Mitigating environmental-control load for a hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10632818-B2
Application number	US-201715783567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 13, 2017
Priority date	Oct 13, 2017
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

A method and device for mitigating environmental-control load for a hybrid vehicle are disclosed. In operation, a determination is made as to whether a hybrid vehicle is at a high-power operational mode. When the hybrid vehicle is at a high-power operational mode, a determination of an estimated time-of-travel to a low-power operational mode is made based on vehicle trajectory plan data. Heat-load buffer data is generated based on the estimated time to prolong a passenger comfort setting during the low-power operational mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method in a vehicle control unit for a hybrid vehicle, the method comprising:
receiving vehicle trajectory plan data having at least a first speed zone and a second speed zone, the first speed zone being for a high-power operational mode and the second speed zone being for a low-power operational mode;
determining whether vehicle sensor data indicates the hybrid vehicle is in the first speed zone;
when the vehicle sensor data indicates the first speed zone:
determining an estimated time-of-travel to the second speed zone based on the vehicle trajectory plan data;
generating heat-load buffer data for prolonging a temperature setting implemented in the first speed zone into at least a portion of the second speed zone based on the estimated time-of-travel;
converting heat-load buffer data to environmental-control data; and
transmitting the environmental-control data for implementing the heat-load buffer data.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating low-power environmental-control data based on the heat-load buffer data for the second speed zone; and
transmitting the low-power environmental-control data to further prolong the temperature setting in the second speed zone.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the estimated time-of-travel to the second speed zone further comprises:
determining a distance for reaching the second speed zone from current hybrid-vehicle location data; and
determining current range data for the hybrid vehicle, based on current fuel level data and vehicle fuel efficiency data.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the distance for reaching the second speed zone from the current hybrid-vehicle location is based on at least one of:
traffic congestion data;
map speed limit data;
destination data;
historic travel data;
refueling waypoint data; and
crowdsource data.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on current range data, whether the hybrid vehicle can reach the second speed zone without refueling; and
in response to determining that the vehicle cannot reach the second speed zone without refueling, determining an estimated time for reaching a subsequent second speed zone based on a refueling waypoint.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the vehicle trajectory plan data comprises at least one of:
current location data;
map layer data; and
destination data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the high-power operational mode includes enabling a combustible-fuel engine of the hybrid vehicle; and
the low-power operational mode includes enabling an electric-based engine of the hybrid vehicle.

8. A method in a vehicle control unit for a hybrid vehicle, the method comprising:
determining whether the hybrid vehicle is in a high-power operational mode;
when at a high-power operational mode:
determining an estimated time-of-travel to a change to a low-power operational mode based on vehicle trajectory plan data;
generating heat-load buffer data based on the estimated time for prolonging a temperature setting implemented while in the high-power operational mode into at least a portion of operation in the low-power operational mode;
converting heat-load buffer data to environmental-control data; and
transmitting the environmental-control data for implementing the heat-load buffer data.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
generating low-power environmental-control data based on the heat-load buffer data for a second low power operational mode; and
transmitting the low-power environmental-control data to further prolong the temperature setting in the second low-power operational mode.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the determining the estimated time-of-travel to the change to the low-power operational mode further comprises:
determining a distance from the vehicle trajectory plan data for reaching the low-power operational mode from current hybrid-vehicle location data; and
determining current range data for the hybrid vehicle, based on current fuel level data and vehicle fuel efficiency data.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the distance for reaching the low-power operational mode from the current hybrid-vehicle location being is on at least one of:
traffic congestion data;
map speed limit data;
destination data;
historic travel data;
refueling waypoint data; and
crowdsource data.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining, based on current range data, whether the hybrid vehicle can reach the low-power operational mode without refueling; and
in response to determining that the vehicle cannot reach the low-power operational mode without refueling, determining an estimated time for reaching a subsequent low-power operational mode based on a refueling waypoint.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the vehicle trajectory plan data comprises at least one of:
current location data;
map layer data; and
destination data.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the high-power operational mode includes enabling a combustible fuel engine of the hybrid vehicle; and
the low-power operational mode includes enabling an electric-based engine of the hybrid vehicle.

15. A vehicle control unit for a hybrid vehicle comprising:
a communication interface to service communication with a network;
a processor communicably coupled to the communication interface; and
memory communicably coupled to the processor and storing:
an environmental transition module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive, via the network, vehicle trajectory plan data having at least a first speed zone and a second speed zone, the first speed zone being for a high-power operational mode and the second speed zone being for a low-power operational mode;
determine whether vehicle sensor data, retrieved via the network, indicates the hybrid vehicle is in the first speed zone; and
when the vehicle sensor data indicates the first speed zone, determine an estimated time to the second speed zone based on the vehicle trajectory plan data;

a passenger comfort module including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate heat-load buffer data for prolonging a temperature setting implemented in the first speed zone into at least a portion of the second speed zone based on an estimated time-of-travel to the second speed zone;
convert heat-load buffer data to environmental-control data; and
transmit the environmental-control data for implementing the heat-load buffer data.

16. The vehicle control unit of claim 15 , wherein the passenger comfort module including further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate low-power environmental-control data based on the heat-load buffer data for the second speed zone; and
transmit the low-power environmental-control data to further prolong the temperature setting in the second speed zone.

17. The vehicle control unit of claim 15 , wherein the passenger comfort module including further instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine the estimated time-of-travel to the second speed zone by:
determining a distance for reaching the second speed zone from current hybrid-vehicle location data; and
determining current range data for the hybrid vehicle, based on current fuel level data and vehicle fuel efficiency data.

18. The vehicle control unit of claim 17 , wherein the distance for reaching

Assignees

• Toyota Eng & Mfg North America

Inventors

• Wrobel Shannon Alicia
• Payne Joshua D
• Stefanon Heraldo F

Classifications

• G01C21/3469 Primary

  Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects · CPC title

• B60L2240/12

  Speed · CPC title

• B60L58/12

  responding to state of charge [SoC] · CPC title

• B60H2001/2262

  related to the period of on/off time of the heater · CPC title

• B60L50/16

  with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion · CPC title