Process, apparatus, media and signals for controlling operating conditions of a hybrid electric vehicle to optimize operating characteristics of the vehicle
First Claim
1. A process for controlling operating conditions of a hybrid electric vehicle to optimize operating characteristics of the vehicle, the process comprising:
- locating, from among a plurality of sets of vehicle operating conditions associated with a requested generator power value, an optimal set of operating conditions that optimizes operating characteristics of the vehicle, wherein locating comprises locating a set of vehicle operating characteristics associated with said requested generator power value and locating a vehicle performance record having a field containing said requested generator power value and fields containing values identifying operating conditions under which said requested generator power can be produced and fields containing values identifying operating characteristics of the vehicle when the vehicle is operated at said operating conditions; and
producing signals for controlling a prime mover of the vehicle and a generator driven by the prime mover to operate the vehicle at said optimal set of operating conditions, and to cause the generator to supply power at said requested generator power value.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Process, apparatus, media and signals are disclosed for controlling a supply of power from an electric generator in a hybrid electric vehicle having a prime mover supplying mechanical energy to the generator. The process carried out by the apparatus and defined by codes on the media and in codes in the signals involves locating, from among a plurality of sets of vehicle operating conditions associated with a requested generator power value, an optimal set of operating conditions that optimizes operating characteristics of the vehicle and producing signals for controlling the prime mover and the generator to operate the vehicle at the optimal set of operating conditions, to supply power at the requested generator power value. The present invention also provides a way of producing vehicle performance records for use in producing signals for controlling the prime mover and the generator to achieve the optimized operating characteristics.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A process for controlling operating conditions of a hybrid electric vehicle to optimize operating characteristics of the vehicle, the process comprising:
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locating, from among a plurality of sets of vehicle operating conditions associated with a requested generator power value, an optimal set of operating conditions that optimizes operating characteristics of the vehicle, wherein locating comprises locating a set of vehicle operating characteristics associated with said requested generator power value and locating a vehicle performance record having a field containing said requested generator power value and fields containing values identifying operating conditions under which said requested generator power can be produced and fields containing values identifying operating characteristics of the vehicle when the vehicle is operated at said operating conditions; and
producing signals for controlling a prime mover of the vehicle and a generator driven by the prime mover to operate the vehicle at said optimal set of operating conditions, and to cause the generator to supply power at said requested generator power value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An apparatus for controlling operating conditions of a hybrid electric vehicle to optimize operating characteristics of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
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a power request processor operable to locate, from among a plurality of sets of vehicle operating conditions associated with a requested generator power value, an optimal set of operating conditions that optimizes operating characteristics of the vehicle, said processor being configured to locate a set of vehicle operating characteristics associated with said requested generator power value and to locate a vehicle performance record having a field containing said requested generator power value and fields containing values identifying operating conditions under which said requested generator power can be produced and fields containing values identifying operating characteristics of the vehicle when the vehicle is operated at said operating conditions; and
a control signal generator operable to produce signals for controlling a prime mover of the vehicle and a generator driven by the prime mover to operate the vehicle at said optimal set of operating conditions, and to cause said generator to supply power at said requested generator power value. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An apparatus for controlling operating conditions of a hybrid electric vehicle to optimize operating characteristics of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
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means for locating, from among a plurality of sets of vehicle operating conditions associated with a requested generator power value, an optimal set of operating conditions that optimizes the operating characteristics of the vehicle, said means for locating including means for locating a set of vehicle operating characteristics associated with said requested generator power value and means for locating a vehicle performance record having a field containing said requested power value and fields containing values identifying operating conditions under which said requested generator power can be produced and fields containing values identifying operating characteristics of the vehicle when the vehicle is operated at said operating conditions; and
means for producing signals for controlling a prime mover of the vehicle and a generator to operate the vehicle at said optimal set of operating conditions to supply power at said requested generator power value.
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37. A process for controlling operating conditions of a hybrid electric vehicle to optimize operating characteristics of the vehicle, the process comprising:
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locating, from among a plurality of sets of vehicle operating conditions associated with a requested generator power value, an optimal set of operating conditions that optimizes operating characteristics of the vehicle, wherein locating comprises locating a set of vehicle operating characteristics associated with said requested generator power value and calculating an optimization index for each set of vehicle operating characteristics associated with said requested generator power value, identifying a best optimization index, identifying a set of operating conditions associated with vehicle operating characteristics that produced said best optimization index; and
producing signals for controlling a prime mover of the vehicle and a generator driven by the prime mover to operate the vehicle at said optimal set of operating conditions, and to cause the generator to supply power at said requested generator power value said signals including a speed signal for setting an angular speed of the prime mover and producing a torque signal for setting a torque burden on the generator. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39)
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40. An apparatus for controlling operating condition of a hybrid electric vehicle to optimize operating characteristics of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
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a power request processor configured to locate, from among a plurality of sets of vehicle operating conditions associated with a requested generator power value, an optimal set of operating conditions that optimizes operating characteristics of the vehicle, wherein said power request processor is configured to locate a set of vehicle operating characteristics associated with said requested generator power value, and locate a vehicle performance record having a field containing said requested generator power value and fields containing values identifying operating conditions under which said requested generator power can be produced and fields containing values identifying operating characteristics of the vehicle when the vehicle is operated at said operating conditions and wherein said power request processor is configured to identify a best optimization index and to identify a set of operating conditions associated with the vehicle operating characteristics that produced said best optimization index, and a control signal generator operable to produce signals for controlling a prime mover of the vehicle and a generator driven by the prime mover to operate the vehicle at said optimal set of operating conditions, to cause said generator to supply power at said requested generator power value, said control signal generator being operable to produce a speed signal for setting an angular speed of the prime mover and produce a torque signal for setting a torque burden on the generator in response to said set of operating conditions associated with the vehicle operating characteristics that produced said best optimization index. - View Dependent Claims (41)
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Specification