System and method for controlling travel of hybrid electric vehicle in an emergency

• US 8,504,231 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2011
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2011
• 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: Kim, Sang Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAYNE, ROBERT T
• Application Number:
  US13/297,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/70, 701/42, 701/33, 701/10, 320/15, 318/59, 318/25, 304/14, 303/3
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/526 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/00 Electrodynamic brake systems for vehicles in general
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method of controlling the travel of a hybrid electric vehicle in an emergency. It is determined whether an abnormality has occurred in a low voltage Direct Current-Direct Current (DC-DC) converter. When it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the low voltage DC-DC converter, it is determined whether the voltage of a low voltage battery has deviated from the operational voltage range of a braking device. When the voltage of the low voltage battery has deviated from the operational voltage range of the braking device, a restricted vehicle speed is set to take into account mechanical braking power. A maximum torque used to restrict the torque of a driving motor is set based on the set restricted vehicle speed.

Claims

1. A method of controlling travel of a hybrid electric vehicle in an emergency, comprising:

determining, by a controller, whether an abnormality has occurred in a low voltage Direct Current-to-Direct Current (DC-DC) converter;

in response to determining that an abnormality has occurred in the low voltage DC-DC converter, determining, by the controller, whether voltage of a low voltage battery has deviated from an operational voltage range of a braking device;

in response to determining that the voltage of the low voltage battery has deviated from the operational voltage range of the braking device, setting, by the controller, a restricted vehicle speed which takes into account mechanical braking power; and

setting a maximum torque used to restrict a torque of a driving motor based on the set restricted vehicle speed.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising controlling torque wherein a torque of the driving motor linearly decreases from the maximum torque to zero torque in order to enable traveling speed of a vehicle to reach the restricted vehicle speed.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the determining whether an abnormality has occurred in the low voltage DC-DC converter comprises determining that an abnormality has occurred in the low voltage DC-DC converter when a problem has occurred in the low voltage DC-DC converter or a response signal has not been received from the low voltage DC-DC converter.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the restricted vehicle speed falls in a range of 10 to 30 Km/h.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the restricted vehicle speed is 20 Km/h.

6. A system for controlling travel of a hybrid electric vehicle in an emergency, comprising:

a low voltage DC-DC converter configured to convert high voltage of a high voltage battery into low voltage, and supply the low voltage to a low voltage battery;

a braking device configured to receive power from the low voltage battery and then apply a braking signal to a driving motor or supply mechanical braking power using braking force; and

a vehicle controller configured to, when an abnormality has occurred in the low voltage DC-DC converter and voltage of the low voltage battery has deviated from an operational voltage range of the braking device, set a restricted vehicle speed which accounts for a mechanical braking power, and set a maximum torque of the driving motor.

7. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the vehicle controller is configured to determine that an abnormality has occurred in the low voltage DC-DC converter when a fault signal generated due to a problem is received from the low voltage DC-DC converter or a response signal has not been received from the low voltage DC-DC converter.

8. The system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the vehicle controller is configured to control torque such that torque of the driving motor linearly decreases from the maximum torque to zero torque in order to enable traveling speed of a vehicle to reach the restricted vehicle speed.