Managing battery and engine power to propel vehicle based on upcoming road feature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10843680-B2
Application number	US-201615175249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

In one aspect, a vehicle includes an engine, a battery, a processor, and storage accessible to the processor. The storage bears instructions executable by the processor to identify a road feature and, at least in part based on the identification, apportion power between the engine and the battery to propel the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
an engine;
a battery;
at least one processor; and
storage accessible to the at least one processor and comprising instructions executable by the at least one processor to:
identify at least one upcoming road feature; and
at least in part based on the identification of the at least one upcoming road feature, apportion power between the engine and the battery to propel the vehicle at least in part by averaging power from the battery from a current charge level to a threshold charge level lower than the current charge level throughout travel to the at least one upcoming road feature to propel the vehicle to the at least one upcoming road feature.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to:
predict an amount of charging the battery is to undergo while the vehicle one or more of approaches at least one road feature and traverses the at least one road feature; and
at least in part based on the prediction, apportion power between the engine and the battery to propel the vehicle.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the at least one road feature comprises a decline, and wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to:
at least in part based on the identification of the decline, apportion power at least in part by depleting power from the battery to no more than a threshold total amount to propel the vehicle to the decline.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein power is apportioned so that revolutions per minute (RPMs) for the engine stay within an optimal range.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the optimal range maximizes fuel efficiency under at least one identified condition.

6. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the optimal range varies based on one or more of: a weight of the vehicle, a speed to be traveled to the at least one road feature.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable to:
identify a weight of at least one person in the vehicle based on input from a camera in the vehicle; and
at least in part based on the identification of the weight of the at least one person in the vehicle, apportion power between the engine and the battery to propel the vehicle.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable to:
identify a weight of the person based on input from a weight sensor in the vehicle; and
at least in part based on the identification of the weight of the person in the vehicle, apportion power between the engine and the battery to propel the vehicle.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable to:
identify an amount of people in the vehicle based on input from a camera in the vehicle; and
at least in part based on the identification of the amount of people in the vehicle, apportion power between the engine and the battery to propel the vehicle.

10. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
identifying at least one upcoming road feature;
managing, at least in part based on the identifying, use of power from an engine and a battery to propel a vehicle; and
presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) on an electronic display, the GUI comprising a selector that is selectable enable power management based on identifying upcoming road features;
wherein the at least one upcoming road feature comprises a decline, and wherein the method comprises:
at least in part based on the identifying, managing use of power from the engine and the battery to propel the vehicle at least in part by averaging power from the battery from a current charge level to a threshold charge level lower than the current charge level throughout travel to the decline to propel the vehicle to the decline.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one upcoming road feature comprises one or more of the group consisting of: a stop sign, a yield sign.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one upcoming road feature comprises an incline.

13. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
at least in part based on the identification and based on an optimal engine use range for an identified condition, managing use of power from the engine and the battery to propel the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the condition is selected from the group consisting of:
an identified weight of at least one person in the vehicle as identified based on input from a camera in the vehicle, an identified weight of at least one person in the vehicle as identified based on input from a weight sensor in the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the condition comprises an amount of people in the vehicle as identified based on input from a camera in the vehicle.

16. A computer readable storage medium (CRSM) that is not a transitory signal, the computer readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to:
identify at least one road feature;
predict an amount of charging a battery is to undergo while a vehicle traverses the at least one road feature; and
at least in part based on the prediction, average power from the battery from a current charge level to a threshold charge level lower than the current charge level as the vehicle approaches the at least one road feature to propel the vehicle to the at least one road feature.

17. The CRSM of claim 16 , wherein power is averaged based at least in part on an optimal engine use range for an identified condition.

18. The CRSM of claim 16 , wherein the instructions are executable to:
present a graphical user interface (GUI) on an electronic display accessible to the at least one processor, the GUI comprising a selector that is selectable to command the vehicle to stop managing power based on the identification, wherein the GUI comprises an indication that power is being managed based on the at least one road feature, the GUI being presented based on identification of the at least one road feature.

19. The CRSM of claim 16 , wherein the instructions are executable to:
manage power from an engine of the vehicle and the battery to propel the vehicle to the at least one road feature based at least in part on an amount of people in the vehicle as determined based on input from the camera in the vehicle.

20. The CRSM of claim 16 , wherein the instructions are executable by the at least one processor to:
manage power from an engine in the vehicle and the battery to propel the vehicle to the at least one road feature at least in part based on a weight of at least one person in the vehicle as identified based on input from one or more of: a weight sensor in the vehicle, a camera in the vehicle.

Assignees

• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Peterson Nathan J
• Weksler Arnold S
• Vanblon Russell Speight
• Mese John Carl

Classifications

• B60W2556/10

  Historical data · CPC title

• B60W2552/00

  Input parameters relating to infrastructure · CPC title

• B60W2556/45

  External transmission of data to or from the vehicle · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• B60W20/12 Primary

  using control strategies taking into account route information {(estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00)} · CPC title