Method And System For Retrofitting A Full Hybrid To Be A Plug-In Hybrid
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A retrofit system for converting a hybrid vehicle to a plug-in hybrid comprising:
- a battery for storing a charge sufficient to provide a vehicle with an electric-only driving range in excess of 5 miles;
a battery management system for monitoring battery parameters indicative of the state of battery charge to produce a “
true SOC”
signal indicative thereof; and
a control unit responsive the battery management system to report an inflated state of battery charge to the hybrid vehicle'"'"'s hybrid control system to maintain the gasoline engine in a deactivated condition over an extended driving range.
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Abstract
A retrofit system for converting a hybrid vehicle to a plug-in hybrid comprises a battery for storing a charge sufficient to provide a vehicle with an electric-only driving range in excess of 5 miles, a battery management system for monitoring battery parameters indicative of the state of battery charge to produce a signal indicative thereof; and a control unit responsive the battery management system to report an inflated state of battery charge to the hybrid vehicle'"'"'s hybrid control system to maintain the gasoline engine in a deactivated condition over an extended driving range.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A retrofit system for converting a hybrid vehicle to a plug-in hybrid comprising:
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a battery for storing a charge sufficient to provide a vehicle with an electric-only driving range in excess of 5 miles; a battery management system for monitoring battery parameters indicative of the state of battery charge to produce a “
true SOC”
signal indicative thereof; anda control unit responsive the battery management system to report an inflated state of battery charge to the hybrid vehicle'"'"'s hybrid control system to maintain the gasoline engine in a deactivated condition over an extended driving range. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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2. The retrofit system of claim 2 wherein the battery management system includes means for collecting and reporting the voltages and temperatures of at least some of the electrochemical cells forming the battery, and
means for communicating the magnitudes of the reported voltages and temperatures to the control unit.
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3. The retrofit system of claim 3 including sensor means for monitoring voltage, current and temperature of the battery pack.
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15. The retrofit system of claimed 14 wherein the first indicia is in the form of a bar graph having a variable length proportional to the position of the vehicle'"'"'s accelerator, and the second indicia is in the form of a generally vertical line positioned adjacent the bar graph to indicate the accelerator position which, when reached, will activate the gasoline engine.
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16. A method for converting a hybrid electric vehicle into a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle comprising the steps of:
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(a) adding to the vehicle'"'"'s battery capacity a sufficient battery capacity to provide an electric-only driving range in excess of 5 miles; (b) monitoring the state of charge of the vehicle'"'"'s resulting battery and producing any “
true SOC”
signal indicative thereof;(c) generating a “
reported SOC”
signal to the vehicle'"'"'s hybrid control system that is sufficiently inflated to maintain the gasoline engine in a deactivated condition over an extended electric-only driving range.
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17. A method for converting a hybrid vehicle into a plug-in hybrid vehicle comprising the steps of:
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(a) adding to the battery capacity of the vehicle to provide charge storage sufficient to impart an extended electric-only driving range in excess of 5 miles; (b) installing a battery management system in the vehicle that monitors the battery'"'"'s parameters indicative of the state of battery charge to produce a “
true SOC”
signal indicative thereof; and(c) installing a control unit that is responsive to the “
true SOC”
signal to produce a “
reported SOC”
signal to the vehicle'"'"'s hybrid control system that is sufficiently inflated to maintain the gasoline engine in a deactivated condition over the extended electric-only driving range.
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18. A display unit for use in a hybrid vehicle comprising:
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means defining a displayed graph of variable length, the display unit being adapted to be electrically coupled to the vehicle'"'"'s hybrid control system to receive a signal indicative of the vehicle'"'"'s accelerator position and display a bar graph of a length proportional to same; means defining a displayed indicator adjacent the graph, the display unit being adapted to be electrically coupled to the vehicle'"'"'s hybrid control system to receive a signal indicative of the then-current driving parameters to display said indicator at a position along the graph indicating the furthest position to which the accelerator can then be depressed in view of the then-current driving parameters without activating the gasoline engine.
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19. A method for displaying information to the driver of a hybrid vehicle to maximize electric-only operation comprising the steps of:
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displaying a graph of variable length to the driver during vehicle operation wherein the length of the graph represents the vehicle'"'"'s accelerator position, and displaying an indicator adjacent the graph having a position indicative along the graph indicating the furthest position to which the accelerator can then be depressed in view of the then-current driving parameters without activating the gasoline engine.
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Specification