Control method and system for increasing endurance mileage of new energy electric vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a control method and system for increasing the endurance mileage of a new energy electric vehicle, and relates to the technical field of new energy commercial vehicles, and the method comprises the steps that a long endurance mode instruction triggered by a driver is responded, and a whole vehicle controller sends an energy-saving control signal; controlling an air-conditioning compressor to reduce the rotating speed to maintain the lowest refrigeration demand of the cab; the rotating speed of the cooling fan is adjusted to match energy-saving operation of the air-conditioning system; the power device is controlled to enter a turn-off state under the zero-rotating-speed working condition; and closing the seat heating function. Through a unified instruction, the hierarchical cooperative energy-saving control of the whole vehicle is triggered, and the comprehensive management of a plurality of power consumption systems such as an air conditioner, heat dissipation, electric drive and vehicle body accessories is realized. The system has the beneficial effects that the limitation of independent energy saving of each system is broken through, and the systematic energy-saving income is realized through the central coordination of the VCU, so that the endurance mileage of the electric vehicle is remarkably improved, and the long-endurance anxiety of a user is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of new energy commercial vehicle technology, specifically to a control method and system for increasing the driving range of new energy electric vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] The driving range of new energy electric vehicles is one of the key indicators for measuring their performance, directly affecting the user experience and application scope. In existing technologies, new energy vehicles typically extend their range by optimizing battery energy management or reducing the power consumption of some electrical devices. However, these methods often fail to systematically coordinate multiple energy-consuming units within the vehicle and struggle to achieve comprehensive energy efficiency improvements while ensuring driving safety and basic comfort. In particular, issues of excessive energy consumption or inadequate control persist in areas such as the air conditioning system, standby losses of power devices in the electric drive system, and auxiliary comfort functions. For example, the air conditioning compressor often operates at a fixed speed, unable to adjust as needed; the cooling fan control lacks coordination with the refrigeration system; power devices remain conductive even when the vehicle is stationary, generating unnecessary static losses; furthermore, high-power comfort functions such as seat heating continue to operate in certain scenarios, further shortening the driving range. Therefore, an integrated control method is needed that can respond to driver intentions and collaboratively reduce the energy consumption of multiple systems, thereby significantly improving the overall vehicle range without severely impacting driving comfort. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a control method and system for increasing the driving range of new energy electric vehicles, in order to solve at least one technical problem existing in the related technologies.

[0004] According to one aspect of the embodiments of this application, a control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle is provided, comprising: responding to a long-range mode command triggered by the driver, the vehicle controller sending an energy-saving control signal; controlling the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed to maintain the minimum cooling demand of the cab; adjusting the speed of the cooling fan to match the energy-saving operation of the air conditioning system; controlling the power device to enter a shutdown state at zero speed; and turning off the seat heating function.

[0005] As an optional implementation, controlling the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed includes: reducing the operating speed of the air conditioning compressor from the normal cooling speed to a preset energy-saving speed that can maintain the minimum cooling requirements of the cab, and controlling the speed of the cooling fan by adjusting the duty cycle of the cooling fan.

[0006] As an optional implementation, the control power device entering the shutdown state under zero-speed conditions includes: after the controller receives the long-range mode signal, when the vehicle is parked and waiting and the motor speed is zero, controlling the corresponding power switching device to turn off.

[0007] As an optional implementation, it also includes: reducing the switching frequency of power devices and improving the utilization rate of DC bus voltage according to the motor operating speed range.

[0008] As an optional implementation, it further includes: obtaining a long-range mode command; determining whether the remaining charge of the vehicle's power battery is higher than a minimum threshold and whether the current vehicle operating state is a fault state; if the remaining charge of the vehicle's power battery is higher than the minimum threshold and the current vehicle operating state is a non-fault state, controlling the vehicle to enter the long-range mode.

[0009] As an optional implementation, when the driver's rapid acceleration or power demand exceeds the preset power limit is detected, the long-range mode is paused or exited, and the long-range mode is re-entered after the preset recovery conditions are met.

[0010] According to another aspect of this application, a control system for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle is provided, applied to the control method for increasing the driving range of the new energy electric vehicle, comprising: a command response module for responding to a long-range mode command triggered by the driver, wherein the vehicle controller sends an energy-saving control signal; a compressor speed control module for controlling the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed to maintain the minimum cooling demand of the cab; a cooling fan speed control module for adjusting the cooling fan speed to match the energy-saving operation of the air conditioning system; a power device control module for controlling the power device to enter a shutdown state at zero speed; and a seat heating control module for turning off the seat heating function.

[0011] According to another aspect of this application, an electronic device is provided, including a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface, and the memory communicate with each other through the communication bus, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to execute the control method for increasing the driving range of the new energy electric vehicle by running the computer program stored in the memory.

[0012] According to another aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the storage medium, and the computer program is configured to execute the control method for increasing the driving range of the new energy electric vehicle when it is run.

[0013] This application provides a control method and system for increasing the driving range of new energy electric vehicles. The method includes: responding to a long-range mode command triggered by the driver, the vehicle controller sends an energy-saving control signal; controlling the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed to maintain the minimum cooling demand of the cab; adjusting the speed of the cooling fan to match the energy-saving operation of the air conditioning system; controlling the power devices to enter a shutdown state at zero speed; and turning off the seat heating function. By triggering coordinated energy-saving control at the vehicle level through a unified command, comprehensive management of multiple power-consuming systems such as air conditioning, cooling, electric drive, and body accessories is achieved. Its beneficial effect lies in breaking the limitations of independent energy saving in each system. Through the central coordination of the VCU, systemic energy-saving benefits are realized, thereby significantly improving the driving range of electric vehicles and solving users' long-range anxiety. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0018] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0019] like Figure 1 As shown, embodiments of this application provide a control method and system for increasing the driving range of new energy electric vehicles, including:

[0020] S1 responds to the long-range driving mode command triggered by the driver, and the vehicle controller sends an energy-saving control signal;

[0021] S2 controls the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed in order to maintain the minimum cooling demand in the cab.

[0022] S3 adjusts the cooling fan speed to match the energy-saving operation of the air conditioning system;

[0023] The S4 control power device enters the off state at zero speed; the seat heating function is turned off.

[0024] By triggering coordinated energy-saving control at the vehicle level through a unified command, comprehensive management of multiple power-consuming systems such as air conditioning, cooling, electric drive, and body accessories is achieved. Its beneficial effect lies in breaking the limitations of independent energy saving by each system. Through central coordination by the VCU, systemic energy-saving benefits are realized, thereby significantly improving the driving range of electric vehicles and alleviating users' range anxiety.

[0025] As an optional implementation, controlling the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed includes: reducing the operating speed of the air conditioning compressor from the normal cooling speed to a preset energy-saving speed that can maintain the minimum cooling requirements of the cab, and controlling the speed of the cooling fan by adjusting the duty cycle of the cooling fan.

[0026] The goal of reducing engine speed is defined as "maintaining the minimum cooling requirements of the cab," ensuring that energy conservation does not come at the expense of basic comfort, reflecting the practicality and human-centered design of the solution. Simultaneously, it clarifies that the cooling fan is controlled by adjusting the PWM duty cycle, ensuring precise matching with the compressor's energy-saving state and avoiding energy waste caused by insufficient or excessive cooling.

[0027] After receiving the signal, the HCM changes the compressor speed setpoint through internal CAN messages, and the VCU linearly controls the fan speed through PWM signals, thus realizing the switching of the air conditioning system from "high cooling and high energy consumption" to "sustaining cooling and low energy consumption".

[0028] As an optional implementation, the control power device entering the shutdown state under zero-speed conditions includes: after the controller receives the long-range mode signal, when the vehicle is parked and waiting and the motor speed is zero, controlling the corresponding power switching device to turn off.

[0029] It precisely eliminates the "standby power consumption" when the vehicle is stationary. When the vehicle is at a red light or temporarily stopped, the motor speed is zero, but the power devices may still be operating, generating heat loss. By completely shutting down the power devices under specific conditions, the standby power consumption in these scenarios is directly reduced to zero. This cumulative effect has a positive impact on extending the driving range and does not affect the vehicle's driving performance.

[0030] As an optional implementation, it also includes: reducing the switching frequency of power devices and improving the utilization rate of DC bus voltage according to the motor operating speed range.

[0031] The efficiency of the electric drive system during vehicle operation has been optimized. By dynamically adjusting the switching frequency and improving voltage utilization, the main losses (switching losses and conduction losses) of the motor controller in different speed ranges have been reduced, ensuring that the electric drive system always operates in a higher efficiency range.

[0032] As an optional implementation, it further includes: obtaining a long-range mode command; determining whether the remaining charge of the vehicle's power battery is higher than a minimum threshold and whether the current vehicle operating state is a fault state; if the remaining charge of the vehicle's power battery is higher than the minimum threshold and the current vehicle operating state is a non-fault state, controlling the vehicle to enter the long-range mode.

[0033] The safety and robustness of the control system have been enhanced. By introducing pre-condition judgment (battery level and fault status), the risk of vehicle paralysis caused by entering energy-saving mode when the battery level is already severely low is prevented, and the safety hazards that may be caused by operating the vehicle with defects are also avoided.

[0034] After responding to the command, the VCU will read the SOC value of the BMS and its own fault diagnosis information through the CAN bus. Only when the SOC is higher than the set value (e.g., 20%) and there is no related level 3 or above fault will the subsequent energy-saving control command be executed. Otherwise, the command can be ignored or the driver can be prompted by the instrument panel that the current conditions are not met.

[0035] As an optional implementation, when the driver's rapid acceleration or power demand exceeds the preset power limit is detected, the long-range mode is paused or exited, and the long-range mode is re-entered after the preset recovery conditions are met.

[0036] It achieves an intelligent balance between energy-saving mode and power performance requirements. It ensures that when users need to accelerate rapidly or overtake, the system prioritizes the vehicle's dynamic response and driving safety, temporarily exiting energy-saving mode; and automatically resuming energy saving when power demand decreases, thus balancing range and performance, and improving the driving experience and the practicality of the mode.

[0037] The VCU monitors the rate of change in accelerator pedal opening in real time. If it exceeds a threshold, it immediately sends a signal to each subsystem to pause the long-range mode and restore normal output power. At the same time, the VCU starts a timer. After detecting that the power demand is stable and sustained for a period of time, it resends the long-range mode message to achieve automatic and smooth mode switching.

[0038] According to another aspect of this application, a control system for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle is provided, applied to the control method for increasing the driving range of the new energy electric vehicle, comprising: a command response module for responding to a long-range mode command triggered by the driver, wherein the vehicle controller sends an energy-saving control signal; a compressor speed control module for controlling the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed to maintain the minimum cooling demand of the cab; a cooling fan speed control module for adjusting the cooling fan speed to match the energy-saving operation of the air conditioning system; a power device control module for controlling the power device to enter a shutdown state at zero speed; and a seat heating control module for turning off the seat heating function.

[0039] According to another aspect of this application, an electronic device is provided, including a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface, and the memory communicate with each other through the communication bus, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to execute the control method for increasing the driving range of the new energy electric vehicle by running the computer program stored in the memory.

[0040] According to another aspect of this application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein a computer program is stored in the storage medium, and the computer program is configured to execute the control method for increasing the driving range of the new energy electric vehicle when it is run.

[0041] By using the vehicle control unit (VCU) as the central control unit, in response to the driver's "long range mode" command, the system comprehensively regulates the energy-saving operation of the air conditioning system, thermal management system, electric drive system, and low-voltage system of the vehicle body. This enables each subsystem to enter a low-power, high-efficiency collaborative working state, thereby significantly reducing the vehicle's energy consumption and effectively increasing the driving range while ensuring basic driving safety and minimum comfort.

[0042] The specific implementation of the control method may include the following steps: First, the driver triggers the long-range mode command via a dedicated physical switch on the dashboard or a virtual button on the touchscreen. The Vehicle Controller (VCU) continuously monitors the signal status of this switch. Once a valid trigger signal is detected, the VCU does not immediately enter the mode, but first performs a series of precondition checks. The VCU obtains the remaining battery charge (SOC) data provided by the vehicle's Battery Management System (BMS) via the CAN bus and determines whether it is higher than a preset minimum threshold (this threshold can be set to prevent low battery charge from affecting battery life or basic vehicle functions). Simultaneously, the VCU checks vehicle fault codes to ensure the vehicle is currently in a non-faulty state, especially without serious faults affecting the powertrain or high-voltage safety. If the battery charge is sufficient and there are no related faults, the VCU sends a specific long-range mode activation message to the relevant controllers in the network via the CAN bus, and the vehicle officially enters the long-range energy-saving mode.

[0043] Regarding the air conditioning system, messages from the VCU are received by the Air Conditioning Controller (HCM). The HCM executes energy-saving control strategies for the air conditioning compressor. Specifically, the HCM controls the operating speed of the air conditioning compressor, reducing it from a higher rated speed in normal cooling mode (e.g., a high speed to meet rapid cooling needs) to a calibrated, significantly lower preset energy-saving speed. This preset energy-saving speed is not a fixed value but is derived through extensive experimental verification, ensuring that within the confined space of the driver's cab (e.g., approximately five cubic meters), it maintains only the minimum cooling requirements needed by the driver. By reducing the speed from a high value to this energy-saving value, the power consumption of the air conditioning compressor is significantly reduced. Simultaneously, due to the reduced compressor speed, the required condensing heat dissipation load is also reduced accordingly. The VCU simultaneously adjusts the speed of the condensing fan by outputting a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, reducing it from a high speed in normal mode, matching the high compressor speed, to a lower speed according to a preset mapping relationship. This further reduces the energy consumption of the condensing fan itself while ensuring effective heat dissipation of the air conditioning system, achieving overall energy savings for the air conditioning system.

[0044] In terms of the electric drive system, the all-in-one controller (a controller integrating motor drive, DC-DC converter, and other functions) receives a long-range mode message from the VCU. When the vehicle is stopped, waiting, or at a red light, and the motor speed is zero, the all-in-one controller controls its internal power devices (such as IGBT modules) to enter a completely off state, thereby completely eliminating the switching and conduction losses of the power devices under these stationary conditions. During normal operation of the motor driven by the all-in-one controller, the switching frequency of the power devices (IGBTs) is adaptively reduced according to the different ranges of the real-time motor speed (e.g., low-speed, medium-speed, high-speed range), and the utilization rate of the DC bus voltage is improved. Reducing the switching frequency directly reduces the number of switching operations, thereby reducing switching losses; while improving voltage utilization improves the power conversion efficiency, enabling the electric drive system to operate in a lower-loss, higher-efficiency state throughout the entire operating range.

[0045] In addition, the long-range mode message sent by the VCU is also received by the Body Controller (BCM). Based on this, the BCM implements comfort function limiting strategies, such as immediately turning off the seat heating function. This function exists to improve comfort in normal mode, but it is considered non-essential energy consumption under long-range priority, and turning it off directly eliminates this power consumption.

[0046] To further enhance the system's intelligence and user experience, this control method may also include a mode interruption and recovery mechanism. The VCU continuously monitors the driver's driving behavior signals (such as accelerator pedal opening and rate of change) and the vehicle's power demand. When the VCU detects that the driver intends to accelerate urgently (such as pressing the accelerator pedal hard) or the calculated real-time power demand exceeds a preset safety and performance limit, it will determine that power performance needs to be prioritized, and thus automatically pause or completely exit the long-range mode, allowing each system to temporarily resume normal power output. Once the vehicle returns to a stable driving state and the power demand remains below the recovery threshold for a certain period of time, the system will automatically re-enter the long-range mode, thereby achieving an intelligent balance between energy saving and dynamic performance.

[0047] The sequence numbers of the embodiments in this application are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0048] If the integrated units in the above embodiments are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause one or more electronic devices (which may be personal computers, servers, or network devices, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application.

[0049] In the above embodiments of this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0050] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed client can be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for example, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection between units or modules, and may be electrical or other forms.

[0051] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the solution provided in this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0052] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0053] In the above embodiments of this application, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0054] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of this application, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle, characterized in that, include: In response to the driver's command to activate the long-range driving mode, the vehicle controller sends an energy-saving control signal; Control the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed in order to maintain the minimum cooling demand in the cab; Adjust the cooling fan speed to match the energy-saving operation of the air conditioning system; The power control device enters the off state when the speed is zero. Turn off the seat heating function.

2. The control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The method of controlling the air conditioner compressor to reduce its speed includes: The operating speed of the air conditioning compressor is reduced from the normal cooling speed to a preset energy-saving speed that can maintain the minimum cooling needs of the cab, and the speed of the cooling fan is controlled by adjusting the duty cycle of the cooling fan.

3. The control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control of the power device to enter the shutdown state under zero speed conditions includes: after the controller receives the long-range mode signal, when the vehicle is parked and waiting and the motor speed is zero, controlling the corresponding power switching device to turn off.

4. The control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Based on the motor's operating speed range, reduce the switching frequency of power devices and improve the utilization rate of DC bus voltage.

5. The control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Get the long battery life mode command; Determine whether the remaining charge of the vehicle's power battery is higher than the minimum threshold and whether the current vehicle operating status is a fault state; If the remaining charge of the vehicle's power battery is higher than the minimum threshold, and the current vehicle operating state is non-faulty, the vehicle is controlled to enter the long-range mode.

6. The control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle as described in claim 5, characterized in that, When the system detects that the driver is accelerating rapidly or that the power demand exceeds the preset power limit, the system will pause or exit the long-range mode and re-enter the long-range mode after the preset recovery conditions are met.

7. A control system for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle, characterized in that, The control method for increasing the driving range of a new energy electric vehicle as described in any one of claims 1-6 includes: The command response module is used to respond to the long-range driving mode command triggered by the driver, and the vehicle controller sends an energy-saving control signal. The compressor speed control module is used to control the air conditioning compressor to reduce its speed in order to maintain the minimum cooling demand of the cab. The cooling fan speed control module is used to adjust the cooling fan speed to match the energy-saving operation of the air conditioning system; The power device control module is used to control the power device to enter the shutdown state under zero speed conditions. The seat heating control module is used to turn off the seat heating function.

8. An electronic device comprising a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus, wherein, The processor, the communication interface, and the memory communicate with each other via the communication bus, characterized in that... The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is configured to execute the control method for increasing the driving range of any one of claims 1-7 by running the computer program stored in the memory.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the control method for increasing the driving range of the new energy electric vehicle as described in any one of claims 1-7 when it is run.

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