Power management systems and devices

• US 8,972,161 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iQar Inc.
• Original Assignee: Invent.ly LLC
• Inventors: Koebler, Martin, Goldstein, Nicole G., Brown, Stephen J., Harper, Jason H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US14/062,057
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/23, 701/36, 701/48, 701/51, 701/53, 701/54, 701/55, 701/58, 701/60, 701/65, 701/70, 701/93, 701/94, 701/99, 701/101, 701/102, 701/103, 701/110, 701/123, 701/29.1, 701/32.1, 701/32.3, 701/32.4, 701/32.5, 701/32.9, 701/33.4, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/410, 701/411, 701/412, 701/414, 701/415, 701/418, 701/420, 701/423, 701/424, 701/431, 701/439, 701/445, 701/446, 701/467, 701/468, 701/487, 701/516, 701/521, 701/532, 701/533, 701/538, 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.13, 340/995.19, 340/995.23, 340/9, 340/95.27, 340/438, 340/439, 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 180/65.22, 180/65.27, 180/65.28, 180/65.285, 180/65.29
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• 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 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/645 Type of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/647 Surface situation of road, e.g. type of paving
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/665 Light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/667 Precipitation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/68 Traffic data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 : by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 : by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 : Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 : by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 : Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 : charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 : responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 : responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 : for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 : Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 : for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 1/10 : by utilising wheel movement for accumulating energy, e.g. driving air compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/586 : the retarders being of the electric type
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/04 : Hill descent control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 : Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/18 : operated by wayside apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 : initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 : including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 : including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 : including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 : Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 : Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 : Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 : of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/103 : Speed profile
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 : Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/188 : Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 : Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 : Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 : Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 : Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 : Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 : Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 : using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 : communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 : using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 : where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• 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 10/92 : Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for managing the power consumption of an automotive vehicle, and thereby for optimizing the power consumption of the vehicle. The devices and systems for managing the power consumption of the vehicle typically include power management logic that can calculate an applied power for the vehicle engine based on information provided from the external environment of the vehicle, the operational status of the vehicle, one or more command inputs from a driver, and one or more operational parameters of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of managing a power consumption of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a route at a computer of said vehicle;

(b) segmenting said route into a plurality of segment destinations;

(c) calculating a plurality of energy values consumed by said vehicle to travel said route based on a plurality of variations in a target speed of said vehicle between pairs of said segment destinations;

(d) determining a plurality of efficient speeds that achieve a best summation of said energy values; and

(e) notifying an operator of said vehicle about said efficient speeds to travel between each of said segment destinations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

continuously calculating said efficient speeds until a final destination is reached.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining of said efficient speeds is based on (i) an aerodynamic drag of said vehicle, (ii) a rolling resistance of said vehicle and (iii) a change in potential energy of said vehicle due to a road gradient.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

notifying said operator of a range of said variations in said target speed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining of said efficient speeds is based on at least one of (i) an acceleration of said vehicle to one or more of said efficient speeds and (ii) a deceleration of said vehicle to one or more of said efficient speeds.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculating of said energy values is based on a current location of said vehicle as determined by global positioning system information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculating of said energy values is based on a plurality of speed limits between said segment destinations.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

calculating said target speed in response to a position of a gas pedal of said vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

shifting gears of an automatic transmission in said vehicle based on said efficient speeds.

10. A method of managing a power consumption of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a route at a computer of said vehicle;

(b) segmenting said route into a plurality of segment destinations;

(c) calculating a plurality of energy values consumed by said vehicle to travel said route based on a plurality of variations in a target speed of said vehicle between pairs of said segment destinations;

(d) determining a plurality of efficient speeds that achieve a best summation of said energy values; and

(e) applying power corresponding to said efficient speeds to an engine of said vehicle to travel between each of said segment destinations.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

continuously calculating said efficient speeds until a final destination is reached.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining of said efficient speeds is based on (i) an aerodynamic drag of said vehicle, (ii) a rolling resistance of said vehicle and (iii) a change in potential energy of said vehicle due to a road gradient.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

notifying an operator of the vehicle about said efficient speeds to travel between each of said segment destinations.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said determining of said efficient speeds is based on at least one of (i) an acceleration of said vehicle to one or more of said efficient speeds and (ii) a deceleration of said vehicle to one or more of said efficient speeds.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said calculating of said energy values is based on a current location of said vehicle as determined by global positioning system information.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said calculating of said energy values is based on a plurality of speed limits between said segment destinations.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

calculating said target speed in response to a position of a gas pedal of said vehicle.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

shifting gears of an automatic transmission in said vehicle based on said efficient speeds.