U.S. patent application number 13/105288 was filed with the patent office on 2012-11-15 for system and method for solar-powered engine thermal management.
This patent application is currently assigned to GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC. Invention is credited to Venkata Prasad ATLURI, Paul M. Najt, Kushal Narayanaswamy, Gerald A. Szekely, JR., Joel G. Toner.
Application Number | 20120286052 13/105288 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47070730 |
Filed Date | 2012-11-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120286052 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ATLURI; Venkata Prasad ; et
al. |
November 15, 2012 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SOLAR-POWERED ENGINE THERMAL MANAGEMENT
Abstract
A system and method of engine thermal management. Energy may be
received from a solar energy source electrically connected to a
vehicle propulsion system. At least some of the energy from the
solar energy source may be used to heat a component of the vehicle
propulsion system. A control module may provide at least some of
the energy from the solar energy source to a heater, for example,
to heat a component of the vehicle propulsion system prior to
starting the vehicle propulsion system. The heater may heat the
vehicle propulsion system to temperatures within a predetermined
range associated with optimal efficiency of the vehicle propulsion
system.
Inventors: |
ATLURI; Venkata Prasad; (Ann
Arbor, MI) ; Narayanaswamy; Kushal; (Sterling
Heights, MI) ; Szekely, JR.; Gerald A.; (Sterling
Heights, MI) ; Toner; Joel G.; (Bad Axe, MI) ;
Najt; Paul M.; (Bloomfield Hills, MI) |
Assignee: |
GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS
LLC
DETROIT
MI
|
Family ID: |
47070730 |
Appl. No.: |
13/105288 |
Filed: |
May 11, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
237/28 ;
180/65.265 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60K 16/00 20130101;
F01P 2060/18 20130101; Y02T 10/7083 20130101; B60K 2016/003
20130101; B60L 8/003 20130101; Y02T 10/90 20130101; Y02T 10/7072
20130101; F02N 11/0811 20130101; F02N 19/04 20130101; B60L 2200/26
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
237/28 ;
180/65.265 |
International
Class: |
F24J 2/42 20060101
F24J002/42 |
Goverment Interests
GOVERNMENT INTEREST STATEMENT
[0001] This invention was made in whole or in part with government
support under grant number DE-EE0003379 awarded by the US
Department of Energy. The government may have certain rights in the
invention.
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving energy from a solar energy source
electrically connected to a vehicle propulsion system; and heating,
using at least some of the energy from the solar energy source, a
component of the vehicle propulsion system.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy to heat the component
of the vehicle propulsion system is stored in an energy storage
system separately from, and distributed by a control module
independently of, energy provided to start the vehicle propulsion
system.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy from the solar energy
source is used to heat the vehicle propulsion system to
temperatures within a predetermined temperature range associated
with optimal efficiency for the vehicle propulsion system.
4. The method of claim 3, comprising initiating heating the vehicle
propulsion system prior to starting the vehicle propulsion
system.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the component of the vehicle
propulsion system is engine coolant.
6. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving an indication of an
anticipated start time for starting the vehicle propulsion system
and initiating heating the component of the vehicle propulsion
system a predetermined amount of time prior to the anticipated
start time for starting the vehicle propulsion system.
7. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving information from a
device external to the vehicle and changing the amount of energy
from the solar energy source provided to the component of the
vehicle propulsion system based on the received information.
8. A system comprising: a solar energy source to collect solar
power; an energy storage system electrically connected to the solar
energy source for storing energy generated thereby; and a vehicle
propulsion system, wherein the vehicle propulsion system is
electrically connected to the energy storage system to receive
energy from the solar energy source to heat a component of the
vehicle propulsion system.
9. The system of claim 8, comprising a heater, wherein a controller
allocates energy from the solar energy source to power the heater
to heat the component of the component of the vehicle propulsion
system to temperatures within a predetermined temperature range
associated with optimal efficiency for the vehicle propulsion
system.
10. The system of claim 9, comprising a temperature sensor to sense
the temperature of the component of the vehicle propulsion system
and wherein the control module is to change the amount of energy
from the solar energy source allocated to the heater to compensate
for the sensed temperature to heat the component to temperatures
within the predetermined temperature range.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein the energy generated by the
solar energy source is provided to heat the component of the
vehicle propulsion system to temperatures within a predetermined
temperature range associated with optimal efficiency for the
vehicle propulsion system.
12. The system of claim 8, comprising a controller to initiate
heating the component of the vehicle propulsion system prior to
starting the vehicle propulsion system.
13. The system of claim 8, wherein the component of the vehicle
propulsion system is engine coolant.
14. The system of claim 8, comprising a control module and an
external device, wherein the control module receives information
from the external device and changes the amount of energy from the
solar energy source allocated to the vehicle propulsion system
based on the received information.
15. The system of claim 8, wherein the system is a vehicle.
16. A method comprising: generating electricity using a solar
energy source attached to a vehicle; and heating an engine coolant
system of the vehicle using the electricity.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the electricity used to heat
the engine coolant system is stored in an energy storage system
separately from, and distributed by a control module independently
of, energy provided to start the engine.
18. The method of claim 17, comprising initiating heating the
engine coolant system prior to starting the engine.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the energy from the solar
energy source is provided to heat the engine coolant system to
temperatures within a predetermined temperature range associated
with optimal efficiency for the engine.
20. The method of claim 16, comprising receiving information from a
device external to the vehicle and changing the amount of
electricity used to heat the engine coolant system based on the
received information.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is related to methods and systems of
efficient engine thermal management to improve fuel economy and
engine performance of, for example, internal combustion, diesel,
hybrid and extended range electric vehicles. In particular, the
present invention is related to heating an engine coolant system
using solar energy.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Vehicle propulsion or engine systems operate at optimal
efficiency when the temperature of the engine system components is
within a certain range. If a vehicle is parked for several hours in
a cold environment, engine system components, which may include the
engine coolant system, engine block, engine head, and other
elements, may cool to temperatures below optimal operating
temperature. When the temperature of the engine system components
falls outside of specific temperature bounds, the engine system
performance may be sub-optimal. When operating at a sub-optimum
performance, a vehicle propulsion system may consume greater
amounts of fuel than would be consumed under optimal temperature
conditions. A cold engine system may, for example, expend roughly
33% of the fuel energy heating the engine coolant system or other
engine system components. An engine system operating at
temperatures outside of a given temperature range may also expel
more exhaust emissions. Common exhaust emissions expelled include
carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), NOx and other
particulate emissions that are harmful to the environment. Keeping
engine system components within a certain temperature range results
in better fuel economy and reduced emissions.
[0004] A method and system to keep vehicle propulsion system
components within a given temperature range is needed.
SUMMARY
[0005] In some embodiments, energy may be received from a solar
energy source electrically connected to a vehicle propulsion
system. At least some of the energy from the solar energy source
may be used to heat a component of the vehicle propulsion system. A
control module may provide at least some of the energy from the
solar energy source to a heater, for example, to heat a component
of the vehicle propulsion system prior to starting the vehicle
propulsion system. The heater may heat the vehicle propulsion
system to temperatures within a predetermined range associated with
optimal efficiency of the vehicle propulsion system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly
pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the
specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and
method of operation, together with objects, features, and
advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the
following detailed description when read with the accompanying
drawings in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle and an engine
thermal management method and system according to an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a solar-powered engine
thermal management method and system according to an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a chart defining different modes for allocating
energy to different components in a vehicle according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a graph of cumulative fuel consumption of an
engine system with respect to time according to an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a graph of coolant temperature of an engine system
with respect to time according to an embodiment of the present
invention; and
[0012] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment
of the present invention.
[0013] Reference numerals may be repeated among the drawings to
indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Moreover, some of the
blocks depicted in the drawings may be combined into a single
function.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] In the following description, various aspects of the present
invention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specific
configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a
thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will
also be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present
invention may be practiced without the specific details presented
herein. Furthermore, well known features may be omitted or
simplified in order not to obscure the present invention.
[0015] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the
following discussions, it is appreciated that throughout the
specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing,"
"computing," "calculating," "determining," or the like, refer to
the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or
similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and/or
transforms data represented as physical, such as electronic,
quantities within the computing system's registers and/or memories
into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within
the computing system's memories, registers or other such
information storage, transmission or display devices.
[0016] A vehicle propulsion or engine system may operate at optimal
efficiency when it or certain propulsion or engine system
components are within a specific range of elevated temperatures. An
engine system operating at optimal efficiency may operate in warm
engine calibration and advanced combustion modes resulting in
increased fuel economy and reduced tailpipe emissions. Heating the
engine system or its components to these temperatures may take
time. The time it takes to heat the engine system may depend on
many factors including the target temperatures for the specific
type of engine system, available energy reserves in the vehicle,
ambient temperature, weather conditions, the operational mode of
the vehicle, for example, whether the vehicle is parked, stopped,
driving, accelerating, etc. For example, it may take up to several
minutes to properly heat an engine system. In one embodiment, the
time required to heat the vehicle propulsion system components may
be reduced by providing heat to the components while the vehicle is
idle or parked.
[0017] Conventional systems do not provide energy to heat engine
systems when the vehicle is not operating. The engine system
therefore may only increase in temperature once the engine is
started (and may not increase as much when the engine is idling).
Accordingly, there may be a time delay after a vehicle has just
been started (and possibly extended each time the vehicle idles)
during which the engine system has not yet reached optimal
temperatures. The engine system may operate with sub-optimal
efficiency during these time delays by, for example, burning excess
fuel, operating in cold engine calibration, operating in
conventional inefficient combustion modes, and releasing increased
emissions.
[0018] According to embodiments of the invention, a vehicle
propulsion system may use solar power to power (e.g., heat) engine
systems. Solar power energy (e.g., converted to electricity) may be
captured via, for example, one or more (e.g., a network of) solar
power cells mounted on or attached to the vehicle. The one or more
solar power cells that may provide direct power to heating or
engine systems, or power via an intermediate battery to the engine
systems (e.g., by directing electricity to the engine systems). The
solar power energy may be managed independently (or dependently) of
other vehicle energy systems (e.g., the main vehicle battery) and
may provide power or energy, for example, even when the vehicle
engine is off. Since the solar power energy source does not depend
on the main battery, the engine system may begin to be heated prior
to starting the engine, for example, to be fully (or partially)
pre-heated to optimal temperatures by the time the vehicle ignition
is started. The energy to heat a component of the vehicle
propulsion system may be stored in an energy storage system
separately from, and distributed by a control module independently
of, energy provided to start the vehicle propulsion system.
[0019] In one embodiment, an engine system may be pre-heated prior
to starting the vehicle ignition for a time period which is less
than, equal to, or greater than the time typically used to achieve
the system's optimal functional temperature. In some embodiments,
solar power sources may cause a longer time delay to pre-heat the
engine system (e.g., one hour) than by using conventional vehicle
energy sources (e.g., two to four minutes) and therefore a
pre-heating process using solar power may be started earlier than
one with non-solar power to account for the extra length of the
time delay. In some embodiments, the heating from the solar power
source may be deployed when the temperature of engine coolant,
block, heads or other portions of the vehicle propulsion system
drop below a predetermined temperature. The solar power source may
therefore be operated to, and power may be distributed or provided
to engine components to, ensure that the coolant, or other engine
components, remains within a predetermined temperature range. In
one embodiment, the solar power source provides energy to the
engine system to maintain the engine coolant above 45-50 degrees
Celsius (.degree. C.). Other thresholds may be used.
[0020] Fluctuations in available energy from the solar power energy
source may further affect the time used to heat the engine system
by solar power. For example, on a sunny day, solar power energy
sources may provide more energy and may take less time to power the
engine system than on a cloudy day or during nighttime. In some
embodiments, to account for such solar fluctuations, the solar
energy sources may have an energy reserve or battery (e.g.,
separate from the main vehicle battery). The vehicle solar energy
source may therefore harness solar energy from the sun during
sunlight hours and may store the energy to power the engine system
components at any time, regardless or currently available solar
power (for example, during daytime as well as during
nighttime).
[0021] Accordingly, a solar-powered engine system in a vehicle may
be pre-heated, for example, to optimal temperatures (e.g., for
optimal fuel economy, transition to warm engine calibration, and
combustion efficiency, but other or different benefits may occur),
prior to starting the vehicle engine. Accordingly, the conventional
time delay during which the vehicle burns increased fuel, operates
in cold engine calibration, is inhibited from employing advanced
combustion modes, and produces increased tailpipe emissions may be
eliminated or substantially reduced. In other embodiments, solar
energy pre-heating need not occur prior to starting the vehicle
engine.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 100 and an engine
thermal management system according to an embodiment of the present
invention. Vehicle 100 (e.g. a locomotive device such as an
automobile, truck, plane, boat, forklift, hybrid electric vehicle
(HEV), extended range electric vehicle (EREV), non-locomotive
device such as mining equipment, other engine-equipped machine,
etc.) may include a main body 102 and optionally, an auxiliary
power unit (APU) 104. Main body 102 may be a standard vehicle and
may provide at least driving capabilities. Auxiliary power unit 104
may include an extension that may be integral to or detachable from
main body 102.
[0023] Vehicle 100 may include one or more photovoltaic (solar)
power source(s) 106. Photovoltaic sources 106 may include one or a
plurality of interconnected individual solar cells, solar laminate
film, solar cured glass, surface coatings, and/or other
photovoltaic devices. Photovoltaic sources 106 may be mounted on
either or both of main body 102 and auxiliary power unit 104.
Photovoltaic sources 106 generating electricity may be mounted on
any surface of vehicle 100 that may potentially be incident to the
sun. For example, photovoltaic sources 106 may be mounted on the
roof, trunk lid, front hood, bumpers, window guards, the windows
themselves via photovoltaic glass laminate or cured glass, or any
combination thereof, or other suitable surfaces. Photovoltaic
sources 106 may be positioned at fixed positions or orientations
or, using a device for tracking sun position, may be moved or
movable, or rotated to a position or orientation to collect the
maximal amount of solar power. Various arrangements may provide a
total area of photovoltaic sources 106 of, for example, from
approximately one square meter (e.g., mounted only on the roof) to
about two to three square meters (e.g., mounted on the roof, trunk
and hood). Other sizes may be used. Photovoltaic sources 106 may
generate, for example, 200 to 400 watts of power for vehicle 100.
The maximum amount of energy generated or power outputted by
photovoltaic source 106 may be determined based on the amount of
solar irradiance incident on a cell or other surface of
photovoltaic source 106. The solar irradiance may be measured by
photovoltaic source 106 or independently using one of several types
of stand-alone pyranometers such as thermopile-based, silicon
photodiode-based, or other type of measurement device.
[0024] Vehicle 100 may include a vehicle propulsion system or
engine 108 providing mechanical power to move the vehicle and/or
components of vehicle 100 (e.g., a fork lift). Engine 108 may be
any hydrocarbon or hybrid hydrocarbon/electric fueled power source,
such as an internal combustion engine, a diesel engine, a gasoline
engine, a hydrocarbon portion of hybrid powertrain, electric motor
(e.g., an AC electric motor or DC electric motor) or any
combination thereof.
[0025] In one embodiment, engine 108 may operate in multiple engine
calibrations including a cold engine calibration, a warm engine
calibration, and/or other engine calibrations. Based on the engine
calibration (e.g., warm engine calibration) engine 108 is operating
in, a power control module, which may include a controller or
processor and memory, or other device may use a set of engine maps
corresponding to the calibration. The engine maps may be tables,
matrices, or other forms of data used to control various engine
functions. The power control module may use the engine maps to
calculate or determine engine system parameters. The engine system
parameters may include, for example, fuel-to-oxidizer ratio and
other engine parameters.
[0026] Engine 108 may operate in a cold engine calibration below a
certain threshold temperature required for transition to, for
example, warm engine calibration or other engine calibration(s). In
one embodiment, the threshold temperature to transfer to warm
engine calibration may be 45-50.degree. C., and the optimal
temperature for warm engine calibration may be 90.degree. C. Other
thresholds may be used. Engine 108 may operate at optimal
efficiency in warm calibration by burning less fuel and producing
fewer emissions. By producing fewer emissions, the need for
after-treatment devices may be reduced.
[0027] In one embodiment, engine 108 may operate in multiple
combustion modes including a baseline conventional combustion mode
(e.g., direct injection), a stratified or advanced combustion mode,
and/or other combustion modes. An engine operating in baseline
conventional combustion mode may produce more emissions and higher
exhaust gas temperature, which heats up the coolant faster. An
advanced combustion mode may be a homogeneous charge compression
ignition (HCCI) mode. The HCCI combustion mode is advantageous
because it emits low engine emissions while operating at high
efficiency. The HCCI combustion mode employs functional
characteristics of both gasoline and diesel engines. Similar to a
gasoline or homogeneous charge spark ignition engine, fuel (e.g.,
gasoline) and oxidizer (e.g., air or other gases) may be combined.
A spark-plug however may not be used to ignite the fuel/oxidizer
mixture. Similar to gasoline engines, the emissions from HCCI
combustion may be treated, or cleaned, using, for example, a
three-way catalytic converter after-treatment device or other
device(s) or method(s). Similar to a diesel engine, combustion of
the fuel and oxidizer mixture may occur when the density and
temperature of the mixture are raised to a certain level. Engine
108 when operating in an HCCI combustion mode may be difficult to
control because combustion may occur in multiple locations within
the cylinder when the fuel and oxidizer mixture reaches a certain
temperature and pressure threshold. In order to more precisely
control the combustion location and friction in engine 108, the
temperature of engine 108 components must be maintained within a
certain range. Engine 108 may therefore only operate efficiently in
HCCI combustion mode when above a minimum temperature. As such, an
engine 108 with HCCI functionality may operate in a conventional
combustion mode when engine components are below a certain
temperature. Engine 108 may then switch or transfer to an advanced
combustion mode (e.g., HCCI) when the engine components, for
example, the coolant, reach the threshold temperature. In one
embodiment, the threshold temperature to switch to HCCI combustion
mode may be 45-50.degree. C. and the optimal temperature for HCCI
combustion may be 90.degree. C. Other thresholds may be used.
[0028] In one embodiment, engine 108 may operate in multiple
combustion modes including a lean spark ignition direct injection
(SIDI) combustion mode and other combustion modes. The benefits of
lean SIDI combustion in comparison with conventional fuel injection
based combustion modes include lower emissions and increased fuel
economy. In a lean SIDI combustion mode highly pressurized fuel is
injected into the combustion chamber where it mixes with oxidizer
(e.g., oxygen or air). The fuel and oxidizer mix may then be
ignited by a spark-plug. The fuel in an SIDI combustion system is
injected at a much higher pressure than in a standard fuel
injection system because the ratio of oxidizer to fuel is much
higher in lean SIDI combustion than in baseline conventional
combustion modes. The fuel in an SIDI combustion system, for
example, is injected at 100-500 bar pressure or other pressure
ranges. In order to raise the fuel to a higher pressure and
minimize friction in engine 108, the engine components must be
above a threshold temperature. In one embodiment, the threshold
temperature to switch to lean SIDI combustion mode may be
45-50.degree. C. and the optimal temperature for lean SIDI
combustion may be 90.degree. C. Other thresholds may be used.
[0029] In one embodiment, engine 108 may operate in multiple
combustion modes including a premixed charge compression ignition
(PCCI) combustion mode and other combustion modes. Similar to HCCI
and lean SIDI combustion modes, the threshold temperature to switch
from a conventional combustion mode to PCCI combustion mode may be
45-50.degree. C. The optimal temperature for the PCCI combustion
mode may be 90.degree. C. Other thresholds may be used.
[0030] Vehicle 100 may include one or more energy storage system(s)
(ESS) or batteries 110 and/or 112 for storing energy in main body
102 and/or auxiliary power unit 104. Battery 110 may include one or
more low-voltage (e.g., 12 volt) batteries and battery 112 may
include one or more high-voltage (e.g., 300 volts or greater)
batteries. In some embodiments, low-voltage battery 110 may be used
for relatively low-power tasks, for example, operating windshield
wiper motors, power seats, or power door locks, powering a starter
for an internal combustion engine, powering an after-treatment
system 114, and/or heating an engine system 108. In some
embodiments, high-voltage battery 112 may be used for either or
both low or high-power tasks, where high-power tasks may include,
for example, heating the engine system 108, including the coolant,
engine head and engine block, powering the traction motors (if
included) of vehicle 100 and propelling vehicle 100.
[0031] Photovoltaic sources 106 may be electrically connected to
charge or store energy (e.g., electricity) generated thereby in
either or both of low-voltage and/or high-voltage batteries 110,
112. Low-voltage battery 110 may be charged over a range of
temperatures of from, for example, -20.degree. C. to 50.degree. C.
The voltage used to charge low-voltage battery 110 may exceed the
storage voltage of, for example, 12 volts. In one embodiment, the
charging voltage of a lead-acid battery over this temperature range
may be from approximately 13.5 to 16.5 volts. To charge high
voltage battery 112, a plurality of interconnected photovoltaic
sources 106 may be connected to a DC-DC converter to increase the
voltage, for example, to about 300 volts. To charge both low and
high-voltage batteries 110, 112, a step-down DC-DC converter may be
used to reduce voltages to additionally charge low-voltage battery
110. In yet another embodiment, photovoltaic sources 106 may be
connected to form at least two separate arrays with one generating
power to high-voltage battery 112 at high-voltage battery-charging
voltages and a second generating power to low-voltage battery 110
at low-voltage battery-charging voltages. Any suitable
configuration of photovoltaic or solar material or cells may be
used, for example, in combination with a DC-DC converter to
increase charging voltage or a step-down DC-DC converter to
decrease charging voltage, to achieve any target charging voltage.
In some embodiments, photovoltaic sources 106 may charge low and
high-voltage batteries 110, 112 equally, or one before the other,
for example, only charging low-voltage battery 110 after
high-voltage battery 112 is fully charged or vice versa.
[0032] Vehicle 100 may include an after-treatment (A/T) system 114.
After-treatment system 114 may reduce undesirable exhaust emissions
for example including NOx and particulate emissions.
[0033] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a solar-powered engine
thermal management system 200 according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0034] System 200 may include a vehicle 202 (e.g., vehicle 100 of
FIG. 1) having a vehicle propulsion or engine system 204. Vehicle
202 may include or have mounted to it photovoltaic (solar) electric
power sources 206 (e.g., photovoltaic sources 106 of FIG. 1), such
as, an array of solar energy cells and/or laminate. Vehicle 202 may
include one or more high-voltage batteries 208 (e.g., high-voltage
battery 112 of FIG. 1), one or more low-voltage batteries 210
(e.g., low-voltage battery 110 of FIG. 1) and/or one or more
auxiliary power modules (APM) 214. Auxiliary power module 214 may
be a step-up or step-down voltage converter.
[0035] A power control module 212 may control the allocation of
energy (e.g. in the form of electricity) from photovoltaic sources
206 to each of vehicle 202 components (e.g., engine system 204).
Power control module 212 may use a current measuring element 218 to
measure the electric power output of photovoltaic sources 206 to
determine the power adjustment necessary to charge or power each of
vehicle 202 components. Power control module 212 may use DC-DC
converters 220, 222 to adjust (e.g., increase or decrease) the
voltage output of photovoltaic sources 206.
[0036] Power control module 212 may transfer energy (e.g. in the
form of electricity) from photovoltaic sources 206 to high-voltage
battery 208 (e.g., and/or APM 214) at the correct high-voltage
battery charging voltage, for example, via DC-DC converter 222 and
to low-voltage battery 210 at the low-voltage battery charging
voltage, for example, via DC-DC converter 220. Energy may be
transferred to batteries 208, 210 and/or APM 214 independently or,
alternatively, first to high-voltage battery 208 and/or APM 214
and, upon saturating the storage capacity or reaching an above
threshold amount of stored energy, subsequently transferred to
low-voltage battery 210 (or vice versa). Current measuring element
218 may be used to measure current or electricity output from the
photovoltaic sources 206 to determine the available electricity
from solar power for distribution. Power control module 212 may
also transfer electric energy (e.g. in the form of electricity)
from photovoltaic sources 206 (e.g., either directly or via an
intermediate storage component, such as, low-voltage battery 210)
to engine system 204 components including one or more heater(s) 224
and/or other components of engine system 204. The one or more
heater(s) 224 and/or other components each may heat a component of
the engine system 204 such as coolant system 226 (which includes
coolant 265), coolant 256, engine block 228, engine cylinders 230,
or other engine system component. Power control module 212 may
adjust voltage or current output to each of the vehicle propulsion
system components according to the component's specific system
standards (e.g., and according to different modes in FIG. 3), for
example, via DC-DC converter 220 and may split output among engine
system components, for example, via pulse-width modulation (PWM)
device 232.
[0037] Power control module 212 may include a controller or
processor 234 and memory 236. Processor 234 may issue control
signals to (or directly) divert energy (e.g. in the form of
electricity) to vehicle 202 components via one or more switches 238
and 240. In one example, switch 238 may distribute energy to after
treatment system 254 or after treatment blower motor 216 (e.g., in
actuated position (L1)), to the one or more heater(s) 224 (e.g., in
actuated position (L2)), or to low-voltage battery 210 (e.g., in
actuated position (L3)). Switch 240 may distribute energy from
low-voltage battery 210 to after treatment system 254 or after
treatment blower motor 216 (e.g., in actuated position (S2)) or to
one or more heater(s) 224 (e.g., in actuated position (S3)). Heater
224 may be a heat exchanger, heating coil, heating device, heater
or other device. Heater 224 may be used to transfer heat to coolant
256, coolant system 226, engine block 228, engine cylinders 230, or
other engine system 204 components. Other switches or arrangements
of switches may be used to transfer energy between any components
in vehicle 202. Power control module 212 may be part of another
engine system, such as an engine or vehicle computer system.
[0038] Controller or processor 234 may be, for example, one or more
central processing unit(s) (CPU), a chip or any suitable computing
or computational device. Processor 234 may include multiple
processors, and may include general purpose processors and/or
dedicated processors. Processor 234 may execute code or
instructions, for example stored in memory 236 or long term storage
250, to carry out embodiments of the present invention.
[0039] Memory 236 may be or may include, for example, a Random
Access Memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a Dynamic RAM
(DRAM), a Synchronous DRAM (SD-RAM), a double data rate (DDR)
memory chip, a Flash memory, a volatile memory, a non-volatile
memory, a cache memory, a buffer, a short term memory unit, a long
term memory unit, or other suitable memory units or storage units.
Memory 236 may be or may include multiple memory units.
[0040] Long term storage 250 may be or may include, for example, a
hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a Compact Disk (CD) drive, a
CD-Recordable (CD-R) drive, and may include multiple or a
combination of such units.
[0041] Power control module 212 may input information to determine
(e.g., at processor 234) the appropriate amount of energy to
transfer to engine system 204 to heat coolant system 226 within the
optimal temperature range. Information may include data on
conditions that affect the optimal amount of energy, power, or
electricity to distribute or allocate to heater 224, coolant 256,
coolant system 226, engine block 228, engine cylinders 230 and/or
other engine system components to achieve the optimal temperature.
Information may include, for example, voltage of one or more energy
sources (Vb) (e.g., low-voltage battery 210), output current of
photovoltaic source 206 (Ip), voltage of photovoltaic source 206
(Vp), ambient temperature (Ta), cabin temperature (Tc),
after-treatment device bed temperature (Tbed), minimum power to
operate power control module 212 (5 Volts), and/or vehicle mode
(e.g., parked mode, driving mode) (Veh. Status). Information may
include additional or different conditions.
[0042] Vehicle 202 may include internal devices, such as, an
internal computer, processor 234 and memory 236, temperature,
voltage and/or current sensors, and/or switches 238, 240 activated
by predefined environmental conditions, for example, to store,
retrieve or generate information, such as, Vb, Ip, Vp, Tc, and min.
power. Vehicle 202 may also include a communication module 242 to
communicate with external devices to retrieve or generate
information, such as, Ta and Veh. Status. External devices may
include a vehicle telemetrics source 244 such as, a global
positioning system (GPS), a weather service source 246 providing
information related to weather, terrain, altitude, or other
environmental information, and a mobile computing device 248, such
as, a mobile computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal
digital assistant (PDA), etc., which may have a wireless network or
cellular network connection to retrieve temperature, weather,
geographic or environmental condition information from external
devices or servers. Alternatively, any or all of the information
may be obtained by devices internal to vehicle 202 or external to
vehicle 202.
[0043] Power control module 212 may use information to select one
or more modes defining where the energy from photovoltaic sources
206 is transferred. In one example, power control module 212 may
transfer energy according to modes, for example, as defined in FIG.
3. Power control module 212 may provide energy by providing a
current at a voltage (to result in a certain power level), which
may be predetermined according to the voltage of the energy source
(e.g., high-voltage battery 208, APM 214 or low-voltage battery
210).
[0044] FIG. 3 is a chart defining relationships between a plurality
of different energy modes 304 for allocating energy to different
components in a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 100 of FIG. 1) and a
plurality of conditions 300 according to an embodiment of the
present invention. When conditions or combination of conditions in
a set of conditions 300 are detected, a control module may select a
corresponding mode 304 for operation. Conditions 300 may include,
for example, vehicle driving status or modes (e.g., if the vehicle
is in park (0) or drive (1)), solar power (e.g., if there is light
from the sun (1) or moon (0)), if a measured temperature is greater
than, less than, or equal to a reference temperature (Tref), a
coolant reference temperature (Tcoolant), and available battery
voltage (e.g., if the voltage of one or more energy sources (Vb)
such as low-voltage battery 210 of FIG. 2 is within a maximum, mid,
or minimum voltage range). The measured temperature may be, for
example, a cabin temperature (Tc), current temperature of the
engine system 204, current coolant temperature (Tcoolant) when the
vehicle is operating, etc. The reference temperature (Tref) may be
the optimal temperature (or temperature range) for the engine
system 204, coolant system 226, or after-treatment light-off
temperature. The reference temperature (Tref) may also be equal to
the difference between the ambient temperature (Ta) and the cabin
temperature (Tc) (Tref=Ta-Tc). The coolant reference temperature
(Tcoolant) may be the optimal temperature (or temperature range)
for the coolant 256, coolant system 226, or other engine system
component.
[0045] Each one of the plurality of energy modes 304 may correspond
to a set of switch positions 302 and energy allocations 306. Energy
allocations 306 may define the amount or percentage of energy
(e.g., electricity) generated at a solar energy source to be
allocated to different components of the vehicle. The energy may be
distributed directly from the solar energy source (e.g.,
photovoltaic sources 106 of FIG. 1) or via an intermediate energy
storage system (e.g., low-voltage battery 110 of FIG. 1). The
components in the example in FIG. 3 are blower motor (X) (e.g.,
after treatment blower motor 216 of FIG. 2), battery (Y) (e.g.,
low-voltage battery 210 of FIG. 2), one or more after treatment
system components (e.g., after treatment system 254 of FIG. 2), and
one or more engine system components (e.g., engine system heater
224 of FIG. 2), although other components may be used. Energy modes
304 in the example in FIG. 3 include "Sleep 1" (e.g., 0% energy
allocated to components during drive mode), "Sleep 2" (e.g., 0%
energy allocated to components during park mode), "Blower ON 1"
(e.g., 100% energy allocated to the blower), "Blower ON 2" (e.g.,
80% energy allocated to the blower and 20% energy allocated to the
battery), "Blower ON 3" (e.g., 40% energy allocated to the blower,
40% energy allocated to the battery and 20% energy allocated to one
or more engine system component(s)), "Trickle Charge" (e.g., 60%
energy allocated to the battery), "Bulk Charge" (e.g., 100% energy
allocated to the battery), "After-Treatment" (e.g., 100% energy
allocated to the after-treatment component(s) or associated parts),
"Engine Thermal Management" (e.g., 100% energy allocated to the
engine system component(s) or associated parts, for example,
heater, heating exchanger, heating coil or other device to heat the
engine coolant system or other engine system component(s)), "Engine
Thermal Management+After Treatment" (e.g., 50% energy allocated to
the engine system component(s) or associated parts, such as,
heater, heating exchanger, heating coil, or other device to heat
the coolant system or other engine system component(s) and 50%
energy allocated to after-treatment system component(s) or
associated parts), although other modes may be used. A power
control module (e.g., power control module 212 of FIG. 2) may store
these relationships between conditions 300 and the energy
allocations 306 for energy modes 304, for example, in a memory unit
(e.g., memory 230 of FIG. 2). Other or different modes may be used,
and controlling systems and allocating power may be done without
the use of modes.
[0046] The power control module may use a pulse-width modulation
(PWM) device (e.g., PWM device 232 of FIG. 2) to divide or shunt
electric energy from the solar energy source in different
proportions among each of the different components based on
conditions 300, for example, according to energy allocations
306.
[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, power control
module 212 may use energy from a low-voltage energy storage system
(ESS) 210 (e.g., low-voltage battery 110 of FIG. 1) to provide
relatively low-voltage energy to one or more heater(s) 224 to
achieve optimal temperatures over a relatively longer time delay
(e.g., 20-30 minutes). Power control module 212 may also use energy
from a high-voltage battery 208 (e.g., high-voltage battery 112 of
FIG. 1) to provide relatively high-voltage energy to heater 224 to
achieve optimal temperatures over a relatively shorter time delay
(e.g., 2-3 minutes).
[0048] In some embodiments, power control module 212 may use solar
power energy from a solar energy source to fully or partially power
heater 224. Power control module 212 may retrieve solar energy from
photovoltaic (solar energy) sources 206, for example, stored in
low-voltage energy storage system 210.
[0049] Power control module 212 may be in communication with a
vehicle telemetrics source 244 and/or a mobile device 248, such as,
a smart phone, to retrieve information to allocate power or
generate a schedule or timeline for pre-heating engine system 204
or its components.
[0050] In some embodiments, a user or vehicle (with one or more
associated users) may have a driving schedule (e.g., expected times
when the user typically drives, such as, before and after work
during the user's weekday commute, before and after meeting times
for clubs or sport practices on the weekends, etc.), for example,
stored in vehicle telemetrics source 244 or mobile device 248, or
in another unit such as module 212. Power control module 212 may
use the driving schedule to activate heater 224 to pre-heat engine
system 204 components (e.g., coolant system 226, engine block 228,
etc.) to optimal temperatures by the times that engine 204 is
expected to be started. The user may be alerted that the engine
system has begun pre-heating and/or that pre-heating is complete,
for example, via an alert or alarm on their mobile device 248. The
user may verify (or ignore) the prompt to initiate, continue, or
not cancel pre-heating engine system 204 or, conversely, may reject
(or ignore) the prompt to stop, cancel or not initiate pre-heating
engine system 204. In another embodiment, a user may have a control
button, for example, a virtual button on mobile device 248, a
physical button in the vehicle, or a partial turning of an ignition
key to initiate pre-heating engine system 204.
[0051] In some embodiments, power control module 212 may use
weather information (e.g., temperature, clouds, time of
sunrise/sunset, etc., provided by vehicle telemetrics source 244 or
mobile device 248) to determine if pre-heating should be done
and/or an amount of energy to allocate to pre-heat engine system
204. In some embodiments, if the weather information indicates
future temperature fluctuations, power control module 212 may
compensate for such weather changes by likewise changing the energy
allocated to heater 224 to maintain engine temperature within the
optimal range. Power control module 212 may alter the energy
allocated to heater 224 prior to the expected future weather
changes, for example, by an amount of time estimated to take heater
224 to achieve the expected temperature compensation. In some
embodiments where power control module 212 uses energy from
photovoltaic sources 206, power control module 212 may provide
information related to the geographical location of the vehicle and
may receive a sunlight schedule indicating measures of predicted
future sunlight available to the vehicle over time based on the
geographical location of the vehicle. Power control module 212 may
change the amount of energy from photovoltaic sources 206 reserved
for engine system 204 based on the sunlight schedule. In one
example, if the sunlight schedule predicts clouds or a decrease in
the future amount of available sunlight, power control module 212
may reserve an increased or maximum amount of current solar energy
resources from photovoltaic sources 206 to be stored in low-voltage
energy storage system 210 to compensate for the predicted future
decrease in sunlight. Conversely, if the sunlight schedule predicts
direct sun or an increase in the future amount of available
sunlight, power control module 212 may reserve relatively less or a
minimum amount of solar energy resources for engine system 204 and
may distribute the remaining available energy from photovoltaic
sources 206 to be used for other functionality.
[0052] In some embodiments, power control module 212 may use
vehicle driving modes or status (e.g., park mode, drive mode, idle
mode, start/stop mode, accelerating, decelerating, etc., which for
example may be provided by vehicle telemetrics source 244) to
determine an amount of energy to allocate to pre-heat engine system
204 or its components. The driving modes may be measured by, for
example, sensing the engine 204 operation or monitoring the gears
of the vehicle. The driving modes may be predicted (e.g., a driving
mode to be expected in the future may be a predicted driving mode)
using real time traffic information, for example, provided by
vehicle telemetrics source 244 and/or a mobile device 248.
[0053] In one embodiment, when engine system 204 is in a driving or
start/stop mode, the coolant system or another target component may
reach an optimal temperature. The optimal temperature may be, for
example, 45-50.degree. C. or 90.degree. C. (other temperature
ranges or thresholds may be used). When engine system 204 has
reached an optimal temperature, power control module 212 may
allocate less energy to heater 224 to heat engine system 204 or a
target component. Power control module 212 may change the amount of
energy from photovoltaic sources 206 reserved for engine system 204
and alternatively allocate energy from photovoltaic sources 206 to
other systems including, for example, an after-treatment system or
any other vehicle systems. In some embodiments, power control
module 212 may be in ongoing communication with one or more
temperature sensor(s) 252 to receive temperature measurements over
time. One or more temperature sensor(s) 252 may be, for example,
located in engine system 204 and may measure the temperature of
engine coolant system 226, engine block 228, engine cylinders 230,
or any system or component. Power control module 212 may modulate
energy or power allocations to pre-heat engine system 204 according
to temperature measurements from temperature sensor(s) 252.
[0054] In some embodiments, power control module 212 may use a
combination of factors, e.g., driving schedule, weather information
(e.g., temperature and/or sunlight schedules), and driving modes,
to determine a time schedule (e.g., pre-heating start times) and/or
an energy schedule (e.g., variable amounts of energy allocated over
time) to pre-heat engine system 204 to maintain optimal
temperatures. Each set of vehicle telematics or factors used to
control pre-heating may provide an extra degree of freedom to
control engine system 204.
[0055] Other numbers, types and configurations of combustion
chambers, exhaust valves, air-fuel ratios, engines, fuels, and
engine systems may be used.
[0056] FIG. 4 is a graph of cumulative fuel consumption of an
engine system with respect to time, and shows that faster coolant
heating may result in less fuel consumption. Graph 400 may
represent the cumulative fuel consumption of a vehicle and engine
system during multiple identical New European Driving Cycles (NEDC)
with different coolant system heating rates. Graph segment 402 may
represent the vehicle speed over an NEDC drive cycle. Graph segment
404 may represent the fuel consumption of a vehicle, in which the
engine coolant heats slowly over the NEDC drive cycle. The engine
coolant system in the vehicle represented by graph segment 404 was
not heated by any heater, heat exchanger or other device. In the
example shown, the coolant system in the vehicle represented by
graph segment 404 heated to 90.degree. C. in 814 seconds. Graph
segment 406 may represent the fuel consumption of a vehicle in
which the coolant is heated with a heater (e.g., a heat exchanger,
heating coil, heater or other heating device) during the NEDC drive
cycle. The coolant system in the vehicle represented by graph
segment 406 heated to 90.degree. C. in 325 seconds. As shown in
graph 400, a vehicle in which the coolant is heated with a heater
or other device may consume less fuel. Of course, other vehicles,
and other embodiments, may correspond to graphs with different
data.
[0057] FIG. 5 is a graph of coolant temperature of an engine system
with respect to time according to an embodiment of the present
invention. Graph 500 may represent a coolant temperature, and its
decline, from 0 to 8 hours after a vehicle with heated coolant is
turned off. Coolant temperature 508 may be the temperature of the
heated coolant as it declines after the engine is turned off, if no
action is taken to heat the coolant. Coolant temperature 502 may be
the minimum coolant temperature necessary to transfer from a
typical combustion mode to an advanced combustion mode (e.g., HCCI
combustion, lean SIDI combustion, etc.) or minimum coolant
temperature necessary to transfer to warm engine calibration.
Coolant temperature 502 may be, for example, 45-50.degree. C.
(other temperature values may be used in other embodiments).
Coolant temperature 506 represents, in one example, the coolant
system temperature when engine is first turned off, after the
coolant has been heated. Heating energy 504 may be the energy
required to maintain the vehicle coolant system temperature at or
above coolant temperature 502 while the vehicle (or the engine) is
not operating. Heating energy 504 may be, for example, 6 megajoules
(MJ) over 8 hours to maintain the coolant system temperature at or
above 45-50.degree. C. Other heating energy values and temperature
thresholds may be used in other embodiments. Photovoltaic source
106 may, for example, provide 5.76 MJ of energy over 8 hours or
other amounts of energy. Heat received by photovoltaic source 106
may therefore maintain coolant system 226 temperature near
45-50.degree. C. during direct sunlight weather conditions.
Photovoltaic source 106 may provide more or less energy depending
on the type of photovoltaic source, the size of the photovoltaic
source and other factors.
[0058] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment
of the present invention.
[0059] In operation 600, energy may be received from a solar energy
source (e.g., photovoltaic sources 106 of FIG. 1) electrically
connected to a vehicle propulsion system (e.g., engine system 108
of FIG. 1). The solar energy source may be electrically connected
to the vehicle propulsion system directly or via intermediate
components such as a controller, batteries, etc. Electricity may be
produced from the photovoltaic source.
[0060] In operation 610, a component of the vehicle propulsion
system (e.g., coolant system 226 of FIG. 2) may be heated using at
least some of the energy from the solar energy source. For example,
coolant system may be heated using electricity from photovoltaic
sources.
[0061] In operation 620, a control module (e.g., power control
module 212 of FIG. 2) may provide an alert, indication or signal
when the component of the vehicle propulsion system (e.g., coolant
system 226) is heated within a predetermined temperature range
associated with optimal efficiency. The alert may be issued to a
driver, for example, or to a system controlling the engine, e.g.,
to change the mode or calibration of the engine. The alert may
indicate that the vehicle propulsion system is started with optimal
efficiency and may indicate when the vehicle propulsion system
transfers to an advanced combustion mode (e.g., HCCI, PCCI, lean
SIDI, etc.) or transfers to a different engine calibration (e.g.,
warm engine calibration). In some embodiments operations 600-620
may occur before the engine of the vehicle is turned on.
[0062] Other operations or series of operations may be used.
[0063] Embodiments of the present invention may include apparatuses
for performing the operations described herein. Such apparatuses
may be specially constructed for the desired purposes, or may
comprise computers or processors selectively activated or
reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computers. Such
computer programs may be stored in a computer-readable or
processor-readable storage medium, any type of disk including
floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks,
read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs)
electrically programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically
erasable and programmable read only memories (EEPROMs), magnetic or
optical cards, or any other type of media suitable for storing
electronic instructions. It will be appreciated that a variety of
programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the
invention as described herein. Embodiments of the invention may
include an article such as a non-transitory computer or processor
readable storage medium, such as for example a memory, a disk
drive, or a USB flash memory encoding, including or storing
instructions, e.g., computer-executable instructions, which when
executed by a processor or controller, cause the processor or
controller to carry out methods disclosed herein. The instructions
may cause the processor or controller to execute processes that
carry out methods disclosed herein.
[0064] Features of various embodiments discussed herein may be used
with other embodiments discussed herein. The foregoing description
of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the
purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed.
It should be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that many
modifications, variations, substitutions, changes, and equivalents
are possible in light of the above teaching. It is, therefore, to
be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all
such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of
the invention.
* * * * *