Reconfigurable system with minimum mobility mode

• US 9,205,834 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Uehara, Yasuo, Prokhorov, Danil
• Primary Examiner(s): Patton, Spencer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/318,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20150375738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/28 including control of fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/50 Control strategies for responding to system failures, e.g. for fault diagnosis, failsafe operation or limp mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0295 Inhibiting action of specific actuators or systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2400/00 Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/06 Combustion engines, Gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/08 Electric propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A method includes detecting a fault of a component of a vehicle. The method also includes providing a plurality of modes of operation for the vehicle including an engine only mode, an electric only mode, a hybrid mode, a partial engine only mode, a partial electric only mode and a partial hybrid mode. At least two of the plurality of modes of operation that avoid use of the faulty component are displayed on a display screen, and a selection of one of the at least two of the plurality of modes of operation that are displayed on the display screen is received. The method includes activating at least one electric, mechanical or software isolator to isolate or disengage at least one component associated with electric propulsion of the vehicle or at least one component associated with combustion engine propulsion of the vehicle that includes the faulty component.

Claims

1. A method for reconfiguring the operations of a vehicle comprising:

detecting, using a sensor, a fault of a component that is associated with electric propulsion of the vehicle or combustion engine propulsion of the vehicle;

providing, using a processor, a plurality of modes of operation for the vehicle, the plurality of modes of operation including an engine only mode, an electric only mode, a hybrid mode, a backup combustion mode, a backup electric mode and a backup hybrid mode;

displaying, using a display screen, at least two of the plurality of modes of operation that avoid use of the faulty component;

receiving, using the processor, a selection of one of the at least two of the plurality of modes of operation that are displayed on the display screen; and

activating, using the processor, at least one electric, mechanical or software isolator to isolate or disengage at least one component associated with electric propulsion of the vehicle that includes the faulty component or at least one component associated with combustion engine propulsion of the vehicle that includes the faulty component.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensor is at least one of a digital thermometer, an analog thermometer, a thermocouple, an ohmmeter, a voltmeter, an ammeter, an alternating current signal sensor, a capacitance sensor, an inductance sensor, a pressure sensor, a microphone, an air-fuel ration meter, a crankshaft position sensor, a hall effect sensor, a manifold absolute pressure sensor, a mass flow sensor, an oxygen sensor, a throttle position sensor, a torque sensor, a turbine speed sensor, a variable reluctance sensor, a water sensor, a state of charge sensor, a motion sensor, or a microphone.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the faulty component is one of a battery, a battery pack, an inverter, a motor, a generator, an engine or a starter or is associated with an engine cylinder.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the backup hybrid mode includes at least one of an isolated battery, an isolated engine cylinder or an isolated generator.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the backup combustion mode includes an isolated engine cylinder.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the components associated with electric propulsion of the vehicle include a battery, an inverter, a motor and a generator.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the components associated with combustion engine propulsion include an internal combustion engine.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one isolator includes at least one of a mechanical isolator between an engine of the vehicle and an axle of the vehicle, a mechanical isolator between a motor-generator of the vehicle and an axle of the vehicle, an electrical isolator between a generator of the vehicle and the axle of the vehicle, or an electrical isolator between a battery of the vehicle and the motor-generator of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the plurality of modes of operation for the vehicle includes retrieving the plurality of modes of operation for the vehicle from a memory.

10. A system for reconfiguring the operations of a vehicle comprising:

a sensor for detecting a fault of a component that is associated with electric propulsion of the vehicle or combustion engine propulsion of the vehicle;

a display screen; and

a processor configured to;

provide the plurality of modes of operation for the vehicle, the plurality of modes of operation including an engine only mode, an electric only mode, a hybrid mode, a backup combustion mode, a backup electric mode and a backup hybrid mode,

instruct the display screen to display at least two of the plurality of modes of operation that avoid use of the faulty component,

receive a selection of one of the at least two of the plurality of modes of operation that are displayed on the display screen, and

activate at least one electric, mechanical or software isolator to isolate at least one component associated with electric propulsion of the vehicle that includes the faulty component or at least one component associated with combustion engine propulsion of the vehicle that includes the faulty component.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the sensor is at least one of a digital thermometer, an analog thermometer, a thermocouple, an ohmmeter, a voltmeter, an ammeter, an alternating current signal sensor, a capacitance sensor, an inductance sensor, a pressure sensor, a microphone, an air-fuel ration meter, a crankshaft position sensor, a hall effect sensor, a manifold absolute pressure sensor, a mass flow sensor, an oxygen sensor, a throttle position sensor, a torque sensor, a turbine speed sensor, a variable reluctance sensor, a water sensor, a state of charge sensor, a motion sensor, or a microphone.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the faulty component is one of a battery, a battery pack, an inverter, a motor, a generator, an engine or a starter, or is associated with an engine cylinder.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the backup hybrid mode includes an isolated battery, an isolated engine cylinder or an isolated generator.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the backup combustion mode includes an isolated engine cylinder.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the components associated with electric propulsion of the vehicle include a battery, an inverter, a motor and a generator.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the components associated with combustion engine propulsion include an internal combustion engine.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one isolator includes at least one of a mechanical isolator between an engine of the vehicle and an axle of the vehicle, a mechanical isolator between a motor-generator of the vehicle and an axle of the vehicle, an electrical isolator between a generator of the vehicle and the axle of the vehicle, or an electrical isolator between a battery of the vehicle and the motor-generator of the vehicle.

18. The system of claim 10 further comprising a memory configured to store the plurality of modes.

19. A method for reconfiguring the operations of a vehicle comprising:

detecting, using a sensor, a fault of a component that is associated with a first propulsion system of the vehicle or a second propulsion system of the vehicle;

providing, using a processor, a plurality of modes of operation for the vehicle, the plurality of modes of operation including a first propulsion system only mode, a second propulsion system only mode, a backup first propulsion system mode, a backup second propulsion system mode, and a backup hybrid propulsion system mode of the first propulsion system and the second propulsion system;

displaying, using a display screen, at least two of the plurality of modes of operation that avoid use of the faulty component;

receiving, using the processor, a selection of one of the at least two of the plurality of modes of operation that are displayed on the display screen; and

activating, using the processor, at least one electric, mechanical or software isolator to isolate at least one component associated with the first propulsion system of the vehicle or at least one component associated with the second propulsion system of the vehicle that includes the faulty component.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first propulsion system of the vehicle includes combustion engine propulsion or electric propulsion and the second propulsion system of the vehicle includes fuel cell propulsion.