Electric vehicle and method of battery set-point control

• US 9,545,915 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Rinehart, Michael David, Phillips, Anthony Mark, Katsargyri, Georgia-Evangelia, Kuang, Ming Lang, Kolmanovsky, Ilya Vladimir, Michelini, John Ottavio, Dahleh, Munther Abdullah
• Primary Examiner(s): Jos, Basil T
• Application Number:
  US14/095,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20140095003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/54 Energy consumption estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• 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: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• 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: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A method includes utilizing navigation data from a navigation system to segment a route to be travelled by a travelling vehicle into segments each having a road grade different than neighboring segments. The method further includes discharging a battery of the vehicle as the vehicle travels along an initial segment of the route according to a state-of-charge (SoC) set-point based on the road grade of the initial segment and a variable representative of the road grades of at least two other segments of the route.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

utilizing navigation data from a navigation system to segment a route to be travelled by a travelling vehicle into segments each having a road grade different than neighboring segments;

discharging a battery of the vehicle, as the vehicle travels along an initial segment of the route, according to a state-of-charge (SoC) set-point from a sequence of SoC set-points for respective segments of a simpler version of the route having the initial segment, a single segment representing the last two or more segments of the route, and any remaining segments of the route, the set-point for the initial segment depending on the set-point for the single segment representing the last two or more segments of the route as the sequence is prescribed to minimize fuel consumption for the simpler version taking into account the road grade of the initial segment and a variable representative of the road grades of the last two or more segments of the route.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the variable representative of the characteristics of the last two or more segments of the route is an average of the characteristics of the last two or more segments of the route.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

discharging the battery, as the vehicle travels along a next segment of the route after the initial segment, according to a next battery SoC set-point from a next sequence of SoC set-points for respective segments of a next simpler version of the route lacking the initial segment and having the next segment and a single segment representing the last two or more segments of the route other than the initial and next segments, the next sequence being prescribed to minimize fuel consumption for the next simpler version taking into account the road grade of the next segment and a variable representative of the road grades of the last two or more segments of the route other than the initial and next segments.

4. A method comprising:

controlling a vehicle travelling along an initial segment of a route, segmented into segments having characteristics different than neighboring segments, according to a battery state-of-charge (SoC) set-point from a sequence of SoC set-points for respective segments of a simpler version of the route having the initial segment and one segment representing two or more last segments of the route, the set-points dependent on another in minimizing fuel consumption for the simpler version.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

utilizing navigation data from a navigation system to segment the route into the segments each having a characteristic different than neighboring segments while the vehicle is traveling prior to the vehicle traveling along the initial segment of the route.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the navigation data is indicative of road grade along the route such that the characteristic of each segment pertains to road grade with each segment being associated with a different road grade than neighboring segments.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the navigation data is indicative of vehicle speed along the route such that the characteristic of each segment pertains to vehicle speed with each segment being associated with a different vehicle speed than neighboring segments.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the navigation data is indicative of traffic congestion along the route such that the characteristic of each segment pertains to traffic congestion with each segment being associated with a different traffic congestion than neighboring segments.

9. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

controlling the vehicle as the vehicle travels along a next segment of the route after the initial segment according to a battery SoC set-point from a next sequence of SoC set-points for respective segments of a next simpler version of the route lacking the initial segment and having the next segment and the one segment representing two or more last segments of the route, the next sequence of set-points dependent on another in minimizing fuel consumption for the next simpler version.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein:

the characteristic of each segment pertains to vehicle speed and road grade such that each segment is associated with at least a different one of vehicle speed and road grade than neighboring segments.

11. A system comprising:

a controller in communication with a navigation system to receive navigation data indicative of a route to be travelled by a vehicle, the controller being configured to utilize the navigation data to segment the route into segments each having a characteristic different than neighboring segments and to control the vehicle as the vehicle travels along an initial segment of the route according to a state-of-charge (SoC) set-point from a sequence of SoC set-points for respective segments of a simpler version of the route having the initial segment, a single segment representing the last two or more segments of the route, and any remaining segments of the route, the set-point for the initial segment dependent on the set-point for the single segment representing the last two or more segments of the route as the sequence is prescribed to minimize fuel consumption for the simpler version taking into account the characteristic of the initial segment and a variable representative of the characteristics of the last two or more segments of the route.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein:

the variable representative of the characteristics of the last two or more segments of the route is an average of the characteristics of the last two or more segments of the route.