Hybrid powder sources distribution management

• US 20040074682A1
• Filed: 12/04/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Original Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Inventors: Wheals, Jonathan Charles, Goodfellow, Craig Lucas, Fussey, Peter Michael, Porter, Brian Charles
• Application Number:
  US10/432,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20040074682A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/105 the accumulator being a flywheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/12 by means of a chargeable fluidic accumulator
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/18 by enquiring driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/44 Heat storages, e.g. for cabin heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• 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 10/28 including control of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/188 Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• 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 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• 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: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A hybrid power source includes first and second energy inputs such as an electric motor (14) and an internal combustion engine (20). A power source strategy is implemented in which a cost function is constructed associated with various power distribution options to allows improved distribution of power. For a specific cost (z=constant), the total amount of energy is obtained by integrating during a normalised driving cycle the generating power against time. Thereby a look-up table energy/cost is created.

Claims

1. A hybrid power system including first and second energy inputs, first and second respective energy converters, an energy storage device, an energy sink and a power distribution manager wherein the operation of the power system has an associated overall cost which is a function of operational parameters of the power system, and the power distribution manager controls power distribution using an optimum overall cost level.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the parameters include one or more of energy input consumption, energy sink emission, storage level in the energy storage device, vibration, noise, harshness, power distribution cost and load on the power system.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the energy input comprises one or more of a chemical, mechanical or electrical energy source such as a rechargeable battery, hydraulic, pneumatic or nuclear.

4. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the energy converter comprises at least one of an engine or a fuel cell.

5. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the energy storage device comprises at least one of a battery, for example a rechargeable battery, a capacitor, a heat storage device or a flywheel.

6. A system as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a vehicle propulsion system.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 in which the energy sink comprises at least one of a vehicle driving load, an electrical load, an air conditioning load, an electrical power steering load or a diesel particulate trap regeneration load.

8. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the energy storage device is rechargeable by one of said energy converters.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 in which the operational parameters include the cost of recharging the energy storage device.

10. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the operational parameters further include at least one of environmental factors.

11. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the overall cost is further a function of predicted or derived future operational parameters.

12. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the overall cost is a function of a plurality of operational parameters.

13. A power distribution manager for a hybrid power system as claimed in any preceding claim.

14. A method of managing power distribution in a hybrid power system as claimed in any preceding claim including the steps of assessing an overall cost of a power distribution scheme as a function of operational parameters of the power system and selecting a power distribution scheme at an optimum overall cost level.

15. A method as claimed in claim 11 including the steps of deriving an overall cost associated with a power distribution scheme and comparing the derived cost against an overall cost limit.

16. A method as claimed in claim 12 in which the cost limit is predetermined.

17. A method as claimed in claim 12 in which the cost limit is derived instantaneously.

19. A control system as claimed in claim 15 in which the control value is derived based on an instantaneous power source condition.

20. A control system as claimed in claim 15 or 16 in which the control system controls operation of said rechargeable power unit when the control value exceeds a benefit limit.

21. A control system as claimed in any of claims 15 to 17 in which the control system controls recharging of said rechargeable power unit when the control value is less than a cost limit.

22. A control system as claimed in claim 17 and 18 in which the benefit limit is a function of the cost limit.

23. A control system as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16 in which the control value is compared against a predetermined or adaptive benefit or cost limit.

24. A control system as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16 in which the control system receives instantaneous external and/or internal data and the control value is compared against a benefit or cost limit determined based on said external and/or internal data.

25. A control system as claimed in claim 21 in which the cost limit is based on a predicted future power source load derived from said external and/or internal data.

26. A control system as claimed in any of claims 15 to 22 in which said rechargeable unit comprises an electric machine and said other power unit comprises an internal combustion engine.

28. A method as claimed in claim 24 comprising the step of deriving a benefit level associated with operating the rechargeable power unit and comparing the benefit level with a benefit limit to assess whether a net benefit will be achieved.

29. A method as claimed in claim 24 or 25 comprising the steps of deriving a cost level for recharging said rechargeable power unit and comparing said cost level with a cost limit to assess whether the recharging cost is acceptable.

30. A method as claimed in any of claims 24 to 26 in which the benefit limit and/or the cost limit are predetermined.

31. A method as claimed in any of claims 24 to 26 in which the cost limit and/or benefit limit are derived instantaneously.

33. A method as claimed in claim 29 in which said cost calibration comprises the steps of powering the power source through a plurality of cycles for each of a plurality of recharging rates.

34. A computer readable medium storing a program for implementing power distribution management in a hybrid power system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, control system as claimed in any of claims 15 to 23 or a method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 14 or 24 to 30.

35. A processor configured to carry out instructions to implement a power distribution management for a hybrid power system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, control system as claimed in any of claims 15 to 23 or a method as claimed in any of claims 11 to 14 or 24 to 30.

36. A hybrid power source comprising first and second power units of different type, at least one of said units being rechargeable by said other unit, and a control system as claimed in any of claims 15 to 23.

37. A vehicle including a hybrid power source as claimed in claim 33.

18. A control system for a hybrid power source having first and second power units of different type, at least one of said units being rechargeable by the other unit, the control system controlling operation and recharging of said rechargeable power unit dependent on more or more control values representative of at least one of fuel consumption, exhaust emission, vibration, noise, harshness, load mechanical durability, system durability or battery durability.

27. A method of controlling a hybrid power source having first and second power units of different type, at least one of said units being rechargeable by said other unit, said method comprising the steps of operating said rechargeable power unit when operation will achieve a net benefit against at least one of fuel consumption, exhaust emission, vibration, noise, harshness or load by said hybrid power source and recharging said rechargeable power unit when recharging is achieved up to the cost limit compared to at least one of fuel consumption, exhaust emission, vibration, noise, harshness or load.

32. A method of calibrating a control system for a hybrid power source, the control system having a data store and the hybrid power source including first and second power units of different type, at least one of said units being rechargeable by said other unit, in which the power source is powered through a plurality of cycles under varying power source loads, at least one of the control parameters fuel consumption, exhaust emission, vibration, noise, harshness or load are recorded and stored in said data store for each power source load, and a rechargeable unit operating benefit and recharging cost is derived for each power source load as a function of the recorded control parameters and stored in said data store.

38. A hybrid power system, control system, vehicle or hybrid power source substantially as herein described and as illustrated in the figures.