TWI870993B - Battery protection method for hybrid vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle. The hybrid vehicle includes a battery, a power generation system, a motor, a positioning system and a vehicle control system. The power generation system includes an engine and a power generation device connected to the engine, and the power generation device is electrically connected to the battery. The motor is electrically connected to the power generating device and the battery respectively. The vehicle control system is electrically connected to the battery, the engine, the power generation device and the positioning system respectively. Wherein, the battery protection method of the hybrid vehicle of the present invention can ensure that the vehicle retains sufficient state of charge before parking, preventing the battery from being damaged due to deep discharge, so as to provide the next start of the vehicle, and effectively prevent the battery in the state of low power for a long time to prolong battery life.

Description

Battery protection method for hybrid vehicles

The present invention relates to a battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle, and more particularly to a battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle capable of extending the battery life.

The battery used in hybrid vehicles has a relatively small amount of power compared to pure electric vehicles. The capacity of the battery will directly affect the life cycle of the product, so the battery management system of hybrid vehicles needs to take more responsibility. While taking into account fuel efficiency, it is also necessary to avoid excessive battery load, which will cause the battery life to decline. Therefore, how to improve it has become an important issue.

In current practice, hybrid vehicles generally keep the battery's state of charge (SOC) between 60% and 40%. The battery's remaining charge is replenished according to the vehicle's control logic and driving conditions. However, the hybrid vehicle's power control unit (PCU) does not know when the user will park the vehicle. Therefore, when the user returns to the parking location (such as a home parking lot), the battery's remaining charge will depend on the driving conditions.

However, the disadvantage of the current practice is that if the user keeps the battery in the vehicle at about 40% when the user is in the vehicle on a daily basis, and the user does not use the vehicle for a period of time, the battery will be in a deep discharge state, which is not conducive to the battery life.

Because of this, the inventor, in the spirit of active invention, has been eager to think of a battery protection method for hybrid vehicles that can solve the above problems. After several years of research and experiments, the present invention was finally completed.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle. This method can ensure that when the vehicle is not used for a period of time, the battery can be prevented from being deeply discharged, and sufficient battery remaining power can be retained to provide the vehicle for the next start-up. It can also effectively prevent the battery from being in a low-power state for a long time, thereby extending the battery life.

To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle, wherein the hybrid vehicle comprises a battery, a power generation system, a motor, a positioning system and a vehicle control system. The power generation system comprises an engine and a power generation device connected to the engine, wherein the power generation device is electrically connected to the battery. The motor is electrically connected to the power generation device and the battery respectively. The vehicle control system is electrically connected to the battery, the engine, the power generation device and the positioning system respectively. The battery protection method of the hybrid vehicle includes the following steps: (A) The user pre-sets a parking location and executes step (B); (B) The hybrid vehicle starts, the trip begins, and step (C) is executed; (C) The vehicle control system reads a battery remaining capacity, a starting position of the positioning system, a real-time position of the positioning system, and the parking location pre-set by the user, and calculates a target mileage required between the starting position and the parking location and a moving mileage required between the real-time position and the parking location, and executes step (D); (D) Determine whether the target mileage is greater than or equal to a threshold mileage, if so, execute step (E), if not, return to step (C); (E) Determine whether the moving mileage is less than the threshold mileage, if so, execute step (F), if not, repeat step (E); (F) Determine whether the remaining battery power is less than a threshold power, if so, execute step (G), if not, execute step (H); (G) Start the engine to generate electricity, and charge the battery for a specific time or to a specific power, and execute step (H); and (H) After the hybrid vehicle arrives at the parking location, the trip ends.

The above threshold mileage may be 3 kilometers. If the battery remaining power is found to be insufficient within the threshold mileage, sufficient time is reserved to start the engine of the power generation system and charge the battery.

The present invention provides another battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle, wherein the hybrid vehicle comprises a battery, a power generation system, a motor, a manual switch and a vehicle control system. The power generation system comprises an engine and a power generation device connected to the engine, wherein the power generation device is electrically connected to the battery. The motor is electrically connected to the power generation device and the battery respectively. The vehicle control system is electrically connected to the battery, the engine, the power generation device and the manual switch respectively. The battery protection method of a hybrid vehicle includes the following steps: (a) The hybrid vehicle is started, the journey begins, and step (b) is executed; (b) The vehicle control system reads a battery remaining capacity of the battery and executes step (c); (c) It is determined whether the user turns on the manual switch, if so, step (d) is executed, otherwise, step (b) is returned to; (d) It is determined whether the battery remaining capacity is less than a threshold capacity, if so, step (e) is executed, otherwise, step (f) is executed; (e) The engine is started to generate electricity, and the battery is charged for a specific time or to a specific capacity, and step (f) is executed; and (f) The journey ends when the hybrid vehicle stops.

The above threshold charge may be 50% to ensure that the battery still has sufficient remaining charge after deep discharge.

The specific time may be 10 minutes; the specific power level may be 60%, which is used to define the timing when the battery is fully charged.

The above summary and the following detailed description are exemplary in nature and are intended to further illustrate the scope of the patent application of the present invention. Other purposes and advantages of the present invention will be described in the subsequent description and illustrations.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a system architecture diagram of a hybrid vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows a hybrid vehicle 1 , which mainly includes a battery 2 , a power generation system 3 , a motor 4 , a positioning system 5 and a vehicle control system 6 .

In this embodiment, the battery 2 is the main battery of the hybrid vehicle 1, which is used to provide driving power during driving. The power generation system 3 includes an engine 31 and a power generation device 32 connected to the engine 31. The power generation device 32 is electrically connected to the battery 2, and is used to store the power generated by the power generation device 32 when the engine 31 is started in the battery 2. The motor 4 is electrically connected to the power generation device 32 and the battery 2 respectively, and the power provided by the battery 2 or directly by the power generation device 32 can drive the motor 4 and make the hybrid vehicle 1 move forward. The vehicle control system 6 is electrically connected to the battery 2, the engine 31, the generator 32 and the positioning system 5. The vehicle control system 6 may include a battery management system and a power control unit. The battery management system manages the power and charging status of the battery 2, and the power control unit controls the start and stop and speed status of the engine and controls the power generation of the generator 32. The positioning system 5 uses a global positioning system (GPS) and has a communication function with the vehicle control system 6 to store a parking location preset by the user, and can obtain the starting position and real-time position of the hybrid vehicle 1 to facilitate the subsequent mileage judgment.

Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a flow chart of the battery protection method of the hybrid vehicle of the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the battery protection method of the hybrid vehicle of the present invention includes the following steps: (A) The user pre-sets a parking location, which can be the user's home or a place where the vehicle is often parked, and executes step (B). (B) The hybrid vehicle is started, the journey begins, and step (C) is executed. (C) The vehicle control system reads the battery remaining capacity (state of charge, SOC) of the battery 2, the starting position of the positioning system, the real-time position of the positioning system, and the parking location preset by the user, and calculates a target mileage required between the starting position and the parking location and a moving mileage required between the real-time position and the parking location, and executes step (D). (D) Determine whether the target mileage is greater than or equal to a threshold mileage. In this embodiment, the threshold mileage is 3 kilometers, but it is not limited to this and can also be other values, so as to determine whether the hybrid vehicle 1 has returned to the parking location from a distant place to provide sufficient time for charging. If so, execute step (E), otherwise return to step (C). (E) Determine whether the moving mileage is less than the threshold mileage, so as to determine whether the hybrid vehicle 1 is close to the parking location. If so, execute step (F), otherwise repeat step (E). (F) Determine whether the remaining battery power is less than a threshold power. In this embodiment, the threshold power is 50%, but it is not limited to this, and it can also be other values, so as to determine whether the remaining battery power of the battery 2 is maintained at a level that is conducive to storage. If so, execute step (G), otherwise execute step (H). (G) The engine 31 is started to generate electricity, and the battery 2 is charged for a specific time or to a specific amount of electricity. In this embodiment, the specific time is 10 minutes, and the specific amount of electricity is 60%, but it is not limited to this, and can also be other values, so as to charge the battery 2 back to the target battery remaining amount, so that the battery 2 is stored in a state of a better battery remaining amount, which is conducive to extending the battery life, and executing step (H). (H) After the hybrid vehicle 1 arrives at the parking location, the journey ends.

The target mileage, moving mileage and threshold mileage can also be converted into required time for subsequent judgment process, that is, the target mileage is converted into target time, the moving mileage is converted into moving time, and the threshold mileage is converted into threshold time for representation. In addition, the threshold mileage or threshold time before the parking location can be statistically analyzed according to the operation record of the positioning system 5, and the consumption and charging efficiency of the battery 2 can be analyzed to increase or decrease the set threshold mileage or threshold time.

Please refer to FIG3 , which is a system architecture diagram of a hybrid vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows a hybrid vehicle 1 ′, which mainly includes a battery 2 , a power generation system 3 , a motor 4 , a manual switch 7 and a vehicle control system 6 .

In this embodiment, the battery 2 is the main battery of the hybrid vehicle 1', which is used to provide driving power during driving. The power generation system 3 includes an engine 31 and a power generation device 32 connected to the engine 31. The power generation device 32 is electrically connected to the battery 2, and is used to store the power generated by the power generation device 32 when the engine 31 is started in the battery 2. The motor 4 is electrically connected to the power generation device 32 and the battery 2 respectively, and the power provided by the battery 2 or directly by the power generation device 32 can drive the motor 4 and make the hybrid vehicle 1' move forward. The vehicle control system 6 is electrically connected to the battery 2, the engine 31, the generator 32 and the manual switch 7. The vehicle control system 6 may include a battery management system and a power control unit. The battery management system manages the power and charging status of the battery 2, and the power control unit controls the engine start/stop and speed status and controls the power generation of the generator 32. The manual switch 7 is a button that can be operated by the user to notify the vehicle control system 6 that the user intends to protect the battery.

Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a flow chart of the battery protection method of the hybrid vehicle of the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the battery protection method of the hybrid vehicle of the present invention includes the following steps: (a) The hybrid vehicle is started, the trip begins, and step (b) is executed. (b) The vehicle control system reads the remaining battery capacity (state of charge, SOC) of the battery 2 and executes step (c). (c) It is determined whether the user turns on the manual switch 7 to determine whether the hybrid vehicle 1' has approached the parking location. If so, step (d) is executed, otherwise, it returns to step (b). (d) determining whether the remaining battery power is less than a threshold power. In the present embodiment, the threshold power is 50%, but it is not limited thereto and may be other values, so as to determine whether the remaining battery power of the battery 2 is maintained at a level that is conducive to storage. If so, step (e) is executed; if not, step (f) is executed; (e) the engine 31 is started to generate electricity and the The battery 2 is charged for a specific time or to a specific amount of power. In this embodiment, the specific time is 10 minutes and the specific amount of power is 60%, but it is not limited to this and can also be other values, so as to charge the battery 2 back to the target battery remaining power, so that the battery 2 is stored in a state of a better battery remaining power, which is beneficial to extend the battery life, and execute step (f). (f) After the hybrid vehicle 1' stops, the journey ends.

The above two designs can ensure that the hybrid vehicle has sufficient battery remaining capacity before parking, avoiding battery damage due to deep discharge, providing the hybrid vehicle with the opportunity to start up next time, and effectively preventing the battery from being in a low-power state for a long time, thereby extending the battery life.

The above embodiments are merely examples for the convenience of explanation. The scope of rights claimed by the present invention should be based on the scope of the patent application, and is not limited to the above embodiments.

1, 1’: Hybrid vehicles

2:Battery

3: Power generation system

31: Engine

32: Power generation device

4: Motor

5: Positioning system

6: Vehicle Control System

7: Manual switch

A~H, a~f: Steps

FIG. 1 is a system architecture diagram of a hybrid vehicle of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a battery protection method of a hybrid vehicle of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a system architecture diagram of a hybrid vehicle of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a battery protection method of a hybrid vehicle of the second embodiment of the present invention.

A~H: Steps

Claims (5)

A battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle comprising: a battery; a power generation system, comprising an engine and a power generation device connected to the engine, the power generation device being electrically connected to the battery; a motor, electrically connected to the power generation device and the battery, respectively; a positioning system; and a vehicle control system, electrically connected to the battery, the engine, the power generation device and the positioning system, respectively; wherein, The battery protection method of the hybrid vehicle includes the following steps: (A) the user pre-sets a parking location and executes step (B); (B) the hybrid vehicle is started, the journey begins, and step (C) is executed; (C) the vehicle control system reads a battery remaining capacity of the battery, a starting position of the positioning system, a real-time position of the positioning system, and the user-pre-set location. The vehicle stops at the starting position, and calculates a target mileage required between the starting position and the vehicle stops, and a moving mileage required between the current position and the vehicle stops, and executes step (D); (D) determines whether the target mileage is greater than or equal to a threshold mileage, if so, executes step (E), if not, returns to step (C); (E) determines whether the moving mileage is less than the threshold mileage, if so, executes step (F), if not, repeat step (E); (F) determine whether the remaining battery power is less than a threshold power, if so, execute step (G), if not, execute step (H); (G) start the engine to generate electricity, and charge the battery for a specific time or to a specific power, and execute step (H); and (H) the trip ends after the hybrid vehicle arrives at the parking location. The battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the threshold mileage is 3 kilometers. The battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the threshold charge is 50%. The battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the specific time is 10 minutes. The battery protection method for a hybrid vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the specific power is 60%.

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