# US 9,751,424 B2 · Method and system for determining a target state of charge to charge a battery in a vehicle using external electric power > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,751,424 B2 - Document ID: US9751424B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/182,486 - Filed: 2011-07-14 - Published: 2013-01-17 - Granted: 2017-09-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-14 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Dale Scott Crombez - Inventors: Dale Scott Crombez - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751424B2 ## CPC - B60L 7/10: Dynamic electric regenerative braking (B60L7/22 takes precedence) - B60L 58/13: Maintaining the SoC within a determined range - G01R 31/36: Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC] - H01M 10/44: Methods for charging or discharging (circuits for charging H02J7/00) - B60L 2240/62: Vehicle position - B60L 2240/662: Temperature - B60L 2250/00: Driver interactions - B60L 2260/54: Energy consumption estimation - H01M 10/48: Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - Y02T 10/92: Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles - Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles - 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 - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A system and method is provided for determining a target state of charge (SOC) to charge a storage battery in an electric vehicle using electric power from an external power source. Charging the storage battery to the target SOC occurs prior to starting a drive cycle of the vehicle. The target SOC is determined based on a profile of regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered and a profile of energy expected to be used from the battery during a portion of a future drive cycle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of charging a battery in a vehicle prior to beginning a drive cycle, the method comprising: controlling, by a controller, battery charging from a power source external to the vehicle based on a profile of regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered during a portion of a future drive cycle of the vehicle and a profile of energy expected to be used from the battery during the portion of the future drive cycle. ### Claim 2 A method of charging a battery in an electric vehicle using electric power from a power source external to the electric vehicle, the method comprising: controlling, by a controller, prior to a drive cycle, charging of the battery to a target state of charge based on a profile of regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered during a portion of a future drive cycle of the electric vehicle and a profile of energy expected to be used from the battery during the portion of the future drive cycle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the target state of charge is further based on an amount of regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered in an initial portion of the future drive cycle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 wherein the initial portion of the future drive cycle is the portion of the future drive cycle from the beginning of the drive cycle to a time interval where the profile of energy expected to be used from the battery substantially exceeds the profile of regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered within the time interval. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 further including controlling, by the controller, a charge rate to charge the battery during the initial portion of the future drive cycle based on the regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered during the initial portion and wherein the target state of charge is further based on the charge rate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein the charge rate to charge the battery during the initial portion of the future drive cycle is further based on an amount of battery energy required to complete the future drive cycle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 further including controlling, by the controller, a charge rate to charge the battery based on the regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered and wherein the target state of charge is further based on the charge rate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein the target state of charge is inversely proportional to the charge rate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the target state of charge is an upper limit of a predetermined operating range of state of charge when the upper limit provides at least an amount of battery energy required to complete the future drive cycle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the target state of charge maximizes an amount of time that the battery operates in the predetermined operating range of state of charge during the future drive cycle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein the predetermined range of state of charge is between ten percent (10%) and ninety percent (90%) of a maximum state of charge of the battery. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 wherein the target state of charge maximizes the amount of regenerative braking energy that the vehicle captures during the future drive cycle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 further including processing information indicating an expected travel path of the vehicle during the drive cycle and wherein the profile of regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered and the profile of energy expected to be used are based on the expected travel path. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the information indicating the expected travel path includes information indicating lengths and grades for respective sections of the expected travel path and wherein the profile of regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered and the profile of energy expected to be used are based on the lengths and the grades. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the information indicating the expected travel path of the vehicle is based on one or more user inputs including information indicating an intended destination of the vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein the information indicating the expected travel path of the vehicle is based on amounts of regenerative braking energy recovered during previous drive cycles of the vehicle occurring along at least a portion of the expected travel path. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the information indicating the expected travel path of the vehicle is based on a time of day when the amounts of regenerative braking energy were recovered. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the information indicating the expected travel path of the vehicle is based on a day of week when the amounts of regenerative braking energy were recovered. ### Claim 19 A system comprising: at least one logic device configured to charge a storage battery in a vehicle prior to starting a drive cycle of the vehicle using electric power from a power source external to the vehicle to a target state of charge based on a profile of regenerative braking energy expected to be recovered during a portion of a future drive cycle of the vehicle and a profile of energy expected to be used from the battery during the portion of the future drive cycle. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The system of claim 19 wherein the logic device is a controller including a processor operable to execute software instructions, a computer memory operable to store software instructions accessible by the processor, and a set of software instructions stored in the memory to charge the storage battery to the target state of charge using electric power from the external power source.