SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING DTE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY VEHICLE

• US 20170059332A1
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: CHOI, Kwon Hyoung
• Application Number:
  US14/957,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20170059332A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A system and method for determining a distance to empty (DTE) of an environmentally-friendly vehicle, which enable a driver to recognize that a DTE is gradually and linearly decreased as an actual travelling distance is increased. This provides capability of more conveniently and intuitively guiding a DTE to a driver by calculating an ideal and final DTE desired by the driver by using an actual travelling distance measured by an odometer (ODO) and displaying the calculated final DTE on a cluster.

Claims

1. A system for determining a distance to empty (DTE) of an environmentally-friendly vehicle, the system comprising:

an initial calculating unit configured to calculate a first predicted DTE (DTE_predict) at an initial DTE prediction time using distance to empty (DTE) prediction logic (DTE(km)=fuel efficiency [km/kWh]×

available battery energy [kWh]);

a predicted DTE recalculation determining unit configured to calculate an actual travelling distance (d) travelling from a just previous time, at which the predicted DTE (DTE_predict) is calculated, compare the calculated actual travelling distance (d) with a predetermined actual travelling distance (D), and determine whether to recalculate the predicted DTE; and

a displayed DTE calculating unit configured to calculate a displayed DTE (DTE_final(t)) as a linearly decreasing value when the actual travelling distance (d) travelling from the just previous time, at which the predicted DTE (DTE_predict) is calculated, to a specific time is smaller than the predetermined actual travelling distance (D).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first predicted DTE at an initial DTE prediction time (t₀) predicted by the initial calculating unit is displayed on a cluster.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the actual travelling distance (d) is measured by an odometer, and the predetermined actual travelling distance (D) is set for determining a time of a recalculation of the predicted DTE (DTE_predict)

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a displayed DTE calculation termination determining unit configured to determine whether the displayed DTE (DTE_final(t))≦

0, and determine whether to terminate the displayed DTE calculation.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a DTE recalculating unit configured to recalculate the predicted DTE and the displayed DTE at a time of a recalculation of the predicted DTE (DTE_predict) when the actual travelling distance (d) travelling from the just previous time, at which the predicted DTE is calculated, is larger than the predetermined actual travelling distance (D).

6. A method for calculating a distance to empty (DTE) of an environmentally-friendly vehicle, the method comprising:

calculating a first predicted DTE (DTE_predict) at an initial DTE prediction time using distance to empty (DTE) prediction logic (DTE(km)=fuel efficiency [km/kWh]×

available battery energy [kWh]);

calculating an actual travelling distance (d) travelling from a just previous time, at which the predicted DTE (DTE_predict) is calculated, comparing the calculated actual travelling distance (d) with a predetermined actual travelling distance (D), and determining whether to recalculate the predicted DTE; and

calculating a displayed DTE (DTE_final(t)) as a linearly decreasing value when the actual travelling distance (d) travelling from the just previous time, at which the predicted DTE (DTE_predict) is calculated, to a specific time is smaller than the predetermined actual travelling distance (D) and displaying the calculated DTE on a cluster.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predicted DTE (DTE_predict) is predicted by “

DTE(km)=fuel efficiency (km/kWh)×

available battery energy (kWh)” and

a similar logic.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first predicted DTE (DTE_predict) is preferentially displayed in the cluster so that a driver recognizes the first predicted DTE as a current DTE.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the actual travelling distance (d) is measured by an odometer, and the predetermined actual travelling distance (D) is set for determining a time of a recalculation of the predicted DTE (DTE_predict)

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining whether the displayed DTE (DTE_final(t))≦

0, and determining whether to terminate the displayed DTE calculation.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

recalculating the predicted DTE and the displayed DTE at a time of a recalculation of the predicted DTE (DTE_predict) when the actual travelling distance (d) travelling from the just previous time, at which the predicted DTE is calculated, is larger than the predetermined actual travelling distance (D).

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the displayed DTE (DTE_final(t)) is calculated by an equation below,

Displayed DTE(DTE_final(t))=α

−

d/D×

(α

−

β

),  

 

Equation)

in the equation, a represents the displayed DTE (DTE_final(t_n)) displayed on the cluster at the just previous time (t_n), d represents the actual travelling distance travelling from the just previous time (t_n), at which the DTE (a) is predicted, to the specific time, D represents an actual travelling distance predetermined for determining a time of a recalculation of the predicted DTE (DTE_predict), and β

is a value obtained by subtracting the predetermined actual travelling distance (D) from the predicted DTE (a=DTE_predict(t_n)) calculated at the just previous time (t_n), and is a displayed DTE (β

=DTE_final(t_n+1)) displayed on the cluster at a time (t_n+1).