Adaptive real-time driver advisory control for a hybrid electric vehicle to achieve fuel economy improvement

• US 8,538,619 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Syed, Fazal Urrahman, Filev, Dimitar Petrov, Tseng, Fling
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US13/476,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20120245775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 484 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/54, 701/55, 701/57, 701/58, 701/59, 701/70, 701 77- 80, 701/83, 701/98, 701/99, 701/123, 701/33.1, 701/33.4
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• 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 20/11 using model predictive control [MPC] strategies, i.e. control methods based on models predicting performance utilising navigation and traffic information in the control strategy B60W20/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/103 Accelerator thresholds, e.g. kickdown
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1882 characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A vehicle powertrain controller includes a fuzzy logic-based adaptive algorithm with a learning capability that estimates a driver'"'"'s long term driving preferences. An adaptive algorithm arbitrates competing requirements for good fuel economy, avoidance of intrusiveness and vehicle drivability. A driver'"'"'s acceptance or rejection of advisory information may be used to adapt subsequent advisory information to the driving style. Vehicle performance is maintained in accordance with a driver'"'"'s driving style.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a vehicle having an accelerator pedal and a controller in communication with the accelerator pedal, comprising:

generating a signal using a logic-based algorithm executed by the controller indicating an advisory accelerator pedal position based on a driver'"'"'s previous acceptance or rejection of previous driver advisory information in similar vehicle operating conditions;

calculating a forgetting factor value; and

adjusting the forgetting factor value such that the controller learns a driving style based on operating parameters during either a long operating period or a short operating period, wherein the controller applies a fast forgetting factor during a second short operating period of increased vehicle performance to reduce intrusiveness of advisory accelerator pedal positions during a second long operating period.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising normalizing a variable parameter indicative of the driver'"'"'s previous acceptance and rejection of previous driver advisory information.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising normalizing current vehicle operating parameters including vehicle acceleration, vehicle speed, and vehicle fuel consumption.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the driver'"'"'s acceptance and rejection of previous driver advisory information corresponds to a change in accelerator pedal position in response to the advisory accelerator pedal position.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the logic-based algorithm uses fuzzy logic, the method further comprising:

adapting parameters of fuzzy logic rules to each of multiple sets of vehicle driving conditions to provide the advisory accelerator pedal position to conform driving style to current driving conditions.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing frequency of a driver'"'"'s acceptance and rejection of the advisory accelerator pedal position in the controller.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the logic-based algorithm includes fuzzy rules with inputs based on fuel economy error between actual fuel economy and optimal fuel economy, and rate of change of the fuel economy error.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the fuzzy rules include inputs based on input power from a mechanical power source.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the fuzzy rules includes a first set of fuzzy rules governing steady state vehicle operating conditions and a second set of fuzzy rules governing transient operating conditions.

10. A method for controlling a vehicle comprising:

adjusting a calculated forgetting factor value such that a controller in communication with an accelerator pedal learns a driving style based on operating parameters during either a long operating period or a short operating period, wherein the controller applies a fast forgetting factor during a second short operating period of increased vehicle performance to reduce intrusiveness of advisory accelerator pedal position signals during a second long operating period.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising normalizing a variable parameter indicative of a driver'"'"'s previous acceptance and rejection of previous driver advisory information.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the driver'"'"'s acceptance and rejection of previous driver advisory information corresponds to a change in accelerator pedal position in response to the advisory accelerator pedal position.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising normalizing current vehicle operating parameters including vehicle acceleration, vehicle speed, and vehicle fuel consumption.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

storing frequency of a driver'"'"'s acceptance and rejection of the advisory accelerator pedal position in the controller.