Method, Apparatus, Signals, and Medium for Managing Power in a Hybrid Vehicle

• US 20140257612A1
• Filed: 05/08/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Hybrid Technologies, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Inventors: Liu, Wei, Bouchon, Nicolas Louis
• Granted Patent: US 9,365,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• 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 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/427 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/429 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/507 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 : using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 : Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/18 : Controlling the braking effect B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence
• 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 20/10 : Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• 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 2050/0025 : Transfer function weighting factor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0623 : Fuel flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 : Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 : Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 : Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 : peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• 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 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing power in a hybrid vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle includes an engine, an electric motor, and an energy storage element coupled to the motor. The method involves receiving a request to supply operating power to drive the vehicle and responding to the request by selecting an apportionment of operating power between the engine and the motor from among a plurality of apportionments having respective operating costs such that the selected apportionment is associated with a minimum operating cost, the operating cost including at least an engine fuel consumption cost and a storage element lifetime cost. The method further involves causing power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor in accordance with the selected apportionment.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for managing power in the hybrid vehicle, comprising:

determining, based at least in part on one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle, an amount of operating power to be supplied in response to a drive signal generated based on operator input;

determining, for each of a plurality of apportionments of the operating power between an engine of the hybrid vehicle and a motor-generator of the hybrid vehicle, an overall operating cost value, each overall operating cost value accounting for at least a cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle and one or more constraints of a storage element of the hybrid vehicle;

selecting an apportionment of the operating power from among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the selected apportionment being the apportionment with a minimum determined overall operating cost value; and

causing the operating power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor-generator in accordance with the selected apportionment.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle comprises an engine fuel consumption cost determined based at least in part on a fuel price.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising receiving a signal representing an operating temperature of the engine, the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle corresponding to the operating temperature of the engine.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle comprises an engine fuel consumption cost; and

for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to supply the particular apportionment of power.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the state of charge of the storage element.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the temperature of the storage element.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the voltage present on the storage element.

28. An apparatus for managing power in a hybrid vehicle, the vehicle comprising an engine, an electric motor, and a storage element coupled to the electric motor, the apparatus comprising a controller operably configured to:

determine, based at least in part on one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle, an amount of operating power to be supplied in response to a drive signal generated based on operator input;

determine, for each of a plurality of apportionments of the operating power between the engine of the hybrid vehicle and the electric motor of the hybrid vehicle, an overall operating cost value, each overall operating cost value accounting for at least a cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle and one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle;

select an apportionment of the operating power from among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the selected apportionment being the apportionment with a minimum determined overall operating cost value; and

cause the operating power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor-generator in accordance with the selected apportionment.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle comprises an engine fuel consumption cost determined based at least in part on a fuel price.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the controller is further operably configured to receive a signal representing an operating temperature of the engine, wherein the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle corresponds to the operating temperature of the engine.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein:

the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle comprises an engine fuel consumption cost; and

for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to supply the particular apportionment of power.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the state of charge of the storage element.

33. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the temperature of the storage element.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the voltage present on the storage element.

35. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an engine;

an electric motor;

an energy storage element coupled to the motor; and

a controller, the controller operably configured to;

determine, based at least in part on one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle, an amount of operating power to be supplied in response to a drive signal generated based on operator input;

determine, for each of a plurality of apportionments of the operating power between the engine of the hybrid vehicle and the electric motor of the hybrid vehicle, an overall operating cost value, each overall operating cost value accounting for at least a cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle and one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle;

select an apportionment of the operating power from among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the selected apportionment being the apportionment with a minimum determined overall operating cost value; and

cause the operating power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor-generator in accordance with the selected apportionment.

36. The hybrid vehicle of claim 35, wherein the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle comprises an engine fuel consumption cost determined based at least in part on a fuel price.

37. The hybrid vehicle of claim 35, wherein the controller is further operably configured to receive a signal representing an operating temperature of the engine, wherein the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle corresponds to the operating temperature of the engine.

38. The hybrid vehicle of claim 35, wherein:

the cost value associated with the engine of the hybrid vehicle comprises an engine fuel consumption cost; and

for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to supply the particular apportionment of power.

39. The hybrid vehicle of claim 35, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the state of charge of the storage element.

40. The hybrid vehicle of claim 35, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the temperature of the storage element.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the one or more constraints of the storage element of the hybrid vehicle account for the voltage present on the storage element.