# US 11,305,751 B2 · Vehicle and controlling method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,751 B2 - Document ID: US11305751B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/543,885 - Filed: 2019-08-19 - Published: 2020-10-15 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2019-04-11 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Inventors: Minseok Song - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305751B2 ## CPC - B60K 6/442: Series-parallel switching type - B60W 20/00: Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles {(hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L)} - B60K 6/387: Actuated clutches, i.e. clutches engaged or disengaged by electric, hydraulic or mechanical actuating means - B60W 10/02: including control of driveline clutches - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators - B60W 20/11: using model predictive control [MPC] strategies, i.e. control methods based on models predicting performance {(utilising navigation and traffic information in the control strategy B60W20/12)} - B60W 20/12: using control strategies taking into account route information {(estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00)} - B60W 20/20: Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration - B60W 2510/244: Charge state - B60W 2510/305: Power absorbed by auxiliaries - B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position - B60W 2552/15: Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction - B60W 2710/02: Clutches - B60W 2710/021: Clutch engagement state - B60Y 2200/92: Hybrid vehicles - Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - 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 - 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 - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A vehicle is provided to include an engine, a motor operating with electrical energy of a battery, an engine clutch for switching between an operation mode including an EV mode for transferring power generated by the motor to wheels and an HEV mode for transferring power generated by the engine and the motor to the wheels, and a controller. The controller collects status information from the motor and the engine, determines an equivalence factor based on status information of the battery and load information using electrical energy of the battery and determines an operation mode in which energy consumption is minimized among a plurality of energy consumption amounts calculated based on the determined equivalent factor and the modes of the engine clutch. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle, comprising: an engine; a motor operating with electrical energy of a battery; an engine clutch for switching between an operation mode including an electric vehicle (EV) mode for transferring power generated by the motor to wheels and a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode for transferring power generated by the engine and the motor to the wheels; and a controller configured to collect status information from the motor and the engine, determine an equivalence factor based on status information of the battery and load information using the electrical energy of the battery and determine an operation mode in which energy consumption is minimized among a plurality of energy consumption amounts calculated based on the determined equivalent factor and the operation modes of the engine clutch. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to: calculate a plurality of energy consumption amounts of the battery based on at least one of the determined equivalent factor, the state information of the battery or the load information; and calculate a plurality of energy consumption amounts of the engine based on the state information of the engine. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to: calculate the plurality of energy consumption amounts based on the calculated energy consumption amount of the battery and the calculated energy consumption amount of the engine. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: an input device configured to receive an input command relating to a fuel economy operation. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to: determine a first operation mode in which the vehicle is currently being driven in based on the input command; and determine a second operation mode in which to switch to from the first operation mode based on a current speed of the vehicle and the state information of the battery. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to: operate the engine clutch based on the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized, the first operation mode, and the second operation mode. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to: select one of a mode change from the first operation mode to the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized and a mode change from the first operation mode to the second operation mode. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to: select the mode change that corresponds to the first operation mode among the second operation mode and the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized. ### Claim 9 A method for controlling a vehicle having an engine clutch switching between an operation mode including an electric vehicle (EV) mode for transferring power generated by a motor to wheels and a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode for transferring power generated by an engine and the motor to the wheels, the method comprising: collecting, by a controller, status information from the motor and the engine; determining, by the controller, an equivalence factor based on status information of a battery and load information using electrical energy of the battery; determining, by the controller, an operation mode in which energy consumption is minimized among a plurality of energy consumption amounts calculated based on the determined equivalent factor and the modes of the engine clutch; and operating, by the controller, the engine clutch based on the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, wherein the determining of the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized includes: calculating, by the controller, a plurality of energy consumption amounts of the battery based on at least one of the determined equivalent factor, the state information of the battery or the load information; and calculating, by the controller, a plurality of energy consumption amounts of the engine based on the state information of the engine. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein the determining of the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized includes: calculating, by the controller, the plurality of energy consumption amounts based on the calculated energy consumption amount of the battery and the calculated energy consumption amount of engine. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method according to claim 9, further comprising: receiving, by the controller, an input command relating to a fuel economy operation. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, further comprising: determining a first operation mode in which the vehicle is traveling based on the input command, and determining a second operation mode in which to switch to from the first operation mode based on a speed of the vehicle and the state information of the battery. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the operating of the engine clutch includes: operating, by the controller, the engine clutch based on the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized, the first operation mode, and the second operation mode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the controlling operating of the engine clutch includes: selecting, by the controller, one of a mode change from the first operation mode to the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized and a mode change from the first operation mode to the second operation mode. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the selecting includes: selecting, by the controller, the mode change that corresponds to the first operation mode among the second operation mode and the operation mode in which the energy consumption is minimized.