System and method for controlling heating modes for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9533549-B2
Application number	US-201414245572-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2014
Priority date	Apr 4, 2014
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A system and method for providing a user of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) more flexibility and control regarding the selection of heating modes, without adversely affecting vehicle engine emissions. According to one embodiment, when the HEV is in a normal heating mode, the user is able to switch to an economy or deferred heating mode, so long as the switch takes place during the following ignition cycle. When the HEV is in an economy heating mode the user is able to switch to a normal heating mode right away, but is only allowed to do so once per ignition cycle. In both instances, the switch between heating modes is initiated by the user through a non-emissions related system, such as a vehicle infotainment module or climate control module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for controlling heating modes in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), comprising:
a first non-emissions related system being configured with a heating mode menu, the heating mode menu enables a user to select between a normal heating mode or an economy heating mode that are separated by a temperature threshold, and the first non-emissions related system sends a heating mode selection signal representative of the heating mode selection;
a second non-emissions related system being configured with climate control settings, the climate control settings enable the user to select the operational state of a heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) unit and the second non-emissions related system sends a HVAC status signal representative of the operational state of the HVAC unit;
an emissions related system being coupled to the first non-emissions related system for receiving the heating mode selection signal, and the emissions related system being coupled to the second non-emissions related system for receiving the HVAC status signal;
when the HEV is operating in the normal heating mode and a heating mode selection signal is received that indicates selection of the economy heating mode, the emissions related system is configured to decrease the temperature threshold on or after the next time the HEV is turned off; and when the HEV is operating in the economy heating mode and a HVAC status signal is received that indicates the user has turned the HVAC unit on, the emissions related system is configured to increase the temperature threshold before the next time the HEV is turned off.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first non-emissions related system includes a vehicle infotainment system, the vehicle infotainment system is configured with the heating mode menu which is presented to the user via a user interface.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the emissions related system includes a vehicle integrated control module (VICM).

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second non-emissions related system includes a vehicle climate control module.

5. A method for controlling heating modes in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a heating mode selection signal from a non-emissions related system while the HEV is operating in a normal heating mode, the heating mode selection signal indicates that the user has selected an economy heating mode;
maintaining a temperature threshold at a first threshold level, the first threshold level is associated with the normal heating mode and a second threshold level is associated with the economy heating mode;
receiving an ignition signal from a vehicle ignition system, the ignition signal indicates that the user has turned the HEV off;
automatically turning a heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) unit off at a same time of or at a later time after receiving the off ignition signal; and
automatically decreasing the temperature threshold at a same time of or at a later time after receiving the off ignition signal, wherein the temperature threshold is decreased from the first threshold level to the second threshold level so that the HEV will operate in the economy heating mode the next time the user turns the HEV on.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein in both the normal heating mode and the economy heating mode one or more electrical heaters are used to provide heat when the outside temperature is above the temperature threshold and an internal combustion engine is used to provide heat when the outside temperature is below the temperature threshold.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of receiving a heating mode selection signal further comprises receiving the heating mode selection signal from a vehicle infotainment module, and the vehicle infotainment system is configured with a heating mode menu which is presented to the user via a user interface.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of maintaining a temperature threshold further comprises maintaining the temperature threshold at the first threshold level, even though the first threshold level is associated with the normal heating mode and the user has selected the economy heating mode.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of automatically turning a heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) unit off further comprises automatically turning the HVAC unit off so that the HVAC unit will remain off the next time the user turns the HEV on.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the step of automatically decreasing the temperature threshold further comprises decreasing the temperature threshold from the first threshold level of approximately 50° F. to the second threshold level of approximately 20° F.

11. A method for controlling heating modes in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a HVAC status signal from a non-emissions related system while the HEV is operating in an economy heating mode, the HVAC status signal indicates that the user has turned a heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) unit on;
automatically increasing a temperature threshold in response to receiving the HVAC status signal, the temperature threshold is increased from a second threshold level associated with the economy heating mode to a first threshold level associated with a normal heating mode;
receiving an ignition signal from a vehicle ignition system, the ignition signal indicates that the user has turned the HEV off; and
automatically decreasing the temperature threshold at a same time of or at a later time after receiving the off ignition signal, wherein the temperature threshold is decreased from the first threshold level to the second threshold level so that the HEV will operate in the economy heating mode the next time the user turns the HEV on.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein in both the normal heating mode and the economy heating mode one or more electrical heaters are used to provide heat when the outside temperature is above the temperature threshold and an internal combustion engine is used to provide heat when the outside temperature is below the temperature threshold.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of receiving a HVAC status signal further comprises receiving the HVAC status signal from a vehicle climate control module.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of automatically increasing a temperature threshold further comprises maintaining the HEV in the economy heating mode even though the temperature threshold has been temporarily increased to the first threshold level which is associated with the normal heating mode.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of automatically increasing a temperature threshold further comprises preventing further temperature threshold changes while the HEV is operating in a current ignition cycle so that the automatic increase of the temperature threshold is a temporary one-time change.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of automatically increasing a temperature threshold further comprises maintaining the temperature threshold at the first threshold level associated with the normal heating mode for the remainder of a current ignition cycle even if the user turns the HVAC unit off.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of automatically increasing the temperature threshold further comprises increasing the temperature threshold from the second threshold level of approximately 20° F. to the first threshold level of approximately 50° F.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Rose Kathy D
• Marsh Richard A
• Farah Andrew J
• Grenn Daniel P

Classifications

• B60H1/004 Primary

  for vehicles having a combustion engine and electric drive means, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles · CPC title

• B60H1/00764

  the input being a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed (B60H1/00828, B60H1/00864 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60H2001/00949

  comprising additional heating/cooling sources, e.g. second evaporator · CPC title

• B60H1/00735 Primary

  Control systems or circuits characterised by their input, i.e. by the detection, measurement or calculation of particular conditions, e.g. signal treatment, dynamic models · CPC title

• B60H1/00964 Primary

  Control systems or circuits characterised by including features for automatic and non-automatic control, e.g. for changing from automatic to manual control · CPC title