Known route HV control compensation

• US 9,266,529 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• 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: Dufford, Mohammad E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Assistant Examiner(s): MERLINO, DAVID P
• Application Number:
  US13/786,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20140257608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A system and method for optimizing a fuel efficiency of a hybrid vehicle by learning from a route history. The system may be a hybrid vehicle including an engine, a motor-generator, a battery, a battery module, a GPS unit, a memory, and a processor. The method may include detecting a current route of the hybrid vehicle, calculating a confidence value corresponding to a probability that the current route has a match in the route history, detecting a battery state of charge (SOC), determining a target SOC based on the confidence value and the route history, and adjusting an engine start/stop threshold and/or an engine power request to achieve the target SOC. They system may learn and improve fuel efficiency over successive trips along the route.

Claims

1. A system for optimizing fuel efficiency of a hybrid vehicle comprising:

a motor-generator;

a battery connected to the motor-generator and having a state of charge (SOC);

an engine coupled to the motor-generator and configured to recharge the battery via the motor-generator;

a memory configured to store a route history including a location at which the SOC of the battery reaches a first overflow condition that corresponds to the SOC of the battery being at or above an upper threshold or reaches a first force charge condition that corresponds to the SOC of the battery being at or below a lower threshold;

a route identification module configured to detect a current route and calculate a confidence value corresponding to a probability of the current route having a match in the route history; and

a processor configured to;

control the engine to recharge the battery based on an engine power request,

determine the SOC of the battery,

determine a target SOC that will reduce the likelihood of a second overflow condition or a second force charge condition based on comparing the current route with the route history, the target SOC being less than the upper threshold and greater than the lower threshold,

adjust the engine power request based on the target SOC and the confidence value in an attempt to prevent the SOC of the battery from reaching the upper threshold or the lower threshold, wherein an amount that the processor may adjust the engine power request may continuously or incrementally increase as the confidence value increases between a minimum confidence value and a maximum confidence value, and

update the current route in the route history by storing the target SOC.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the amount that the processor may adjust the engine power request is zero when the confidence value is below the minimum confidence value.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein updating the current route in the route history further includes storing a current location and the SOC of the battery.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the engine power request to avoid an SOC overflow.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the engine power request to avoid a force charge.

6. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

a motor-generator;

a battery connected to the motor-generator and having a state of charge (SOC);

an engine coupled to the motor-generator and configured to recharge the battery via the motor-generator;

a battery module configured to determine the SOC of the battery;

a memory configured to store a route history including a location at which the SOC of the battery reaches a first overflow condition that corresponds to the SOC of the battery being at or above an upper threshold or reaches a first force charge condition that corresponds to the SOC of the battery being at or below a lower threshold;

a route identification module configured to detect a current route and calculate a confidence value corresponding to a probability of the current route having a matching route in the route history; and

a processor configured to;

control the engine to recharge the battery based on an engine power request,

determine a target SOC that will reduce the likelihood of a second overflow condition or a second force charge condition based on comparing the current route with the route history, the target SOC being less than the upper threshold and greater than the lower threshold,

adjust the engine power request based on the target SOC and the confidence value in an attempt to prevent the SOC of the battery from reaching the upper threshold or the lower threshold, wherein an amount that the processor may adjust the engine power request may continuously or incrementally increase as the confidence value increases between a minimum confidence value and a maximum confidence value, and

update the current route in the route history by storing the target SOC.

7. The hybrid vehicle of claim 6, wherein updating the current route in the route history further includes storing a current location and the SOC of the battery.

8. The hybrid vehicle of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust the engine power request based on a feed forward adjustment.

9. The hybrid vehicle of claim 8, wherein the feed forward adjustment is based on a current grade of a road being traveled upon by the hybrid vehicle.

10. The hybrid vehicle of claim 8, wherein the feed forward adjustment is based on a current traffic condition.

11. The hybrid vehicle of claim 6, wherein the route identification module is further configured to request, from a user, a confirmation that the current route matches the matching route.

12. A method for optimizing fuel efficiency of a hybrid vehicle comprising:

detecting, by a battery module, a state of charge (SOC) of a battery;

storing, in a memory, a route history including a location at which the SOC of the battery reaches a first overflow condition that corresponds to the SOC of the battery being at or above an upper threshold or reaches a first force charge condition that corresponds to the SOC of the battery being at or below a lower threshold;

detecting, by a route identification module, a current route of the hybrid vehicle;

calculating, by the route identification module, a confidence value corresponding to a probability that the current route matches a route in the route history;

determining, by a processor, a target SOC that will reduce the likelihood of a second overflow condition or a second force charge condition based on the confidence value and the current route, the target SOC being less than the upper threshold and greater than the lower threshold;

adjusting, using the processor, a threshold of an engine indicating when the processor will cause the engine to start or stop in an attempt to prevent the SOC of the battery from reaching the upper threshold or the lower threshold, wherein an amount that the processor may adjust the threshold of the engine may continuously or incrementally increase as the confidence value increases between a minimum confidence value and a maximum confidence value; and

updating, by the processor, the current route in the route history by storing the target SOC.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising adjusting, using the processor, a power request of the engine to achieve the target SOC based on the confidence value.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein updating the current route in the route history further includes storing a current location and the SOC of the battery.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the route history further includes at least one of an altitude, a grade of a road, a vehicle speed, or a vehicle acceleration.