METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A MOTIVE POWER SYSTEM OF AN AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE

• US 20090192660A1
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Prasad, Krishnaswamy Venkatesh, Tamor, Michael Alan, Stephan, Craig H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/64 Road conditions
• 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 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18009 related to particular drive situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/917 with transmission for changing gear ratio

Abstract

Environment conditions expected to be encountered by a vehicle are used as inputs in determining operating modes of a motive power system of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. A vehicle operating in charge depleting mode may transition to operate in charge sustaining mode if the vehicle is expected to encounter circumstances where it is desirable to allow the vehicle to more quickly respond to sudden requests for torque.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a motive power system of an automotive vehicle wherein the motive power system has a charge sustaining mode and a charge depleting mode, the method comprising:

determining an expected location of the vehicle;

determining expected environment information based on the expected location of the vehicle; and

requesting the charge sustaining mode if the expected environment information meets a first predetermined criterion, thereby controlling the motive power system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a current location of the vehicle and wherein the expected location of the vehicle is based on the current location.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining an expected location of the vehicle includes determining a direction of travel of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising requesting the charge depleting mode if the expected environment information meets a second predetermined criterion, thereby controlling the motive power system.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein determining a current location of the vehicle includes determining geographic coordinates of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the geographic coordinates comprise global positioning satellite coordinates.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising evaluating an operating parameter of the vehicle and requesting the charge sustaining mode if the operating parameter meets a second predetermined criterion.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising requesting the charge depleting mode if the operating parameter meets a third predetermined criterion.

9. The method of claim 2 further comprising determining current environment conditions based on the current location of the vehicle and requesting the charge sustaining mode if the current environment conditions meet a second predetermined criterion.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the current environment conditions comprise at least one of road type, speed limit, road grade, and proximate buildings.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising requesting the charge depleting mode if the current environment conditions meet a third predetermined criterion.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the expected environment information comprises at least one of road type, speed limit, road grade, and proximate buildings.

13. A system for controlling a motive power system of an automotive vehicle wherein the motive power system has a charge sustaining mode and a charge depleting mode, the system comprising:

at least one controller configured to determine an expected location of the vehicle, to determine expected environment information based on the expected location of the vehicle, and to request the charge sustaining mode if the expected environment information meets a first predetermined criterion, thereby controlling the motive power system.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine a current location of the vehicle and wherein the expected location of the vehicle is based on the current location.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine a direction of travel of the vehicle when determining an expected location of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to request the charge depleting mode if the expected environment information meets a second predetermined criterion, thereby controlling the motive power system.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to evaluate an operating parameter of the vehicle and request the charge sustaining mode if the operating parameter meets a second predetermined criterion.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to request the charge depleting mode if the operating parameter meets a third predetermined criterion.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine current environment conditions based on the current location of the vehicle and request the charge sustaining mode if the current environment conditions meet a second predetermined criterion.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to request the charge depleting mode if the current environment conditions meet a third predetermined criterion.