Device and method for controlling battery SOC of hybrid vehicle

• US 9,527,399 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2014
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Tae Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/569,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20160052420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 745 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/54 related to batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/642 Slope of road
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• 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 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

A device and a method for controlling a battery SOC of a hybrid vehicle that utilizes a 3D map database navigation system includes: checking a gradient condition of a road ahead and soliciting feedback from the driver as to an intended driving direction, and determining whether to control to charge or discharge a battery of the hybrid vehicle in accordance with the gradient condition of the road ahead so that the predictive energy management control of the hybrid vehicle is performed even when the driver does not set the driving route using the navigation.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a battery State of Charge (SOC) of a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

a navigation system which provides a driving route and gradient information within a predetermined distance ahead;

a controlling determining unit which determines whether it is required to control the battery SOC based on the information provided from the navigation system, a vehicle speed, and SOC information;

a user interface which receives a feedback of a driving direction from a driver when it is determined that it is required to control the battery SOC; and

a charging/discharging scheduler unit which sets a reference SOC trajectory by calculating an SOC amount based on the driving path and the gradient information within the predetermined distance ahead and charges or discharges the battery within the set reference SOC trajectory, when the feedback of the driving direction from the driver is received,

wherein the controlling determining unit outputs a flag for controlling the battery SOC after receiving the feedback of the driving route from the driver when there is a crossroad in the driving route within the predetermined distance ahead.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an engine driving point determining unit which determines an engine driving point in accordance with a current battery SOC; and

an engine compensating torque calculating unit which adds a compensating torque in accordance with the reference SOC trajectory to an engine output torque which is output from the engine driving point driving unit to adjust an engine driving point.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises:

a notifying unit which notifies the driver that the SOC needs to be controlled in accordance with a road gradient ahead; and

a feedback input unit which inputs an intended driving direction of the driver.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the notifying unit employs one or more of an instrument cluster, a navigation system, and a head-up display.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the feedback input unit employs one or more of a soft button on the navigation system, a button on a steering wheel, a paddle shift, and a voice command recognizing unit.

6. A method of controlling a battery SOC of a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

a controlling determining step of determining whether it is required to control charging or discharging of a battery for every battery SOC based on a driving route and gradient information within a predetermined distance ahead and a vehicle speed, and SOC information;

a user interface executing step of receiving a feedback of a driving direction from a driver when it is determined that it is required to control the charging or discharging of the battery;

a charging or discharging scheduling step of setting a reference SOC trajectory by calculating an SOC amount based on the driving route and the gradient information within a predetermined distance ahead when the feedback of the driving direction from the driver is received and controlling to charge or discharge the battery within the set reference SOC trajectory; and

outputting a flag for controlling the battery SOC for the charging or discharging scheduling when it is determined to satisfy the condition that the calculated predictive required power or an average gradient value is equal to or larger than or equal to or smaller than a predetermined limit and the current battery SOC is maintained in a predetermined band,

wherein when there is a crossroad in the driving route within the predetermined distance ahead, the flag for controlling the battery SOC is output after receiving the feedback of the driving route from the driver.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the controlling determining step comprises:

calculating predictive required power of a vehicle in accordance with the driving route and the gradient condition within the predetermined distance ahead under a predetermined vehicle speed condition.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein when the current SOC of the battery is out of a predetermined band or the vehicle speed is lowered below a predetermined vehicle speed, the controlling determining step is released.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the user interface executing step comprises:

notifying to the driver that the SOC needs to be controlled in accordance with a road gradient ahead; and

directly inputting an intended driving direction of the driver through a feedback input unit by the driver.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

a step of determining an engine driving point in accordance with a current battery SOC; and

an engine compensating torque calculating step of adjusting the engine driving point by adding a compensating torque in accordance with the reference SOC trajectory to an engine output torque which is output in accordance with the determined engine driving point.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a controller, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that determine whether it is required to control charging or discharging of a battery of a hybrid vehicle for every battery SOC based on a driving route and gradient information within a predetermined distance ahead and a vehicle speed, and SOC information;

program instructions that receive a feedback of a driving direction from a driver when it is determined that it is required to control the charging or discharging of the battery;

program instructions that set a reference SOC trajectory by calculating an SOC amount based on the driving route and the gradient information within a predetermined distance ahead when the feedback of the driving direction from the driver is received and controlling to charge or discharge the battery within the set reference SOC trajectory; and

program instructions that output a flag for controlling the battery SOC for the charging or discharging scheduling when it is determined to satisfy the condition that the calculated predictive required power or an average gradient value is equal to or larger than or equal to or smaller than a predetermined limit and the current battery SOC is maintained in a predetermined band,

wherein when there is a crossroad in the driving route within the predetermined distance ahead, the flag for controlling the battery SOC is output after receiving the feedback of the driving route from the driver.