VEHICLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION EFFICIENCY LEARNING IN THE ENERGY DOMAIN

• US 20150339866A1
• Filed: 05/20/2014
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Meyer, Jason, Sangameswaran, Sangeetha
• Granted Patent: US 9,272,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/46 by self learning
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, controlling a vehicle based on a learned energy consumption efficiency. The energy consumption efficiency may be learned in an energy domain by periodically filtering a ratio of a distance traveled to an energy consumed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

controlling a vehicle based on a learned energy consumption efficiency associated with a high voltage battery of the vehicle, the controlling step executed by a control module configured to monitor the learned energy consumption efficiency.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an electrified vehicle or a conventional vehicle.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the learned energy consumption efficiency is calculated by monitoring an energy consumption and selectively adapting the learned energy consumption efficiency based on a detected change in the energy consumption.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the learned energy consumption efficiency is obtained in an energy domain by updating the energy consumption efficiency at regular energy consumption intervals.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the learned energy consumption efficiency is calculated by:

integrating a speed of the vehicle to obtain a distance traveled;

integrating a power consumption of the vehicle to obtain an energy consumed; and

filtering a ratio of the distance traveled to the energy consumed.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, comprising updating the learned energy consumption efficiency if the energy consumed since a prior integrator reset is greater than or equal to an energy consumed threshold.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, comprising using a prior energy consumption efficiency if the energy consumed since the prior integrator reset is not greater than or equal to the energy consumed threshold.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising suspending the controlling step during certain driving conditions of the vehicle.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlling step includes utilizing the learned energy consumption efficiency to calculate at least one end use feature associated with the vehicle.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising calculating an energy consumption rate by taking the inverse of the learned energy consumption efficiency.

22. The method as recited in claim 1, comprising suspending the controlling step during steep grade driving conditions.

11. A method, comprising:

learning an energy consumption efficiency of a vehicle in an energy domain by periodically filtering a ratio of a distance traveled to an energy consumed, the learning step executed by a control module configured to monitor the energy consumption efficiency.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the learning step includes monitoring the energy consumption and periodically adapting an energy consumption efficiency prediction.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the learning step includes:

integrating a speed of the vehicle to obtain the distance traveled; and

integrating a power consumption of the vehicle to obtain the energy consumed.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the filtering step is selectively performed after the integrating steps.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, comprising multiplying the ratio by a filter constant.

16. The method as recited in claim 13, comprising updating the energy consumption efficiency if the energy consumed since a prior integrator reset is greater than or equal to an energy consumed threshold.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, comprising using a prior energy consumption efficiency if the energy consumed since the prior integrator reset is not greater than or equal to the energy consumed threshold.

18. The method as recited in claim 13, comprising resetting a vehicle speed integral and a power consumption integral if the energy consumed since a prior integrator reset is greater than or equal to an energy consumed threshold.

19. The method as recited in claim 11, comprising utilizing the energy consumption efficiency to calculate at least one end use feature associated with the vehicle.

20. A vehicle, comprising:

a propulsion device coupled to wheels of the vehicle via a transmission;

an energy source configured to power said propulsion device; and

a control module in electrical communication with said propulsion device and said energy source and configured to learn an energy consumption efficiency associated with the vehicle in an energy domain.

21. The vehicle as recited in claim 20, wherein the control module is configured to update the energy consumption efficiency each time a predefined amount of energy is consumed by the propulsion device.