System and method for solar-powered control of exhaust after-treatment systems

• US 9,169,763 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Atluri, Venkata Prasad, Narayanaswamy, Kushal, Najt, Paul M., He, Yongsheng, Raghavan, Madhusudan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, Audrey K
• Assistant Examiner(s): MATTHIAS, JONATHAN R
• Application Number:
  US13/083,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20120255279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 602/84, 602/86, 603/00, 603/03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/04 of the electric storage means for propulsion exchanging batteries for electric propulsion of vehicles B60L53/80; for auxiliary purposes only B60R16/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 13/04 concerning exhaust collecting exhaust gases with central suction systems not forming part of vehicles, e.g. in workshops or tunnels B08B15/002, otherwise along carriageways E01C1/005; extensions for melting snow on roads E01H5/00, E01H6/00; exhaust or silencing apparatus for internal combustion engines per se F01N; pipes, joints or supports therefor F16L
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 16/00 Arrangements in connection with power supply of propulsion units in vehicles from forces of nature, e.g. sun or wind electric propulsion with power supply from forces of nature, e.g. sun or wind B60L8/00; marine propulsion by wind motors driving water-engaging propulsive elements B63H13/00; wind motors specially adapted for installation on vehicles F03D9/32
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0411 Arrangement in the front part of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/0444 Arrangement on a trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2016/003 solar power driven
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/08 said parameters being related to the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/12 said parameters being related to the vehicle exterior
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/027 using electric or magnetic heating means
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/2026 directly electrifying the catalyst substrate, i.e. heating the electrically conductive catalyst substrate by joule effect
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 9/00 Electrical control of exhaust gas treating apparatus monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus F01N11/00; conjoint electrical control of two or more combustion engine functions F02D43/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/90 Energy harvesting concepts as power supply for auxiliaries' energy consumption, e.g. photovoltaic sun-roof

Abstract

A system and method for providing energy to auto systems such as systems after-treating exhaust. Energy may be received from a solar energy source electrically connected to an after-treatment system. At least some of the energy from the solar energy source may be provided to the after-treatment system to purify exhaust from an engine. A control module may provide at least some of the energy from the solar energy source to a heater, for example, to initiate heating the after-treatment system prior to starting the engine. The heater may heat the after-treatment to temperatures within a predetermined temperature range associated with optimal efficiency for the after-treatment system.

Claims

1. A control system for solar-powered exhaust after-treatment system comprising:

a plurality of photovoltaic cells mounted on a vehicle;

an energy storage system having separate high voltage and low voltage storage batteries;

a power control module, stored in a memory, configured to allocate electricity generated by the photovoltaic cells between the high voltage and the low voltage storage batteries in accordance with predicted sunlight availability received from one or more telemetric providers; and

an after-treatment system powered from electricity from the energy storage system, the after-treatment system in communication with an after-treatment control module, stored in a memory, configured to distribute electricity from the energy storage system to the after-treatment system in accordance with a driving mode in which the vehicle is operating.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the after-treatment control module is further configured to direct electricity from the energy storage system in accordance with predicted driving modes received from the one or more telemetric providers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the driving mode includes a park mode.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the driving mode includes a state of acceleration.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the driving mode includes a state of deceleration.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the after-treatment system includes a heater, which further includes an electrically heated converter (EHC).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the after-treatment control module is further configured to allocate power to the exhaust after-treatment system responsively to detection of a threshold temperature by at least one temperature sensor disposed in the exhaust after-treatment system.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the energy storage system is configured to receive electricity from the photovoltaic cells at a voltage exceeding a storage voltage of the low voltage storage battery of 12 volts.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the energy storage system is configured to receive electricity from the photovoltaic cells at a voltage ranging between 13.5 and 16.5volts.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a DC-DC converter configured to increase voltage of electricity received from the photovoltaic cells.

11. A method for allocating energy to a solar-powered exhaust after-treatment system comprising:

using a power control module, stored in a memory, to;

allocate electricity generated by photovoltaic cells between high voltage and low voltage storage batteries in accordance with predicted sunlight availability received from one or more telemetric providers, wherein the high voltage and low voltage storage batteries comprise at least part of an energy storage system; and

distribute electricity from the energy storage system to an after-treatment system in a vehicle in accordance with a driving mode in which the vehicle is operating.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the driving mode includes a parking mode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the driving mode includes a state of deceleration or acceleration.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the power control module is further configured to distribute electricity from the energy storage system in accordance with predicted driving modes received from the one or more telemetric providers.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the power control module is further configured to allocate electricity generated by photovoltaic cells between the high voltage and the low voltage storage batteries in accordance with geographical factors received from the one or more telemetric providers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the geographical factors includes terrain.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the wherein the geographical factors includes altitude.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the energy storage system is configured to receive electricity from the photovoltaic cells at a voltage exceeding a storage voltage of the low voltage storage battery of 12 volts.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the energy storage system is configured to receive electricity from the photovoltaic cells at a voltage ranging between 13.5 and 16.5 volts.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the energy storage system is linked to a DC-DC converter, the DC-DC convertor configured to increase voltage of electricity received from the photovoltaic cells.