Engine-on time predictor for aftertreatment scheduling for a vehicle

1. A method to control a hybrid electric vehicle comprising:

in response to a compression ignition engine operating based on an engine-on request, performing an exhaust aftertreatment procedure if an overlap percentage is greater than a threshold value, the overlap percentage calculated as a ratio between a predicted engine-on time and a completion time for the procedure, the predicted engine-on time determined using at least one driving pattern during a completion time for the procedure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the engine-on time is determined using an associated engine-on time percentage for each driving pattern predicted for the completion time for the procedure and an estimated time for vehicle operation in each driving pattern during the completion time for the procedure.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising using a database to reference each driving pattern and a corresponding engine-on time percentage, the database containing a plurality of possible driving patterns for an operating state of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising adjusting the engine-on time percentage of each driving pattern predicted for the completion time using a scaling factor if a predetermined ambient condition exists.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting the driving pattern for the vehicle, wherein the driving pattern represents the predicted operation of the vehicle during the completion time.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising assigning the driving pattern to a predicted path for the vehicle during the completion time.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the predicted path and the driving pattern are based on future route information.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing the future route information from a navigation system.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing the future route information from a traffic system.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein detecting the driving pattern includes determining a driving style for the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the driving style is based on historical vehicle usage.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the driving pattern using a driving pattern identification method and a predicted trip condition.

13. A vehicle comprising:

a compression ignition engine having an exhaust aftertreatment system;

an electric machine coupled to a traction battery; and

a controller electronically coupled to the engine wherein the controller is configured to: (i) operate the engine based on an engine-on request, and (ii) perform an exhaust aftertreatment procedure for the vehicle based on a completion time for the aftertreatment procedure compared to a predicted engine-on time determined using a driving pattern;

wherein the engine is coupled to the electric machine using an upstream clutch, and the electric machine is coupled to a transmission using a downstream clutch; and

wherein the engine, the electric machine, and the transmission are arranged sequentially.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 wherein the controller is configured to use a database to reference the driving pattern and a corresponding engine-on time percentage, the database containing a plurality of possible driving patterns for an operating state of the vehicle, wherein the controller determines the engine-on time using the associated engine-on time percentage for the driving pattern.

15. The vehicle of claim 13 wherein the controller is configured to determine the driving pattern using a driving pattern identification method and a predicted trip condition.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the threshold value varies as a function of a state of an exhaust aftertreatment device, such that an increasing need for exhaust aftertreatment decreases the threshold value.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising estimating a completion time for the aftertreatment procedure if beginning the procedure at a present time; and

assigning an estimated time and a driving pattern from a series of driving patterns to each segment of a route during the completion time, each driving pattern having an associated engine-on time percentage, each segment having an associated segment engine-on time calculated using the engine-on time percentage and the estimated time;

wherein the engine-on time is determined as a total engine-on time for the vehicle during the completion time using a summation of the segment engine-on times.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the engine-on request is based on one of a driving command, a battery state of charge, and a vehicle cabin climate control request.

19. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

a compression ignition engine having an exhaust aftertreatment system; and

a controller configured to calculate a ratio between a predicted engine-on time (EOT) and a completion time for an exhaust aftertreatment procedure when the engine is operating, and command the procedure if the ratio is greater than a threshold value, the EOT calculated using an engine-on time percentage and an estimated segment time for each driving pattern predicted during the completion time.

20. The vehicle of claim 19 wherein the controller is further configured to determine the threshold value as a function of a state of the exhaust aftertreatment system.