Plug-in vehicle eco charging mode

• US 9,248,756 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Chen, Elaine Y., Kapadia, Jimmy
• Primary Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US14/200,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20150251558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 324/433, 320/137, 320/132, 320/107, 320/109
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• 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: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/903 having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor

Abstract

A system for controlling battery charging in a vehicle includes a traction battery and a controller. The controller is configured to charge the traction battery to a SOC that is less than a maximum SOC based on an amount of charge predicted to be received from an anticipated regenerative braking event. The regenerative braking event is anticipated to occur during the next drive cycle. The target SOC may be set such that, upon occurrence of the anticipated regenerative braking event, the traction battery achieves the maximum SOC.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a fraction battery; and

a controller configured to cause the traction battery to be charged to a target state of charge (SOC) less than a maximum SOC based on an amount of charge predicted to be received from an anticipated regenerative braking event during a next drive cycle such that upon occurrence of the anticipated regenerative braking event, the traction battery achieves approximately maximum SOC, the predicted regenerative charge being based on a difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured during a previous drive cycle exceeding a calibrated threshold.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the amount is equal to a difference between the target SOC and maximum SOC.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the amount is based on a learned vehicle regenerative charging pattern.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the amount is based on a topographical profile at a detected charging location.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the topographical profile at the detected charging location is a local maximum elevation at the detected charging location.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured is calculated in response to battery SOC depleting to a calibrated level during the previous drive cycle.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured is calculated in response to a calibrated time interval or distance interval elapsing after the start of the previous drive cycle.

8. A method for charging a battery in a hybrid electric vehicle comprising:

charging the battery to a target SOC less than a maximum SOC by a predetermined charge corresponding with a predicted regenerative charge from an anticipated regenerative braking event, the predicted regenerative charge being based on a difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured during a previous drive cycle exceeding a calibrated threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined charge quantity is further based on a learned vehicle regenerative charging pattern.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the predetermined charge quantity is further based on a topographical profile at a detected charging location.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured is calculated in response to battery SOC depleting to a calibrated level during the previous drive cycle.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured is calculated in response to a calibrated time interval or distance interval elapsing after the start of the previous drive cycle.

13. A battery charger arrangement for a vehicle comprising:

a battery charger configured to, in response to an anticipated regenerative braking event based on a difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured during a previous drive cycle exceeding a calibrated threshold, charge a traction battery of the vehicle to a target SOC less than a SOC corresponding to a fully charged condition for the fraction battery.

14. The battery charger of claim 13, wherein the battery charger is further configured to, in response to user input, charge the traction battery to the SOC corresponding to an approximately fully charged condition.

15. The battery charger of claim 13, wherein the target SOC is less than the SOC corresponding to the fully charged condition by a predetermined charge quantity corresponding with an amount of charge predicted to be received from the anticipated regenerative braking event.

16. The battery charger of claim 15, wherein the predetermined charge quantity is based on a learned vehicle regenerative charging pattern.

17. The battery charger of claim 15, wherein the predetermined charge quantity is based on a topographical profile at a detected charging location.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the topographical profile at the detected charging location is a local maximum elevation at the detected charging location.

19. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured is calculated in response to battery SOC depleting to a calibrated level during the previous drive cycle.

20. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the difference between regenerative energy produced and regenerative energy captured is calculated in response to a calibrated time interval or distance interval elapsing after the start of the previous drive cycle.