value, and programmed to, in response to indication of the charge acceptance falling below a second predetermined value indicative of stratification, raise the bus voltage associated with the vehicle battery to a stratification threshold during the charging event until the battery charge acceptance rises above the second predetermined value.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the charge acceptance is based on a current output of an electric machine.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein a power source for the charging event is the electric machine.

17. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein a power source for the charging event is a plug-in charging event.