Method and system for controlling environmentally-friendly vehicle

• US 9,662,984 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2013
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Park, Jun Yeon, Lee, Youngjo, Koh, Deukhoon, Kim, Taehyuck
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dhillon, Jagdeep
• Application Number:
  US14/107,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 307 101, 307 91, 307 106, 307 107, 307116, 320109, 320103, 701 22, 702 63, 180 6521, 180 65265, 903903
• 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 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/18 for batteries; for accumulators
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A method of controlling a low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC) of an environmentally-friendly vehicle includes measuring load current consumed by electric loads of the vehicle; identifying a state of an auxiliary battery vehicle; and when the load current is smaller than a predetermined value, and the state of the auxiliary battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, performing a first eco mode of stopping operation of the LDC for a predetermined time, and causing the auxiliary battery to supply the current necessary for the electric loads.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC) of an environmentally-friendly vehicle, comprising:

measuring a load current consumed by electric loads of the environmentally-friendly vehicle;

identifying a state of an auxiliary battery of the environmentally-friendly vehicle; and

when the load current is smaller than a predetermined value, and the state of the auxiliary battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, performing a first eco mode of stopping the operation of the LDC for a predetermined time, and causing the auxiliary battery to supply a current necessary for the electric loads,

wherein the predetermined time for which the operation of the LDC is stopped in the first eco mode is set based on a discharge map of the auxiliary battery, and

when the predetermined time elapses, the first eco mode is released.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the load current is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the state of the auxiliary battery is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and a rate of an increase in a discharge current of the auxiliary battery is smaller than a rate of an increase in the load current, performing a second eco mode of controlling an output current of the LDC to a predetermined level for the predetermined time; and

when the electric load is increased so that the rate of the increase in the load current is equal to or greater than the rate of the increase in the discharge current of the auxiliary battery, releasing the second eco mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

when a current equal to or larger than the controlled output current of the LDC is required, the auxiliary battery is controlled to supplement the current.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the predetermined value of the load current is 4 to 6 A, and the predetermined values of the state of the auxiliary battery is 80 to 90%.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

power consumed by the electric loads corresponding to the predetermined value of the load current is 100 W.

6. A system for controlling an environmentally-friendly vehicle, comprising:

a low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC) configured to convert a DC high voltage to a DC low voltage;

an auxiliary battery charged with the DC low voltage converted by the LDC, and configured to supply low voltage power to electric loads of the environmentally-friendly vehicle; and

a controller configured to control the LDC based on a state of the auxiliary battery and a load of the vehicle,

wherein the controller is operated by a stored program configured for performing the method of any one of claims 1 and 2-5.