Method, apparatus, signals, and medium for managing power in a hybrid vehicle

• US 8,738,203 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Hybrid Technologies, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc (MOSAID Technologies Inc. (f/k/a Conversant Intellectual Property Management))
• Inventors: Liu, Wei, Bouchon, Nicolas Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US12/925,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 180/65.1, 180/65.3, 180/69.4, 290/40.A, 290/40.B, 290/40.C, 290/40.R, 290/38.R, 290/45, 290/46, 318/8, 318/9, 318/34, 318/51, 318/52
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/14 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/425 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/427 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/429 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/507 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 : using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 : Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/18 : Controlling the braking effect B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 : including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 : including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• 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 20/10 : Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/11 : using model predictive control [MPC] strategies, i.e. control methods based on models predicting performance utilising navigation and traffic information in the control strategy B60W20/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0025 : Transfer function weighting factor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0623 : Fuel flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 : Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 : Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 : Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 : peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing power in a hybrid vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle includes an engine, an electric motor, and an energy storage element coupled to the motor. The method involves receiving a request to supply operating power to drive the vehicle and responding to the request by selecting an apportionment of operating power between the engine and the motor from among a plurality of apportionments having respective operating costs such that the selected apportionment is associated with a minimum operating cost, the operating cost including at least an engine fuel consumption cost and a storage element lifetime cost. The method further involves causing power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor in accordance with the selected apportionment.

Claims

1. In a controller in a hybrid vehicle, a method for managing power in the hybrid vehicle, comprising:

accessing one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle;

determining, based at least in part on the one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle, an amount of operating power to be supplied in response to a drive signal generated based on operator input;

determining, for each of a plurality of apportionments of the operating power between an engine of the hybrid vehicle and a motor-generator of the hybrid vehicle, an overall operating cost value, each overall operating cost value accounting for at least an engine fuel consumption cost and a storage element lifetime cost;

selecting an apportionment of the operating power from among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the selected apportionment being the apportionment with a minimum determined overall operating cost value; and

causing the operating power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor-generator in accordance with the selected apportionment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost are determined based at least in part on current fuel prices and current storage element replacement prices.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the storage element lifetime cost for a particular apportionment of the operating power is proportional to an expected deviation from a desired state of charge associated with operating at the particular apportionment of the operating power.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving a state of charge signal representing a state of charge of the storage element, said lifetime cost for each apportionment being proportional to an absolute value of a difference between said apportionment and a quantity of power required to return the state of charge of the storage element to said desired state of charge.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving a state of charge signal representing a state of charge of the storage element, the storage element lifetime cost for the particular apportionment of the operating power being proportional to an absolute value of a difference between the particular apportionment and a quantity of power required to return the state of charge of the storage element to the desired state of charge.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost are determined based at least in part on a computed relative weighting between current fuel prices and current storage element replacement prices.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the overall operating cost value for each of the plurality of apportionments of the operating power between the engine and the motor-generator comprises:

determining the engine fuel consumption cost and said storage element lifetime cost; and

combining the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost to produce an overall operating cost for each of said apportionments.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein combining comprises the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost producing a sum of the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a signal representing an operating temperature of the engine, the engine fuel consumption cost corresponding to the operating temperature of the engine.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein, for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on a fuel consumption value associated with the particular apportionment of power, the fuel consumption value having been determined based at least in part on actual fuel consumption data collected during operation of the engine.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein, for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on:

a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to supply the particular apportionment of power; and

a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to replace energy supplied by the storage element to operate the motor to supply the particular apportionment of power.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein further comprising producing a prediction of a quantity of electrical energy required to replace the energy supplied by the storage element.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing information representing a plurality of engine fuel consumption costs, the fuel consumption cost to replace energy supplied by the storage element being determined based at least in part on an engine fuel consumption cost corresponding to a minimum engine fuel consumption for replacing the quantity of electrical energy supplied by the storage element.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein producing the prediction of the quantity of electrical energy required to replace the energy supplied by the storage element comprises predicting a quantity of electrical energy associated with at least one of:

a discharge energy loss in the storage element when supplying the quantity of electrical energy to the motor-generator;

a motor energy loss when supplying the apportionment of the operating power to the vehicle; and

a charging energy loss of the storage element when replacing the quantity of electrical energy in the storage element.

15. An apparatus for managing power in a hybrid vehicle, the vehicle comprising an engine, an electric motor, and an energy storage element coupled to the motor, the apparatus comprising a controller operably configured to:

access one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle;

determine, based at least in part on the one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle, an amount of operating power to be supplied in response to a drive signal generated based on operator input;

determine, for each of a plurality of apportionments of the operating power between an engine of the hybrid vehicle and a motor-generator of the hybrid vehicle, an overall operating cost value, each overall operating cost value accounting for at least an engine fuel consumption cost and a storage element lifetime cost;

select an apportionment of the operating power from among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the selected apportionment being the apportionment with a minimum determined overall operating cost value; and

cause the operating power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor-generator in accordance with the selected apportionment.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage lifetime cost are determined based at least in part on current fuel prices and current storage element replacement prices.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the storage element lifetime cost for a particular apportionment of the operating power is proportional to an expected deviation from a desired state of charge associated with operating at the particular apportionment of the operating power.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said controller is operably configured to receive a state of charge signal representing a state of charge of the storage element, said lifetime cost for each apportionment being proportional to an absolute value of a difference between said apportionment and a quantity of power required to return the state of charge of the storage element to said desired state of charge.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost are determined based at least in part on a computed a relative weighting between said current fuel prices and said current storage element replacement prices.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein determining the overall operating cost value for each of the plurality of apportionments of the operating power between the engine and the motor-generator comprises:

determining the engine fuel consumption cost and said storage element lifetime cost; and

combining the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost to produce an overall operating cost for each of said apportionments.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein combining comprises the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost producing a sum of the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost.

22. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the controller is further operably configured to receive a signal representing an operating temperature of the engine, the engine fuel consumption cost corresponding to the operating temperature of the engine.

23. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein, for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on a fuel consumption value associated with the particular apportionment of power, the fuel consumption value having been determined based at least in part on actual fuel consumption data collected during operation of the engine.

24. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein, for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on:

a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to supply the particular apportionment of power; and

a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to replace energy supplied by the storage element to operate the motor to supply the particular apportionment of power.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the controller is further operably configured to produce a prediction of a quantity of electrical energy required to replace the energy supplied by the storage element.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the prediction of the quantity of electrical energy required to replace the energy supplied by the storage element comprises a prediction of a quantity of electrical energy associated with at least one of:

a discharge energy loss in the storage element when supplying said quantity of electrical energy to the motor-generator;

a motor energy loss when supplying the apportionment of the operating power to the vehicle; and

a charging energy loss of the storage element when replacing said quantity of electrical energy in the storage element.

27. A computer readable medium encoded with codes for directing a processor circuit to manage power in a hybrid vehicle, the vehicle comprising an engine, an electric motor, and an energy storage element coupled to the motor, the codes directing the processor circuit to:

access one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle;

determine, based at least in part on the one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle, an amount of operating power to be supplied in response to a drive signal generated based on operator input;

determine, for each of a plurality of apportionments of operating power between an engine of the hybrid vehicle and a motor-generator of the hybrid vehicle, an overall operating cost value, each overall operating cost value accounting for at least an engine fuel consumption cost and a storage element lifetime cost;

select an apportionment of the operating power from among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the selected apportionment being the apportionment with a minimum determined overall operating cost value; and

cause the operating power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor-generator in accordance with the selected apportionment.

28. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an engine;

an electric motor;

an energy storage element coupled to the motor; and

a controller, the controller operably configured to;

access one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle;

determine, based at least in part on the one or more operating conditions of the hybrid vehicle, an amount of operating power to be supplied in response to a drive signal generated based on operator input;

determine, for each of a plurality of apportionments of the operating power between an engine of the hybrid vehicle and a motor-generator of the hybrid vehicle, an overall operating cost value, each overall operating cost value accounting for at least an engine fuel consumption cost and a storage element lifetime cost;

select an apportionment of the operating power from among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the selected apportionment being the apportionment with a minimum determined overall operating cost value; and

cause the operating power to be supplied by at least one of the engine and the motor-generator in accordance with the selected apportionment.

29. The hybrid vehicle of claim 28 wherein the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage lifetime cost are determined based at least in part on current fuel prices and current storage element replacement prices.

30. The hybrid vehicle of claim 29 wherein the storage element lifetime cost for a particular apportionment of the operating power is proportional to an expected deviation from a desired state of charge associated with operating at the particular apportionment of the operating power.

31. The hybrid vehicle of claim 30 wherein the controller is further operably configured to receive a state of charge signal representing a state of charge of the storage element, said lifetime cost for each apportionment being proportional to an absolute value of a difference between said apportionment and a quantity of power required to return the state of charge of the storage element to said desired state of charge.

32. The hybrid vehicle of claim 28 wherein the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost are determined based at least in part on a computed a relative weighting between said current fuel prices and said current storage element replacement prices.

33. The hybrid vehicle of claim 28 wherein determining the overall operating cost value for each of the plurality of apportionments of the operating power between the engine and the motor-generator comprises:

determining the engine fuel consumption cost and said storage element lifetime cost; and

combining the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost to produce an overall operating cost for each of said apportionments.

34. The hybrid vehicle of claim 33 wherein combining comprises the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost producing a sum of the engine fuel consumption cost and the storage element lifetime cost.

35. The hybrid vehicle of claim 28 wherein the controller is further operably configured to receive a signal representing an operating temperature of the engine, the engine fuel consumption cost corresponding to the operating temperature of the engine.

36. The hybrid vehicle of claim 28 wherein, for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on a fuel consumption value associated with the particular apportionment of power, the fuel consumption value having been determined based at least in part on actual fuel consumption data collected during operation of the engine.

37. The hybrid vehicle of claim 28 wherein, for a particular apportionment of the operating power among the plurality of apportionments of the operating power, the engine fuel consumption cost is determined based at least in part on:

a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to supply the particular apportionment of power; and

a fuel consumption cost associated with operating the engine to replace energy supplied by the storage element to operate the motor to supply the particular apportionment of power.

38. The hybrid vehicle of claim 37 wherein the controller is further operably configured to produce a prediction of a quantity of electrical energy required to replace the energy supplied by the storage element.

39. The hybrid vehicle of claim 38 further comprising storing information representing a plurality of engine fuel consumption costs, the fuel consumption cost to replace energy supplied by the storage element being determined based at least in part on an engine fuel consumption cost corresponding to a minimum engine fuel consumption for replacing the quantity of electrical energy supplied by the storage element.

40. The hybrid vehicle of claim 38 wherein the prediction of the quantity of electrical energy required to replace the energy supplied by the storage element comprises a prediction of a quantity of electrical energy associated with at least one of:

a discharge energy loss in the storage element when supplying said quantity of electrical energy to the motor-generator;

a motor energy loss when supplying the apportionment of the operating power to the vehicle; and

a charging energy loss of the storage element when replacing said quantity of electrical energy in the storage element.