METHOD TO PRIORITIZE ELECTRIC-ONLY VEHICLE (EV) MODE FOR A VEHICLE

• US 20110288712A1
• Filed: 06/15/2011
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wang, Xiaoyong, Kuang, Ming Lang, Wang, Qing
• Granted Patent: US 9,108,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• 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 20/11 using model predictive control [MPC] strategies, i.e. control methods based on models predicting performance utilising navigation and traffic information in the control strategy B60W20/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle and method for controlling the vehicle includes identifying an EV-priority zone for the vehicle along a trip path, determining the position of the vehicle with respect to the expected upcoming EV-priority zone; implementing an electric-only mode of operation of the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle and a current operating mode of the vehicle; and implementing a charging mode of operation of the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle and a current operating mode of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method to control a powertrain for a vehicle having electric motor and engine propulsion devices comprising:

determining a position of the vehicle with respect to an EV-priority zone;

implementing an electric-only mode of operation of the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle with respect to the EV-priority zone and a current operating mode of the vehicle; and

implementing a charging mode of operation of the vehicle based on the position of the vehicle with respect to the EV-priority zone and a current operating mode of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein implementing the electric-only mode of operation includes operating in electric-only mode when the vehicle enters the EV-priority zone.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein implementing the electric-only mode of operation includes prioritizing usage of battery power during operation in electric-only mode in the EV-priority zone.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein implementing the electric-only mode of operation includes delaying an engine-on command during operation in electric-only mode in the EV-priority zone unless a vehicle power load requiring engine operation is present.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein implementing the charging mode of operation includes increasing engine power output when the engine is on and the vehicle is approaching the EV-priority zone to increase a state of charge of a battery.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the increased state of charge of the battery results in an increased operating time in the electric-only mode.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the EV-priority zone is identified by determining a current driving pattern and determining a predicted future driving pattern.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the EV-priority zones are identified by retrieving geographic information for a trip from a global positioning navigation system.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the EV-priority zone is identified by arbitrating the current driving pattern, the predicted future driving pattern, and the geographic information for the trip.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the current driving pattern is determined using a driving pattern identification method.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the driving pattern identification method uses a series of parameters extracted from the current operating mode of the vehicle and a current driving condition.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein the predicted future driving pattern is determined using a driving pattern identification method.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the driving pattern identification method uses a series of parameters extracted from predicted vehicle conditions and predicted trip conditions.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the current driving pattern and the predicted future driving pattern are provided by a database of possible driving patterns.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising customizing the implementation of the electric-only mode of operation through user inputs to the vehicle.

16. A method to control a vehicle powertrain comprising:

operating the powertrain in an electric-only mode when the vehicle is in an EV-priority zone; and

operating the powertrain in a charging mode based on a position of the vehicle with respect to the EV-priority zone.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein operating the powertrain in the charging mode is based on an engine-on state of the vehicle.

18. A vehicle comprising:

an electric motor;

a battery coupled to the electric motor;

an engine, wherein the electric motor and the engine are coupled to wheels of the vehicle via a transmission; and

a controller electronically coupled to the electric motor, the battery, and the engine wherein the controller is configured to;

(i) determine an electric priority segment along a trip path and determine a position of the vehicle along the trip path, (ii) implement an electric-only mode of operation of the vehicle to delay an engine-on command when the vehicle is within an EV-priority segment with a state of charge of a battery above a minimum threshold, and (iii) implement a charging mode of operation of the vehicle to increase power output of the engine, thereby increasing a state of charge of the battery when the vehicle is approaching the EV-priority segment and the engine is on.

19. The vehicle of claim 18 further comprising an electric power receptacle coupled to the vehicle for charging the battery from an external power source.

20. The vehicle of claim 18 further comprising a database of possible driving patterns, wherein the controller uses a first driving pattern identification method to identify a current driving pattern and uses a second driving pattern identification method to identify a predicted future driving pattern from the database of possible driving patterns;

wherein the controller is configured to arbitrate the current driving pattern, predicted driving pattern, and geographic information to determine the electric priority segment along the trip path.