# US 11,305,752 B2 · Method and apparatus for emissions mitigation on a hybrid vehicle

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- Number: US 11,305,752 B2
- Document ID: US11305752B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/671,945
- Filed: 2019-11-01
- Published: 2021-05-06
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2019-11-01
- Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
- Applicants: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
- Inventors: Eric D. Piper; Andrew M. Zettel; Anthony H. Heap
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305752B2

## CPC

- B60W 20/13: in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
- B60L 50/61: by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
- B60L 50/66: {Arrangements of batteries}
- B60L 58/13: Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
- B60L 58/25: by controlling the electric load
- B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines
- B60W 20/16: for reducing engine exhaust emissions
- B60W 30/194: related to low temperature conditions, e.g. high viscosity of hydraulic fluid
- F02D 29/02: peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
- F02D 41/0255: {to accelerate the warming-up of the exhaust gas treating apparatus at engine start}
- F02N 11/00: Starting of engines by means of electric motors
- F02N 11/0825: {related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state}
- B60L 2240/441: Speed
- B60L 2240/545: Temperature
- B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
- B60W 2510/244: Charge state
- B60W 2510/246: Temperature
- B60W 2555/20: Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
- B60W 2710/0644: Engine speed
- B60W 2710/065: Idle condition
- B60W 2710/0688: Engine temperature
- F02D 2200/021: Engine temperature
- F02D 2200/101: Engine speed
- F02D 2200/503: Battery correction, i.e. corrections as a function of the state of the battery, its output or its type
- F02N 2200/023: Engine temperature
- F02N 2200/061: Battery state of charge [SOC]
- Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies
- Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric 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
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W)
- F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A system for emissions mitigation for a hybrid automobile vehicle includes an automobile vehicle provided with motive power from: a battery pack; an engine; and a controller in communication with the battery pack and the engine. A threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC) is predetermined. A minimum battery pack SOC is less than the threshold battery pack SOC. An engine-on charge depletion (EOCD) command is issued by the controller to start the engine in an engine-catalyst light-off operation condition when the vehicle is operating using power from the battery pack and when the threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC) is reached to mitigate against exceeding vehicle emissions standards.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle, comprising:
an automobile vehicle provided with motive power from:
a battery pack; and
an engine;
a predetermined threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC); and
an engine-on charge depletion (EOCD) command issued to start the engine in an engine-catalyst light-off operation condition when the automobile vehicle is operating using power from the battery pack and when the threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC) is reached to mitigate against exceeding vehicle emissions standards.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 1, wherein the battery pack has a minimum battery pack SOC less than the threshold battery pack SOC.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 2, wherein the minimum battery pack SOC is approximately 16% SOC.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 3, wherein the threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC) is approximately 25% SOC.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 1, further including an engine controller, the engine controller collecting data including an ambient temperature, battery capability changes and a battery pack SOC, and storing predetermined values for a minimum threshold temperature T1 and the threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC).

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 5, wherein the engine controller includes a command signal generator to signal automatic start and stop of the engine.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 1, wherein the engine-catalyst light-off operation condition defines an engine speed ranging between an idle rpm up to approximately 1500 rpm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 1, wherein a time period to operate at the engine-catalyst light-off operation condition is approximately two minutes.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 1, wherein a minimum limit for operation at the engine-catalyst light-off operation condition is until an engine minimum threshold temperature of approximately 60 degrees C. is reached.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 1, further including a charge depletion/charge sustaining (CD-CS) transition point P1 of the battery pack of approximately 16% SOC defining a minimum battery pack SOC for battery pack use.

### Claim 11

A emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle, comprising:
an automobile vehicle provided with motive power from:
a battery pack;
an engine; and
a controller in communication with the battery pack and the engine;
a predetermined threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC);
a minimum battery pack SOC less than the threshold battery pack SOC; and
an engine-on charge depletion (EOCD) command issued by the controller to start the engine in an engine-catalyst light-off operation condition when the automobile vehicle is operating using power from the battery pack and when the threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC) is reached to mitigate against exceeding vehicle emissions standards.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 11, further including a minimum engine threshold temperature of approximately 60 degrees C. wherein upon achieving the minimum engine threshold temperature the engine-catalyst light-off operation condition is discontinued.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 12, wherein a cold start emissions reduction (CSER) is complete when the engine achieves the minimum engine threshold temperature.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 13, further including a charge sustaining operation of the automobile vehicle wherein greenhouse gas emissions and soot do not exceed emission standards when the engine becomes a primary energy source.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 12, further including a temperature sensor measuring an engine coolant temperature to identify the minimum engine threshold temperature.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 11, wherein the minimum battery pack SOC defines a charge-depletion/charge-sustaining (CD-CS) transition point P1 where transition from vehicle powered operation using the battery pack is changed to vehicle powered operation using the engine.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 11, wherein:
the minimum battery pack SOC is approximately 16% SOC; and
the threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC) ranges from approximately 20% up to approximately 35% inclusive.

### Claim 18

A method of operating an emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle, comprising:
measuring battery metrics of a battery pack during operation of the automobile vehicle using power of the battery pack;
confirming if a capability reduction of the battery pack has occurred;
if a response to the confirming step is YES indicating a capability reduction of the battery pack has occurred, identifying a state-of-charge (SOC) transition point and an adjusted SOC transition point defining a threshold battery pack SOC;
automatically starting an engine when the threshold battery pack SOC is reached before a charge-depletion/charge-sustaining transition point defining the SOC transition point is reached; and
operating the engine “shielded” defined as the engine not supporting a vehicle load demand until the engine reaches a predetermined minimum threshold temperature.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The method of operating the emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 18, further including:
selecting the threshold battery pack state-of-charge (SOC) of approximately 25% defining an adjusted SOC transition point; and
transitioning from operation of the automobile vehicle using power of the battery pack to operation of the automobile vehicle using power of the engine when the adjusted SOC transition point is reached.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of operating the emissions mitigation system of a hybrid automobile vehicle of claim 19, further including performing a cold start emissions reduction (CSER) catalyst light-off (CLO) with the engine operated in a light operation mode including limiting an engine speed between an idle rpm speed and approximately 1500 rpm until the engine reaches a predetermined minimum threshold temperature.