Vehicle mass detection system
First Claim
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1. A method of controlling an electric vehicle based on vehicle mass, the method comprising:
- providing at least a portion of vehicle propulsive torque with an electric machine;
while a speed of the electric machine is changing, measuring current consumed by the electric machine at two different instances of time;
calculating a mass of the vehicle based on the measured currents; and
controlling operation of the vehicle according to the calculated mass.
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Abstract
A vehicle system and a method for calculating a vehicle mass is provided. In at least one embodiment, the system and the method measure current consumed by an electric machine of the vehicle to calculate vehicle mass. A controller of the vehicle uses the calculated mass to control operation of the vehicle, for example a four wheel drive, transmission, stability control, or brake system of the vehicle. A GPS and tire speed sensor system may be incorporated to detect the presence of a towed object, for example a trailer, and to further adjust operation of the vehicle.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of controlling an electric vehicle based on vehicle mass, the method comprising:
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providing at least a portion of vehicle propulsive torque with an electric machine; while a speed of the electric machine is changing, measuring current consumed by the electric machine at two different instances of time; calculating a mass of the vehicle based on the measured currents; and controlling operation of the vehicle according to the calculated mass. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8)
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6. The method of 5, wherein the stored data further comprises data corresponding to a number of tire revolutions for the distance traveled at a plurality of vehicle masses.
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9. A vehicle system comprising:
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an electric machine configured to provide a propulsive torque to the vehicle; and at least one controller programmed to control operation of the vehicle based on current consumed by the electric machine at different instances of time while the vehicle is accelerating at least in part from the propulsive torque provided by the electric machine. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification