Method for controlling the recuperation power of a recuperation-capable drive, and device for this purpose

1. A method for controlling a recuperation power of a recuperation-capable drive of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a future temperature-control expenditure that represents the energy required to cool or heat the motor vehicle; and

conducting to a temperature-control device a temperature-control proportion of a recuperation power that has been extracted from kinetic energy of the motor vehicle,

conducting a buffer proportion of the temperature-control proportion to a buffer, wherein as the temperature-control expenditure rises the buffer proportion conducted to the buffer decreases,

the temperature-control device using the temperature-control proportion of the converted recuperation power to heat or to cool the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle,

controlling the magnitude of the temperature-control proportion as a function of the determined future temperature-control expenditure, such that the temperature-control proportion conducted to the temperature-control device is increased in response to a rise in the temperature-control expenditure.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

conducting the buffer proportion of the temperature-control proportion to a mechanical buffer; or

conducting the buffer proportion of the converted recuperation power to an electric buffer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the future temperature-control expenditure is determined based on an external temperature of the motor vehicle and at least one of the following variables:

(a) at least one of a length or a duration of a predefined section of route lying ahead;

(b) at least one of a distance or an expected travel duration of a predefined destination is reached by the motor vehicle, wherein the destination, the travel duration or the travel distance is predefined by a navigation device or by a user input, or wherein the destination corresponds to a charging point at which electrical energy for charging the motor vehicle is available;

(c) an estimated duration that passes between a shutting down of the motor vehicle and a subsequent use of the motor vehicle;

(d) an estimated amount of thermal energy that is input into the motor vehicle based on solar radiation; or

(e) a filling level of a thermal accumulator to which the temperature-control device outputs heat or cold and from which heat or cold is used to heat or cool the motor vehicle at a later time.

4. The method of claim 3 , comprising:

determining an increasing temperature-control expenditure in response to an increase in at least one of the length or the duration;

determining an increasing temperature-control expenditure in response to an increase in at least one of the distance increases or the expected travel duration until the predefined destination is reached;

determining an increasing temperature-control expenditure in response to an increase in the estimated duration that passes between the shutting down of the motor vehicle and the subsequent use of the motor vehicle;

determining an increasing temperature-control expenditure in response to an increase in the estimated thermal energy that is input into the motor vehicle; or

determining a decreasing temperature-control expenditure in response to an increase in the filling level of the thermal buffer.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:

converting the temperature-control proportion of the recuperation power into heat by a force-heat machine of the temperature-control device; or converting the temperature-control proportion of the recuperation power or of the recuperation power itself into electrical power and converting such electrical power into heat by a power resistor of the temperature-control device; or

using the temperature-control proportion of the recuperation power to control the temperature of a stream of fluid by a mechanically or electrically driven force-heat machine, a mechanically or electrically driven heating pump, a mechanically or electrically driven cooling machine, or a thermoelectric element of the temperature-control device;

wherein, during the temperature control of the stream of fluid by an electrically driven force-heat machine, heating pump, cooling machine, or a thermoelectric element, the temperature-control proportion of the recuperation power or the recuperation power itself is converted from a kinetic form of energy into an electrical form of energy before the use for temperature control by an electric machine.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:

the converted heat is used directly to heat a passenger compartment of the motor vehicle, is used directly to heat a heat medium circuit of the motor vehicle, or is fed to a latent heat accumulator, to thereby retrieve the heat stored in the thermal accumulator at a later time and feed it to the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle or to the heat medium circuit of the motor vehicle; or

the stream of fluid is used directly to control the temperature of the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle or is used directly to control the temperature of a heat medium circuit of the motor vehicle, or is used to control the temperature of a thermal accumulator, preferably a latent heat accumulator, to thereby use the thermal accumulator at a later time to control the temperature of the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle or the heat medium circuit of the motor vehicle.

7. A device for controlling recuperation power of a recuperation-capable drive of a motor vehicle, the device comprising:

a temperature-control expenditure estimator including a data input and being configured to estimate, based on at least one value present at the data input, a future temperature-control expenditure that represents an energy necessary to cool or heat the motor vehicle; and

an actuator element configured to set a temperature-control proportion of recuperation power present at a power input of the device,

wherein the actuator element includes a control input connected to the temperature-control expenditure estimator, and

wherein the actuator element is configured to set an increasing temperature-control proportion as the temperature-control expenditure rises,

a power output connected to the actuator element and configured to output the temperature-control proportion, and

a buffer connected downstream of the power output directly or via a converter,

wherein the buffer is configured to store and output the temperature-control proportion and is connected to a temperature-control proportion output.

8. The device of claim 7 ,

wherein the buffer comprises an electric accumulator, a pneumatic accumulator, a flywheel accumulator, or a spring force accumulator.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the data input is configured for connection to a navigation device, to a use phase memory, to a brightness sensor, or to a temperature sensor of a thermal buffer, and

wherein the temperature-control expenditure estimator comprises a mapping of values of a first variable onto values of a second variable,

wherein the first variable comprises:

(A) a length or a duration of a section of route lying ahead which is present in the navigation device;

(B) at least one of a distance or an expected travel duration of a predefined destination of the motor vehicle, wherein the destination, the travel duration or the travel distance is predefined by the navigation device or by a user input interface of the device;

(C) an estimated duration that passes between a shutting down of the motor vehicle and a subsequent use of the motor vehicle, which estimated duration is present in the use phase memory;

(D) a brightness value provided by the brightness sensor; or

(E) a temperature value of the temperature sensor; and

wherein the second variable comprises the temperature-control expenditure represented as a quantity of heat, a quantity of cold, or a thermal energy difference; and,

wherein for the first variable, the mapping forms a function that rises at least in certain first sections and falls in certain section sections.