Method for regulating or controlling the charge state of an electrical energy accumulator of a hybrid vehicle

• US 8,256,548 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2011
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Hummel, Holger
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Steve T
• Application Number:
  US13/052,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 320/162, 320/132, 320/137, 320/152, 320/157, 180/65.21, 477/7, 477/15, 307/9.1, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 180/65.29
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state

Abstract

A method controls or regulates the charge state of an electrical energy accumulator of a hybrid vehicle, where, in some operating states, the energy accumulator is charged from a low to a higher charge state level by way of an electric machine driven by an internal-combustion engine of the hybrid vehicle and operating as a generator. The level of the charge state to which the energy accumulator is charged by the internal-combustion engine is selected as a function of a parameter representing the load of the electrical system or correlating thereto.

Claims

1. A method for controlling or regulating a charge state of an electrical energy accumulator of a hybrid vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

selecting a higher charge state level to which the electrical energy accumulator is to be charged as a function of, or correlating thereto, an operating state of the hybrid vehicle and a parameter representing a load of an electrical system of the hybrid vehicle; and

charging the electrical energy accumulator from a low charge state level to the selected higher charge state level via an electric machine operating as a generator and driven by an internal-combustion engine of the hybrid vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter representing or correlating to the electrical system load is an instantaneous electrical system load or is a function of the instantaneous electrical system load.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the parameter representing or correlating to the electrical system load is a function of the electrical system load existing during a past phase of operation of the hybrid vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the parameter representing or correlating to the electrical system load is a function of the electrical system load existing during a past phase of operation of the hybrid vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

forming an average or filtered electrical system load from a progression of the electrical system load during a past phase; and

using the average or filtered electrical system load in determining the charge state level to which the energy accumulator is charged by the internal-combustion engine.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the acts of:

forming an average or filtered electrical system load from a progression of the electrical system load during a past phase; and

using the average or filtered electrical system load in determining the charge state level to which the energy accumulator is charged by the internal-combustion engine.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the acts of:

forming an average or filtered electrical system load from a progression of the electrical system load during a past phase; and

using the average or filtered electrical system load in determining the charge state level to which the energy accumulator is charged by the internal-combustion engine.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of:

charging the energy accumulator by way of the internal-combustion engine when an instantaneous charge state level of the energy accumulator falls to or below a predefined charge state level.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the predefined charge state level is in a range of about 30% to 40% of a maximal charge state level.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the predefined charge state level is approximately 35% of a maximal charge state level.