System and method for displaying power status of hybrid vehicle

• US 20110320088A1
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Eom, Ki Tae, Cho, Jae Hoon, Cho, Teh Hwan
• Application Number:
  US12/927,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320088A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/16 Type of output information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/16 Type of information
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/174 Economic driving
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

The present invention features a system and method for displaying a power status of a hybrid vehicle, which can provide more extensive and detailed information such as a power status of a motor and an engine, a battery charge/discharge status, an operational status of an engine brake, etc. during running of the hybrid vehicle. In embodiments of the present invention, the power ratio of the motor and the engine is displayed using a bar graph including a bar and a separator. In further embodiments, the status information of the motor and the engine, such as a battery charge/discharge status by a motor, an operational status of an engine brake, etc., is displayed in different colors, thereby allowing a driver to visually and easily recognize the displayed information.

Claims

1. A system for displaying a power status of a hybrid vehicle, the system comprising:

a hybrid control unit for transmitting a power ratio of a motor and an engine and status information of the motor and the engine;

a display control unit for outputting a control signal to display information based on the power ratio of the motor and the engine and the status information of the motor and the engine received from the hybrid control unit; and

a display unit controlled by the control signal output from the display control unit to display the power ratio of the motor and the engine and the status information of the motor and the engine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the information using a bar graph including a bar indicating the total power and a separator separating the total power into the ratio of motor power and the ratio of engine power, the separator moving along the bar according to the power ratio of the motor and the engine such that the ratio of the motor power and the ratio of the engine power are distinguished in the bar based on the separator.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the display unit displays a bar area indicating the ratio of motor power and a bar area indicating the ratio of engine power, which are separated by the separator, in different colors based on the current status of the motor and the engine such that a driver can distinguish the current status by the different colors.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the status information is at least one of (a) information indicative of a motor'"'"'s charge or discharge mode where a battery is charged by the motor or discharged for the motor or (b) information indicative of an operational status of an engine brake for the engine.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the status information is at least one of (a) information indicative of a motor'"'"'s charge or discharge mode where a battery is charged by the motor or discharged for the motor, or (b) information indicative of an operational status of an engine brake for the engine.

6. A method for displaying a power status of a hybrid vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting at a hybrid control unit, a power ratio of a motor and an engine and status information of the motor and the engine;

controlling, at a display control unit, a display unit to receive the power ratio of the motor and the engine and the status information of the motor and the engine from the hybrid control unit and display the information; and

allowing the display unit to display the power ratio of the motor and the engine using a bar graph and, at the same time, display the status information of the motor and the engine in the bar graph to be distinguished by different colors.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said allowing the display unit to display includes allowing the display unit to display the information using a bar graph including a bar indicating the total power and a separator separating the total power into the ratio of motor power and the ratio of engine power, the separator moving along the bar according to the power ratio of the motor and the engine such that the ratio of the motor power and the ratio of the engine power are distinguished in the bar based on the separator.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said allowing the display unit to display includes allowing the display unit to display a bar area indicating the ratio of motor power and a bar area indicating the ratio of engine power, which are separated by the separator, in different colors based on the current status of the motor and the engine such that a driver can distinguish the current status by the different colors.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the status information is at least one of (a) information indicative of a motor'"'"'s charge or discharge mode where a battery is charged by the motor or discharged for the motor or (b) information indicative of an operational status of an engine brake for the engine.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the status information is at least one of (a) information indicative of a motor'"'"'s charge or discharge mode where a battery is charged by the motor or discharged for the motor or (b) information indicative of an operational status of an engine brake for the engine.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of having the hybrid control unit calculate the power ratio of the motor and the engine using the following formulas 1 and 2:

19. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step(s) of:

transmitting a power ratio of a motor and an engine and status information of the motor and the engine to the display control unit.

20. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of

calculating the power ratio of the motor and the engine using the following relationships, where A, B and C are predetermined tuning factors:

12. A system for displaying a power status of a hybrid vehicle having a motor^s and engine, the system comprising:

a display control unit for outputting a control signal to display information based on input signal representative of a power ratio of the motor and the engine and status information of the motor and the engine; and

a display unit configured to display the power ratio of the motor and the engine and the status information of the motor and the engine responsive to the control signal output from the display control unit.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a hybrid control unit being configured to transmit the power ratio of the motor and the engine and the status information of the motor and the engine;

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the display unit is configured so as to display the information in the form of a bar graph, the bar graph including a bar indicating the total power and a separator separating the total power into the ratio of motor power and the ratio of engine power, wherein the display unit is further configured so the separator moves along the bar according to the power ratio of the motor and the engine such that the ratio of the motor power and the ratio of the engine power are distinguished in the bar based on the separator.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the display unit is configured so as to display a bar area indicating the ratio of motor power and a bar area indicating the ratio of engine power, which are separated by the separator, in different colors based on the current status of the motor and the engine.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the status information is at least one of (a) information indicative of a motor'"'"'s charge or discharge mode where a battery is charged by the motor or discharged for the motor;

or (b) information indicative of an operational status of an engine brake for the engine.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the status information is at least one of (a) information indicative of a motor'"'"'s charge or discharge mode where a battery is charged by the motor or discharged for the motor;

or (b) information indicative of an operational status of an engine brake for the engine.

18. A method for displaying a power status of a hybrid vehicle having a motor and an engine, the method comprising:

controlling, at a display control unit, a display unit so the display unit receives a power ratio of the motor and the engine and status information of the motor and the engine displays the information; and

allowing the display unit to display the power ratio of the motor and the engine using a bar graph and, at the same time, display the status information of the motor and the engine in the bar graph so to be distinguished by different colors.