Volvo Car Corporation

Volvo Lastvagnar Ab

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Volvo Truck Corporation

Anders Lasson

Jerker Lennevi

Jörgen Kjellberg

Robert Eriksson

Henrik Engdahl

Fatih Al

Hicham Sadoun

Ustun Saglam

Claes &Ouml;stberg

Per Torstensson

Kurt Eriksson

Georgios Mademlis

A charging system for charging an electric vehicle battery, including a charging inlet connected to an external direct current (DC) charging station providing a predefined charging inlet voltage, a battery having a nominal voltage of 400V or 800V connected to the charging inlet, the battery including two 400V-battery units, and a voltage outlet, the voltage outlet supplying an output voltage to an auxiliary component connected to the voltage outlet having a nominal voltage corresponding to the nominal voltage of the battery, a DC/DC converter converting the charging inlet voltage into the nominal voltage of the auxiliary component, and at least three circuit breakers being arranged to connect the two 400V-battery units to form a charging circuit having a nominal charging voltage corresponding to the supplied charging inlet voltage and/or to selectively integrate the DC/DC converter into the charging circuit to provide the auxiliary component with the nominal voltage during charging.

Charging system and method for charging a battery of an electric vehicle

A ground fault monitoring system includes an isolation monitoring unit, a first main switch, a second main switch and a control unit. The isolation monitoring unit is arrangeable between an energy storage system and a ground element. The switches are arrangeable between the energy storage system and an external energy supply system. The isolation monitoring unit includes a first, second and third switchable resistor branches. The control unit is configured to close the switches during charging of the energy storage system for connecting the energy storage system to the external energy supply system and to disconnect the first switchable resistor branch from the energy storage system and connect the second switchable resistor branch and the third switchable resistor branch to the energy storage system for monitoring a current leakage to the ground element during charging of the energy storage system.

Ground fault monitoring system for an energy storage system

A method is provided for controlling a hybrid vehicle in an emergency situation. The hybrid vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, a rechargeable electric energy storage system, and an electrical motor drive system. The method includes detecting a failure of a control unit for controlling the electrical motor drive system, disconnecting the rechargeable electric energy storage system from the hybrid vehicle, limiting the maximum speed of the internal combustion engine from a first RPM value to a second RPM value. An apparatus is also provided for controlling a hybrid vehicle in an emergency situation.

Method for controlling a secondary energy storage

A method for monitoring an insulation fault in an electric network with at least one electric power system supplying electric power to one or more electric loads, and at least one insulation resistance monitor is provided, wherein the at least one electric power system includes at least one electrical power source, and wherein the at least one insulation resistance monitor monitors an insulation resistance between terminal leads of the at least one electric power source and at least one reference potential. The steps are performed of disconnecting the at least one electric power source from the one or more loads by opening each terminal lead; measuring the insulation resistance between the electric circuit of at least one electrical power source and the reference potential; measuring the insulation resistance for the total electric network; closing the second terminal lead with the first terminal lead open; and measuring the insulation resistance for the total electric network.

Method for monitoring insulation faults in an electric network and vehicle comprising an insulation fault monitor

A method for controlling a hybrid vehicle electrical system includes driving the vehicle in a first driving mode where the battery pack is connected to the traction voltage DC-link and the battery pack is supplying the electrical auxiliary units with power, shutting down the power electronics unit in order to cease power delivery from the electric machine to the traction voltage DC-link or to the electric machine from the traction voltage DC-link, disconnecting the battery pack from the traction voltage DC-link by opening the relay, and activating the power electronics unit and controlling output voltage of the power electronics unit to a predetermined level.

Method for controlling a hybrid vehicle electrical system

Method for potentiating an engine's power contribution to a hybrid electric vehicle's performance in a take-off operating condition is disclosed. Normally, fuel injection to, and ignition at the engine are only commenced when the engine is operating at a speed exceeding the resonance speed of the drive train to reduce engine start harshness; such resonance speeds of the drive train being dictated, at least in part, by transmission backlash, softness and the like. During high driver acceleration demands, however, ignition and the injection of fuel is desirably started as early as possible to potentiate output power and acceleration.

Method and arrangement in a hybrid vehicle for initiating early engine operation during take-off conditions

Method for potentiating the utilizable torque output capacity of a hybrid electric vehicle is provided. The method includes controlling operation of an engine of a hybrid electric vehicle using a generator, the engine and generator being interconnected through a planetary gear system, the generator having approximately equal torque output capacity as the engine based on connective gear ratio selection. An engine controller is utilized for managing the engine's operation thereby permitting the engine to be operated at a torque output level substantially equal to the maximum torque output of the generator without a significant margin of excess control capacity of the generator over the engine. An overpower condition is detected in which the torque output of the engine is surpassing the maximum torque output of the generator. The engine is controlled to a torque output that is less than the maximum torque output of the generator.

Method and arrangement in a hybrid vehicle for maximizing total torque output by minimizing differential torque capacities of the engine and generator

Method for optimizing the operational efficiency of a hybrid electric vehicle is disclosed. The method comprises operating an engine of a hybrid electric vehicle preferentially on an optimized power curve of the engine for maximizing the efficiency of the engine and sensing a state-of-charge (SOC) condition of a battery of the hybrid electric vehicle being at a preferential value indicative of no additional charging being desired. The running torque of the engine is reduced below the optimized torque curve to a point that the power produced by the engine is substantially equal to the power demanded for driving the hybrid electric vehicle.

Method and arrangement in a hybrid vehicle for maximizing efficiency by operating the engine at sub-optimum conditions

Method for calibrating and synchronizing sensed operating torques of an engine and a generator in a planetary gear based hybrid electric vehicle is disclosed. The method includes providing a sensor that detects the operational torque of an engine of a hybrid electric vehicle at the engine's interface with a planetary gear system of the hybrid electric vehicle. A sensor is provided that detects the operational torque of a generator of a hybrid electric vehicle at the motor's interface with the planetary gear system of the hybrid electric vehicle. The planetary gear system of the hybrid electric vehicle is operated in a split mode so that the generator is directly linked to the engine and a reading of the sensor that detects the operational torque of the generator may be used to compute the operating torque of the engine. Paired values of sensed operational torques of the engine and the generator at like times are recorded. Each pair of recorded values are arithmetically processed and a calibrating value is computed therebetween. The sensing and recording of paired values is repeated at the same sensed generator and engine speeds and torques thereby enabling the calculation of computed average calibrating values at each of the particular sensed generator speeds suitable for subsequent utilization in computing corresponding engine torques in the future. The engine and the generator are controlled utilizing the average calibrating value at future times of transition between power-split mode and parallel mode of the planetary gear system so that the engine is substantially synchronized with the generator at the time of direct linkage across the planetary gear arrangement thereby avoiding driver detectible irregularities in the performance of the power train of the hybrid electric vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

Göteborg, Sweden

Anders Lasson