Hybrid vehicle and method of controlling a hybrid vehicle with mode selection based on look ahead data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9440654-B2
Application number	US-201414208396-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Mar 13, 2014
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A method of controlling a hybrid vehicle having a hybrid powertrain with an engine and a motor/generator includes receiving data indicative of anticipated future vehicle operating conditions, and determining via a controller optimal operating parameters for the engine and for the motor/generator based at least partially on the data. A controller then commands a powertrain operating strategy for the engine and the motor/generator based on the determined optimal operating parameters. The data received can be from active onboard sensing systems and from vehicle telematics systems.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a hybrid vehicle having a hybrid powertrain with an engine, a motor/generator, and an energy storage device that provides electrical energy to the motor/generator; the method comprising:
receiving data indicative of anticipated future vehicle operating conditions, including an expected acceleration or deceleration event;
calculating acceleration or deceleration associated with the expected acceleration or deceleration event for a given vehicle speed;
calculating power demanded for the calculated acceleration or deceleration;
calculating expected energy losses or expected regenerative power for each one of different functional operating modes of the powertrain for which motor/generator torque and power of the energy storage device would remain within predetermined limits for the power demanded; wherein said calculating is based at least partially on the data;
updating a stored database of energy loss values and regenerative power values with said calculated expected energy losses or expected regenerative power;
determining via a controller optimal operating parameters for the engine and for the motor/generator based at least partially on the data;
wherein said determining optimal operating parameters based on the data is based at least partially on the calculated expected energy losses or expected regenerative power in the stored database; and
commanding a powertrain operating strategy for the engine and the motor/generator based on the determined optimal operating parameters.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data includes a first set of data from onboard active sensing systems; and
wherein the data further includes a second set of data from vehicle telematics systems.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said commanding a powertrain operating strategy is commanding a change to a different one of the functional operating modes than a current functional operating mode of the powertrain.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to said determining optimal operating parameters, updating a stored set of gains for at least one of the energy storage device, one or more actuators operable to operatively connect the motor/generator with the engine, and a motor power inverter module for the motor/generator; and wherein said updating is based at least partially on the data.

5. The method of claim 1 , prior to said determining optimal operating parameters, updating stored reference values used in a stored skip shift algorithm; wherein said updating is based at least partially on the data.

6. The method of claim 1 , prior to said determining optimal operating parameters, updating stored reference values used in a stored transmission clutch engagement/disengagement algorithm; wherein said updating is based at least partially on the data.

7. The method of claim 1 , prior to said determining optimal operating parameters, updating entry and exit conditions of a stored engine fuel cut-off mode algorithm; wherein said updating is based at least partially on the data.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said commanding a powertrain operating strategy is implementing charging of the energy storage device that provides electrical energy to the motor/generator; and wherein the data indicates an expected auto-stop mode.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said commanding a powertrain operating strategy is implementing an engine fuel cut-off mode; and wherein the data indicates an expected deceleration, coasting, or cruising of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving additional data indicative of current vehicle operating conditions from onboard components; wherein the additional data includes at least one of vehicle torque demand, a state-of-charge of the energy storage device that provides electrical power to the motor/generator, temperature of the energy storage device, and a current state of one or more actuators activatable to establish at least one of the functional operating modes of the powertrain.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data includes at least one of distance to a proximal vehicle and rate of change of the distance to the proximal vehicle, road sign data, traffic data, route congestion data, weather data, and three-dimensional map data.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said received data is from at least one of an onboard active sensing system and a vehicle telematics system.

13. A method of controlling a hybrid vehicle having a hybrid powertrain with an engine and a motor/generator, and with an energy storage device operatively connected to the motor/generator that provides electrical energy to the motor/generator, wherein the motor/generator is selectively connected to a crankshaft of the engine via a belt drive train; the method comprising:
receiving a first set of data from onboard active sensing systems; wherein at least some of said first set of data is indicative of future vehicle operating conditions;
receiving a second set of data from vehicle telematic systems; wherein at least some of said second set of data is indicative of additional future vehicle operating conditions;
calculating power demanded based at least partially on the first set of data and the second set of data;
calculating expected energy losses or expected regenerative power for each one of different functional operating modes of the powertrain for which motor/generator torque and power of the energy storage device would remain within predetermined limits for the power demanded; and
commanding via a controller one of the functional operating modes of the engine and of the motor/generator; wherein said one of the functional operating modes is a torque boost mode in which the motor/generator provides torque to the crankshaft via the belt drive train and is commanded based at least partially on the first set of data and the second set of data.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
commanding a generator mode in which the motor/generator functions as a generator to charge the energy storage device; and wherein at least one of the first set of data and the second set of data indicates the future vehicle operating conditions include an auto-stop mode in which the vehicle speed will be below a threshold speed and the engine will be shut off.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first set of data and the second set of data indicates the future vehicle operating conditions include vehicle deceleration, coasting, or cruising; and wherein the commanded functional operating mode includes controlling the engine to cut off fuel to the engine.

16. A hybrid vehicle comprising:
a hybrid powertrain with an engine and a motor/generator each operable to provide propulsion power to the vehicle;
a control system operatively connected to the engine and the motor/generator and configured to control the engine and the motor/generator in different operating modes;
at least one of a vehicle onboard active sensing system and a vehicle telematics system operable to provide data indicative of future vehicle operating conditions, wherein the control system includes a processor configured to execute a stored algorithm that:
determines optimal operating parameters for the engine and for the motor/generator based at least partially on the data and further based at least partially on stored reference values of at least one of energy loss or regenerative power associated with each powertrain operating mode for which a predetermined motor torque limit of the motor/generator and a predetermined battery power limit

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Atluri Venkata Prasad
• Garibaldi Matias
• Namuduri Chandra S

Classifications

• B60W2555/20

  Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain · CPC title

• B60W2555/60

  Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way · CPC title

• B60W2552/20

  Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments · CPC title

• B60W10/02

  including control of driveline clutches · CPC title

• B60W30/18018

  Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam · CPC title