Device for performing energy management in an electric vehicle

• US 8,825,251 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Ungermann, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US13/698,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/99, 702/63, 743/29, 320/109, 320/130, 320/150, 340/425.5, 340/450.2, 307/10.1, 603/00, 123/559.3, 180/65.29
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/18 by enquiring driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/20 by driver identification
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19223 Disconnectable counter shaft

Abstract

A device for performing energy management in an electric vehicle which can be driven at least partially by an electric machine which can be supplied with electrical energy by a rechargeable battery, wherein the state of charge (SOC) of the rechargeable battery varies during charging and discharging, includes a driver-type recognition device for determining the driver-type (I, II). The driver-type recognition device monitors the discharge process of the rechargeable battery during driving and recognizes the driver-type (I, II) therefrom.

Claims

1. A device for performing energy management in an electric vehicle, wherein the electric vehicle comprises an electric machine for at least partially driving the vehicle and a rechargeable battery supplying electrical power to the electrical machine, the device comprising:

a measuring device configured to measure a temporal course of a state of charge (SOC) of the rechargeable battery, wherein the state of charge (SOC) of the rechargeable battery varies during a charge process and a discharge process and is correlated with the battery voltage, the measuring device measuring at least one of a magnitude, a duration and a number of brief voltage drops occurring in the temporal course of the battery voltage during the discharge process of the rechargeable battery as a result of high power demands from a driver during a driving interval;

an evaluation device comparing the at least one magnitude, duration and number of the voltage drops measured by the measuring device with threshold values stored in the evaluation device; and

a driver-type recognition device determining a driver-type based on the comparison.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the measuring device measures the state of charge both at a beginning of the driving interval and at an end of the driving interval and determines therefrom a difference value.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the measuring device determines from the difference value a gradient of the difference value over the driving interval.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the evaluation device compares the discharge process of the rechargeable battery with threshold values stored in the evaluation device and determines the driver-type based on the comparison.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the evaluation device compares an actual gradient of a difference value between a state of charge both at a beginning of the driving interval and at an end of the driving interval over the driving interval as determined by the measuring device with a threshold value.

6. A method for performing energy management in an electric vehicle, wherein the electric vehicle comprises an electric machine for at least partially driving the vehicle and a rechargeable battery supplying electrical power to the electrical machine, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a discharge process of the rechargeable battery during a driving operation;

measuring a temporal course of a state of charge (SOC) of the rechargeable battery, wherein the state of charge (SOC) of the rechargeable battery varies during a charge process and the discharge process and is correlated with the battery voltage;

measuring at least one of a magnitude, a duration and a number of brief voltage drops in the temporal course of the battery voltage during a driving interval as a result of high power demands from a driver;

comparing the at least one magnitude ratio and number of the voltage drops with stored threshold values; and

determining by an evaluation device a driver-type based on the comparison.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

measuring the state of charge both at a beginning of the driving interval and at an end of the driving interval and determining therefrom a difference value.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining from the difference value a gradient of the difference value over the driving interval.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

comparing the discharge process of the rechargeable battery with stored threshold values, and

determining the driver-type based on the comparison.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

comparing an actual gradient of a difference value between a state of charge both at a beginning of the driving interval and at an end of the driving interval over the driving interval with a threshold value.