Supplemental electric drive with primary engine recognition for electric drive controller adaptation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11351979-B2
Application number	US-201816237032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2018
Priority date	Dec 31, 2017
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

Through-the-road (TTR) hybrid designs using control strategies such as an equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) or an adaptive ECMS are implemented at the supplemental torque delivering electrically-powered drive axle (or axles) in a manner that follows operational parameters or computationally estimates states of the primary drivetrain and/or fuel-fed engine, but does not itself participate in control of the fuel-fed engine or primary drivetrain. BSFC type data particular to the paired-with fuel-fed engine allows an ECMS implementation (or other similar control strategy) to adapt to efficiency curves for the particular fuel-fed engine and to improve overall efficiencies of the TTR hybrid configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a fuel-fed engine;
a primary drivetrain coupled to the fuel-fed engine;
a controller area network (CAN) interface communicatively coupled to an engine control module (ECM) for the fuel-fed engine;
an electric drive axle configured to operate independently of the primary drivetrain; and
a controller for the electric drive axle coupled to the controller area network interface, wherein the controller is configured to:
communicate with the controller area network interface to retrieve a signature indicative of the fuel-fed engine;
retrieve, from an information store, brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) type data based on the retrieved indicative signature;
determine a through-the-road (TTR) equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) independent of any driver inputs, wherein the controller is configured to:
determine a current state of charge (SOC) of a battery;
calculate a plurality of discharge and charge values for the battery;
determine a set of electric motor torques that can be applied based on the plurality of discharge and charge values for the battery;
retrieve a set of operating parameters of the fuel-fed engine and the primary drivetrain from the CAN interface;
calculate an effective torque supplied by the fuel-fed engine and the primary drivetrain;
calculate a supplemental motive torque that can be delivered at a set of wheels driven by the electric drive axle; and

communicate with the electric drive axle to supply the supplemental motive torque to the electric drive axle to supplement motive torque supplied by the fuel-fed engine through the primary drivetrain based on the ECMS.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller controls supplemental motive torque supplied by the electric drive axle in accordance with a TTR equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) applied at the controller based on one or more of a terrain or vehicle load.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to computationally estimate a state of a vehicle associated with the drivetrain and control motive torque based on the computationally estimated state.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the retrieved BSFC type data maps fuel-fed engine and primary drivetrain operating points to fuel consumption; and
the controller calculates the supplemental motive torque that can be delivered at the set of wheels driven by the electric drive axle based on a fuel usage table for the fuel-fed engine.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the system forms part of a tractor unit having the fuel-fed engine, the primary drivetrain, the electric drive axle and the controller therefor.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the controller area network interface comprises a J1939 interface.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the retrieved signature is indicative of both the fuel-fed engine and the primary drivetrain of the tractor unit.

8. The system of claim 5 , further comprising:
a trailer portion mechanically coupled to the tractor unit.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
the trailer portion having an additional electric drive axle coupled to the controller.

10. The system of claim 2 ,
wherein the vehicle includes a trailer portion having the electric drive axle and the controller therefor,
wherein the vehicle is mechanically coupleable to a first tractor unit that includes the fuel-fed engine and the primary drivetrain to provide a first tractor-trailer vehicle configuration, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the fuel-fed engine in the first tractor unit to receive a first set of the retrieved brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) type data and communicate with the electric drive axle to the fuel-fed engine of the first tractor-trailer vehicle configuration to supply motive torque to the electric drive axle to supplement motive torque supplied by the fuel-fed engine through the primary drivetrain, and
wherein the vehicle is mechanically coupleable to a second tractor unit that includes a second fuel-fed engine and primary drivetrain to provide a second tractor-trailer vehicle configuration, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the second fuel-fed engine in the second tractor unit to receive a second set of the BSFC type data, and communicate with the electric drive axle to the second fuel-fed engine of the second tractor-trailer vehicle configuration to supply motive torque to the electric drive axle to supplement motive torque supplied by the second fuel-fed engine through the primary drivetrain.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller area network interface includes a J1939 interface by which the controller is couplable to an engine control module of the first tractor unit and whereby the controller is couplable to an engine control module of the second tractor unit to retrieve the signature, the retrieved signature being respectively indicative of either the first or the second fuel-fed engine.

12. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:
on the first tractor, an additional electric drive axle.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the information store is hosted locally on the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the BSFC type data includes one or more of:
a machine-readable encoding of multi-dimensional data characterizing efficiency of a corresponding fuel-fed engine as a function of at least engine torque related measure and an engine speed related measure;
a machine-readable encoding of BSFC curves or surfaces; and
a machine-readable encoding of data derivative of either or both of the foregoing.

15. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an energy store on the vehicle, the energy store configured to supply the electrically powered drive axle with electrical power in a first mode of operation and further configured to receive energy recovered using the first electrically powered drive axle in a second mode of operation.

16. A method of controlling a vehicle comprising a fuel fed engine, a primary drivetrain coupled to the fuel fed engine, a controller area network (CAN) interface communicatively coupled to an engine control module (ECM) for the fuel-fed engine and an electric drive axle, the method comprising:
a controller communicatively coupled to the electric drive axle retrieving a signature indicative of the fuel-fed engine from the CAN interface;
the controller:
retrieving, using the retrieved signature, brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) type data stored in an information store for the fuel-fed engine;
determining a through-the-road (TTR) equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS) independent of any driver inputs;
determining a current state of charge (SOC) of a battery;
calculating a plurality of discharge and charge values for the battery;
determining a set of electric motor torques that can be applied based on the plurality of discharge and charge values for the battery;
retrieving a set of operating parameters of the fuel-fed engine and the primary drivetrain from the CAN interface;
calculating an effective torque supplied by the fuel-fed engine and the primary drivetrain;
calculating a supplemental motive torque that can be delivered at a set of wheels driven by the electric drive axle; and

the controller communicating with the electric drive axle to supply the supplemental motive torque to the electric drive axle to supplement motive torque supplied by the fuel-fed engine through the primary drivetrain based on the ECMS.

17. The method of claim 16 , further c

Assignees

• Hyliion Inc

Inventors

• Richter Roger
• Noland Jamie
• Culbertson Morgan

Classifications

• B60Y2200/92

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title

• B60K1/00

  Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title

• B60Y2200/147

  Trailers, e.g. full trailers or caravans · CPC title

• B60W20/10 Primary

  Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand · CPC title

• B60K17/354

  having separate mechanical assemblies for transmitting drive to the front or to the rear wheels or set of wheels · CPC title