Granted Patent B2

US 12,552,221 · App. 18/372,496 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Inventors: Nathan Denison (Columbus, IN); Scott Alan Rittenhouse (Nashville, IN); Richard A. Booth (Columbus, IN); Sweekar Pandit (Columbus, IN)

Assignee: Cummins Inc.

B60H1/00278

Abstract

Claims (72)

1 . A method of managing multiple vehicle functions according to power demand of a set of vehicle subsystems, comprising:

receiving available power data indicating an available power of a battery of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising the set of vehicle subsystems, including a traction system and one or more auxiliary subsystems;

receiving demand data indicating a power demand of the battery by the set of vehicle subsystems, the set of vehicle subsystems configured to perform a set of vehicle functions of the vehicle;

receiving modification data associated with modifying the set of vehicle functions, the modification data including (i) instructions for reducing power consumption of one or more auxiliary subsystems, (ii) a ranking of the set of vehicle functions prioritizing the traction system relative to auxiliary subsystems during a power deficit, and (iii) modification criteria specifying conditions to be met before initiating a modification;

obtaining, based on operator input, an intention to perform a power-intensive driving maneuver;

obtaining, at a first time, based on the demand data and the available power data, that the power demand to perform the power-intensive driving maneuver exceeds the available power;

selecting, in response to the obtaining at the first time, a set of target vehicle functions among the auxiliary subsystems;

selecting, based at least in part on the modification data, a set of modifications for the set of target vehicle functions, including selecting according to the ranking of the set of vehicle functions; and

initiating, in accordance with the modification data, the set of modifications by reducing power consumption of the set of target vehicle functions to make additional power available to the traction system, and deferring initiation of a modification until the modification criteria are satisfied, wherein the modification criteria include a determination that the available power is insufficient to satisfy the power demand.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the selecting the set of target vehicle functions is based, at least in part, on the ranking of the set of vehicle functions.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the set of vehicle functions comprises a first vehicle function and a second vehicle function,

wherein the set of rankings comprises a first ranking for the first vehicle function and a second ranking for the second vehicle function;

the method further comprising:

determining that the first ranking has a lower priority than the second ranking; and

selecting the first vehicle function as a target vehicle function of the set of target vehicle functions, based on the determining that the first ranking has a lower priority than the second ranking.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of vehicle subsystems comprises a cabin HVAC subsystem having a heating function, and

wherein the initiating the set of modifications comprises reducing the heating function or terminating the heating function.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining at a second time subsequent to the first time that the power demand does not exceed the available power, and

in response to the determining at the second time, disabling the set of modifications.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving activity data of the vehicle;

determining, based on the activity data, that the modification criteria is satisfied; and

performing the initiating the set of modifications to the set of target vehicle functions in response to the determining that the modification criteria is satisfied.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the activity data comprises a temperature of a coolant fluid of the vehicle.

8 . A controller of a vehicle comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory containing program instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to cause the processor to perform a method of managing multiple vehicle functions according to power demand of a set of vehicle subsystems, the method comprising:

receiving available power data indicating an available power of a battery of the vehicle, the vehicle comprising the set of vehicle subsystems;

receiving demand data indicating a power demand of the battery by the set of vehicle subsystems, the set of vehicle subsystems configured to perform a set of vehicle functions of the vehicle;

receiving modification data associated with modifying the set of vehicle functions, the modification data including (i) instructions for reducing power consumption of one or more auxiliary subsystems, (ii) a ranking of the set of vehicle functions prioritizing a traction system, and (iii) modification criteria specifying conditions to be met before initiating a modification;

obtaining, based on operator input, an intention to perform a power-intensive driving maneuver;

obtaining, at a first time, based on the demand data and the available power data, that the power demand to perform the power-intensive driving maneuver exceeds the available power;

selecting, in response to the obtaining at the first time, a set of target vehicle functions among the auxiliary subsystems;

selecting, based at least in part on the modification data, a set of modifications for the set of target vehicle functions, including selecting according to the ranking of the set of vehicle functions; and

initiating, in accordance with the modification data, the set of modifications by reducing power consumption of the set of target vehicle functions to make additional power available to the traction system, and deferring initiation of a modification until the modification criteria are satisfied, wherein the modification criteria include a determination that the available power is insufficient to satisfy the power demand.

9 . The controller of claim 8 , wherein the selecting the set of target vehicle functions is based, at least in part, on the set of rankings.

10 . The controller of claim 9 , wherein the set of vehicle functions comprises a first vehicle function and a second vehicle function,

wherein the set of rankings comprises a first ranking for the first vehicle function and a second ranking for the second vehicle function;

the method further comprising:

determining that the first ranking has a lower priority than the second ranking; and

selecting the first vehicle function as a target vehicle function of the set of target vehicle functions, based on the determining that the first ranking has a lower priority than the second ranking.

11 . The controller of claim 8 , wherein the set of vehicle subsystems comprises a cabin HVAC subsystem having a heating function, and

wherein the initiating the set of modifications comprises reducing the heating function.

12 . The controller of claim 11 , wherein the initiating the set of modifications comprises terminating the heating function.

13 . The controller of claim 8 , the method further comprising:

determining at a second time subsequent to the first time that the power demand does not exceed the available power, and

in response to the determining at the second time, disabling the set of modifications.

14 . The controller of claim 8 , wherein the modification data includes modification criteria; and

wherein the method further comprises:

receiving activity data of the vehicle;

determining, based on the activity data, that the modification criteria is satisfied; and

performing the initiating the set of modifications to the set of target vehicle functions in response to the determining that the modification criteria is satisfied.

15 . The controller of claim 14 , wherein the activity data comprises a temperature of a coolant fluid of the vehicle.

16 . A system of a vehicle comprising:

a set of vehicle subsystems, the set of vehicle subsystems including a cabin HVAC subsystem; and

a controller configured to perform a method of managing multiple vehicle functions according to power demand of the set of vehicle subsystems, comprising:

receiving available power data indicating an available power of a battery of the vehicle;

receiving demand data indicating a power demand of the battery by the set of vehicle subsystems, the set of vehicle subsystems configured to perform a set of vehicle functions of the vehicle;

receiving modification data associated with modifying the set of vehicle functions, the modification data including (i) instructions for reducing power consumption of one or more auxiliary subsystems, (ii) a ranking of the set of vehicle functions prioritizing a traction system, and (iii) modification criteria specifying conditions to be met before initiating a modification;

obtaining, based on operator input, an intention to perform a power-intensive driving maneuver;

obtaining, at a first time, based on the demand data and the available power data, that the power demand to perform the power-intensive driving maneuver exceeds the available power;

selecting, in response to the obtaining at the first time, a set of target vehicle functions among the auxiliary subsystems;

selecting, based at least in part on the modification data, a set of modifications for the set of target vehicle functions, including selecting according to the ranking of the set of vehicle functions; and

initiating, in accordance with the modification data, the set of modifications by reducing power consumption of the set of target vehicle functions to make additional power available to the traction system, and deferring initiation of a modification until the modification criteria are satisfied, wherein the modification criteria include a determination that the available power is insufficient to satisfy the power demand.

17 . The system of claim 16 , the method further comprising:

determining at a second time subsequent to the first time that the power demand does not exceed the available power, and

in response to the determining at the second time, disabling the set of modifications.

18 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the cabin HVAC subsystem has a heating function, and

wherein the initiating the set of modifications comprises reducing the heating function.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the initiating the set of modifications comprises terminating the heating function.

20 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising restoring the set of target vehicle functions upon determining that the available power is sufficient to satisfy the power demand.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (19)