ENERGY CONSERVATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20130103238A1
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuel Saving Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Fuel Saving Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Yu, Jeffrey N., Davis, Gregory W., Williams, Gwynn R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• 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 20/00 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 20/16 for reducing engine exhaust emissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18072 Coasting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1882 characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

Methods and systems are described for conserving energy used by an energy consuming device. In certain embodiments, an energy conservation system can be configured to deliver energy to the energy consuming device for a period, followed by a period where energy delivery is dampened and/or cut. By cycling the delivery of energy in this fashion, the energy conservation can achieve a pulsed efficiency.

Claims

1. A fuel efficiency engine control system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

an input module configured to access from an accelerator pedal position sensor a first function corresponding to a user-specified power output of an engine of the vehicle over a time duration;

a global positioning system module configured to determine a geographic location of the vehicle;

an engine power control module in communication with the input module, the global positioning system module, and an engine control unit, the engine power control module configured to transmit a second function corresponding to a directive power output of the engine over the time duration to the engine control unit for controlling engine power output according to the directive power output of the engine over the time duration;

wherein the second function corresponds to an oscillating directive power output of the engine over the time duration based on the global positioning system module detecting a first geographic location of the vehicle, the second function including a plurality of regions of equal or increased engine power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration and a plurality of regions of decreased engine power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration;

wherein the second function corresponds to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration based on the global positioning system detecting a second geographic location of the vehicle; and

wherein the fuel efficiency engine control system includes an electronic memory configured to store modules and a computer processor configured to execute the modules.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first geographic location of the vehicle comprises a highway.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second geographic location of the vehicle comprises a city road.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second function corresponds to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration based on the global positioning system module detecting the first geographic location of the vehicle and the engine power control module detecting a congested driving pattern.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the global positioning system module is configured to receive real-time traffic information, and wherein the second function corresponds to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration based on the global positioning system module detecting the first geographic location of the vehicle and detecting a congested road based on the real-time traffic information.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the first geographic location of the vehicle comprises a road being traveled on by the vehicle with an incline gradient less than or equal to about Z_i, and wherein the second geographic location of the vehicle comprises a road being traveled on by the vehicle with an incline gradient greater than about Z_i.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the first geographic location of the vehicle comprises a road being traveled on by the vehicle with a decline gradient less than or equal to about Z_d, and wherein the second geographic location of the vehicle comprises a road being traveled on by the vehicle with a decline gradient greater than about Z_d.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the global positioning system module includes a topographical database and wherein the global positioning system module is configured to detect an upcoming gradient of a road being traveled on by the vehicle;

wherein the first geographic location of the vehicle comprises the upcoming gradient of the road being at least one of an incline gradient of less than or equal to about Z_i or a decline gradient of less than or equal to about Z_d;

and wherein the second geographic location of the vehicle comprises the upcoming gradient of the road being at least one of an incline gradient greater than about Z_i or a decline gradient greater than about Z_d, and further comprises a geographic location of a start point of the upcoming gradient being less than a distance U from the geographic location of the vehicle.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the global positioning system module is configured to store gradient information of a road being traveled on by the vehicle based on the geographic location and wherein the global positioning system module is configured to determine between the first geographic location of the vehicle and the second geographic location of the vehicle based on the stored gradient information and the geographic location of the vehicle.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein software stored on the electronic memory of fuel efficiency engine control system can be updated.

3. (canceled)

5-7. -7. (canceled)

9-11. -11. (canceled)

13-15. -15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21-24. -24. (canceled)

26-35. -35. (canceled)

37-85. -85. (canceled)

86. A fuel efficiency engine control system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

an input module configured to access from an accelerator pedal position sensor a first function corresponding to a user-specified power output of an engine of the vehicle over a time duration;

an object sensor module configured to determine at least one of a position or a change in position of a nearby object relative to the vehicle;

an engine power control module in communication with the input module, the object sensor module, and an engine control unit, the engine power control module configured to transmit a second function corresponding to a directive power output of the engine over the time duration to the engine control unit for controlling engine power output according to the directive power output of the engine over the time duration;

wherein the second function corresponds to an oscillating directive power output of the engine over the time duration based on the object sensor module detecting at least one of a first position or a first change in position relative to the vehicle, the second function including a plurality of regions of equal or increased engine power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration and a plurality of regions of decreased engine power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration;

wherein the second function corresponds to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration based on the object sensor module detecting at least one of a second position relative to the vehicle or a second change in position relative to the vehicle; and

wherein the fuel efficiency engine control system includes an electronic memory configured to store modules and a computer processor configured to execute the modules.

87. The system of claim 86, wherein the object sensor module is in communication with vehicle sensors configured to detect the at least one of the position or the change in position of the nearby object relative to the vehicle.

88. The system of claim 87, wherein the vehicle sensors comprise at least one of a radar, a LIDAR, or a camera.

92. The system of claim 86, wherein the first position of the nearby object comprises a distance greater than or equal to about X from the vehicle, and wherein the second position of the nearby object comprises a distance less than about X from the vehicle.

95. The system of claim 86, wherein the first change in position of the nearby object comprises a change in position less than or equal to about Y relative the vehicle, and wherein the second change in position of the nearby object comprises a change in position greater than about Y relative the vehicle.

89-91. -91. (canceled)

93-94. -94. (canceled)

96-247. -247. (canceled)

248. A fuel efficiency engine control system for a vehicle, the system comprising:

an input module configured to access from an accelerator pedal position sensor a first function corresponding to a user-specified power output of an engine of the vehicle over a time duration;

a motor power control module in communication with the input module, a combustion engine control unit, and an electric motor control unit, the motor power control module configured to transmit a second function corresponding to a directive power output of the combustion engine over the time duration to the combustion engine control unit for controlling combustion engine power output according to the directive power output of the combustion engine over the time duration and configured to transmit a third second function corresponding to a directive power output of an electric motor of the vehicle over the time duration to the electric motor control unit for controlling electric motor power output according to the directive power of the electric motor over the time duration;

wherein the second function includes a plurality of regions of equal or increased combustion engine power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration and a plurality of regions of decreased combustion engine power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration;

wherein the third second function includes a plurality of regions of equal or increased electric motor power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration and a plurality of regions of decreased electric motor power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration;

wherein the plurality of regions of equal or increased electric motor power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration are configured to compensate for the plurality of regions of decreased combustion engine power output relative to the user-specified power output of the engine over the time duration to dampen oscillations of the directive power output of the combustion engine over the time duration; and

wherein the fuel efficiency engine control system includes an electronic memory configured to store modules and a computer processor configured to execute the modules.

249. The system of claim 248, wherein the plurality of regions of equal or increased electric motor power output are out-of-phase over the time duration with the plurality of regions of equal or increased combustion engine power output, and the plurality of regions of decreased electric motor power output are out-of-phase over the time duration with the plurality of regions of decreased combustion engine power output.

251. The system of claim 248, wherein the plurality of regions of equal or increased combustion engine power output and the plurality of regions of decreased combustion engine power output are a sine wave.

252. The system of claim 248, wherein the plurality of regions of equal or increased electric motor power output and the plurality of regions of decreased electric motor power output are a sine wave.

255. The system of claim 248, wherein the directive power output of the combustion engine and the directive power output of the electrical motor are imperceptible to a driver.

250. (canceled)

253-254. -254. (canceled)

256-272. -272. (canceled)