DE102011082336A1 - Method for controlling power distribution processes in a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for predictively controlling energy distribution processes between at least one energy converter and at least one energy store in a vehicle is provided with the following steps: detecting a current environment of the vehicle, determining at least one future driving state of the vehicle depending on the detected current environment, determining a expected energy requirement of at least one consumer of the vehicle for the at least one future driving state, controlling a charging and / or discharging the at least one energy storage in dependence on the estimated energy demand of the at least one consumer in the at least one future driving state.

Description

The invention relates to a method for controlling energy management processes in a vehicle, in particular for controlling energy distribution processes between energy converters and energy storage devices in a motor vehicle.

Increasingly, measures to save energy and redistribute energy are being introduced into motor vehicles in order to reduce energy consumption and thus save raw materials and costs. In addition, great efforts are being made to reduce pollutant emissions, particularly CO ₂ .

These measures can be summarized under the generic term of the energy management in the vehicle and include measures such as engine start-stop functions for switching off the drive motor when the vehicle is at rest, a sail operation of the vehicle for low-energy "gliding" of the vehicle or systems for regenerative braking and many more.

Particular importance here gains a control or mutual coordination of these measures in order to achieve the best possible savings.

So it is indeed known to provide different energy storage with different properties for storing excess or recovered energy in a vehicle. However, a loading and unloading takes place only on the basis of predefined control algorithms.

This means that the energy stores will be filled independently of an actual need, as soon as excess energy is available. As a result, rechargeable batteries experience unnecessary charge cycles and thus age faster or energy is supplied to capacitors, which in principle can not be stored long enough to be fetched, so that this energy component is lost.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved method for controlling energy distribution processes in a vehicle, which eliminates or at least reduces the disadvantages mentioned.

This object is achieved by means of a method according to the patent claim 1. Advantageous further developments emerge from the dependent claims.

• – Erfassen einer aktuellen Umgebung des Fahrzeugs,
• – Ermitteln mindestens eines zukünftigen Fahrzustandes des Fahrzeugs in Abhängigkeit von der erfassten aktuellen Umgebung,
• – Ermitteln eines voraussichtlichen Energiebedarfs von zumindest einem Verbraucher des Fahrzeuges für den mindestens einen zukünftigen Fahrzustand,
• – Steuern einer Aufladung und/oder Entladung des mindestens einen Energiespeichers in Abhängigkeit von dem ermittelten voraussichtlichen Energiebedarf des zumindest einen Verbrauchers in dem zumindest einen zukünftigen Fahrzustand.

Accordingly, a method for predictive control of energy distribution processes between at least one energy converter and at least one energy store in a vehicle is proposed with the following steps:

• Detecting a current environment of the vehicle,
• Determining at least one future driving state of the vehicle as a function of the detected current environment,
• Determining an anticipated energy requirement of at least one consumer of the vehicle for the at least one future driving state,
• - Controlling a charge and / or discharge of the at least one energy storage in dependence on the estimated energy consumption of the at least one consumer in the at least one future driving state.

The method described for controlling power distribution processes is to be understood as part of an energy management of the vehicle. In this case, it is determined in which way currently gained or future recoverable energy can be stored as optimally as possible. In addition, a control for discharging is provided in order to optimize in this way the energy management of the vehicle in its entirety.

Thus, a method is provided for controlling the charging and / or discharging of the at least one energy store as a function of the determined anticipated energy requirement of at least one or more consumers in the vehicle in a future driving state.

Accordingly, there is thus an up and / or discharge of at least one energy store as a function of a current and actual environment of the vehicle. This is done by determining the at least one future driving state on the basis of the acquired information about the current environment becomes. From this it is possible to draw conclusions about the future energy consumption of consumers. On the basis of these findings, the control of the charging of the energy store (s) then takes place.

In particular, the control of the charging and discharging comprises a selection of energy stores from a number of energy stores available in the vehicle. This means that, for example, it can be recognized that an energy consumption of the vehicle or individual consumers is reduced compared to a current consumption due to the at least one future driving state. Based on this, conversion measures can be activated and the recoverable energy used for conversion or charging. On the basis of the determined future driving state, it is already possible to select the energy store which is most suitable for the respective future driving state. As described, however, several future driving states can also be determined and a corresponding control of the loading and / or unloading can be adapted accordingly. In this way, multi-level energy conversion processes and complex future driving conditions can be taken into account and the process adapted to it.

With the described method, situation-dependent and in particular situation-adapted energy management decisions can be made automatically and optimally adapted to a prospective energy requirement so that energy, in particular in the form of fuel, can be saved and exhaust gases and pollutant emissions can be reduced.

Of course, on the basis of the information obtained about the at least one future driving state and the control of the charging and discharging, the consumer (s) can also be controlled in order to vary his or her energy demand according to the situation. In particular, such a controller can provide that the consumer (s) are likewise controlled "in a forward-looking manner" and thus their or their energy consumption can be optimized, in particular reduced. Other examples of such predictive control will be described in detail below.

According to a preferred embodiment, the detection of the current environment takes place by means of near field and / or surroundings detection devices. Such near-field or peripheral detection devices include, for example, a radar system for distance and object detection, as well as a Lidarsensorik and cameras and / or ultrasound for Nahfeldfassung. In addition, systems for communication between vehicles (so-called Car2Car communication) or between vehicles and an infrastructure (so-called Car2X communication) are already known, so that the information obtained by means of these systems can be used for the stated purpose.

Thus, vehicles or other road users or objects in the environment, in particular their position and / or speed, can be detected. Depending on the detected objects then takes place a determination of a future, suitably adapted driving condition, for example, an adapted braking, a continued stoppage or an adapted start of the vehicle. Of course, other states are possible as well.

For example, the described method can be used to control an energy distribution as a function of a longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle. Thus, for example, a vehicle in front and / or a stationary vehicle can be detected and a corresponding future driving state can be determined. If the preceding vehicle has a lower speed or stands still, the control step for the loading and / or unloading can be adapted accordingly.

If, on the other hand, a preceding vehicle is detected at the same speed or higher than the vehicle, the control step includes, for example, a waiver of measures or even allows a discharge of selected energy stores to increase drive power, as far as the driver desires. In particular, rapidly accessible energy stores can be used for such "spontaneous" energy consumption. In order to ensure its availability at this moment, the method may also perform a step of redistributing energy between the individual energy stores in the context of power distribution processes depending on the anticipated energy demand.

In addition to the described redistribution of energy between the individual energy stores, a selection of energy stores in the context of the control step for charging and / or discharging the energy stores is to be understood below as energy distribution processes.

Advantageously, the method can be configured such that in a control of these energy distribution processes, the achievable within the vehicle efficiencies of occurring energy conversion processes during charging and discharging the energy storage or redistributing the energy and / or the speed of these energy conversion processes and / or by at least an energy storage of the vehicle is still considered absorbable amount of energy. Thus, the efficiency of the method can be further increased, as losses typically associated with an energy conversion can be reduced.

Different energy stores of the vehicle have different characteristics with respect to the storage and conversion of the energy provided. For example, the battery of an at least partially electrically driven vehicle has a much higher capacity compared to supercapacitors, but can not store the energy as fast as the supercapacitors. By taking into account the achievable speed of the energy conversion processes when storing the energy in the respective energy storage, here: the battery, or redistributing the energy, a higher efficiency of the method can be achieved according to the invention. Thus, for example, the energy which is calculated in advance by means of the method according to the invention and released in the event of an imminent recuperation can be completely absorbed if the energy is divided, for example, between the battery of the vehicle and the supercapacitors on the basis of their predicted amount.

In one example, supercapacitors are charged by another electrical energy store of the vehicle as part of the redistribution step, or are charged by regenerative power of an electric machine. Capacitors and in particular the supercapacitors are characterized by the fact that they release their stored energy content very quickly and can very quickly absorb a large amount of energy. However, they are limited in their capacity. A situation-adaptive charging in accordance with the method described thus provides energy which can be called quickly for an impending acceleration, in which a high amount of energy is required for a short time, and is therefore very sensible.

In the complementary situation of an imminent recuperation, the supercapacitors can be emptied, for example, by "reloading" the stored electrical energy into another electrical storage or "discharging" by supplying electrical energy to an electric motor to return a large amount of energy to the condenser thus emptied be able to record a short time, for example, in an upcoming braking situation. It is understood that in addition to the explicitly mentioned supercapacitors other capacitors, so-called ultracaps or similar energy storage can be used.

Advantageously, the future or anticipated energy requirement for one, two or more consumers is determined for at least two future times. In other words, the step of determining a prospective energy demand comprises determining an anticipated energy requirement for at least two future driving states or times.

Thus, the energy conversion can also take place in two or more stages. For example, in a planned or imminently determined energy conversion, it is determined in the step of controlling the charging or discharging which energy storage devices of the vehicle are to be used for receiving the converted energy. If, for example, an imminent recuperation is detected as an energy conversion process, which provides a very high energy flow and thus a large amount of energy within a short time, then a plurality of energy stores of the vehicle can preferably be filled or emptied beforehand.

In other words, the control of energy distribution processes, that is to say the targeted charging and discharging or redistribution, can take place on the basis of the detection of the current environment of the vehicle and / or the determination of a future driving state of the vehicle. In addition, in each case a presumed energy requirement of at least one consumer, determined as a function of the detected current environment, is taken into consideration for at least two future times or for at least two future driving states. Thus, the control of a charging and discharging of the at least one energy storage device can be effected as a function of at least two different future driving states or the respectively associated anticipated energy requirement. This is to be understood such that the at least two future driving states are provided in chronological succession.

Thus, a respective energy requirement can also be determined for a plurality of future times or future driving states, wherein the driving conditions or the associated times in a linear temporal relationship or time interval, such as 1 sec, 2 sec, 3 sec, ... ( sec = second) or in a logarithmic relationship or distance, such as 0.5 sec, 0.7 sec, 1 sec, 1.4 sec, 2 sec, 2.8 sec, 4 sec, 5.6 sec, 8 sec, 11 sec, 16 sec, 22 sec, each other. The energy distribution processes are controlled such that the required distribution of energy at these times is achieved and / or the total energy conversion losses in energy conversion processes are minimized. Determining the respective energy demand at these times, which are in a nonlinear or logarithmic distance, is advantageous because the accuracy of the prediction typically decreases with increasing a forecast horizon in a similar manner.

In addition, the electrical energy, which can not be absorbed by the battery at the required rate, can be temporarily stored in the supercapacitors and then "transhipped" into the battery. Thus, the amount of energy that can not be "reused" in the process, or that has to be converted less efficiently, can be minimized.

In the context of the method, in particular vehicles are recognized and taken into account, which move or are located laterally, behind, transversely to the vehicle or in front of the vehicle.

By means of the described Car2Car or Car2X communication, information from other road users or the infrastructure can be transmitted to the vehicle and used there in particular for the step of detecting the environment. In particular, information about a driving situation of another road user and / or an infrastructure device can be transmitted to the vehicle. Examples include traffic lights and railroad crossing systems that send wireless signals about their condition, especially over a remaining period of a red phase. This allows, for example, to estimate the duration of the vehicle standstill. If this is imminent, in particular the rapidly accessible energy stores (eg supercapacitors) can be selected for loading or unloading in the context of this method. On the other hand, if the expected service life lasts longer, other types of storage may be preferred. If, on the other hand, the vehicle approaches a green traffic light, it can be estimated over a remaining period of the green phase whether energy has to be absorbed by impending braking, which would require discharging a rapidly rechargeable storage in preparation for the imminent energy intake.

Furthermore, a current energy conversion can continue to be operated in a defined scope for providing the current energy surplus for charging the at least one energy store.

If, for example, a change in the current driving state reduces a consumer's demand for energy, an energy converter can advantageously be operated at least for a short time in a defined scope, the defined scope providing more usable energy than is currently required. An energy surplus generated thereby can be used to at least partially fill the at least one energy store. This can be done for example by continuing the operation of an already running drive motor. Preferably, the defined scope is defined such that the energy converter is operated at a current operating state or at a lower energy operating state for a defined period of time to provide the desired energy surplus.

According to another preferred embodiment, the predictive control determines a future vehicle state that is within a time interval of 0.1 to 60 seconds in the future. This interval depends on the devices used for proximity or environment detection, as well as the environment and the current vehicle speed. Thus, the predictive control differs from known systems which are based on navigation data and are more suitable for estimating "global" energy consumption over a longer distance, but can not take into account the real environment of the vehicle in periods of several seconds to several minutes.

Furthermore, the method may include selecting a drive type of a hybrid drive of the vehicle. Accordingly, depending on the future driving state of each optimal driving mode is selected. In this case, the environment can be taken into account, but also additionally or alternatively, the current or future expected state of the energy storage.

In addition, retrieval of the stored energy by the consumer may be in parallel with a primary energy converter and / or energy storage. This means that a consumer can be supplied with energy for its operation both via the energy store and a primary energy converter, such as the drive motor, or other energy storage devices. Retrieving the stored energy in this case is supported by the other energy flows.

For example, can be used as energy storage electrochemical and / or electrostatic energy storage. These include in particular rechargeable batteries (accumulators), capacitors and / or the already mentioned supercapacitors, so-called supercaps or ultracaps. The latter enable a short-term and advantageous energy storage with a "fast" retrievability of the stored energy in the sense of this invention. Thus, depending on an anticipated energy demand, for example for a vehicle standstill at a traffic light and possibly an estimated service life can be calculated whether charging of supercaps makes sense and whether the stored energy is sufficient to supply the electrical system during the service life. If this is not the case, it may be provided, for example, to correspondingly control the internal combustion engine and / or to use other energy stores, such as the battery.

For example, the consumers include mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal and electrical systems of the vehicle. In particular, consumers can use a vehicle electrical system and / or actuators and / or heating and air conditioning systems.

For the purposes of the invention, consumers also include groups of consumers, such as consumers who are used for electric driving, power-assisted steering, lighting of the vehicle, or for various aspects of traction control, for heating or air conditioning, or for the execution of others Functions that are operated automatically or by a driver action. A summary of the individual actuators, heating elements, motors, etc. in consumer groups offers the advantage that their anticipated energy requirements for these groups can be calculated more easily and taken into account.

In particular, a use of the method can be provided for the consumers who have a maximum power consumption of more than 100 watts and / or at least 2% of a total energy demand of the vehicle. This includes in particular the above-mentioned systems and consumer groups as consumers within the meaning of the invention. These contribute significantly to the overall energy consumption of the vehicle. For smaller systems, appropriate measures are possible, but a savings potential to be achieved is comparatively small.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the step of determining a future driving state and / or the step of determining an anticipated energy requirement by means of calculation, approximation and / or probability calculation.

Preferably, a corresponding probability of occurrence can be determined for one or more future driving states and / or the respectively anticipated energy requirement of the at least one consumer of the vehicle in the respective driving state. In addition, a known from the probability calculation so-called statement probability, which is indicative of the methods for determining the probabilities, determined and taken into account in the control of the energy conversion processes.

The method may advantageously be configured such that a sum of two or more products is minimized, each product comprising a presumed or estimated energy demand E _i for a possible future driving state and an associated probability P _i for entry of this future driving state. At least one of the associated probabilities P _i can be determined by means of the mentioned probability calculation.

According to the invention, this results in an optimal consideration of both the energy requirement or the amount of energy that can be saved by a possible energy distribution process, as well as the probability that this saving actually occurs. Thus, a high statistical energy saving, z. B. achieved over a longer journey or the useful life of the vehicle.

The described probability calculation for the occurrence of a possible future driving state, for example, from the detection of the current environment of the vehicle, for. B. by the above-described sensors of the vehicle, a consideration of an input navigation route, an automatic traffic sign recognition, a consideration of applicable traffic rules, and / or a consideration of information collected about a particular driver information to his driving still be determined.

Advantageously, in the context of the method, the determination of the respective prospective energy requirement of the at least one consumer can be effected by means of fuzzy logic and / or by means of neural networks.

Furthermore, detecting an up-to-date environment may include recognizing prospective driving actions and / or anticipated behavior of other road users. This includes, in particular, the recognition of a turning intent on the basis of a set turn signal of the other road user, or on the basis of a particular position of the wheels, or on the basis of information or a message with corresponding content that the vehicle sends with turning intention. For example, a hammered front wheel, taking into account the overall situation, may indicate a turning vehicle or an imminent lane change. Delay intentions may also occur due to detection of relative accelerations or relative movements or on the basis of light signals of the road user. This information can thus also be used for the step of the environmental detection.

Analog parking situations can be handled by an intention of the person in front of the car park is detected. Such a recognition can take place, for example, by recognizing a specific behavior, in particular a slow or varying speed profile of the person in front. It can also be provided that an exchange of information takes place between the vehicles, so that the following vehicle is informed, for example, via an activated parking assistant.

Also, the step of recognizing an anticipated behavior of other road users may include an automatic determination of a number and / or size as well as their respective speed and direction of movement. Based on this information, a probable behavior can then be determined. For example, large vehicles, especially trucks, will have lower acceleration from a standstill than smaller vehicles, so this information may be taken into account in determining the future driving condition. Thus, the future energy needs of certain consumers or consumer groups of the own vehicle can be better calculated or estimated beforehand.

In summary, there is thus provided a method for an improved predictive power management of a vehicle in which environmental factors, i. H. the environment of the vehicle by means of near-field and environmental sensors are detected and taken into account. Based on this, energy resources are managed by the process in interaction with the named consumers as well as the energy converters and energy stores.

The initial steps of detecting the current environment of the vehicle, determining the future driving state of the vehicle, and the anticipated energy needs of consumers may include a plurality of functions and steps, which are exemplified below and may be used in any combination with each other: For example, the estimated Energy demand of the vehicle in the future driving state, as already indicated, carried out by detecting at least one leading and / or preceding road user or obstacle. For example, another road user can be detected at a traffic signal. This means for the determination of the future driving state that the vehicle will also come to a standstill when approaching the stationary vehicle behind this. The future driving state is thus defined as a standstill. In addition, the time of occurrence of the future driving state over the determined distance and the relative speed can be estimated.

In addition, it can optionally be detected by means of the described near-field and environmental detection devices of the vehicle whether there are other road users in front of the vehicle. It is initially irrelevant whether these road users are on the move or not. With the prediction of the anticipated energy requirement based on this future driving state, the described control of the charging and discharging can then be adapted.

Likewise, for example, driver assistance systems (FAS) such. For example, a deceleration assistant, traffic light phase assistant, sailing assistant or a green wave assistant supplied with the detected information on the current environment and thus an efficient driving strategy for the longitudinal dynamics of the vehicle can be determined. With this combination, it is possible not only to base the future driving state on the surrounding information but to supplement it with further information and thus obtain an improved approximation between the predicted future driving state and an actually occurring future driving state, whereby improved energy savings are possible. In particular, more accurate speed profiles can be predicted and optimized in this way and used for the described method. An example of this is an optimization of the energy consumption of the vehicle, in particular of the drive, at such a detected backwater at a stop sign or a red traffic signal (in the following: LSA). From this it is possible to determine in particular expected waiting times or downtimes, start-up scenarios, etc., which can be taken into account in the context of the method for the future driving state.

Furthermore, the step of detecting a current environment may be configured such that by means of an automatic determination of a number, a size and / or a speed of preceding road users an estimated breakpoint for the vehicle at an LSA, a stop sign or another stop condition is determined can be determined and thus the estimated energy demand in the associated future driving condition can be determined. This could be defined in this case as a standstill of the vehicle at the determined breakpoint.

For example, in addition to the precalculation of the time at which the LSA switches to red, it can thus be determined how many and how large road users drive in front of the vehicle and from this the estimation of whether a transit in the green phase is still possible. If the passage is still possible in the green phase, an actual transit is assumed and no deceleration of the vehicle is assumed. There is no or limited charge in this case. If appropriate, the controller can rather be made ready to be able to provide a spontaneous discharge of the energy store. An availability of the corresponding energy storage can be done by a redistribution process of energy between the energy storage.

If the passage in the green phase of the traffic light or at another holding condition after the automatic estimation is no longer possible, the point can be determined according to the invention where the vehicle will come to a stop. As a result, an energy balance can be estimated and a corresponding control of the charging of the energy store can be carried out, so that an excess of energy generated during the delay can be used for charging. In particular, it can be estimated which energy storage is to be used.

This means that thus also an optimized speed profile can be determined based on the present situation.

In addition, by the environment sensor, in particular the near field sensor not only a location point between the vehicle and a stop line, as already described at a stop sign or a traffic light, to be determined at which the vehicle is expected to come to a halt. Rather, an available shorter way to delay can be taken into account by other road users and used in the determination of the future driving state or the associated prospective energy requirement.

Another example concerns the already mentioned "Green Wave Assistants", who gives the driver a case-by-case recommendation to reach the green traffic light during a (partially) automated approach to a green traffic light. Can now be detected by means of the current environment detection one or more preceding road users who have a lower speed than the own vehicle, this information can be used to calculate the future driving condition. If, due to the other road users, it is no longer possible to reach the green traffic light, an appropriate control of the charging, for example by recuperation, can be undertaken at an early stage and the corresponding energy stores are selected based on the expected future driving state.

If road users stationary on a green LSA are detected on their own lane, these must also be taken into account for the procedure since the vehicle can only pass the LSA as soon as these vehicles clear the passage. The detection of the current environment thus not only allows a calculation of the switching time of the LSA but can also be designed so that detected vehicles in front of their own vehicle, whether driving or standing, are taken into account.

In addition, in the context of the detection of the current environment and the determination of the future driving condition, an automatic determination of a number, a size and a speed of the detected road users can be determined in order to conclude from this conclusions on the future driving actions or expected behavior of these road users, as proposed above.

Preferably, in the step of detecting a current environment of the vehicle, the following road users may also be taken into account and based on the vehicle. In this way it can be prevented that in dense traffic, a charge of energy storage is made for example by recuperation, which would slow down the vehicle and possibly make it an obstacle for subsequent faster road users.

The method may be performed in one or more computing units of the vehicle. The control of the energy distribution processes can take place by means of semiconductors installed separately in the vehicle.

Thus, an apparatus for the predictive control of energy distribution processes between at least one energy converter and at least one energy store in a vehicle is proposed, wherein the apparatus comprises means which are designed to carry out the described method. In particular, the device comprises at least one means which is designed to carry out at least one of the described method steps. In addition, the device can be connected to the described devices and sensors, in particular the described near field and / or environment detection devices communication technology for the exchange of signals or information. Likewise, these may be formed by the device for controlling energy distribution processes or may be formed as part of this device for controlling energy distribution processes.

In addition, a vehicle with the described device for controlling energy distribution processes between at least one energy converter and at least one energy store in a vehicle is proposed.

Furthermore, the invention also includes a computing unit for carrying out the method according to the invention as well as the vehicle in which the corresponding method is carried out. Thus, it is therefore possible to provide a computer program product with a data carrier with program code and / or an executable program which is or is designed to carry out the described method if the program code or the executable program is executed on a correspondingly designed computer unit.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing with reference to an embodiment.

• – Erfassen einer aktuellen Umgebung des Fahrzeugs,
• – Ermitteln eines zukünftigen Fahrzustandes des Fahrzeugs in Abhängigkeit von der erfassten aktuellen Umgebung,
• – Ermitteln eines voraussichtlichen Energiebedarfs von Verbrauchern des Fahrzeuges für den zukünftigen Fahrzustand, Steuern einer Aufladung und/oder Entladung des mindestens einen Energiespeichers in Abhängigkeit von dem ermittelten voraussichtlichen Energiebedarf der Verbraucher in dem zukünftigen Fahrzustand, d. h. der Energieverteilungsprozesse.

1 shows a sequence of the method according to a possible embodiment for the predictive control of energy distribution processes between at least one energy converter and at least one energy store in a vehicle with the following steps:

• Detecting a current environment of the vehicle,
• Determining a future driving state of the vehicle as a function of the detected current environment,
• - Determining a prospective energy demand of consumers of the vehicle for the future driving condition, controlling charging and / or discharging the at least one energy storage in dependence on the estimated energy consumption of the consumer in the future driving state, ie the energy distribution processes.

Claims (15)

A method for predictively controlling energy distribution processes between at least one energy converter and at least one energy storage device in a vehicle, comprising the following steps: Detecting a current environment of the vehicle, Determining at least one future driving state of the vehicle as a function of the detected current environment, Determining an anticipated energy requirement of at least one consumer of the vehicle for the at least one future driving state, - Controlling a charge and / or discharge of the at least one energy storage in dependence on the estimated energy consumption of the at least one consumer in the at least one future driving state. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection of the current environment by means of near-field and / or surrounding detection devices takes place. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, wherein a current energy conversion is continued to operate in a defined scope for providing a current energy surplus for charging the at least one energy storage. The method of one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the step of determining a prospective energy demand comprises determining an anticipated energy demand for at least two future driving conditions. The method of claim 1, wherein the predictive control determines at least one future vehicle state that is within a time interval of from 0.1 to 60 seconds in the future. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the method comprises a step of selecting a drive type of a drive of the vehicle designed as a hybrid drive. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a retrieval of the stored energy by the consumer takes place in parallel to a primary energy converter and / or energy storage. Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, being used as energy storage electrochemical and / or electrostatic energy storage. Method according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the consumer comprises mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal and electrical systems of the vehicle. Method according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the consumers have a maximum power consumption of more than 100 watts and / or at least 2% of a total energy demand of the vehicle. Method according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the step of determining at least one future driving state and / or the step of determining an anticipated energy requirement by means of calculation, approximation and / or probability calculation. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a sum of two or more products is minimized, each product having a pre-determined or estimated energy demand (E _i ) for a possible future driving state and an associated probability (P _i ) for entering that future driving state comprises, wherein the probability (P _i ) is determined by means of the probability calculation. Method according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the detection of a current environment comprises recognizing expected driving actions and / or a probable behavior of other road users. An apparatus for predictively controlling energy distribution processes between at least one energy converter and at least one energy store in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising means adapted to carry out a method according to one of claims 1 to 13. Computer program product with a data carrier with program code, which is designed to carry out a method according to one of claims 1 to 13, when the program code is executed on a correspondingly formed computer unit.

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