SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADAPTIVE BATTERY TEMPERATURE CONTROL OF A VEHICLE OVER A KNOWN ROUTE

• US 20150274030A1
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• 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: Payne, Joshua D., Dufford, Mohammad E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,290,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/25 by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A system/method for controlling a battery temperature of a vehicle over a known route. The method may include providing a route having a starting and ending location, iteratively sensing a battery temperature of the battery when the vehicle is travelling along the route, and dividing the route into a plurality of route segments. The method may also include storing a known route having a plurality of segments where each segment has a corresponding battery temperature of the vehicle when the vehicle previously travelled along the segment. The method may also include providing a cooling device associated with a battery of the vehicle, initiating the cooling device during a previous time segment when the battery temperature for a particular time segment of the known route exceeds a high temperature threshold, and reducing an amount of battery power draw from the battery during the previous time segment.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a battery temperature of a vehicle over a known route, the method comprising:

providing, using a processor, a route having a starting location, an ending location, and at least one segment;

iteratively sensing, using a sensor coupled to a battery, a battery temperature of the battery when the vehicle is travelling along the route;

dividing, using the processor, the route into a plurality of route segments;

calculating a temperature event, using the processor, when the battery temperature rises to or above a threshold temperature;

storing, in a memory, a temperature event associated with a segment of the route which correlates to a known route in the memory, wherein the temperature event was recorded while the vehicle previously traversed the known route;

providing at least one cooling measure to cool a battery of the vehicle; and

initiating the at least one cooling measure during a previous time segment when the temperature event has been recorded for a particular time segment of the known route.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one cooling measure comprises a cooling device associated with the battery of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one cooling measure comprises reducing, using the processor, a power output of the battery.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one cooling measure also comprises reducing, using the processor, an amount of battery power draw from the battery during the previous time segment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one cooling measure comprises pumping, through ducting connected to the battery, a liquid cooling composition.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature event is caused by at least one of a power request initiated by a driver, a power request initiated by the vehicle or a battery charge event.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the route includes a number of different routes linked with one another in the memory.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting, using the processor, at least one candidate route;

assigning, using the processor, a route weight for each of the at least one candidate route; and

selecting, using the processor, a candidate route with the highest route weight to define a predicted route.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the processor designates the predicted route as the route.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein selecting, using the processor, the at least one candidate route is performed by identifying the candidate routes as routes which have at least one location within a threshold distance of a second location.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein selecting the predicted route is performed by the processor based on at least one of a first location, a second location, a current time of day, a current date or a ratio of number of times the candidate route was travelled to the total number of times all candidate routes were travelled.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining, using the processor, at the end of the driving route, whether the driving route is a new route, based on information stored in the memory.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising updating, in the memory, any temperature events which occur on a segment of the driving route, if the driving route is not a new route.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing, in the memory, location information for each segment of the driving route and a temperature event which occurs on a segment of the driving route, and associating this information with a new route identifier, if the driving route is a new route.

15. An apparatus for controlling a battery temperature of a vehicle over a known route, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

provide a route having a starting location, an ending location, and at least one segment;

divide the route into a plurality of route segments; and

calculate a temperature event when the battery temperature rises to or above a threshold temperature;

a memory configured to store a temperature event associated with a segment of the route which correlates to a known route in the memory, wherein the temperature event was recorded while the vehicle previously traversed the known route;

a sensor configured to iteratively sense a battery temperature of the battery when the vehicle is travelling along the route; and

at least one cooling mechanism configured to reduce the temperature of the battery.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the at least one cooling mechanism comprises a fan configured to blow air in a vicinity of the battery.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the at least one cooling mechanism comprises a radiator system configured to pump a liquid cooling composition in the vicinity of the battery.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the at least one cooling mechanism comprises a transmission for reducing a power output of the battery.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a GPS device for obtaining vehicle location information.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to:

select at least one candidate route;

assign a route weight for each of the candidate routes; and

predict a predicted route by selecting the candidate route with the highest route weight.