Method of operating vehicle and associated system

• US 9,248,825 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: King, Robert Dean, Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair, Sedziol, Roland Sidney, Salasoo, Lembit, Richter, Timothy Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US14/224,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20140207321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/22 Microcars, e.g. golf cars
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/32 Waterborne vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• 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 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/12 using control strategies taking into account route information estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/02 related to ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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 method of operating a vehicle having an electric drive is provided. The method includes defining a first zone and a second zone. The first zone has an associated first characteristic and the second zone has an associated second characteristic that differs from the first characteristic. The method further includes switching an operating mode of a vehicle from a first operating mode in the first zone to a second operating mode in the second zone in response to the vehicle translating from the first zone to the second zone. Associated vehicles and systems are provided also.

Claims

1. A system for determining information associated with a vehicle, the system comprising:

a controller operable to determine a saved amount of fuel and a reduced amount of emissions; and

a sensor operable to measure an amount of energy supplied by an energy storage device and to communicate information about the amount of energy to the controller,

wherein the controller is operable to determined the saved amount of fuel and the reduced amount of emissions based on the amount of the energy supplied by the energy storage device and information correlating an amount of energy used by the vehicle to an amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle and an amount of emissions emitted by the vehicle, for reducing tax liability of the vehicle.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the energy supplied by the energy storage device was provided to the energy storage device by regenerative braking of the vehicle.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the correlating information refers to an engine only propelled vehicle that consumes fuel and emits emissions, so that the amount of fuel saved or emissions reduced is an amount referring to an instant vehicle relative to the engine only propelled vehicle.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a display screen secured to the vehicle, that displays the amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle and the amount of emissions emitted by the vehicle.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a locomotive, a passenger vehicle, a medium or light duty van, a truck, a bus, a heavy duty truck, a construction equipment, an off-highway vehicle, a boat, a ship or a submarine.

6. A method for determining information associated with a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a saved amount of fuel and a reduced amount of emissions, using a controller;

measuring an amount of energy supplied by an energy storage device and communicating information about the amount of energy to the controller; and

determining the saved amount of fuel and the reduced amount of emissions based on the amount of energy supplied by the energy storage device and information correlating an amount of energy used by the vehicle to an amount of fuel consumed by the vehicle and an amount of emissions emitted by the vehicle, for reducing tax liability of the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

switching an operating mode of the vehicle from a first operating mode in a first zone having an associated first characteristic to a second operating mode in a second zone having an associated second characteristic that differs from the first characteristic in response to the vehicle translating from the first zone to the second zone.