Method and system for alerting a driver that a motive power system is about to be activated

• US 7,699,129 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lindlbauer, Michael Paul, Treharne, William David
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALTERS, JOHN DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US11/931,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.265, 180/65.27, 180/65.275, 903/904, 903/930, 701/1, 701/22, 701/70, 701/99
• US Class Current: 180/65.265
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 26/021 with means for providing feel, e.g. by changing pedal force characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/103 Accelerator thresholds, e.g. kickdown
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/066 Balancing a force which represents the measuring value, by means of a reference force
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/007 Indication of measured value by tactile means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/904 Component specially adapted for hev

Abstract

An accelerator pedal provides feedback to a driver of a vehicle indicating that an engine is about to be started. This feedback is associated with a threshold position of the accelerator pedal. The threshold position may be fixed and a pedal mapping curve fit to pass through the threshold position. The threshold position may vary and depend on a minimum of the motive power capacity of a battery and an activation power threshold of the engine.

Claims

1. A method for alerting a driver of a vehicle including a motive power source and an accelerator pedal having a threshold position beyond which the power source will activate comprising:

determining whether the power source is active; and

providing tactile feedback to the driver via the pedal if the power source is inactive and the pedal is about to exceed the threshold position to alert the driver that the power source is about to activate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the accelerator pedal has a pedal effort and wherein the tactile feedback comprises an increase in pedal effort.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the increase in pedal effort lasts through a predefined range of pedal positions.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the threshold pedal position is fixed.

5. A method for alerting a driver of a vehicle including an accelerator pedal, a first motive power source and a second motive power source having an activation power threshold, that the second motive power source is about to be activated, the method comprising:

determining whether the second motive power source is active;

determining a motive power capacity of the first motive power source;

determining a threshold accelerator pedal position based on the motive power capacity and the activation power threshold; and

providing feedback to the driver if the second motive power source is inactive and the accelerator pedal is about to exceed the threshold accelerator pedal position, thereby alerting the driver of the vehicle that the second motive power source is about to be activated.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the feedback comprises tactile feedback.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the accelerator pedal has a pedal effort and wherein the tactile feedback comprises an increase in pedal effort.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the increase in pedal effort lasts through a predefined range of pedal positions.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the second motive power source is activated if the accelerator pedal exceeds the threshold accelerator pedal position.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the first motive power source comprises a battery and wherein the motive power capacity is based on a discharge power limit of the battery.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the threshold accelerator pedal position is further based on a state of charge of the battery.

12. A system for alerting a driver of a vehicle including first and second motive power sources that the second motive power source is about to be activated, the system comprising:

an accelerator pedal having a threshold pedal position beyond which the second motive power source will be activated; and

at least one controller configured to

determine whether the second motive power source is active, and

provide tactile feedback via the accelerator pedal if the second motive power source is inactive and the accelerator pedal is about to exceed the threshold pedal position, thereby alerting the driver of the vehicle that the second motive power source is about to be activated.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to determine a motive power capacity of the first motive power source and wherein the threshold pedal position is based on the motive power capacity.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the first motive power source comprises a battery and wherein the motive power capacity is based on a discharge power limit of the battery.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the second motive power source has an activation power threshold and wherein the threshold pedal position is based on the activation power threshold.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the second motive power source comprises an engine.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the first motive power source comprises a battery and wherein the threshold pedal position is based on a state of charge of the battery.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the accelerator pedal has a pedal effort and wherein the tactile feedback comprises an increase in pedal effort.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the increase in pedal effort lasts through a predefined range of pedal positions.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the threshold pedal position is fixed.