DISTANCE ORIENTED ENERGY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR A HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20120035795A1
• Filed: 08/04/2011
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yu, Hai, Kristinsson, Johannes Geir, McGee, Ryan Abraham
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• 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 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions

Abstract

A vehicle and a method to control a vehicle includes selecting a trip route for the vehicle using a user interface, generating a charge reference profile of a battery coupled to an electric motor based on the trip, and commanding propulsion devices in the vehicle based on a location of the vehicle with respect to the trip route such that a state of charge (SOC) of the battery tracks the reference profile.

Claims

1. A method to control a vehicle having electric motor and engine propulsion devices comprising:

selecting a trip route for the vehicle using a user interface;

generating a charge reference profile of a battery coupled to the electric motor based on the trip;

commanding the electric motor and the engine based on a location of the vehicle with respect to the trip route such that a state of charge (SOC) of the battery follows the reference profile.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising partitioning the trip route into at least one segment.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising assigning a vehicle operating mode to one of the at least one segments.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising assigning a battery SOC target level to an end of one of the at least one segments.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising providing suggested trip segments to a user through the user interface.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising commanding the electric motor and the engine to achieve target SOC of the battery at the end of the trip route.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an alternate trip route for selection through the user interface to provide an increase in vehicle fuel economy.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an input for use in generating the battery charge reference profile.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the input is one of a user selected vehicle mode, traffic information, a vehicle state, predefined trip zoning information, advanced map information, a trip segment, a distance, an environmental state, and a speed range for use in generating the battery charge reference profile.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising overriding a user selected vehicle mode such that the SOC remains within operating thresholds.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a user input through the user interface for a hold SOC of the battery for generating the battery charge reference profile, the hold SOC higher than a low operating threshold SOC of the battery.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the reference profile based on a trip route change en route.

13. A method of controlling a vehicle having at least one propulsion device comprising:

selecting a trip route;

partitioning the trip route into at least one segment;

assigning a vehicle mode of operation to each of the at least one segments such that the battery is at a specified state of charge at a specified location of the trip route; and

commanding the at least one propulsion device to operate in the vehicle mode of operation assigned to each segments based on a location of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

assigning an electric-only mode to one of the segments;

calculating an amount of battery power used by the electric mode segment; and

dividing a remaining amount of battery power across the remaining segments.

15. The method of claim 13 providing a vehicle position and route planning for the trip from a navigation system.

16. A vehicle comprising:

an electric motor;

a battery coupled to the electric motor;

an engine, wherein the electric motor and the engine are coupled to wheels of the vehicle via a transmission;

a user interface configured for a user to select a trip route for the vehicle; and

an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the user interface, the electric motor, the battery, and the engine, wherein the ECU is configured to (i) generate a charge reference profile of the battery based on the trip route, and (ii) command the electric motor and the engine based on a location of the vehicle with respect to the trip such that a state of charge (SOC) of the battery tracks the reference profile.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 further comprising a navigation system in communication with the user interface and the ECU.

18. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein one of the user interface and the ECU is configured to partition the trip route into at least one segment.

19. The vehicle if claim 18 wherein the user interface is configured for a user to select a vehicle mode of operation to correspond with each segment.

20. The vehicle of claim 16 wherein the ECU is configured to update the reference profile based on a trip route change en route.