Hybrid vehicle with dynamically-allocated high-voltage electrical power

• US 8,903,580 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tolkacz, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US13/676,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/28 characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/442 Series-parallel switching type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• 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 2510/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/16 Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1886 Controlling power supply to auxiliary devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/112 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle includes a high-voltage (HV) battery pack, an HV electric traction motor, an additional HV system such as suspension motors of an active suspension system, sensors, and a controller in communication with the sensors. The controller dynamically allocates HV power from the battery pack between the traction motor(s) and the additional HV system using signals from the sensors. Signals may include steering angle, acceleration, and throttle request. A method includes measuring input signals using sensor(s) and processing the measured input signals, including comparing each of the measured input signals to a corresponding threshold. The method also includes allocating some of the HV power from the battery pack via between the traction motor(s) and the additional HV system when the values of any one of the input signals exceeds a corresponding threshold.

Claims

1. A vehicle having a transmission, the vehicle comprising:

a high-voltage battery pack, wherein the voltage output of the battery pack is at least 48 volts;

at least one electric traction motor;

an additional high-voltage system, wherein the at least one electric traction motor and the additional high-voltage system are both electrically connected to and powered via the high-voltage battery pack;

a plurality of sensors collectively generating input signals, including a throttle request; and

a controller in communication with the plurality of sensors, and having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for dynamically allocating power from the high-voltage battery pack between the electric traction motor and the additional high-voltage system;

wherein the controller receives and processes the input signals, via the processor, and dynamically allocates the power from the high-voltage battery pack, in real-time while the vehicle is in operation, as a function of the values of the input signals during at least one of a shift of the transmission and a calibrated amount of the throttle request.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine a state of charge (SOC) of the battery pack, and to allocate the power from the battery pack only when the SOC exceeds a calibrated SOC threshold.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a set of wheels, wherein the additional high-voltage system is an active steering system having a plurality of high-voltage suspension motors each positioned with respect to a corresponding one of the wheels.

4. The vehicle of claim 3, further comprising a steering wheel having a steering angle sensor, wherein the input signals include the steering angle and a level of throttle request.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is operable to allocate all available power from the battery pack to the electric traction motor, up to a power limit of the electric traction motor, when the calibrated amount of the throttle request corresponds to a calibrated wide open throttle (WOT) request, and to otherwise allocate a sufficient amount of the available power to the additional high-voltage system.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to designate a critical WOT region as the calibrated WOT request, and to allocate all available power from the battery pack to the electric traction motor when the critical WOT region is present.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the set of sensors includes a set of accelerometers, and wherein the input signals include accelerometer output signals for each of the accelerometers.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the transmission includes an input member and an output member, and wherein the at least one electric traction motor includes a first electric traction connected to the input member of the transmission and a second electric traction motor connected to the output member of the transmission.

9. A method comprising:

measuring input signals using at least one sensor of a vehicle having a high-voltage battery pack, an electric traction motor, and an additional high-voltage system, wherein the electric traction motor and the additional high-voltage system are both electrically connected to the battery pack and powered thereby using high-voltage of at least 48 volts, including measuring a throttle request to determine whether a calibrated wide open throttle (WOT) condition is present;

processing the measured input signals via a processor of a controller, including comparing each of the measured input signals to a corresponding threshold; and

dynamically allocating power from the high-voltage battery pack between the electric traction motor and the additional high-voltage system, via the controller, in real-time while the vehicle is in operation, when the values of any one of the input signals exceeds its corresponding threshold, including allocating all available power from the high-voltage motor to the electric traction motor, up to a power limit of the electric traction motor, when the calibrated WOT condition is present.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle includes a set of wheels and the additional high-voltage system is an active steering system having a plurality of high-voltage suspension motors each positioned with respect to a corresponding one of the wheels, and wherein dynamically allocating power from the high-voltage battery pack includes periodically providing at least 1.5 kW of power to each of the high-voltage suspension motors.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle includes a steering wheel having a steering angle sensor, measuring the input signals includes measuring a steering angle of the steering wheel, and processing the measured input signals includes comparing the measured steering angle to a steering angle threshold.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle includes a set of accelerometers, measuring the input signals includes measuring acceleration values in each of a longitudinal, a lateral, and a vertical direction of the vehicle, and processing the measured input signals includes comparing the measured acceleration values to corresponding acceleration thresholds.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein dynamically allocating power from the high-voltage battery pack includes designating a critical WOT region as the calibrated WOT request, and allocating all available power to the electric traction motor, up to a power limit of the electric traction motor, when the critical WOT region is present.

14. A vehicle comprising:

a plurality of road wheels;

a high-voltage battery pack;

a transmission having an input member and an output member;

a first electric fraction motor connected to the input member via a first clutch;

a second electric traction motor connected to the output member via a second clutch, wherein the high-voltage battery pack and the first and second electric traction motors have a voltage output of at least 48 VDC;

a steering wheel;

a steering angle sensor positioned with respect to the steering wheel and configured to measure a steering angle of the steering wheel;

an active suspension system having a plurality of high-voltage suspension motors, each positioned with respect to a corresponding one of the plurality of road wheels, wherein the electric traction motors and the high-voltage suspension motors are powered via high-voltage from the battery pack; and

a controller in communication with the sensors, and having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for dynamically allocating power from the high-voltage battery pack to the first and second electric traction motors and the high-voltage suspension motors, wherein the controller is operable to determine a throttle request;

wherein the controller processes the input signals via the processor and allocates the power from the battery pack between the first and second electric traction motors and the active suspension system as a function of the values of the steering angle and the throttle request.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to determine a battery state of charge (SOC), and to allocate the power from the battery pack only when the battery SOC exceeds a threshold SOC.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the controller is operable to allocate all available power to the first and second electric fraction motors, up to a power limit of the first and second electric traction motors, when the throttle request corresponds to a calibrated wide open throttle (WOT) request, and to otherwise allocate a sufficient amount of the available power to the high-voltage suspension motors.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to designate a critical WOT region as the calibrated WOT request, and to allocate all available power to the electric traction motors, up to the power limit, when the critical WOT region is present.

18. The vehicle of claim 14, further comprising a set of accelerometers in communication with the controller, wherein the input signals include measured accelerometer output signals for each of the accelerometers.

19. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the accelerometers are positioned to measure acceleration of the vehicle in at least three different directions.