DE102009039373A1 - Energy assistant for use in e.g. electric vehicle, has electrical consumers automatically deactivated independent of area of motor vehicle due to energy savings mode, and controlled to regulate reduced energy consumption - Google Patents

Abstract

The assistant has an electrical energy storage and predetermined actually operated electrical consumers, where the assistant is manually activated by a driver and formed such that energy savings mode is activated when activating the assistant. The predetermined actually operated electrical consumers are automatically deactivated independent of an area of a motor vehicle due to the energy savings mode or is controlled to regulate reduced energy consumption. An input unit e.g. push-button or a pressure and/or a rotary button, is manipulated to activate the energy savings mode.

Description

The invention relates to an energy assistant for a motor vehicle with an electric motor for influencing the remaining range.

At present, a remaining range (basic residual range), which results from the ratio of current tank or energy storage content to the current fuel or energy consumption, is determined in almost every vehicle and displayed, for example, as part of an on-board computer function. As a rule, neither the current nor the expected driving style is taken into account when determining the basic residual range, ie. H. the determination is made regardless of whether sporty (high absolute fuel consumption) or efficient (low absolute fuel consumption) is driven. The driver can therefore also estimate with difficulty whether his current driving style for fuel savings, d. H. leads to a reach-gain.

Today's electric vehicles (or hybrid vehicles) have an electrical energy storage, the energy is taken to operate the electric motor for the drive. At the same time or in parallel to this energy storage, if necessary, energy for operating various electrical consumers of the vehicle, such. B. the air conditioning or seat heating removed. The energy storage can be removed from each active electrical consumer at least until energy is reached until a defined critical state of charge of the energy storage device is reached. Due to the energy extraction by electrical consumers, however, the amount of energy that can be made available for the drive (electric motor) decreases. Thus also reduces the so-called. Range of the motor vehicle.

Since it is not known at the beginning of a journey which electrical consumers will be active and how much energy is taken from the energy store, the range information is subject to extreme uncertainty. Especially with purely electric drive concepts, the necessary recharging of the energy storage can sometimes lead to several hours of unwanted stays while driving. Such disadvantages lead to a low acceptance of such drive concepts.

From the DE 103 02 504 A1 A method for determining the remaining range of an electric vehicle is already known, in which vehicle, route and / or environmental information about the vehicle is taken into account. This should enable the driver to change his route planning and / or his driving mode so that results in a larger vehicle range.

Next is from the DE 101 38 750 B4 a vehicle computer system for displaying the energy consumption of active electrical consumers in a vehicle with conventional drive unit known. Based on the presentation, the driver can decide by a manual selection, which electrical loads are to be deactivated to influence the range. Alternatively, the system may also make a suggestion to deactivate predetermined electrical loads which the driver may confirm by manual input. Finally, given electrical consumers can also be automatically deactivated if the currently determined range of the vehicle is not sufficient to reach the nearest gas station. The disadvantage here is that for performing an automatic deactivation at least one further information must be present or another condition must be met.

The task now is to provide a system which, with the desired energy-efficient driving style, enables a simple and rapid implementation of the wish.

This object is achieved by an energy assistant according to claim 1. Advantageous developments are the subject matters of the dependent claims.

The basic idea of the invention is to assist the driver, at least in the case of a specific operating mode of the motor vehicle in which the driver wishes to drive energy-efficiently, by a corresponding automatic control of various vehicle components. In particular, in vehicles that are equipped with an electric drive unit, it is important that the electric motor as much energy is provided, d. H. the energy to be taken from the energy store, which is not used for the drive, is to be minimized. It is further assumed that the customer can temporarily forego certain energy consumers or functions in the event of intentional energy-efficient driving, even if this could lead to a noticeable loss of comfort in individual cases, but in return receives considerably greater range. However, the customer often does not know which consumers - and to what extent the consumers - reduce the range because they lack the necessary information.

According to the invention, an energy assistant in a motor vehicle with an electric energy storage is now proposed, wherein the electrical energy storage is taken on the one hand energy for driving the motor vehicle by means of an electric motor and the other energy for operating various electrical loads in the motor vehicle.

As long as the driver does not express that he wants to drive energy-efficiently, a conventional control of all electrical consumers is made according to the settings of the driver. The invention is characterized in that the energy assistant for influencing the range of the motor vehicle is constructed and configured such that upon activation of the energy assistant, a power saving mode is activated, due to which at least one predetermined currently operated electrical load automatically and independently of the range of the vehicle so is controlled or is controlled that sets a reduced energy consumption or that the electrical load is completely deactivated or is disabled. By manually activating the energy assistant, the driver realizes that he wants to drive in an energy-efficient manner and, if necessary, tolerates loss of comfort. By automatically implementing the desired "energy saving" the driver does not have to worry about details and can concentrate on driving alone. The electrical consumers may be, for example, an infotainment system, an air conditioning system, a heater, a seat heater, a driver assistance system, or an ambient lighting.

In the simplest form, the energy assistant can comprise an input unit, in particular a push-button or a push-button and / or knob, by activating which the energy-saving mode is activated. This causes the driver to obtain the greatest possible range by automatically deactivating or controlling at least one predefined currently operated and not driving-relevant electrical load in such a way that reduced energy consumption occurs. In order to achieve a maximum range, when activating the energy assistant and the associated activation of the energy saving mode, all current operated electrical comfort consumers, d. H. all non-driving electrical consumers are disabled.

In order to be able to achieve a further energy saving, in an advantageous development of the invention upon activation of the energy assistant and the associated activation of the energy saving mode additionally predetermined manipulating variable influencing the energy consumption, in particular also drive manipulated variables, can be automatically influenced or changed such that an enlargement Range is achieved by reducing energy consumption. Thus, for example, all potential fuel-relevant manipulated variables, such as the maximum acceleration of the vehicle can be changed or reduced, so that - on the example of the maximum acceleration - only a reduced maximum acceleration can be requested or made and thus the energy consumption is reduced.

• 1. Stufe: Deaktivierung der Ambiente Beleuchtung, Reduzierung der Leistung der Klimaanlage und der Sitzheizung
• 2. Stufe: zusätzlich Deaktivierung der Sitzheizung, Infotainmentsystem
• 3. Stufe: zusätzlich Deaktivierung der Heizung/Klimaanlage
• 4. Stufe: zusätzlich Deaktivierung der Heckscheibenheizung, Fahrerassistenzsysteme
• 5. Stufe: zusätzlich reduzierte maximale Beschleunigung

In an alternative embodiment of the energy assistant can also be a gradual deactivation or low-consumption control of the electrical consumers done, ie depending on the selected level those consumers are automatically disabled or appropriately fuel-efficient driven, which are assigned to this level. Is the energy saving z. B. expanded two-stage, so activation of the first stage only "unimportant" consumers can be disabled, in the second stage then the more important "electrical consumers. An example of a multi-level deactivation or low-consumption control would also be the following embodiment:

• 1st stage: deactivation of ambience lighting, reduction of air conditioning and seat heating
• 2nd stage: in addition deactivation of the seat heating, infotainment system
• 3rd stage: in addition deactivation of heating / air conditioning
• 4th stage: in addition deactivation of the rear window heating, driver assistance systems
• 5th stage: additionally reduced maximum acceleration

The various stages of the energy-saving mode could, for example, be selected or activated by a multiple actuation of a control element provided for this purpose, in particular by a repeated actuation of a pushbutton or a button or a rotary switch or a touch-sensitive surface.

The specification of the consumers to be deactivated and / or those consumers who are to be driven more favorably and / or manipulated variables to be influenced, as well as the assignment of consumers to be deactivated and / or consumers who are to be driven more economical, and / or to be influenced Manipulated variables for the respective stages can be made in advance by the driver at the factory or as part of an energy-saving mode configuration. The selection and / or assignment to the individual levels by the driver gives him the opportunity to decide beforehand which functions he may not want at all, restricted or only want to do without at the highest level.

In one embodiment of the invention, the driver could also enter the desired range or route (by the navigation system), so that the energy assistant then functions due to the settings of the driver or shuts off or modifies controlled, so that the desired range or distance can be achieved without recharging the energy storage.

In addition, the energy assistant can comprise a display unit in which at least when activating the energy-saving mode beforehand all automatically deactivatable electrical consumers and / or all electrical consumers that can be controlled such that a reduced power consumption occurs, are displayed. In addition, the range gains to be achieved by deactivating or changing the activation of the respective consumer can also be displayed, so that the driver is informed about which range gain can be achieved by the automatic deactivation. The range gains can either be calculated from the measured consumption data, or determined on the basis of a consumption average value stored in a map and the target specification for the respective consumer taking into account the current energy supply. If the range gain in relation to its loss of comfort due to the automatic deactivation or changed activation seems too small, then in an advantageous embodiment of the invention it can prevent an automatic deactivation of certain electrical consumers in advance, or - if already automatically deactivated - reactivate it.

• – die ermittelte Reichweite im normalen Fahrbetrieb (aktive Verbraucher)
• – die „aktuell berechnete” Reichweite unter Berücksichtigung der aktuell automatisch deaktivierten Verbraucher
• – die „maximale” Reichweite unter Berücksichtigung aller möglichen zu deaktivierenden elektrischen Verbraucher.

In addition, other information can also be displayed:

• - the determined range in normal driving (active consumers)
• - The "currently calculated" range, taking into account the currently automatically deactivated consumers
• - the "maximum" range, taking into account all possible electrical consumers to be deactivated.

In the case of the currently calculated range or the maximum range, instead of a calculation on the basis of current consumption data, a determination based on an ascertainable range gain taking into account predetermined average consumption values, which can be stored for example for each relevant electrical consumer in a performance map, in conjunction with the target specifications for the consumer.

If the vehicle is equipped with a navigation system, the ranges mentioned above, for example, can also be displayed in a map view by means of different action radii. A central representation of the potential savings - possibly in combination with the range or the current consumption - has the advantage for the customer that this can be easily informed about the energy saving measures and influencing the activity of the electrical consumers for him more comprehensible. The invention makes it possible to use savings potential, of which the driver may have known nothing, since he was not aware that and at what level certain electrical consumers claim the energy storage.

Advantageously, the display unit can also be configured as a touchscreen, by the actuation of which the driver can activate the energy-saving mode and / or the various stages of the energy-saving mode and / or can perform an energy-saving mode configuration.

In the context of the energy assistant according to the invention, in addition to the proposed automatic deactivation of certain electrical consumers, other measures can be taken by which a reduction in energy consumption can be achieved.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 10302504 A1 [0005]
• DE 10138750 B4 [0006]

Claims (11)

Energy assistant in a motor vehicle with an electrical energy storage, which is taken for a power to drive the motor vehicle by means of an electric motor and other energy for operating various electrical loads in the motor vehicle, and wherein the electrical load can be deactivated to influence the range of the motor vehicle, characterized that the energy assistant for influencing the range of the motor vehicle is constructed and configured such that upon activation of the energy assistant a power saving mode is activated, due to which at least one predetermined currently operated electrical load is automatically deactivated regardless of the range or is controlled such that a reduced Energy consumption. Energy assistant according to claim 1, characterized in that the energy assistant can be activated manually by the driver. Energy assistant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the energy assistant comprises an input unit, in particular a button or a pressure and / or rotary knob, by the actuation of the energy-saving mode is activated. Energy assistant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when activating the energy saving mode all currently operated electric comfort consumers are automatically deactivated. Energy assistant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that upon activation of the energy saving mode additionally predetermined and the power consumption influencing control variables, in particular drive control variables are so automatically influenced that an increase in the range is achieved. Energy assistant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the energy-saving mode is constructed at least two stages, and depending on the activated stage of the energy saving mode, the predetermined for the respective stage electrical loads are automatically deactivated or controlled such that sets a reduced energy consumption. Energy assistant according to claim 6, characterized in that the various stages of energy-saving mode by multiple operation of a dedicated control element, in particular a button or a push button or by a rotary switch or a touch-sensitive surface can be activated. Energy assistant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the automatically to be deactivated electrical consumers factory or in the context of an energy-saving mode configuration are pre-set by the driver. Energy assistant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the energy assistant comprises a display unit in which upon activation of the energy saving mode all automatically deactivatable electrical consumers and / or all electrical consumers that are controllable so that adjusts a reduced energy consumption can be displayed. Energy assistant according to claim 9, characterized in that in the display unit in addition to each illustrated electrical consumer, a value for the range gain, resulting from deactivation of the electrical load or by the modified control and advantageously as a function of a value stored in a consumer map value and a target specification for the consumer can be demonstrated. Energy assistant according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the energy-saving mode comprises a display unit which is also designed as a touch screen and the driver can activate the energy-saving mode and / or the various stages of energy-saving mode and / or can make a power saving mode configuration.