Method for operating a motor vehicle and the motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9878702-B2
Application number	US-201213599939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2012
Priority date	Aug 30, 2011
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

In a method for operating a motor vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine and having a rechargeable battery and a generator for charging the battery, a charging acceptance of the battery is determined and a first charging mode, in which the generator is driven by the internal combustion engine in order to charge the battery, or a second charging mode, in which the generator is driven by a propulsionless travel movement of the motor vehicle, in order to charge the battery, is selected as a function of the charging acceptance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a vehicle generator for a rechargeable battery, comprising:
determining a charge acceptance level;
operating the generator in a first charging mode when the charge acceptance level is below a threshold;
operating the generator in a second charging mode when the charge acceptance level is above the threshold; and
restricting the generator to only operate when a charging urgency measure is higher than a charging opportunity measure.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the first charging mode the generator is configured to be driven by an internal combustion engine.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein in the second charging mode the generator is configured to be driven by propulsionless travel.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein in the second charging mode the generator is configured to be driven by actuation of the service brakes of a vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a state of charge for the battery; and
discharging the battery when the state of charge exceeds a threshold value.

6. A control device for a hybrid vehicle generator, the control device is configured to determine a charging acceptance of a vehicle battery and actuate the generator as a function of the charging acceptance, wherein the control device is configured to actuate the generator only when a charging urgency measure is higher than a charging opportunity measure.

7. The control device of claim 6 , wherein the control device is further configured to operate the generator in a first charging mode when the charge acceptance level is below a threshold and operate the generator in a second charging mode when the charge acceptance level is above the threshold.

8. The control device of claim 7 , wherein in the first charging mode the control device is configured to allow the generator to be driven by an internal combustion engine.

9. The control device of claim 7 , wherein in the second charging mode the control device is configured to allow the generator to be driven by propulsionless travel.

Assignees

• Christen Urs
• Spijker Engbert
• Rambow Thomas
• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Christen Urs
• Spijker Engbert
• Rambow Thomas

Classifications

• H01M10/48 Primary

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• H02J7/1446

  in response to parameters of a vehicle · CPC title

• H01M10/44

  Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) · CPC title

• Y02T10/7016

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H01M2220/20

  Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title