Method For Operating A Recuperation Brake Of A Motor Vehicle And Recuperation Brake

• US 20150298553A1
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies GmbH (INA-Holding Schaeffler GmbH & Co. KG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Maiterth, Johannes Moritz, Wegerer, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,783,064 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/645 Type of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/647 Surface situation of road, e.g. type of paving
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/18 by enquiring driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/10 Indicating wheel slip ; Correction of wheel slip
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/18 Controlling the braking effect B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/22 Dynamic electric resistor braking, combined with dynamic electric regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 : Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/24 : responsive to vehicle inclination or change of direction, e.g. negotiating bends using electrical circuitry or regulation means B60T8/17
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 : including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 : Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 : Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 : Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 : Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 : Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 : Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 : Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 : Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 : event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 : involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A method for operating a recuperation brake of a motor vehicle is disclosed. First, a future operating intensity of the recuperation brake is estimated for a section of route to be travelled on by the motor vehicle based on an input which characterizes the driving style of the section of route to be travelled on. In addition, a maximum slip-free vehicle braking power for the section of route is estimated as a function of the input. In addition, the braking power of the recuperation brake is set to a setpoint braking power which is not greater than the maximum vehicle braking power for the section of route, and finally the recuperation brake is activated on the section of route to be travelled on with the setpoint braking power. In addition, a recuperation brake for carrying out the method is described.

Claims

1. A method for operating a recuperation brake of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

estimating a future operating intensity of the recuperation brake for a section of a route ahead of the motor vehicle based on an input which that characterizes a driving style of the section of route ahead;

estimating a maximum slip-free vehicle braking power for the section of route as a function of the input;

setting a braking power of the recuperation brake to a setpoint braking power that is not greater than the maximum vehicle braking power for the section of route, and

activating the recuperation brake on the section of route ahead with the setpoint braking power.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input that characterizes the driving style of the section of route ahead comprises:

(a) vehicle state information output by a vehicle traveling ahead of the motor vehicle, the vehicle state information comprising;

information about an active operation of a driving safety system of the vehicle traveling ahead, or

information about an inclination of the vehicle traveling ahead, or

information about active operation of an ice warning system of the vehicle traveling ahead, or

information regarding a temperature outside of the vehicle, or

(b) information about a distance between the motor vehicle and the vehicle traveling ahead of the motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle state information is (a) transmitted directly from the vehicle traveling ahead to the motor vehicle by car-to-car or car-to-X communication using a protocol corresponding to the standard IEEE 802.11p, or (b) transmitted indirectly from the vehicle traveling ahead to a transmission entity comprising the Internet, wherein the transmission entity transmits the vehicle state information directly or indirectly to the motor vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input that characterizes the driving style of the section of route ahead comprises at least one of:

a driver'"'"'s request input relating to a time-related or route-related activation of the recuperation brake;

or

navigation data of a navigation system of the motor vehicle that characterize a gradient above a predefined limit, a bend radius below a predefined limit, a degree of unevenness above a predefined limit, and/or a traffic regulation prescription for the use of traction assistance measures on the section of route ahead;

or

current or general roadway state information related to coefficients of friction of the section of route ahead, current weather conditions, or current traffic conditions of the section of route ahead, which are output by a traffic service;

or

vehicle state information that originates from a system or sensor of the motor vehicle;

or

stored information about an operation of the recuperation brake of the motor vehicle on the section of route ahead during previous travel along this section of route, or

a combination of the inputs listed above.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, before activating, the braking power of the recuperation brake is set to the setpoint braking power by setting a braking power upper limit to the setpoint braking power, wherein when the recuperation brake is activated, it is operated in compliance with the braking power upper limit.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting comprises reducing the braking power of the recuperation brake to the setpoint braking power or to a braking power value that is lower than the setpoint braking power.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting comprises:

producing a braking value prescription which represents the setpoint braking power or a braking power value which is lower than the setpoint braking power; and

transmitting the braking value prescription to the recuperation brake or to a control device of the recuperation brake and buffering the braking value prescription, wherein before the activation or at the start of the activation of the recuperation brake the braking value prescription is retrieved.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein,

during the activation of the recuperation brake the motor vehicle is braked with the setpoint braking power, or

during the activation of the recuperation brake the motor vehicle is braked with a total braking power which is less than or equal to the maximum vehicle braking power, and

wherein, in addition, a friction brake is activated when the recuperation brake is activated.

9. A recuperation brake for a motor vehicle, wherein the recuperation brake comprises an electric machine and a control device connected to the electric machine, wherein

the control device has a radio interface configured to receive an input which characterizes the driving style of a section of route ahead of the motor vehicle;

the control device comprises an estimating device configured to determine a maximum slip-free vehicle braking power for the section of route as a function of the input;

the control device further comprises a braking power-determining device configured to determine a setpoint braking power which is not greater than the maximum vehicle braking power for the section of route; and

the control device comprises a control output connected to the electric machine, the control device being configured to output the setpoint braking power in the form of a control signal to the electric machine.

10. The recuperation brake of claim 9, wherein the control device comprises a radio interface that uses a car-to-car communication standard or car-to-X communication standard according to the standard IEEE 802.11p.

11. The recuperation brake of claim 9, wherein the input that characterizes the driving style of the section of route ahead comprises:

(a) vehicle state information output by a vehicle traveling ahead of the motor vehicle, the vehicle state information comprising;

information about an active operation of a driving safety system of the vehicle traveling ahead, or

information about an inclination of the vehicle traveling ahead, or

information about active operation of an ice warning system of the vehicle traveling ahead, or

information regarding a temperature outside of the vehicle, or

(b) information about a distance between the motor vehicle and the vehicle traveling ahead of the motor vehicle.

12. The recuperation brake of claim 10, wherein the vehicle state information is (a) transmitted directly from the vehicle traveling ahead to the motor vehicle by car-to-car or car-to-X communication using a protocol corresponding to the standard IEEE 802.11p, or (b) transmitted indirectly from the vehicle traveling ahead to a transmission entity comprising the Internet, wherein the transmission entity transmits the vehicle state information directly or indirectly to the motor vehicle.

13. The recuperation brake of claim 9, wherein the input that characterizes the driving style of the section of route ahead comprises at least one of:

a driver'"'"'s request input relating to a time-related or route-related activation of the recuperation brake;

or

navigation data of a navigation system of the motor vehicle that characterize a gradient above a predefined limit, a bend radius below a predefined limit, a degree of unevenness above a predefined limit, and/or a traffic regulation prescription for the use of traction assistance measures on the section of route ahead;

or

current or general roadway state information related to coefficients of friction of the section of route ahead, current weather conditions, or current traffic conditions of the section of route ahead, which are output by a traffic service;

or

vehicle state information that originates from a system or sensor of the motor vehicle;

or

stored information about an operation of the recuperation brake of the motor vehicle on the section of route ahead during previous travel along this section of route, or

a combination of the inputs listed above.

14. The recuperation brake of claim 9, wherein, before activating, the braking power of the recuperation brake is set to the setpoint braking power by setting a braking power upper limit to the setpoint braking power, wherein when the recuperation brake is activated, it is operated in compliance with the braking power upper limit.

15. The recuperation brake of claim 9, wherein the setting comprises reducing the braking power of the recuperation brake to the setpoint braking power or to a braking power value that is lower than the setpoint braking power.

16. The recuperation brake of claim 9, wherein the setting comprises:

producing a braking value prescription which represents the setpoint braking power or a braking power value which is lower than the setpoint braking power; and

transmitting the braking value prescription to the recuperation brake or to a control device of the recuperation brake and buffering the braking value prescription, wherein before the activation or at the start of the activation of the recuperation brake the braking value prescription is retrieved.

17. The recuperation brake of claim 9, wherein:

during the activation of the recuperation brake the motor vehicle is braked with the setpoint braking power, or

during the activation of the recuperation brake the motor vehicle is braked with a total braking power which is less than or equal to the maximum vehicle braking power, and

wherein, in addition, a friction brake is activated when the recuperation brake is activated.