System and method for adjusting battery pack state of charge thresholds

• US 9,676,289 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: He, Chuan, Wang, Xu, Chang, Xiaoguang
• Primary Examiner(s): Holloway, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/052,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20150105948A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2018 for braking on a slope
• 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 2240/465 Slip
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/647 Surface situation of road, e.g. type of paving
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/28 Accelerator pedal thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/56 Temperature prediction, e.g. for pre-cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/102 of individual wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 : Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 : Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 : Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 : responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 : by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 : by heating
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 : for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• 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 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Systems and methods for operating a battery pack supplying power to propel a vehicle are disclosed. One example method includes, increasing a battery pack state of charge window in response to a negative grade of a section of road a vehicle is traveling. The method also includes decreasing the battery pack state of charge window in response to the vehicle transitioning from traveling down a section of road having a negative grade to traveling down a section of road that has a positive or zero grade.

Claims

1. A system for operating a battery pack of a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle including a battery pack; and

a controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that when executed cause the controller to adjust a first battery pack charging limit to a first battery state of charge and adjust a second battery pack charging limit to a second battery state of charge in response to the vehicle traveling on a section of road having a non-negative grade, adjust the first battery pack charging limit to a third battery state of charge and adjust the second battery pack charging limit to a fourth battery state of charge in response to the vehicle traveling on a section of road having a negative grade, the first battery pack charging limit where reducing a power the battery pack receives toward zero begins, and where the power the battery pack receives continues to reduce until the second battery pack charging limit is reached, the power the battery pack receives reduced to zero at the second battery pack charging limit.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions for increasing a rate of power the battery pack receives, the first battery pack charging limit, and the second battery pack charging limit in response to the vehicle traveling on the section of road having the negative grade, and additional instructions for adjusting a maximum battery state of charge the battery pack may be charged in response to the vehicle traveling on the section of road having the negative grade.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising additional instructions to limit a highest state of charge the battery pack operates at full charge power in response to a road coefficient of friction, the first and second battery pack charging limits limiting an amount of power the battery pack receives.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions to increase the power the battery pack receives via increasing the first and second battery pack charging limits.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising additional instructions to decrease the first and second battery pack charging limits in response to a positive or zero road grade.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions for adjusting the first and second battery pack charging limits in response to a battery temperature.

7. The system of claim 1, where the controller is a battery pack controller, and further comprising additional instructions to increase the first battery pack charging limit and the second battery pack charging limit via proportional/integral controllers that are activated responsive to road conditions.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions for communicating a battery state of charge window that varies in response to the vehicle traveling on the section of road having the negative grade to a vehicle controller.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising additional instructions to adjust the first and second battery pack charging limits in response to a road roughness of the section of road the vehicle is traveling, and further instructions to adjust an amount of power the battery pack may receive in response to the first and second battery pack charging limits.

10. The system of claim 1, where the second battery pack charging limit is a battery pack maximum state of charge limit, and further comprising additional instructions to adjust the battery pack maximum state of charge limit in response to a coefficient of friction of a road the vehicle is traveling on.