Hybrid Vehicle Energy Management Setpoint Calculation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current strategies for managing fuel and electricity consumption in hybrid vehicles are inefficient, particularly in journeys with varying highway conditions, leading to suboptimal energy use and increased pollutant emissions, as they fail to account for the specific attributes of different sections of a journey.

Innovation Solution

A calculation method that uses navigation system data to divide a journey into sections, select relationships linking fuel and electrical energy consumption, determine optimal consumption points, and develop an energy management setpoint to minimize fuel consumption and maximize battery discharge, prioritizing the electric motor in urban areas and the internal combustion engine on freeways.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-generated harmful factors

If the electric drivetrain is used systematically at the start of the journey, then pollutant emissions are reduced in urban areas, but fuel consumption increases on freeway sections

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepollutant emissionsVSAvoidfuel consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The journey is divided into multiple sections with different attributes (urban, freeway, mixed). For each section, a specific consumption relationship is selected from a library of predetermined relationships, allowing the energy management strategy to be optimized for each segment rather than applying a uniform strategy throughout the entire journey.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically selects the appropriate consumption relationship based on the attributes of the current journey section. The energy management strategy adapts in real-time to changing road conditions, switching between electric and combustion drivetrain usage patterns to optimize both emissions and fuel consumption for each specific section.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Use of energy by moving object

If the combustion drivetrain is used on freeway sections, then fuel consumption decreases, but pollutant emissions increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefuel consumptionVSAvoidpollutant emissions

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Different energy management strategies are applied to different sections of the journey based on their specific attributes. Urban sections prioritize electric drivetrain usage to reduce emissions, while freeway sections allow combustion drivetrain usage to optimize fuel consumption, with each section having its own optimized consumption relationship.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Device complexity

If a single discharge curve is used for the entire journey, then the control system is simple, but energy consumption is suboptimal on sections with diverse highway conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontrol system complexityVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple consumption relationships are predetermined and stored in the system before the journey begins. Each relationship is pre-calculated for specific journey section attributes, allowing the system to quickly select the appropriate relationship without complex real-time calculations, thus maintaining simplicity while achieving optimal energy management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Use of energy by moving object

If the internal combustion engine is used in urban areas, then fuel consumption is reduced, but driver comfort and performance decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefuel consumptionVSAvoiddriver comfort

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The journey is segmented into urban and non-urban sections. For urban sections, the system selects consumption relationships that prioritize electric drivetrain usage to ensure driver comfort and performance, while allowing combustion drivetrain usage in non-urban sections where fuel consumption becomes the primary concern.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10668824B2Method for calculating a setpoint for managing the fuel and electricity consumption of a hybrid motor vehicle

Publication Date: 2020.06.02 RENAULT SA

AI summary

A method that calculates a setpoint for managing the fuel and electricity consumption of a hybrid motor vehicle includes: a) acquiring, by a navigation system on board the hybrid motor vehicle, a route to be traveled; b) dividing the route into consecutive portions; c) assigning attributes that characterize each portion; d) determining, for each of the portions, a curve or a map that links each fuel consumption value of the hybrid motor vehicle over the portion to a charge or discharge value of the traction battery; e) determining an optimal point of each curve or map, which makes it possible to minimize the fuel consumption of the hybrid motor vehicle over the entire route and to completely discharge the traction battery by the end of the route; and f) producing an energy management setpoint in accordance with the coordinates of the optimal points.