Battery SoC Control for Electric Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) face inefficiencies in fuel economy due to suboptimal battery usage, which is not adapted to specific routes, leading to increased fuel consumption.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Receding Horizon Control (RHC) algorithm that segments routes into smaller virtual segments, optimizing battery state-of-charge (SoC) set-points based on road characteristics and vehicle conditions, allowing for real-time adjustments to minimize fuel consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If constant state-of-charge (SoC) control is used for the battery, then the control system is simple and reliable, but fuel consumption is high due to suboptimal battery usage not adapted to specific routes
Solution Approach 1:
The route is segmented into multiple route segments based on characteristics such as road grade, length, and traffic conditions. This segmentation allows the control system to optimize battery SoC set-points for each segment individually, improving fuel economy by adapting battery usage to specific route conditions without requiring complete real-time optimization of the entire route.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary routing and segmentation before the vehicle travels the route, using navigation data and route characteristics to pre-calculate optimal battery SoC set-points for each segment. This advance planning allows the control system to be more sophisticated without requiring complex real-time computations during vehicle operation.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the route is segmented into many small segments for precise optimization, then fuel economy improves through better adaptation to route conditions, but computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The route is divided into multiple route segments where each segment shares common characteristics (e.g., similar road grade, length, or traffic conditions). This segmentation strikes a balance between having enough segments to capture important route variations for fuel optimization and keeping the number of segments manageable for computational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system optimizes battery SoC set-points for a limited number of route segments rather than attempting to optimize every possible parameter along the entire route. This partial optimization approach achieves significant fuel economy improvements without requiring computationally exhaustive analysis of all route conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes utilizing navigation data from a navigation system to segment a route to be travelled by a travelling vehicle into segments each having a road grade different than neighboring segments. The method further includes discharging a battery of the vehicle as the vehicle travels along an initial segment of the route according to a state-of-charge (SoC) set-point based on the road grade of the initial segment and a variable representative of the road grades of at least two other segments of the route.