VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20200130525A1
• Filed: 03/06/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Son, Seungwan, Park, Jungsoo, Lee, Kyujin, Shin, Dong Jun, Oh, Kyoungcheol
• Granted Patent: US 10,926,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/91 Electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/082 Plural DC voltage, e.g. DC supply voltage with at least two different DC voltage levels
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• 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 10/90 Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

A vehicle for supplying solar charging panel generated power to a high-voltage battery or an auxiliary battery based on a SOC is provided. The vehicle includes a motor, an electric field load, a high-voltage battery that supplies power to the motor, and an auxiliary battery that supplies the power to the electric field load. A battery sensor measures a SOC of each battery. A solar charging panel measures an amount of solar light and generates the power based on solar energy. A controller calculates generable power through the solar charging panel based on the measured amount of light when starting of the vehicle is off. The solar charging panel is operated to generate power when the generable power is greater than the power consumption in the power generation through the solar charging panel, and supplies the generated power to one of the batteries based on the SOC of each.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a motor;

an electric field load;

a high-voltage battery configured to supply power to the motor;

an auxiliary battery configured to supply the power to the electric field load;

a battery sensor configured to measure a state of charge (SOC) of the high-voltage battery and the SOC of the auxiliary battery;

a solar charging panel configured to measure an amount of solar light and generate the power based on solar energy; and

a controller configured to;

calculate generable power through the solar charging panel based on the measured amount of light when starting of the vehicle is off;

operate the solar charging panel to generate the power when the generable power is greater than the power consumption in the power generation through the solar charging panel; and

operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery or the auxiliary battery based on the SOC of the high-voltage battery and the SOC of the auxiliary battery.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery when the auxiliary battery is charged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches the maximum SOC, and operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the auxiliary battery is discharged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches a predetermined normal control lower limit SOC.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined first reference SOC and the SOC of the auxiliary battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined second reference SOC.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery until the auxiliary battery is discharged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches a predetermined first threshold SOC when the SOC of the auxiliary battery is equal to or less than the maximum SOC and is equal to or greater than a predetermined normal control lower limit SOC, and operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches the first threshold SOC.

5. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the SOC of the auxiliary battery is less than a predetermined normal control lower limit SOC and is equal to or greater than the second reference SOC.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is less than a predetermined first reference SOC and the SOC of the auxiliary battery is less than a predetermined second reference SOC.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the auxiliary battery is discharged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches the second reference SOC.

8. The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the high-voltage battery is charged and the SOC of the high-voltage battery reaches the first reference SOC.

9. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined first reference SOC and the SOC of the auxiliary battery is less than a predetermined second reference SOC.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is less than a predetermined first reference SOC and the SOC of the auxiliary battery is less than a predetermined second reference SOC.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery when the auxiliary battery is charged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches a predetermined second threshold SOC, and operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the auxiliary battery is discharged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches the second reference SOC.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the high-voltage battery is charged and the SOC of the high-voltage battery reaches the first reference SOC.

13. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery when the auxiliary battery is charged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches the maximum SOC, and operate the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the high-voltage battery is charged and the SOC of the high-voltage battery reaches the maximum SOC.

14. A method for controlling a vehicle which includes a motor, an electric field load, a high-voltage battery configured to supply power to the motor, an auxiliary battery configured to supply the power to the electric field load, a battery sensor configured to measure a state of charge (SOC) of the high-voltage battery and the SOC of the auxiliary battery, and a solar charging panel configured to measure an amount of solar light and generate the power based on solar energy, the method comprising:

calculating, by a controller, generable power through the solar charging panel based on the measured amount of light when starting of the vehicle is off;

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to generate the power when the generable power is greater than the power consumption in the power generation through the solar charging panel; and

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery or the auxiliary battery based on the SOC of the high-voltage battery and the SOC of the auxiliary battery.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the operating of the solar charging panel includes:

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery when the auxiliary battery is charged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches the maximum SOC; and

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the auxiliary battery is discharged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches a predetermined normal control lower limit SOC.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the operating of the solar charging panel includes:

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined first reference SOC and the SOC of the auxiliary battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined second reference SOC.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the operating of the solar charging panel includes:

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery until the auxiliary battery is discharged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches a predetermined first threshold SOC when the SOC of the auxiliary battery is equal to or less than the maximum SOC and is equal to or greater than a predetermined normal control lower limit SOC; and

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches the first threshold SOC.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the operating of the solar charging panel includes:

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the SOC of the auxiliary battery is less than a predetermined normal control lower limit SOC and is equal to or greater than the second reference SOC.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the operating of the solar charging panel includes:

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the high-voltage battery when the SOC of the high-voltage battery is less than a predetermined first reference SOC and the SOC of the auxiliary battery is less than a predetermined second reference SOC.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the operating of the solar charging panel includes:

operating, by the controller, the solar charging panel to supply the generated power to the auxiliary battery when the auxiliary battery is discharged and the SOC of the auxiliary battery reaches the second reference SOC.