Limited operating strategy for an electric vehicle

• US 9,114,709 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Stanek, Joseph F., Treharne, William David, Skaff, Ryan J., Ochocinski, Christopher Adam, Gilman, Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parries, Dru
• Application Number:
  US13/404,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20130221741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 307/9.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/34 Cabin temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/12 by confirmation, e.g. of the input
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 : of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 : having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 : for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 : for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 : adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 : for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 : Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 : Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 : in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 : for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 : for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 : The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• 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 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

A vehicle is provided with a climate control system and a battery that is connected to the climate control system for supplying power. The vehicle also includes at least one controller that is configured to receive input indicative of a battery power limit and a battery state of charge (BSOC). The at least one controller is also configured to disable the climate control system and reduce the battery power limit to an intermediate power limit, when the BSOC is less than a discharge limit.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a climate control system;

a motor configured to provide drive torque;

a battery for supplying power to the climate control system and the motor; and

a controller configured to;

receive input indicative of a battery state of charge (BSOC) and a state of charge (SOC) recalibration request, and

disable the climate control system, override the request and reduce the power available to the motor, when the BSOC is less than a discharge limit.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the climate control system further comprises a heater and an HVAC compressor, and wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:

receive input indicative of power provided to the heater and power provided to the HVAC compressor; and

prevent disabling of the climate control system when power is provided to both the heater and the HVAC compressor concurrently.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the discharge limit is between 7% BSOC and 15% BSOC.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to reduce a battery power limit to an intermediate power limit when the BSOC is less than the discharge limit, and wherein the intermediate power limit is between 8 kW and 50 kW.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the intermediate power limit is between 40 kW and 45 kW.

6. A vehicle system comprising:

a battery configured to supply power to a motor and a climate control system; and

a controller configured to;

receive input indicative of a battery state of charge (BSOC) and a state of charge (SOC) recalibration request, and

disable the climate control system, override the request and reduce the power available to the motor, when the BSOC is less than a discharge limit and greater than a maximum discharge limit.

7. The vehicle system of claim 6 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:

receive input indicative of a total power supplied by the battery; and

reduce the power available to the motor at a controlled ramp rate when the total power is greater than an intermediate power limit.

8. The vehicle system of claim 6 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:

receive input indicative of a total power supplied by the battery; and

reduce the power available to the motor at a step rate when the total power is less than an intermediate power limit.

9. The vehicle system of claim 6 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:

receive input indicative of a defrost status; and

prevent disabling of the climate control system when defrost is active.

10. The vehicle system of claim 6 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:

receive input indicative of a defrost request; and

upon disabling the climate control system, enabling the climate control system in response to the defrost request.

11. The vehicle system of claim 6 wherein the at least one controller is further configured to:

reduce a battery power limit to an intermediate power limit between 8 kW and 12 kW in response to the SOC recalibration request.

12. The vehicle system of claim 6 wherein the maximum discharge limit is between 3% BSOC and 7% BSOC.

13. A method for limiting operation of an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

supplying battery power to a motor for vehicle propulsion;

receiving input indicative of a battery state of charge (BSOC), a state of charge (SOC) recalibration request and a defrost status;

reducing the battery power available to the motor and overriding the request when the BSOC is less than a discharge limit; and

disabling a climate control system when the BSOC is less than the discharge limit and the defrost status is inactive.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving input indicative of a total power supplied by the battery; and

reducing the battery power available to the motor at a controlled ramp rate when the total power is greater than an intermediate power limit.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving input indicative of a total power supplied by the battery; and

reducing the battery power available to the motor at a step rate when the total power is less than an intermediate power limit.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

displaying a limited operation message when the BSOC is less than the discharge limit.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the discharge limit is between 7% BSOC and 15% BSOC.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the intermediate power limit is between and 40 kW and 50 kW.