Tractor Unit With On-Board Regenerative Braking Energy Storage for Stopover HVAC Operation Without Engine Idle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022266675-A1
Application number	US-202217743636-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 13, 2022
Priority date	Feb 17, 2017
Publication date	Aug 25, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A through the road (TTR) hybridization strategy is proposed to facilitate introduction of hybrid electric vehicle technology in a significant portion of current and expected trucking fleets. In some cases, the technologies can be retrofitted onto an existing vehicle (e.g., a trailer, a tractor-trailer configuration, etc.). In some cases, the technologies can be built into new vehicles. In some cases, one vehicle may be built or retrofitted to operate in tandem with another and provide the hybridization benefits contemplated herein. By supplementing motive forces delivered through a primary drivetrain and fuel-fed engine with supplemental torque delivered at one or more electrically-powered drive axles, improvements in overall fuel efficiency and performance may be delivered, typically without significant redesign of existing components and systems that have been proven in the trucking industry.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle, comprising:
at least one electrically-powered drive axle; an electric motor/generator (M/G) coupled to the electrically-powered drive axle; a battery management system comprising one or more batteries, wherein the battery management system is configured to: identify an upcoming downhill grade or upcoming downhill grade; and selectively supply electrical power to the M/G in a first mode of operation to provide a motive force to the vehicle when traveling on the upcoming uphill grade or selectively receive energy recovered from the M/G in a second mode of operation when traveling on the upcoming downhill grade to maintain a desired state-of-charge (SoC) of the one or more batteries during over-the-roadway travel.

2 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the M/G is configured to supply, in the first mode of operation, a motive torque to the electrically-powered drive axle, and receive, in the second mode of operation, energy recovered from the electrically-powered drive axle via a regenerative brake mode of operation.

3 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the desired SoC of the one or more batteries is based on a SoC necessary to provide the motive force when traveling on the upcoming uphill grade.

4 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the desired SoC of the one or more batteries is substantially a full SoC.

5 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the BMS is configured to selectively maintain the SoC at a dynamically varying level based on actual or predicted requirements for motive forces from the electric motor/generator during the over-the-roadway travel.

6 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the BMS is configured to estimate a motive torque needed to maintain movement of the vehicle at substantially constant speed.

7 . The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the BMS is configured to estimate the motive torque based on a driver input torque, an air drag torque, a road drag torque, a road grade torque, an acceleration torque or a combination thereof.

8 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the M/G is configured to provide a motive force in the first mode of operation to supplement a motive force provided through a primary drivetrain of the vehicle.

9 . The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the electrically-powered drive axle is one of a plurality of axles coupled to the vehicle.

10 . The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the primary drivetrain comprises a fuel-fed engine.

11 . The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the fuel-fed engine is configured to run on diesel, gasoline, propane, biodiesel, ethanol (E85), compressed natural gas (CNG), renewable natural gas (RNG), hydrogen, or a combination thereof and comprises a fuel combustion engine, hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE), homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine, hydrogen fuel cell, hybrid electric, diesel electric, or a turbine electric engine.

12 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises a truck or a trailer in a truck/trailer configuration.

13 . A method comprising
identifying, by a battery management system comprising one or more batteries, an upcoming downhill grade or upcoming downhill grade; and selectively supplying electrical power from the one or more batteries to the M/G in a first mode of operation to provide a motive force to the vehicle when traveling on the upcoming uphill grade or selectively receiving energy recovered from the M/G in a second mode of operation when traveling on the upcoming downhill grade to maintain a desired state-of-charge (SoC) of the one or more batteries during over-the-roadway travel.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein selectively receiving energy recovered from the M/G in a second mode of operation to maintain the desired SoC of the one or more batteries comprises determining a SoC necessary to provide the motive force when traveling on the upcoming uphill grade.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the desired SoC of the one or more batteries is substantially a full SoC.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein selectively supplying electrical power from the one or more batteries to the M/G in a first mode of operation comprises estimating a motive torque needed to maintain movement of the vehicle at substantially constant speed.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein selectively supplying electrical power from the one or more batteries to the M/G in a first mode of operation comprises estimating the motive torque based on a driver input torque, an air drag torque, a road drag torque, a road grade torque, an acceleration torque or a combination thereof.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein selectively supplying electrical power from the one or more batteries to the M/G in a first mode of operation comprises providing a motive force to supplement a motive force provided through a primary drivetrain of the vehicle.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the electrically-powered drive axle is one of a plurality of axles coupled to the vehicle.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the primary drivetrain comprises a fuel-fed engine.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the fuel-fed engine is configured to run on diesel, gasoline, propane, biodiesel, ethanol (E85), compressed natural gas (CNG), renewable natural gas (RNG), hydrogen, or a combination thereof and comprises a fuel combustion engine, hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE), homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine, hydrogen fuel cell, hybrid electric, diesel electric, or a turbine electric engine.

22 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the vehicle comprises a truck or a trailer in a truck/trailer configuration.

Assignees

• Hyliion Inc

Inventors

• Healy Thomas Joseph
• Weber Eric

Classifications

• B60L50/50

  using propulsion power supplied by batteries or fuel cells · CPC title

• B60K6/48 Primary

  Parallel type · CPC title

• B60L2260/26

  Transition between different drive modes · CPC title

• B60L2240/443

  Torque · CPC title

• B60L2240/62

  Vehicle position · CPC title