# US 10,246,073 B2 · Control system for a hybrid-electric vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,246,073 B2 - Document ID: US10246073B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/181,491 - Filed: 2016-06-14 - Published: 2017-11-16 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-16 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Kenneth James Miller; Thomas G. Leone; Christopher Alan Lear; Chris James Hocking - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10246073B2 ## CPC - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators - B60W 20/15: Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect - B60W 30/20: Reducing vibrations in the driveline - F02N 11/0818: {Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode} - B60K 6/20: the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs - B60W 2050/0075: {Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means} - B60W 2540/00: Input parameters relating to occupants - B60Y 2200/92: Hybrid vehicles - B60Y 2300/188: Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power - B60Y 2300/20: Reducing vibrations in the driveline - F02N 2200/106: Driver presence, e.g. detected by door lock, seat sensor or belt sensor - Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems - Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles - Y10S 903/93: Conjoint control of different elements - Y10S 903/951: Assembly or relative location of components - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract A hybrid-electric vehicle includes a power system, a controller, a driver seat, a passenger seat, a back seat, and sensors. The controller is in communication with the sensors and the power system. The seats are coupled, directly or indirectly, to the power system. The sensors are configured to detect occupancy of the driver, passenger, and back seats. The controller is programmed to receive occupancy data from the sensors, determine an occupancy status based on the occupancy data, set an operating parameter for the power system based on the occupancy status, and control the power system in accordance with the parameter. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A controller, for a hybrid-electric vehicle, the controller comprising a processor and a memory and programmed to: determine an occupancy status of the vehicle based on received sensor data; set an operating parameter for a power system of the hybrid-electric vehicle based on the occupancy status; and control the power system to operate in accordance with the parameter. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The controller of claim 1, wherein the occupancy status is one of at least a driver-seat-occupied status, a back-seat-only-occupied status, and an unoccupied status. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The controller of claim 2, wherein the operating parameter is an engine-pull-up-down schedule and the power system is a hybrid-electric powertrain. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The controller of claim 3, wherein an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the unoccupied status has less hysteresis between starting and stopping an internal-combustion engine than an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the engine-pull-up-down schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has less hysteresis between starting and stopping an internal-combustion engine than an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The controller of claim 2, wherein the operating parameter is a regenerative-braking schedule and the power system is a regenerative-braking system including regenerative brakes and friction brakes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The controller of claim 5, wherein a regenerative-braking schedule for the unoccupied status has a ratio of regenerative braking to friction braking that is no less than, and under at least some vehicle conditions greater than, a regenerative-braking schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status; and the regenerative-braking schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has a ratio of regenerative braking to friction braking that is no less than, and under at least some vehicle conditions greater than, a regenerative-braking schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The controller of claim 2, wherein the operating parameter is a transmission schedule and the power system is a transmission, and a transmission schedule for the unoccupied status has narrower hysteresis between upshifting to each forward gear and downshifting from each respective forward gear than a transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has narrower hysteresis between upshifting to each forward gear and downshifting from each respective forward gear than a transmission schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The controller of claim 2, wherein the operating parameter is a transmission schedule and the power system is a hybrid-electric powertrain including a transmission and having a state of charge, and a transmission schedule for the unoccupied status has additional shifts at steady pedal based on the state of charge than a transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has additional shifts at steady pedal based on the state of charge than a transmission schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 9 A method of controlling a hybrid-electric vehicle comprising: detecting an occupancy status of the vehicle; setting an operating parameter for a power system of the hybrid-electric vehicle based on the occupancy status; and controlling the power system to operate in accordance with the parameter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the occupancy status is one of at least a driver-seat-occupied status, a back-seat-only-occupied status, and an unoccupied status. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the operating parameter is an engine-pull-up-down schedule and the power system is a hybrid-electric powertrain. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the unoccupied status has less hysteresis between starting and stopping an internal-combustion engine than an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the engine-pull-up-down schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has less hysteresis between starting and stopping an internal-combustion engine than an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the operating parameter is a regenerative-braking schedule and the power system is a regenerative-braking system including regenerative brakes and friction brakes. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein a regenerative-braking schedule for the unoccupied status has a ratio of regenerative braking to friction braking that is no less than, and under at least some vehicle conditions greater than, a regenerative-braking schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status; and the regenerative-braking schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has a ratio of regenerative braking to friction braking that is no less than, and under at least some vehicle conditions greater than, a regenerative-braking schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the operating parameter is a transmission schedule and the power system is a transmission, and a transmission schedule for the unoccupied status has narrower hysteresis between upshifting to each forward gear and downshifting from each respective forward gear than a transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has narrower hysteresis between upshifting to each forward gear and downshifting from each respective forward gear than a transmission schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the operating parameter is a transmission schedule and the power system is a hybrid-electric powertrain including a transmission and having a state of charge, and a transmission schedule for the unoccupied status has additional shifts at steady pedal based on the state of charge than a transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has additional shifts at steady pedal based on the state of charge than a transmission schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 17 A hybrid-electric vehicle comprising: a power system; a controller communicatively coupled to the power system; a driver seat, a passenger seat, and a back seat coupled to the power system; and sensors configured to detect occupancy of the driver, passenger, and back seats and in communication with the controller; wherein the controller is programmed to receive occupancy data from the sensors, determine an occupancy status based on the occupancy data, set an operating parameter for the power system based on the occupancy status, and control the power system in accordance with the parameter. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the controller is further programmed to determine the occupancy status as a driver-seat-occupied status if the occupancy data indicates that the driver seat is occupied, as a back-seat-only-occupied status if the occupancy data indicates that the driver and passenger seats are unoccupied and the back seat is occupied, and as an unoccupied status if the occupancy data indicates that the seats are unoccupied. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the operating parameter is an engine-pull-up-down schedule and the power system is a hybrid-electric powertrain, and an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the unoccupied status has less hysteresis between starting and stopping an internal-combustion engine than an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the engine-pull-up-down schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has less hysteresis between starting and stopping an internal-combustion engine than an engine-pull-up-down schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the operating parameter is a regenerative-braking schedule and the power system is a regenerative-braking system including regenerative brakes and friction brakes, and a regenerative-braking schedule for the unoccupied status has a ratio of regenerative braking to friction braking that is no less than, and under at least some vehicle conditions greater than, a regenerative-braking schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status; and the regenerative-braking schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has a ratio of regenerative braking to friction braking that is no less than, and under at least some vehicle conditions greater than, a regenerative-braking schedule for the driver-seat-occupied status.