Regenerative braking power to operate vehicle electric heater

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10036288-B2
Application number	US-201514855627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2015
Priority date	Sep 16, 2015
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle includes an electric machine configured to recharge a battery through regenerative braking, an electric heater configured to heat a powertrain lubricating oil, and a controller. The controller, in response to a temperature of the powertrain lubricating oil being less than a threshold, directs regenerative braking power to the electric heater.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
an electric machine that recharges a battery through regenerative braking;
an electric heater configured to heat powertrain and engine oils, and engine coolant; and
a controller programmed to, in response to a temperature of the powertrain oil exceeding a threshold and a temperature of the engine coolant exceeding an engine coolant threshold, direct regenerative braking power to the electric heater to selectively heat the engine or powertrain oils.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the regenerative braking power directed to the electric heater is a portion of total regenerative braking power.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the powertrain oil is transmission oil.

4. A method of heating transmission oil in a hybrid vehicle comprising:
generating power with an electric machine via regenerative braking; and
directing the power from the electric machine to a heater in order to heat the transmission oil in response to a temperature of an engine coolant being greater than a threshold.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the power directed to the heater is a portion of total regenerative braking power that exceeds a charging rate limit of a battery.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold corresponds to a minimum coolant temperature required to maximize engine efficiency.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold corresponds to a minimum coolant temperature required for an EV mode of operation.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold corresponds to a reserve coolant temperature that exceeds a minimum coolant temperature required for an EV mode of operation.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold corresponds to a minimum coolant temperature required to satisfy cabin heating requirements.

10. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold corresponds to a reserve coolant temperature that exceeds a minimum coolant temperature required to satisfy cabin heating requirements.

11. A vehicle comprising:
an engine;
an electric machine configured to recharge a battery through regenerative braking;
an electric heater configured to selectively heat an engine coolant, transmission oil, or engine oil; and
a controller programmed to direct regenerative braking power to the electric heater to heat the transmission oil in response to a temperature of the engine coolant exceeding an engine coolant threshold, and direct regenerative braking power to the electric heater to heat the engine oil in response to a temperature of the transmission oil exceeding a transmission oil threshold.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 further comprising a transmission oil heat exchanger associated with the transmission oil and fluidly coupled to the electric heater.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the controller is further programmed to actuate a coolant bypass valve to flow coolant through the transmission oil heat exchanger to heat the transmission oil.

14. The vehicle of claim 11 further comprising an engine oil heat exchanger associated with the engine oil and fluidly coupled to the electric heater.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further programmed to actuate a coolant bypass valve to flow coolant through the engine oil heat exchanger to heat the engine oil.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Leone Thomas G
• Miller Kenneth James
• Martin Douglas Raymond

Classifications

• F01P7/16

  by thermostatic control · CPC title

• B60L3/0023

  Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train · CPC title

• B60H1/04

  from cooling liquid of the plant {(B60H1/025, B60H1/03 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F01M5/001 Primary

  Heating · CPC title

• F16H57/0413

  Controlled cooling or heating of lubricant; Temperature control therefor · CPC title