Electrified vehicle energy dissipation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10377243-B2
Application number	US-201715416627-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2017
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

An exemplary electrified vehicle assembly includes a coolant circuit and a controller configured to selectively direct energy into at least one component of the coolant circuit to provide a negative wheel torque.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electrified vehicle assembly, comprising:
a coolant circuit; and
a controller configured to direct energy from an energy recovery mechanism into at least one component of the coolant circuit when an energy dissipation mode is activated, and configured to direct energy from the energy recovery mechanism into a battery of an electrified vehicle when the energy dissipation mode is not activated, the energy dissipation mode activated in response to a grade.

2. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one component comprises an electric coolant pump.

3. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one component comprises an electric fan.

4. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one component comprises an electric heater.

5. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one component of the cooling circuit comprises each of an electric coolant pump, an electric fan, and an electric heater.

6. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle battery, the controller selectively direct energy into the at least one component of the coolant circuit in response to an energy level of the vehicle battery.

7. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle battery, the controller selectively direct energy into the at least one component of the coolant circuit in response to a temperature of the vehicle battery.

8. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electrified vehicle assembly is within a hybrid electric vehicle.

9. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the energy recovery device is a regenerative braking system that resists rotation of at least one wheel of the electrified vehicle.

10. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the energy dissipation mode is activated in response to the grade being greater than a threshold grade.

11. The electrified vehicle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the energy dissipation mode is activated in response to descending the grade for a set period of time.

12. A method of dissipating energy within an electrified vehicle, comprising:
directing an amount of energy generated by an energy recovery device to at least one component of a coolant circuit of an electrified vehicle when an energy dissipation mode is activated, and directing the amount of energy to a battery when the energy dissipation mode is not activated, the energy dissipation mode selectively activated in response to a grade.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one component of the cooling circuit comprises at least one of an electric coolant pump, an electric fan, or an electric heater.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising powering the at least one component of the coolant circuit in response to an energy level of a battery of the electrified vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising powering in response to a temperature of a battery of the electrified vehicle.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising using the energy recovery device to resist rotation of at least one wheel to maintain a speed of the electrified vehicle when the electrified vehicle is descending a grade.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the energy recovery device comprises a regenerative braking system.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the energy dissipation mode is activated in response to the grade being greater than a threshold grade.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the energy dissipation mode is activated in response to descending the grade for a set period of time.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Badger Justin Reuel
• Kava Christopher Michael
• Rockwell Mark Anthony
• Mitchem Donald

Classifications

• B60L58/26

  by cooling · CPC title

• B60W20/00

  Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles {(hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L)} · CPC title

• B60W10/30

  including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps · CPC title

• B60K6/445

  Differential gearing distribution type · CPC title

• B60W10/08

  including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators · CPC title