SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A ONE-TIME DEPARTURE SCHEDULE SETUP FOR CHARGING BATTERY-ELECTRIC VEHICLES

• US 20130274972A1
• Filed: 10/30/2012
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kusumi, Hidetoshi, Ito, Hisanori
• Granted Patent: US 9,045,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/14 by input of vehicle departure time
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0004 In digital systems, e.g. discrete-time systems involving sampling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A method and a system for making a one-time change to a primary departure schedule of a battery-electric vehicle for charging or pre-climate operations without affecting the future departure times of the primary departure schedule. The system can be a vehicle including an ECU, a memory, a battery, a charger connected to an external power source, a BMS, an HVAC and a display. The method may include receiving an alternate departure date and time different from the primary departure schedule, deactivating the charging or pre-climate operations based on the primary departure schedule and activating charging or pre-climate operations based on the alternate departure date and time. The method and system may also include receiving an immediate charge mode designation, deactivating the charging or pre-climate operations based on the primary schedule and immediately activating the charging operations without affecting the primary departure schedule.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for allowing a one-time temporary change to a primary departure schedule of a vehicle, comprising:

receiving, using an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and from a user of the vehicle, a primary departure schedule on a weekly recurring basis for activating a Battery Management and Charging Unit (BMCU) of the vehicle to perform a charging operation of a battery of the vehicle and/or for activating a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit of the vehicle to perform a pre-climate operation;

calculating, using the ECU and without any user interaction, the date and time to begin the charging and/or pre-climate operation based on the time period remaining until the next departure date and time of the primary departure schedule;

receiving, using the ECU and from the user, an alternate departure date and time different from the primary departure schedule for performing the charging and/or pre-climate operation;

deactivating, using a signal transmitted by the ECU, the BMCU to temporarily prevent the charging operation and/or the HVAC unit to temporarily prevent the pre-climate operation based on the primary departure schedule until the alternate departure date and time has passed;

activating, using a signal transmitted by the ECU, the BMCU to perform the charging operation and/or the HVAC unit to perform the pre-climate operation in advance of the alternate departure date and time; and

returning, using the ECU, to the primary departure schedule after the alternate departure date and time has passed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising recalculating, using the ECU and without any user interaction, a date and a time to begin the charging and/or the pre-climate operation after the alternate departure date and time has passed based on the time period remaining until the next departure date and time of the primary departure schedule.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising activating, using the ECU, the BMCU to perform the charging operation or the HVAC unit to perform the pre-climate operation based on the recalculated date and time.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying, using a display, an image based on the recalculated date and time to communicate a status of the charging or the pre-climate operation to a user of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the received alternate departure date and time is a next departure date and time different from the next departure date and time as set by the primary departure schedule.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, using the BMCU, a state of charge of the battery;

communicating, by transmitting a signal, the determined state of charge to the ECU; and

displaying, using the display, an image based on the determined state of charge.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

cancelling the pre-climate operation when a door of the vehicle is opened; and

displaying, using a display, an image in either a first display scheme or a second display scheme based on whether the pre-climate operation has been cancelled.

8. A computer-based method for allowing a one-time temporary change to a primary departure schedule of a vehicle, comprising:

receiving, using an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and from a user of the vehicle, a primary departure schedule for activating a Battery Management and Charging Unit (BMCU) of the vehicle to perform a charging operation of a battery of the vehicle or for activating a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit of the vehicle to perform a pre-climate operation;

receiving, using the ECU and from the user, either an immediate charge mode designation or a departure schedule;

setting, using the ECU, a current charge mode for the vehicle to an immediate charge mode when the most recent received charge mode designation is an immediate charge mode designation;

deactivating, using a signal transmitted by the ECU, the BMCU to temporarily prevent the charging operation or the HVAC unit to temporarily prevent the pre-climate operation based on the primary departure schedule during the time period which the current charge mode is set to the immediate charge mode;

activating, using a signal transmitted by the ECU, the BMCU to perform the charging operation when the current charge mode is set to the immediate charge mode; and

returning, using the ECU and without any user interaction, the current charge mode to a primary departure charge mode when the charging operation during the immediate charge mode has ended.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising recalculating, using the ECU and without any user interaction, a date and a time to begin the charging or pre-climate operation when the current charge mode is returned to the primary departure charge mode based on the time period remaining until the next departure date and time of the primary departure schedule.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising activating, using a signal transmitted by the ECU, the BMCU to perform the charging operation or the HVAC unit to perform the pre-climate operation based on the recalculated date and time when the current charge mode is returned to the primary departure charge mode.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying, using a display, an image based on the recalculated date and time.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving, using the ECU and from the user, an editing set of primary departure schedule data; and

editing, using the ECU, the primary departure schedule based on the received editing set of primary departure schedule data.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining, using the BMCU, a state of charge of the battery;

communicating, by transmitting a signal, the determined state of charge to the ECU; and

displaying, using the display, an image based on the determined state of charge.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

deactivating, using a signal transmitted by the ECU, the pre-climate operation if a door of the vehicle is opened; and

displaying, using the display, an image based on whether the pre-climate operation has been deactivated.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising displaying, using a display coupled to the ECU, an image in either a first display scheme or a second display scheme based on the current charge mode of the vehicle.

16. A vehicle comprising:

a battery;

a Battery Management and Charging Unit (BMCU) including a Battery Management System (BMS) and a charger, the BMS coupled to the battery and the charger, and the charger coupled to the battery and an external power source;

an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) coupled to the charger and the BMS;

a display coupled to the ECU;

a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit coupled to the ECU,

wherein the ECU is configured to;

receive from a user of the vehicle a primary departure schedule which recurs on a weekly basis for activating the charger to perform a charging operation or for activating the HVAC unit to perform a pre-climate operation;

receive from the user a charge mode designation of either an immediate charge mode or a departure schedule;

set a current charge mode to an immediate charge mode when the most recent received charge mode designation is an immediate charge mode designation;

deactivate, by transmitting a signal, the charger to temporarily prevent the charging operation or the HVAC unit to temporarily prevent the pre-climate operation based on the primary departure schedule during the time period which the current charge mode is set to the immediate charge mode;

activate, by transmitting a signal, the charger to perform the charging operation when the current charge mode is set to the immediate charge mode;

return, without any user interaction, the current charge mode to a primary departure charge mode when the charging operation during the immediate charge mode has ended;

recalculate, without any user interaction, a date and a time to begin the charging or pre-climate operation when the current charge mode is returned to the primary departure charge mode based on the time period remaining until the next departure date and time of the primary departure schedule; and

activate, by transmitting a signal, the charger to perform the charging operation or the HVAC unit to perform the pre-climate operation based on the recalculated date and time when the current charge mode is returned to the primary departure charge mode.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein the display is configured to display the recalculated date and time.

18. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein the ECU is further configured to receive from the user a charge mode designation during a predetermined time period after the ECU has received a request to shut down the vehicle.

19. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein the ECU is further configured to deactivate, by transmitting a signal to the HVAC unit, the pre-climate operation if a door of the vehicle is opened, and the display is further configured to display an image in a first display scheme or a second display scheme based on whether the ECU has deactivated the pre-climate operation.

20. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein the ECU is further configured to:

receive from the user an editing set of primary departure schedule data; and

edit the primary departure schedule based on the received editing set of primary departure schedule data.