Power management systems and devices

• US 7,925,426 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iQar Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motility Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Harper, Jason H., Goldstein, Nicole G., Koebler, Martin, Brown, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US11/283,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,972 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/200, 701 35- 36, 701/213, 701 54- 56, 701/101, 701103-104, 105/1.4, 180/65.21, 180/65.26, 340/438, 713/300, 713/324, 713/320, 320/135, 320/104, 108/54.1, 323/282, 731/150.1
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• 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

Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for managing the power consumption of an automotive vehicle, and thereby for optimizing the power consumption of the vehicle. The devices and systems for managing the power consumption of the vehicle typically include power management logic that can calculate an applied power for the vehicle engine based on information provided from the external environment of the vehicle, the operational status of the vehicle, one or more command inputs from a driver, and one or more operational parameters of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of managing the power consumption of a vehicle, comprising:

(a) a computer device receiving a route;

(b) said computer device segmenting said route into segment destinations; and

(c) said computer device for each of said segment destinations;

(i) calculating an optimized speed by minimizing power consumption over said segment destination, wherein information is (j) information about the external environment of a vehicle, (jj) information about the operational status of the vehicle, (jjj) one or more user command inputs, or (jv) one or more operational parameters of the vehicle are received as input to said calculating and analyzed by one or more processors;

(ii) calculating a probable speed;

(iii) determining an efficient speed based on said optimized speed and said probable speed; and

(iv) applying the calculated power corresponding to said determined efficient speed to the vehicle engine to travel said segment destination.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising continuously calculating said efficient speed until a final destination is reached.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining said efficient speed for the vehicle further comprises determining a historical speed for a similar destination.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the operator of the vehicle of the calculated applied power.