Vehicle with an electric drive and method for operating a vehicle

Abstract

vehicle with - an electric drive (1); - an electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8) with at least one electrical consumer; - an energy storage device (3) for supplying the electric drive (1) and the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8); - a human-machine interface (4) via which information can be entered by a user of the vehicle; and - a device (5) for monitoring and regulating the charge content of the energy storage device (3) and the supply network (2, 6, 7, 8), which is designed to - to determine the charge quantity required to achieve the minimum range; and - to make a remaining residual charge available to the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8), characterized in that the minimum range to be achieved can be specified by the user, the specification being made by the user directly entering the number of kilometers to be achieved into the human-machine interface (4).

Description

The invention relates to a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle or commercial vehicle, having an electric drive, an electric supply network having at least one electric load and an energy store for supplying the electric drive and the electric supply network. The invention further relates to a method for operating such a vehicle. The invention further relates to a computer program product.Vehicles with an electric drive should either be able to be operated for as long as possible or be able to travel as long a distance as possible. Vehicles with an electric drive are, for example, hybrid vehicles (HEV=hybrid electric vehicle PHEV=plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) or pure electric vehicles (BEV=baery electric vehicle). In particular in the latter, all components or functions which are coupled to the operation of an internal combustion engine in conventional vehicles have to be provided alternatively. Typically, all components or functions are supplied from an energy store, for example a (traction) battery.DE 43 44 369 C2 discloses a method for consumption-oriented travel power limitation of a vehicle drive as a function of a destination and of the energy store of the energy store providing the drive power, in which the driver, at the beginning of the travel, specifies travel information to a travel computer via an input unit, from which travel information at least the total distance to the destination can be determined, and in which the travel computer repeatedly determines the permissible setpoint travel consumption for overcoming the distance lying ahead during the travel on the basis of the current energy store and adapts a travel power accordingly.DE 43 44 368 C1 discloses a charging information system which is intended to assist the operator of an electric or hybrid vehicle in inputting the determination variables for the charging process, wherein it comprises an input unit for presetting the determination variables such as the degree of charging or the desired range to a computing unit which determines the required residual charging time.DE 10 2008 021 045 A1 discloses a vehicle with an electric drive, wherein information of a navigation system about the current vehicle position and the further route are used for energy management of the electric installation of the vehicle, wherein other energy-consuming devices of the vehicle, such as the air conditioning system, are also controlled in the sense of route-adjusted energy management.DE 10 2006 026 404 A1 discloses a method for managing electrical energy in an electrical network, in particular a motor vehicle electrical system, in which a plurality of electrical loads are connected and an energy coordinator is provided, which manages the available energy and can reduce the power consumption of the loads under predefined circumstances.From DE 103 02 504 A1, a method for determining the range of an electric vehicle is known, in which vehicle-related, route-related and / or environment-related information about the vehicle and a planned or currently traveled route are recorded by a vehicle computer and linked to one another and evaluated with regard to a predefined or variably changing vehicle operating mode, from which the remaining range of the electric vehicle is calculated and displayed in a display device.Depending on the energy consumption of the loads connected to the electrical supply grid, the remaining range in a vehicle operated purely by electric motor decreases by the removal of the energy from the traction battery. Under certain circumstances, it may happen that the user of the vehicle no longer reaches the intended aim due to a premature complete emptying of the energy store.It is therefore an object of the present invention to specify a vehicle and a method for operating a vehicle, with which the abovementioned disadvantage can be avoided.This object is achieved by a vehicle having the features of patent claim 1 and a method for operating a vehicle having the features of patent claim 8, the object being furthermore achieved by a computer program product having the features of patent claim 14.The invention provides a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle or commercial vehicle, having an electric drive, an electric supply grid having at least one electric load, an energy store for supplying the electric drive and the electric supply grid, a human-machine interface via which information can be input by a user of the vehicle, and having a device for monitoring and regulating the charge content of the energy store and of the supply grid. The device for monitoring and regulating the charge content is designed to determine an amount of charge necessary for the minimum range to be achieved and to make a remaining amount of residual charge available to the electrical supply grid, wherein the minimum range to be achieved can be specified by the user, wherein the specification is effected by a direct input of the kilometer number to be achieved by the user into the human-machine interface.In the method according to the invention for operating a vehicle of the above-mentioned type, an amount of charge necessary for the minimum range to be achieved is determined and a remaining residual amount of charge is made available to the electrical supply network.Within the scope of the present description, an electrical supply network comprises one or more sub-networks with specific voltages. For example, the supply network comprises the conventional 12 V on-board power supply system to which all electrical loads of the vehicle, such as the radio, the air conditioning system, lights, etc., are connected. In addition, the electrical supply network can comprise, for example, a 220 V alternating voltage network to which a further consumer can be temporarily connected. It is self-evident to a person skilled in the art that, in order to supply a specific on-board power supply with a respective operating voltage, a corresponding voltage converter must be provided in order to provide the corresponding voltage level and voltage type.The invention is based on the consideration that, in the case of a vehicle with an electric drive, due to the previously lack of the possibility of being able to "re-tank" quickly and at many locations, the safe arrival at the target to be achieved has the highest priority. Since, as explained at the beginning, an achievable remaining range of the vehicle is, however, essentially dependent on the type, number and mode of operation of the loads supplied by the electrical supply grid, according to the invention, an amount of charge necessary for the minimum range to be achieved is determined and the remaining amount of residual charge then available to the loads of the electrical supply grid, possibly prioritized. In this case, it can be ensured in any case that the user of the vehicle reaches the destination to be reached by him by the specification of the minimum range. In contrast, the consumers of the electrical supply network are assigned a lower priority. The operation of the loads connected to the electrical supply grid can then be controlled accordingly as a function of the remaining residual charge quantity.The invention can guarantee a minimum range that can be specified by a user of the vehicle. In this way, the vehicle can be prevented from remaining in position due to excessive consumption by consumers connected to the electrical supply network. Since the invention can also be realized by software, only low production costs arise for its provision. In addition, the procedure according to the invention is noticeable in a gain in comfort for the users of the vehicle, since the uncertainty over a remaining remaining remaining range is eliminated.According to an expedient configuration, the device for monitoring and regulating is designed to emit a signal to the man-machine interface, which signal causes the latter to output a warning with respect to a load to be switched off if the amount of charge required for the minimum range to be achieved cannot be ensured during continuous operation of the load or loads of the electrical supply network. Correspondingly, in the method according to the invention, a signal is emitted to the human-machine interface, which signal causes the latter to indicate a warning regarding a load to be switched off if the amount of charge necessary for the minimum range to be achieved cannot be ensured during continuous operation of the load or loads of the electrical supply network.Alternatively or additionally, the device for monitoring and regulating is designed to switch off a load of the electrical supply network if the amount of charge required for the minimum range to be achieved cannot be ensured during continued operation of the load or loads of the electrical supply network. Correspondingly, in the method according to the invention, a load of the electrical supply network is switched off if the amount of charge required for the minimum range to be achieved cannot be ensured during continuous operation of the load or loads of the electrical supply network.If the remaining residual charge quantity is not sufficient to be able to operate all loads connected to the electrical supply grid in order to achieve the minimum range, then either according to the first variant the user of the vehicle can be given the option of switching off the load manually. Alternatively, the shutdown according to the second variant can also take place automatically by the vehicle. Which of the two variants is selected can be made dependent, for example, on the type of consumer. Consumers which are not absolutely necessary for the operation of the vehicle but are useful for the comfort of the driver could, for example, only be switched off after a previous warning by the driver himself. Loads which have nothing to do with the actual operation of the vehicle could, in contrast, be automatically switched off.According to a further expedient configuration, the at least one electrical load comprises an additional electrical load which can be connected, in particular temporarily, to the electrical supply network or to the energy store. Such an additional electrical consumer could be connected to the electrical supply network, for example, via a socket provided in the vehicle. Such an additional consumer can be, for example, a cooling box.A further expedient configuration provides that the device for monitoring and regulation is designed to determine the minimum range to be achieved using context information. In the method according to the invention, the minimum range to be achieved is determined using context information. The context information can comprise, for example, navigation data or a route of travel of the vehicle until the minimum calibration range is determined. In a corresponding manner, in the method according to the invention, navigation data or a route of the vehicle are processed until the minimum range is determined. It is expedient if intermediate stops are also taken into account. The minimum range to be achieved can thus be specified in different ways. On the one hand, a direct input of the kilometer number to be achieved by the user into the human-machine interface is possible. On the other hand, the user of the vehicle can select a navigation destination via the human-machine interface, from which the minimum range to be achieved is determined from these data. In the latter variant, the minimum range to be determined is determined from known driving data of the vehicle.Finally, the invention comprises a computer program product which can be directly loaded into the internal memory of a digital device for monitoring and regulating the charge content of the energy store of a vehicle and comprises software code sections with which the steps according to the method according to the invention can be carried out when the product runs on the device.The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a vehicle according to the invention, and FIG. 2 shows a process flow diagram for carrying out the process according to the invention.The schematic representation of a vehicle according to the invention shows only the components necessary for the invention. An electrical drive 1, an on-board electrical system 2 and a socket 6 are connected to an energy store 3, for example a traction battery, via a (high-voltage) battery 9. The on-board power supply system 2 is connected to the (high-voltage) power supply system 9 via a voltage converter 7 (DC / DC converter). The socket 6 is likewise connected to the (high-voltage) power supply system 9 via a voltage converter 8. Depending on the type of load to be connected to the socket 6, the voltage converter 8 can be a DC / DC converter or an AC / DC converter. The latter is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 1. The voltage level of the (high-voltage) battery 9 depends essentially on the technology used for the energy storage device 3. The on-board power supply system 2 is the 12 V on-board power supply system typically used in a vehicle. The alternating voltage at the socket 6 depends on the loads to be operated there and is, for example, 220 V.The socket 6, the electric drive 1, the on-board power supply system 2 and the voltage converter 7 are connected via a respective communication connection 10, 11, 12, 13 to a device 5 for monitoring and regulating the charge content of the energy store 3. A further communication connection 14 exists between the device 5 and the energy store 3. The device 5 represents a device for "power management", which monitors the components connected to it, optionally emits or accepts control signals.An additional consumer, such as a cold box, a stereo system, light and the like, can be connected to the socket 6. The socket 12 can be connected via the device 5. This means that the load connected to the socket 6 can be switched on or off by the device 5.In contrast to the graphic illustration and description of the exemplary embodiment, the socket 6 could instead also be replaced by a load which is connected directly to the voltage converter 8.In order to prevent the target to be achieved from no longer being reached during operation of the vehicle because of an energy store that is too empty, a minimum range to be achieved can be input by the user via the human-machine interface 4. The device 5 determines an amount of charge necessary for the minimum range to be achieved. A remaining residual charge quantity is then made available to the consumers of the on-board power supply system 2 and to the additional consumer of the socket 6.Instead of entering the minimum range directly into the human-machine interface 4, it can also be determined from navigation data by the user entering a destination to be reached via the human-machine interface 4. Alternatively, the minimum range to be achieved can also be determined from a route of the vehicle until the minimum range is determined. The charge quantity required for the minimum range to be achieved can be determined in this case taking into account offboard information, such as traffic messages and the like.If it is determined by the device 5 for monitoring and regulating the charge content of the energy store 3 that, during continued operation of the consumer or consumers of the on-board power supply system 2 or of the additional consumer of the socket 4, the amount of charge necessary for the minimum range to be achieved can no longer be provided by the energy store 3, either a warning can be output via the human-machine interface 4 or one or more of the consumers can be switched off. Since it can be assumed that an additional consumer coupled to the socket 6 is not necessary for the operation of the vehicle, automatic deactivation is preferably carried out in the case of such additional consumers.FIG. 2 shows a possible sequence of a method according to the invention in a flow chart. In a first step S 1, a minimum range to be achieved is input into the human-machine interface 4 by the user of the vehicle or is determined by a device, not shown in detail, e.g. from navigation data, after the user has specified a navigation destination. In a second step S 2, the current charge content of the energy store 3 is determined. The charge content is also referred to as SoC (State-of-Charge). In a step S 3, the monitoring of the supply network, the electric drive and of an additional consumer connected to the supply network is carried out, among other things. In a step S 4, an amount of charge for the minimum range to be achieved is calculated. In step S 5, it is checked whether the ascertained charge quantity, which represents a threshold value, has been reached. If this is not the case, the charge content of the energy store is ascertained again (step S 2). If the threshold of the charge quantity is reached, then in step S 6 a warning is output via the human-machine interface. The warning may be visual or audible in nature. In the warning, the user of the vehicle is given the selection as to whether he wishes to shut down the consumer (cf. step S 7). If this question is positive, the additional consumer according to FIG. 1 is switched off (cf. step S 8).By means of the procedure according to the invention, a range for the user of the vehicle can be guaranteed. In particular, this can prevent the vehicle from remaining in position due to the previous operation of consumers. The invention can be implemented in a simple manner in existing vehicles, since this can be realized essentially by means of software components. However, a realization in hardware is also possible.

Claims

Vehicle, having - an electric drive (1); - an electric supply grid (2, 6, 7, 8) having at least one electric load; - an energy store (3) for supplying the electric drive (1) and the electric supply grid (2, 6, 7, 8); - a human-machine interface (4) via which information can be input by a user of the vehicle; and - a device (5) for monitoring and regulating the charge content of the energy store (3) and of the supply grid (2, 6, 7, 8), which device is designed to - determine a charge quantity required for the minimum range to be achieved; and - making a remaining residual charge quantity available to the electrical supply grid (2, 6, 7, 8), characterized in that the minimum range to be achieved can be specified by the user, wherein the specification takes place by a direct input of the kilometer number to be achieved by the user into the man-machine interface (4).Vehicle according to Claim 1, in which the device (5) for monitoring and regulating is designed to emit a signal to the man-machine interface (4) which causes the latter to emit a warning with respect to a load which is to be switched off if the amount of charge required for the minimum range which is to be achieved cannot be ensured during continuous operation of the load or loads of the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8).Vehicle according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the device (5) for monitoring and regulating is designed to switch off a load of the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8) if the amount of charge required for the minimum range to be achieved cannot be ensured during continuous operation of the load or loads of the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8).Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, in which the at least one electrical load comprises an additional electrical load which can be connected to the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8) or to the energy store (3).Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, in which the monitoring and regulating device (5) is designed to determine the minimum range to be achieved using context information.The vehicle of claim 5, wherein the context information comprises navigation data.Vehicle according to Claim 5, in which the context information comprises a route of the vehicle until the minimum range is determined.Method for operating a vehicle, which comprises an electric drive (1), an electric supply network (2, 6, 7, 8) with at least one electric load, an energy store (3) for supplying the electric drive (1) and the electric supply network (2, 6, 7, 8), and a human-machine interface (4) via which information can be input by a user of the vehicle, in which - a charge quantity required for the minimum range to be achieved is determined; and - a remaining residual charge quantity is provided to the electric supply network (2, 6, 7, 8), characterized bythe step: - determining the minimum range to be achieved from a specification input by the user into the human-machine interface (4) which comprises the kilometer number to be achieved.Method according to Claim 8, in which a signal is emitted to the man-machine interface (4) which causes the latter to output a warning with respect to a load which is to be switched off if the amount of charge required for the minimum range which is to be achieved cannot be ensured during continuous operation of the load or loads of the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8).Method according to Claim 8 or 9, in which a load of the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8) is switched off if the amount of charge required for the minimum range to be achieved cannot be ensured during continuous operation of the load or loads of the electrical supply network (2, 6, 7, 8).Method according to one of Claims 8 to 10, in which the minimum range to be achieved is determined using context information.Method according to Claim 11, in which navigation data are processed as context information.Method according to Claim 11, in which a route of the vehicle is processed as context information until the minimum range is determined.Computer program product which can be loaded directly into the internal memory of a digital device (5) for monitoring and regulating the charge content of the energy storage device (3) of a vehicle and comprises software code sections with which the steps according to one of Claims 8 to 13 are carried out when the product runs on the device (5).

Images