FUEL LIFE MONITOR AND ENGINE MANAGEMENT FOR PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• US 20080167788A1
• Filed: 06/06/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Theobald, Mark A., Tate, Edward D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,090,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/268 Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/44 related to combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• 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 20/15 Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/18 for avoiding ageing of fuel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An engine management system for a hybrid vehicle may include a hybrid vehicle controller that selects a power source to be one of an electric propulsion system and a combustion engine. The hybrid vehicle controller may include an engine operation module configured to determine when operation of the combustion engine is required based on a predetermined set of operating parameters associated with the combustion engine.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a hybrid vehicle having a combustion engine and an electric propulsion system, the method comprising:

providing motive power to the vehicle through the electric propulsion system;

determining an elapsed time from when the combustion engine was last operated; and

operating the combustion engine based on the elapsed time being greater than a predetermined value.

2. The method of claim 1 further including providing motive power from the combustion engine.

3. The method of claim 1 further including charging the electric propulsion system with power provided by the combustion engine.

4. The method of claim 1 further including setting an engine start flag when the vehicle is not in use and subsequently performing the operating the combustion engine step based on the engine start flag being set.

5. The method of claim 1 further including determining a deterioration level of fuel being supplied to the combustion engine and operating the combustion engine based on the deterioration level being below a predetermined value.

6. A method of controlling a hybrid vehicle having a combustion engine and an electric propulsion system, the vehicle also including a fuel reservoir for the combustion engine, the method comprising:

determining the age of the fuel in the fuel reservoir; and

determining whether engine-on operation is required based on the age of the fuel being greater than a predetermined value.

7. The method of claim 6 further including setting an engine start flag when the fuel age is greater than the predetermined value.

8. The method of claim 7 further including checking for an engine start flag after powering on of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 7 further including automatically starting the engine based on the engine start flag.

10. The method of claim 6 further including determining a deterioration level of the fuel.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said determining whether engine operation is required includes modifying requirements for engine-on operation based on the fuel deterioration level.

12. The method of claim 6 further including determining a fuel dilution level of lubricating oil in the engine.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said determining whether engine-on operation is required includes modifying requirements for engine-on operation based on the fuel dilution level of the lubricating oil.

14. The method of claim 6 further including determining a vapor loading level of a fuel vapor recovery canister in communication with the fuel reservoir.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said determining whether engine-on operation is required includes modifying requirements for engine-on operation based on the vapor loading level.

16. The method of claim 6 further including determining a quantity of fuel added to the reservoir and modifying the age of the fuel in the system based on the quantity of fuel added.

17. An engine management system for a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

a control module that selects a power source to be one of an electric propulsion system and a combustion engine, the control module including an engine operation module configured to determine when operation 5 of the combustion engine is required based on a predetermined set of operating parameters associated with the combustion engine, the predetermined set of operating parameters being related to characteristics of the combustion engine associated with non-operation thereof.

18. The engine management system of claim 17 further comprising a fuel age module configured to determine an age of fuel in a fuel reservoir for the combustion engine.

19. The engine management system of claim 18 wherein the engine management system commands operation of the combustion engine when said fuel age module determines a fuel age that exceeds a predetermined limit.

20. The engine management system of claim 17 further comprising a fuel quality module configured to determine a deterioration level of fuel in a fuel reservoir for the combustion engine.

21. The engine management system of claim 20 wherein the engine management system commands operation of the combustion engine when said fuel quality module determines a fuel deterioration level that exceeds a predetermined limit.

22. The engine management system of claim 17 further comprising an engine last start module configured to determine an elapsed time between consecutive engine operations.

23. The engine management system of claim 22 wherein the engine management system commands operation of the combustion engine when said engine last start module determines an elapsed time between consecutive engine operations that exceeds a predetermined limit.

24. The engine management system of claim 17 further comprising a fuel fill module configured to determine an addition of fuel to a fuel reservoir for the combustion engine.

25. The engine management system of claim 17 further comprising an oil deterioration module configured to determine an oil deterioration level of the engine based on a fuel dilution of the oil.

26. The engine management system of claim 17 further comprising a vapor recovery cannister loading module configured to determine a vapor loading level of a vapor recovery cannister of the engine.