Method and device for operating a motor vehicle

• US 9,135,217 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Stauner, Thomas, Nagy, Roman, Froeschl, Joachim, Hattenkofer, Martin, Wanke, Christoph
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US13/680,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 701/58, 701/123, 701/424, 701/490, 701/538
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/00 Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor for lighting vehicle interior B60Q3/00
• 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: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

At least one weighting value is determined in a manner that is influenced by a vehicle user. A maximum released power, which a predefined electrical consumer of the motor vehicle may consume, is determined as a function of the weighting value. The power consumption of the electrical consumer is controlled as a function of the maximum power that is released.

Claims

1. A method of operating a motor vehicle by a computer unit of the motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

determining, by the computer unit, at least one weighting value in a manner influenced by a vehicle user;

determining, by the computer unit, an allocation value for a predefined electrical consumer of the motor vehicle as a function of the weighting value;

determining, by the computer unit, a maximum released power, which the predefined electrical consumer of the motor vehicle may consume, as a function of the allocation value; and

controlling, by the computer unit, a power consumption of the electrical consumer as a function of the maximum power that is released.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of determining, by the computer unit, the weighting value as a function of an input of the vehicle user.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the act of determining, via a performance monitor, the weighting value as a function of at least one operating variable of the motor vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

optimizing, by the computer unit, the maximum released power, which the electrical consumer of the motor vehicle may consume, based on at least one quality function and as a function of the weighting value; and

controlling, by the computer unit, power consumption of the electrical consumer as a function of the optimized maximum released power.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

determining, by the computer unit, a limited functionality of the electrical consumer; and

signaling, by the computer unit, the determined limited functionality via at least one of a visual cue, an auditory cue, and a tactile cue.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

determining, by the computer unit, at least one of an additional and reduced energy consumption in comparison to an energy consumption when the maximum released power, which the electrical consumer of the motor vehicle may consume, is determined as a function of at least one predefined target weighting value; and

signaling, by the computer unit, the at least one of the additional and reduced energy consumption by one of a visual cue and an auditory cue.

4. A method of operating a motor vehicle by a computer unit of the motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

determining, by the computer unit, at least one weighting value in a manner influenced by a vehicle user;

determining, by the computer unit, a functional variable for a predefined electrical consumer of the motor vehicle as a function of the weighting value;

determining, by the computer unit, a maximum released power, which the electrical consumer may consume, as a function of a predefined allocation function and the determined functional variable for the electrical consumer; and

controlling, by the computer unit, a power consumption of the electrical consumer as a function of the maximum released power.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the act of:

determining, by the computer unit, the maximum released power as a function of a total electric energy available for predefined electrical consumers of the motor vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein

the functional variable is representative of a sum of a normalized functional variable and a setting value, the setting value being determined as a function of the weighting value.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein

the functional variable is representative of a sum of a normalized functional variable and a setting value, the setting value being determined as a function of the weighting value.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein

the functional variable is representative of a product of a normalized functional variable and a setting value, the setting value being determined as a function of the weighting value.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein

the functional variable is representative of a product of a normalized functional variable and a setting value, the setting value being determined as a function of the weighting value.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the predefined allocation function is represented by the following equation:

f(x)=1−

(1−

x)z

where

x;

normalized energy availability

f(x);

normalized maximum power that is released

z;

functional variable.

14. A device for operating a motor vehicle, comprising:

a computer unit of the motor vehicle, the computer unit comprising;

a weighting value determining unit that determines at least one weighting value in a manner influenced by a vehicle user,

a maximum released power determining unit that determines a maximum released power, which a predefined electrical consumer of the motor vehicle may consume, as a function of the at least one weighting value, and

a power consumption control unit that controls power consumption of the electrical consumer as a function of the maximum released power; and

an input unit operatively coupled with the computer unit, the input unit comprising a control panel operatively configured as a sensor screen providing a geometric shape having a plurality of corners, wherein a number of corners of the geometric shape is equal to a number of weighting values.

15. A method of operating a motor vehicle by a computer unit of the motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

determining, by the computer unit, at least one weighting value in a manner influenced by a vehicle user;

determining, by the computer unit, a maximum released power, which a predefined electrical consumer of the motor vehicle may consume, as a function of the weighting value;

controlling, by the computer unit, a power consumption of the electrical consumer as a function of the maximum released power; and

displaying, on a sensor screen of a control panel operatively coupled with the computer unit, a geometric shape having a plurality of corners, wherein a number of corners of the geometric shape is equal to a number of weighting values.

16. A device for operating a motor vehicle, comprising:

a computer unit of the motor vehicle, the computer unit comprising;

a weighting value determining unit that determines at least one weighting value in a manner influenced by a vehicle user,

a functional variable determining unit that determines a functional variable as a function of the weighting value,

a maximum released power determining unit that determines a maximum released power, which a predefined electrical consumer of the motor vehicle may consume, as a function of a predefined allocation function and the determined functional variable for the electrical consumer, and

a power consumption control unit that controls power consumption of the electrical consumer as a function of the maximum released power.