# US 2016/0355172 A1 · Method and apparatus for controlling plug-in 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 2016/0355172 A1 - Document ID: US20160355172A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/920,934 - Filed: 2015-10-23 - Published: 2016-12-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-04 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Inventors: Joonyoung Park; Sungdeok Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160355172A1 ## CPC - B60W 20/10: Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators - B60W 10/26: for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors - B60W 20/12: using control strategies taking into account route information {(estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00)} - B60W 50/0097: {Predicting future conditions} - B60K 35/28: characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver - B60K 2360/169: Remaining operating distance or charge - B60W 2050/0063: {Manual parameter input, manual setting means, manual initialising or calibrating means} - B60W 2510/244: Charge state - B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2540/00: Input parameters relating to occupants - B60W 2552/15: Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction - B60W 2552/20: Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments - B60W 2710/06: Combustion engines, Gas turbines - B60W 2710/08: Electric propulsion units - B60W 2710/244: Charge state - B60Y 2200/92: Hybrid vehicles - Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in 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 - 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 ## Abstract A method and apparatus for operating a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle are provided. The includes setting an initial distance until charge (DUC) and calculating a current DUC by subtracting a travel distance of the vehicle from the initial DUC after the initial DUC is set. A current distance to empty (DTE) is calculated based on a current state of charge (SOC) of a battery and the current SOC of the battery is compared with a reference SOC. The current DUC is compared with the current DTE when the current SOC is greater than the reference SOC. Thus, whether a high speed condition or a high load condition is satisfied is determined when the current DUC is greater than the current DTE. A driving mode of the vehicle is then set to be a charge sustaining (CS) mode when the high speed condition or the high load condition is satisfied. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for controlling a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, comprising: setting, by a controller, an initial distance until charge (DUC); calculating, by the controller, a current DUC by subtracting a travel distance of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle from the initial DUC after the initial DUC is set; calculating, by the controller, a current distance to empty (DTE) based on a current state of charge (SOC) of a battery; comparing, by the controller, the current SOC of the battery with a reference SOC; comparing, by the controller, the current DUC with the current DTE when the current SOC is greater than the reference SOC; determining, by the controller, whether a high speed condition or a high load condition is satisfied when the current DUC is greater than the current DTE; and setting, by the controller, a driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a charge sustaining (CS) mode when the high speed condition or the high load condition is satisfied. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the setting of the initial DUC includes: determining, by the controller, whether the battery is charged by an external power supply; displaying, by the controller, a message window requesting an input of the initial DUC through a user interface unit when the battery is charged by the external power supply; and receiving, by the controller, information regarding the initial DUC from the user interface unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the setting of the initial DUC includes: receiving, by the controller, information regarding a designation through the user interface unit; and setting, by the controller, a distance from a current position of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to a destination to be the initial DUC. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: setting, by the controller, the driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a CS mode when the current SOC of the battery is less than or equal to the reference SOC. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: setting, by the controller, the driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a charge depleting (CD) mode when the current DUC is less than or equal to the current DTE. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: setting, by the controller, a driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a charge depleting (CD) mode when the high speed condition or the high load condition is not satisfied. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein whether the high speed condition or the high load condition is satisfied is determined based on a moving average value of a vehicle speed and a moving average value of a gradient of a road. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the moving average value MAVk of the vehicle speed is calculated using the following equation: MAV k = ∑ i = 1 n  ( V k - n + i × WV i ) , wherein, Vk−n−i is a vehicle speed at timing k−n+1 and WVi is a i-th weight value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the n weight values satisfy relation of WVi≦WVi+1. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the moving average value MASk of the gradient of the road is calculated using the following equation: MAS k = ∑ i = 1 m  ( S k - m + i  WS i ) , wherein, Sk−m+i is a gradient of a road at timing k−m+1 and WSi is an i-th weight value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the m weight values satisfy relation of WSi≦WSi+1. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: comparing, by the controller, demand power of a driver with a first predetermined power when the driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is set to be the CS mode; and starting, by the controller, an engine when the demand power of the driver is greater than the first predetermined power. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: comparing, by the controller, the demand power of the driver with a second predetermined power when the driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is set to be a charge deleting (CD) mode; and starting, by the controller, the engine when the demand power of the driver is greater than the second predetermined power, wherein the first predetermined power is less than the second predetermined power. ### Claim 14 An apparatus for controlling a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, comprising: a data detector configured to detect data for operating the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle; a user interface unit configured to provide an interface to receive user input; and a controller configured to be executed by a predetermined program to operate the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle based on signals input from the data detector and the user interface unit, wherein the predetermined program includes a series of commands for performing a method for operating the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, the method comprising: setting, by the controller, an initial distance until charge (DUC); calculating, by the controller, a current DUC by subtracting a travel distance of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle from the initial DUC after the initial DUC is set; calculating, by the controller, a current distance to empty (DTE) based on a current state of charge (SOC) of a battery; comparing, by the controller, the current SOC of the battery with a reference SOC; comparing, by the controller, the current DUC with the current DTE when the current SOC is greater than the reference SOC; determining, by the controller, whether a high speed condition or a high load condition is satisfied when the current DUC is greater than the current DTE; and setting, by the controller, a driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a charge sustaining (CS) mode when the high speed condition or the high load condition is satisfied. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein in the setting of the initial DUC the controller is further configured to: determine whether the battery is charged by an external power supply; display a message window requesting an input of the initial DUC through a user interface unit when the battery is charged by the external power supply; and receive information regarding the initial DUC from the user interface unit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to set the driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a CS mode when the current SOC of the battery is less than or equal to the reference SOC. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to set the driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a charge depleting (CD) mode when the current DUC is less than or equal to the current DTE. ### Claim 18 A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a controller, the computer readable medium comprising: program instructions that set an initial distance until charge (DUC); program instructions that calculate a current DUC by subtracting a travel distance of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle from the initial DUC after the initial DUC is set; program instructions that calculate a current distance to empty (DTE) based on a current state of charge (SOC) of a battery; program instructions that compare the current SOC of the battery with a reference SOC; program instructions that compare the current DUC with the current DTE when the current SOC is greater than the reference SOC; program instructions that determine whether a high speed condition or a high load condition is satisfied when the current DUC is greater than the current DTE; and program instructions that set a driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a charge sustaining (CS) mode when the high speed condition or the high load condition is satisfied. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising program instructions that set the driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a CS mode when the current SOC of the battery is less than or equal to the reference SOC. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising program instructions that set the driving mode of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to be a charge depleting (CD) mode when the current DUC is less than or equal to the current DTE.