USER INTERFACE FOR ENERGY SOURCES ON A HYBRID VEHICLE

• US 20120061163A1
• Filed: 09/15/2010
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Musser, James William
• Granted Patent: US 8,403,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/333
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2026/025 Input devices for controlling electric drive motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• 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 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A user interface for managing energy from multiple energy sources on a hybrid vehicle displays information on the amount of energy available from a battery pack and liquid fuel tank, and allows the user to select when and how much stored energy is used from each energy source. The user interface may include an operator actuated control and a pair of gauges showing the amount of stored energy for the battery pack and the liquid fuel tank. The operator control may move the control between end settings that disable the internal combustion engine or minimize battery pack use.

Claims

1. A user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

a battery pack energy level gauge for a battery pack on the vehicle; and

a liquid fuel tank energy level gauge for an internal combustion engine on the vehicle; and

an operator control to operate a traction drive on the vehicle that an operator can move to operate the traction drive in a battery-only mode or a maximum internal combustion engine mode, and a continuum of positions therebetween.

2. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein the operator control changes the speed of the internal combustion engine.

3. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein the operator control changes the maximum speed of the internal combustion engine.

4. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an electric traction drive motor and an operator pedal to change the speed of the motor.

5. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 4 wherein the operator pedal changes the speed of the internal combustion engine.

6. A user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

an operator control moveable between a first end setting where an internal combustion engine is disabled and an electric traction drive motor is provided energy only by a battery pack, and a second end setting where the electric traction drive motor is provided energy primarily by the internal combustion engine, and a plurality of intermediate positions between the end settings controlling the speed of the internal combustion engine.

7. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of intermediate positions sets the maximum speed of the internal combustion engine.

8. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 6 wherein the operator control is positioned on the user interface between an energy level gauge for the battery pack and an energy level gauge for a liquid fuel tank for the internal combustion engine.

9. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 6 further comprising a throttle control connected to the internal combustion engine and a vehicle controller.

10. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 6 further comprising a grid charger to charge the battery pack.

11. A user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

an operator control connected to a vehicle controller for an operator to select how much energy from each of a plurality of energy sources are used to provide for traction drive of the vehicle; and

a display adjacent the operator control showing how much energy remains in each of the plurality of energy sources.

12. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 11 wherein the operator control may be positioned anywhere between a first end setting disabling one of the energy sources and a second end setting disabling another energy source.

13. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 11 wherein one of the energy sources is a battery pack that is chargeable on a grid charger.

14. The user interface for energy sources on a hybrid vehicle of claim 13 wherein the battery pack controller updates the display of remaining energy in the battery pack based on charging and discharging information.