Hybrid vehicle and method of heating engine coolant

• US 9,789,765 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2015
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Miller, Kenneth James, Martin, Douglas Raymond, Leone, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilgendorf, Dale W
• Application Number:
  US14/713,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20160332520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/004 for vehicles having a combustion engine and electric drive means, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4825 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/22 characterised by apparatus, components or means specially adapted for HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/10 Dynamic electric regenerative braking B60L7/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/18 Controlling the braking effect B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/16 for reducing engine exhaust emissions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0676 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/086 Power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/30 Auxiliary equipments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/305 : target power to auxiliaries
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 : Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/192 : Mitigating problems related to power-up or power-down of the driveline, e.g. start-up of a cold engine
• 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: Y10S 903/904 : Component specially adapted for hev

Abstract

A vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes an engine, an electric machine, an electric heater, and a controller. The electric machine is configured to recharge a battery through regenerative braking. The electric heater is configured to heat an engine coolant. The controller is programmed to redirect regenerative braking power to the electric heater in response to the engine coolant temperature being below a threshold.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an engine;

an electric machine configured to recharge a battery through regenerative braking and power the vehicle during an electric vehicle mode where the engine is shutdown;

an electric heater configured to heat an engine coolant; and

a controller programmed to, in response to the engine only or a combination of the engine and the electric machine powering the vehicle prior to a temperature of the engine coolant increasing to a minimum temperature that coincides with a transition of the vehicle to the electric vehicle mode, direct regenerative braking power to the electric heater.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the regenerative braking power redirected to the electric heater is a portion of the total regenerative braking power that exceeds a charging rate limit of the battery.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the minimum temperature is a temperature of the engine coolant required to maximize efficiency of the engine.

4. A method of heating engine coolant in a hybrid vehicle comprising:

generating power with an electric machine via regenerative braking; and

directing the power from the electric machine to an electric heater in order to heat the engine coolant in response to an engine only or a combination of the engine and the electric machine powering the vehicle prior to a temperature of the engine coolant increasing to a minimum temperature that coincides with a transition of the vehicle to a mode where the electric machine powers the vehicle alone.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the power directed to the electric heater is a portion of total regenerative braking power that exceeds a charging rate limit of a battery.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the minimum temperature is a temperature of the coolant required to maximize engine efficiency.

7. A vehicle comprising:

an engine;

an electric machine configured to recharge a battery through regenerative braking;

an electric heater configured to heat an engine coolant;

a controller programmed to, in response to the engine powering the vehicle prior to the engine coolant increasing to a threshold temperature that coincides with a transition of the vehicle to a mode where the electric machine alone powers the vehicle, direct regenerative braking power to the electric heater.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the regenerative braking power directed to the electric heater is a portion of the total regenerative braking power that exceeds a charging rate limit of the battery.

9. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the threshold temperature is a temperature of the engine coolant required to maximize efficiency of the engine.