Method and system for controlling an electric vehicle while charging

• US 9,114,794 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: King, Kimberley, Swoish, James Lawrence, Grimes, Jeffery R., Gibeau, John Paul, Burrows, Neil Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US13/799,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20140277869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/36, 701/99
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00278 for the battery arrangement of batteries B60R16/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00392 for electric vehicles having only electric drive means
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/00307 Component temperature regulation using a liquid flow
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/20 by driver identification
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/00 Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function for propulsion of purely electrically-propelled vehicles with power supplied within the vehicle B60L50/00 - B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An electric vehicle has a thermal circuit connected to a traction battery and a cabin climate system, a user interface, and a controller. The controller is configured to charge the traction battery to a target state of charge, condition the traction battery to a target battery temperature, and condition a vehicle cabin to a target cabin temperature based on a charging profile based on the user input in response to receiving a user input requesting vehicle conditioning from the user interface and the traction battery being connected to an external power source. A method for controlling an electric vehicle while connected to an external power source includes charging a traction battery to a target state of charge and conditioning the battery to a target temperature according to a charging profile based on a user initiated request for vehicle conditioning.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle comprising:

a traction battery having a battery temperature sensor;

a cabin climate control system having a cabin temperature sensor;

a thermal circuit connected to the traction battery and the cabin climate system, the thermal circuit having a thermal source and a thermal sink;

a user interface; and

a controller connected to the traction battery, the battery temperature sensor and the cabin temperature sensor, the thermal circuit, and the user interface, the controller configured to, in response to receiving a user input requesting vehicle conditioning from the user interface and receiving a predictive ambient temperature profile, and the traction battery being connected to an external power source, (i) charge the traction battery to a target state of charge provided by a charging profile based on the user input, (ii) condition the traction battery to a target battery temperature provided by the charging profile, and (iii) condition a cabin in the vehicle to a target cabin temperature provided by the charging profile, wherein the charging profile provides at least one scheduled time to begin charging the battery, conditioning the battery, and conditioning the cabin, and wherein the target battery temperature and target cabin temperature of the charging profile are further based on the predictive ambient temperature profile.

2. The electric vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to receive external power rates;

wherein the user input includes a selected cost of charging; and

wherein the charging profile is further based on the external power rates.

3. The electric vehicle of claim 1 wherein the thermal source of the thermal circuit is an electric heater.

4. The electric vehicle of claim 1 wherein the predictive ambient temperature profile represents the ambient temperature profile while the vehicle is predicted to be connected to the external power source and the ambient temperature profile while the vehicle is predicted to be operating.

5. The electric vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to hold the battery at the target state of charge, hold the battery at the target battery temperature, and hold the cabin at the target cabin temperature for a predetermined time period when the vehicle remains connected to the external power source after a user selected time for the vehicle to be disconnected from the external power source.

6. A method for controlling an electric vehicle while connected to an external power source, the method comprising, charging a traction battery to a target state of charge, conditioning the battery to a target battery temperature, and conditioning a cabin to a target cabin temperature according to a charging profile based on a user initiated request for vehicle conditioning and a predictive ambient temperature profile.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the charging profile provides at least one scheduled time to begin charging the battery, conditioning the battery, and conditioning the cabin.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising receiving the predictive ambient temperature profile;

wherein the target battery temperature and target cabin temperature of the charging profile are further based on the predictive ambient temperature profile.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the predictive ambient temperature profile represents the ambient temperature profile while the vehicle is predicted to be connected to the external power source.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the predictive ambient temperature profile represents the ambient temperature profile while the vehicle is predicted to be operating.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising receiving external power rates;

wherein the target state of charge of the charging profile is further based on the external power rates.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the charging profile includes a schedule of when to begin charging the battery and when to begin conditioning the battery based on cost of charging.

13. The method of claim 6 further comprising retrieving battery state data from a battery control module;

wherein the battery state of charge and battery temperature target of the charging profile are further based on the battery state data.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the battery state data includes a present battery state of charge and the target battery state of charge.

15. The method of claim 6 wherein the user initiated request includes a user selected time for the vehicle to be disconnected from the external power source.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising conditioning a cabin to a target cabin temperature according to the charging profile based on the user initiated request for vehicle conditioning;

and

holding the battery at the target state of charge, holding the battery at the target battery temperature, and holding the cabin at the target cabin temperature for a predetermined time period when the vehicle remains connected to the external power source after the user selected time.

17. The method of claim 6 wherein the user initiated request includes a desired cabin temperature.

18. The method of claim 6 wherein the user initiated request includes a desired cost for charging.

19. The method of claim 6 wherein the user initiated request includes a driving style.

20. A method of controlling a vehicle having a traction battery, comprising:

detecting if the traction battery is connected to a charger and external power source;

receiving a user initiated request for vehicle conditioning while the traction battery is connected to the charger and external power source;

charging the traction battery to a target state of charge while the traction battery is connected to the charger and external power source;

conditioning a temperature of the traction battery to a target battery temperature while the traction battery is connected to the charger and external power source and ambient temperature is outside an environmental temperature range; and

conditioning a cabin in the vehicle to a target cabin temperature while the vehicle is connected to the charger and external power source;

wherein the target battery state of charge, the target battery temperature, and the target cabin temperature are determined from a charging profile based on the user initiated request and a predicted ambient temperature profile.