ADJUSTMENT OF CONTROL STRATEGY BASED ON TEMPERATURE

• US 20090184578A1
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Owens, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,986,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.700
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/002 in which a reserve is maintained in an energy source by disconnecting non-critical loads, e.g. maintaining a reserve of charge in a vehicle battery for starting an engine

Abstract

A method of protecting a battery is provided in a vehicle having a battery that selectively supplies electric power for starting an engine of the vehicle and that selectively supplies electric power to a plurality of electric loads of the vehicle. The method includes: obtaining a temperature; determining a state of charge (SOC) of the battery; determining a first threshold based on the obtained temperature; determining a second threshold based on the obtained temperature, the second threshold being different than the first threshold; taking a first remedial action if the SOC is below the first determined threshold; and taking a second remedial action if the SOC is below the second determined threshold, the second remedial action being different from the first remedial action.

Claims

1. In a vehicle having a battery that selectively supplies electric power for starting an engine of the vehicle and that selectively supplies electric power to a plurality of electric loads of the vehicle, a method of protecting the battery comprising:

(a) obtaining a temperature;

(b) determining a state of charge (SOC) of the battery;

(c) determining a first threshold based on the obtained temperature;

(d) determining a second threshold based on the obtained temperature, said second threshold being different than the first threshold;

(e) taking a first remedial action if the SOC is below the first determined threshold; and

(f) taking a second remedial action if the SOC is below the second determined threshold, said second remedial action being different from the first remedial action.

2. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

monitoring a state of an ignition switch of the vehicle, wherein said ignition switch is in either one of an ON state or an OFF state and wherein steps (c) through (f) are only executed when the ignition switch is in the OFF state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein if the ignition switch is in the ON state, then said method comprises:

omitting steps (c) through (f);

determining a third threshold based on the obtained temperature, said third threshold being different from the first and second thresholds; and

taking a third remedial action if the SOC is below the third determined threshold, said third remedial action being different from the first and second remedial actions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein step (a) comprises:

measuring at least one of a temperature of the battery, a temperature of the vehicle'"'"'s engine and an ambient temperature.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first remedial action includes electrically disconnecting a first electric load from the battery.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second remedial action includes electrically disconnecting a second electric load from the battery, said second electric load being different from the first electric load.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third remedial action includes outputting a humanly perceivable warning indication regarding the SOC of the battery.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein for the same given temperature obtained in step (a) the second determined threshold is less than the first determined threshold.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein for the same given temperature obtained in step (a) the third determine threshold is between the first and second determined thresholds.

10. In a vehicle having a battery that selectively supplies electric power for starting an engine of the vehicle and that selectively supplies electric power to a plurality of electric loads of the vehicle, a battery protection system comprising:

temperature sensing means for obtaining a temperature;

battery sensing means for determining a state of charge (SOC) of the battery;

threshold determining means for determining a first threshold based on the temperature obtained by the temperature sensing means and a second threshold based on the temperature obtained by the temperature sensing means, said second threshold being different than the first threshold; and

remedial action means for taking a first remedial action if the SOC is below the first determined threshold and a second remedial action if the SOC is below the second determined threshold, said second remedial action being different from the first remedial action.

11. The battery protection system of claim 10, said battery protection system further comprising:

monitoring means for monitoring a state of an ignition switch of the vehicle, wherein said ignition switch is in either one of an ON state or an OFF state and wherein the first and second remedial actions are only taken by the remedial action means when the ignition switch is in the OFF state.

12. The battery protection system of claim 11, wherein if the ignition switch is in the ON state, then the threshold determining means determines a third threshold based on the temperature obtained by the temperature sensing means, said third threshold being different from the first and second thresholds, and the remedial action means takes a third remedial action if the SOC is below the third determined threshold, said third remedial action being different from the first and second remedial actions.

13. The battery protection system of claim 12, wherein the temperature sensing means measures at least one of a temperature of the battery, a temperature of the vehicle'"'"'s engine and an ambient temperature.

14. The battery protection system of claim 13, wherein the first remedial action includes electrically disconnecting a first electric load from the battery.

15. The battery protection system of claim 14, wherein the second remedial action includes electrically disconnecting a second electric load from the battery, said second electric load being different from the first electric load.

16. The battery protection system of claim 15, further comprising:

an output device, wherein the third remedial action includes outputting on the output device a humanly perceivable warning indication regarding the SOC of the battery.

17. The battery protection system of claim 16, wherein for the same given temperature obtained by the temperature sensing means, the second determined threshold is less than the first determined threshold.

18. The battery protection system of claim 17, wherein for the same given temperature obtained by the temperature sensing means, the third determine threshold is between the first and second determined thresholds.

19. In a vehicle having a battery that selectively supplies electric power for starting an engine of the vehicle and that selectively supplies electric power to a plurality of electric loads of the vehicle, a battery protection system comprising:

a first sensor that measures at least one of a temperature of the battery, a temperature of the vehicle'"'"'s engine and an ambient temperature;

a second sensor that detects a state of charge (SOC) of the battery; and

a controller that;

(i) determines a plurality of different thresholds based upon the measurement from the first sensor;

(ii) compares the SOC detected by the second sensor to the plurality of thresholds; and

(iii) selectively triggers a plurality or different remedial actions in response to comparing the detected SOC to the plurality of different thresholds.

20. The battery protection system of claim 19, further comprising:

at least one relay arranged between the battery and at least one of the plurality of electric loads, wherein at least one remedial action includes controlling the at least one relay to selectively cut-off electric power from the battery to at least one of the plurality of electric loads.