Electric-only driving when approaching frequent destinations

• US 10,384,668 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hilliard, Steven, Mazaira, Jordan, Porras, Angel Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): Tissot, Adam D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pipala, Edward J
• Application Number:
  US15/476,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20180281772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/44 related to combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/142 acoustic
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• 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 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/06 Combustion engines, Gas turbines
• 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 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A system for a vehicle includes a traction battery, an engine, and a controller configured to inhibit requests to start the engine in response to both the vehicle being within a first radius about a previously-identified frequent destination and an available battery energy being greater than twice a total battery energy expended during a prior trip to the destination from a second radius about the destination, the second radius being smaller than the first radius.

Claims

1. A system for a vehicle comprising:

a traction battery;

an engine; and

a controller configured to inhibit requests to start the engine in response to both the vehicle being within a first radius about a previously-identified frequent destination and an available battery energy being greater than twice a total battery energy expended during a prior trip to the destination from a second radius about the destination, the second radius being smaller than the first radius.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit the requests in response to the vehicle being within the second radius.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate, based on a difference between the available energy and twice the total energy, a third radius about the destination, the third radius being both smaller than the first radius and larger than the second radius, and inhibit the requests in response to the vehicle being within the third radius.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate the third radius based on an approach energy expended during the prior trip to the second radius from the first radius.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit requests for the available energy in response to the available energy being less than twice the total energy.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to detect that the vehicle is within the first radius independent of a user input and a route used to reach the destination.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the requests originate from at least one of a cabin climate control request, an acceleration request that is greater than an acceleration threshold, and a battery conditioning request that is greater than a conditioning threshold.

8. A method comprising:

inhibiting, by a controller, requests to start an engine of a vehicle in response to the vehicle being within a first radius about a previously-identified frequent destination and an available energy of a battery of the vehicle being greater than twice a total battery energy expended during a prior trip to the destination from a second radius about the destination, the second radius being smaller than the first radius.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the inhibiting is further in response to the vehicle being within the second radius.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising calculating, based on a difference between the available energy and twice the total energy, a third radius about the destination, the third radius being both smaller than the first radius and larger than the second radius, and inhibiting the requests in response to the vehicle being within the third radius.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the calculating is further based on an approach energy expended during the prior trip to the second radius from the first radius.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising inhibiting requests for the available energy in response to the available energy being less than twice the total energy.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the detecting that the vehicle is within the first radius is independent of a user input and a route used to reach the destination.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the requests originate from at least one of a cabin climate control request, an acceleration request that is greater than an acceleration threshold, and a battery conditioning request that is greater than a conditioning threshold.

15. A vehicle comprising:

a battery;

an engine; and

a controller configured to, responsive to the vehicle being within a first predefined distance of a previously-identified destination during engine off and available battery energy being greater than a first amount of energy necessary to exclusively power the vehicle to the destination and beyond, inhibit requests to start the engine until the vehicle exits a first area about the destination defined by the first predefined distance regardless of ignition cycling.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein beyond includes exclusively powering the vehicle to an outer perimeter of the first area.

17. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to shut down the engine and inhibit the requests in response to the vehicle being within the first distance during engine on.

18. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the destination is defined by a geographic location of the vehicle during ignition off.

19. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit the requests responsive to the vehicle being within a second predefined distance of the destination, the second distance being larger than the first distance, and a difference between the available energy and the first amount is less than a second amount of energy necessary to exclusively power the vehicle to the first area.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit requests for the available energy responsive to the vehicle being within the second distance and the available energy being less than the first amount.