Vehicle accessory load controller and method
First Claim
1. A system, comprising:
- a source of regenerative power that generates power during a regenerative event;
an electrical energy storage system connected with the source of regenerative power to receive and store regenerative power during the regenerative event;
an accessory load that reduces an amount of energy stored in the energy storage system when being powered;
a source of information; and
an accessory load controller responsive to the source of information to;
estimate when a next occurrence of a regeneration event will occur,predict whether the energy storage device will be in a state of charge condition to receive regenerative power at the time of the predicted regeneration event,estimate a time needed to drain power from the energy storage device,compare a risk of losing regenerative power based on when the next occurrence of the predicted regenerative event will occur and the time needed to drain the energy storage device to enable optimum benefit from the predicted regenerative event, andcontrol an application of electrical power to the accessory load based on the prediction in order to reduce the amount of energy stored in the energy storage device and minimize any loss of regenerative power during the predicted regenerative event.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system includes a source of regenerative power that generates power during a regenerative event, an electrical energy storage system connected with the source of regenerative power to receive and store regenerative power during the regenerative event, an accessory load that reduces an amount of energy stored in the energy storage system when being powered, a source of information, and an accessory load controller. The accessory load controller is responsive to the source of information to estimate when a next occurrence of a regeneration event will occur, predict whether the energy storage device will be in a state of charge condition to receive regenerative power at the time of the predicted regeneration event, and control an application of electrical power to the accessory load based on the prediction in order to reduce the amount of energy stored in the energy storage device and minimize any loss of regenerative power during a next regenerative event.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A system, comprising:
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a source of regenerative power that generates power during a regenerative event; an electrical energy storage system connected with the source of regenerative power to receive and store regenerative power during the regenerative event; an accessory load that reduces an amount of energy stored in the energy storage system when being powered; a source of information; and an accessory load controller responsive to the source of information to; estimate when a next occurrence of a regeneration event will occur, predict whether the energy storage device will be in a state of charge condition to receive regenerative power at the time of the predicted regeneration event, estimate a time needed to drain power from the energy storage device, compare a risk of losing regenerative power based on when the next occurrence of the predicted regenerative event will occur and the time needed to drain the energy storage device to enable optimum benefit from the predicted regenerative event, and control an application of electrical power to the accessory load based on the prediction in order to reduce the amount of energy stored in the energy storage device and minimize any loss of regenerative power during the predicted regenerative event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer-implemented method of reducing loss of regenerative power provided by a regenerative power source by controlling power usage of an accessory load, comprising:
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predicting when a next regenerative event during a current trip will occur; predicting when an electrical energy storage device connected with the regenerative power source will be in a condition to receive regenerative power; estimating a time needed to reduce energy from the electrical energy storage device to a preselected level for receipt of regenerative power; comparing a risk of losing regenerative power based on when the next regenerative event will occur and the estimated time needed to reduce the electrical energy storage device to benefit from the next regenerative event; and controlling an application of electrical power to the accessory load to reduce loss of regenerative power due to the electrical energy storage device having a greater amount of energy to accept regenerative power during the next regenerative event. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A computing system, comprising:
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a processing unit and a memory unit storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the processing unit, to cause the processing unit to perform a method for reducing loss of power from a regenerative source of power that is provided only intermittently during regenerative events to an energy storage device connected with both the source of regenerative power source and an accessory load due to the energy storage device having more than an optimal level of charge, the method comprising; predicting when a next regenerative event will occur; determining whether the energy storage device will be at a sufficiently low charge level to be able to accept and store a desirable amount of the regenerative power during the next regenerative event; estimating a time needed to reduce energy from the electrical energy storage device to a preselected level for receipt of regenerative power; comparing a risk of losing regenerative power based on when the next regenerative event will occur and the estimated time needed to reduce the electrical energy storage device to benefit from the next regenerative event; and applying power to the accessory load to reduce a charge level of the energy storage device, if it is determined that the energy storage device will not be at the sufficiently low charge level at the time of the next regenerative event unless power is prematurely applied to the accessory. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification