Coordinated actuation of vehicle stop modes

• US 10,112,612 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Siddiqui, Siraj, Khafagy, Hafiz Shafeek, Awadi, Ahmed, Makkiya, Hussam
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US15/434,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20180229731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4825 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/387 Actuated clutches, i.e. clutches engaged or disengaged by electric, hydraulic or mechanical actuating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/025 Clutch slip, i.e. difference between input and output speeds
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/083 taking into account engine load variation, e.g. air-conditionning
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0811 using a timer
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0822 related to action of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0829 related to special engine control, e.g. giving priority to engine warming-up or learning
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0833 Vehicle conditions F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0866 comprising several power sources, e.g. battery and capacitor or two batteries
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2011/0888 DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0801 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine operable in an auto stop-start (SS) mode. The engine is adapted to auto stop and auto start in the SS mode. The vehicle further includes a transmission operable in an idle load reduction (ILR) mode. In the ILR mode, engagement of a forward clutch is disposed in an alternate first gear state. A controller is operably connected to the engine and the transmission. The controller is programmed to command the engine to operate in the SS mode when a speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined threshold unless one or more SS inhibit conditions are present. The controller is further programmed to, when one or more SS inhibit conditions are present, inhibit operation of the engine in the SS mode and to command the transmission to operate in the ILR mode unless one or more ILR inhibit conditions are present.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an engine operable in an auto stop-start (SS) mode, wherein the engine is configured to auto stop and auto start in the SS mode;

a transmission operable in an idle load reduction (ILR) mode, wherein engagement of a forward clutch is disposed in an alternate first gear state in the ILR mode; and

a controller operably connected to the engine and the transmission, wherein the controller is configured to command the engine to operate in the SS mode when a speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined threshold unless one or more SS inhibit conditions are present, and wherein the controller is further configured to, when one or more SS inhibit conditions are present, inhibit operation of the engine in the SS mode and to command the transmission to operate in the ILR mode unless one or more ILR inhibit conditions are present.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein in the alternate first gear state, the forward clutch is disposed in a slipping engagement.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein in the alternate first gear state, the forward clutch is disengaged from a vehicle drivetrain to operate the transmission in a neutral idle mode.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a first input indicative of a presence of one or more SS inhibit conditions, and to receive a second input indicative of a presence of one or more ILR inhibit conditions.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit operation of the transmission in the ILR mode when the engine is operating in the SS mode.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to inhibit operation of the transmission in the ILR mode for a calibratable inhibit time when the engine exits the SS mode.

7. A vehicle stop mode system comprising:

a controller programmed to operate an engine in an auto stop-start (SS) mode when a vehicle speed is below a predetermined threshold unless one or more SS inhibit conditions are present, the controller further configured to, when one or more SS inhibit conditions are present, inhibit the SS mode and operate a transmission in an idle load reduction (ILR) mode unless one or more ILR inhibit conditions are present.

8. The vehicle stop mode system of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to control engagement of a forward clutch in the ILR mode.

9. The vehicle stop mode system of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to inhibit operation of the transmission in the ILR mode while the engine is operating in the SS mode.

10. The vehicle stop mode system of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to inhibit operation of the transmission in the ILR mode for a calibratable inhibit time in response to automatically starting the engine.

11. The vehicle stop mode system of claim 7, wherein the controller is programmed to exit the ILR mode and operate the engine in the SS mode unless one or more SS inhibit conditions are present.

12. A method for operating a vehicle when a speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined threshold, comprising:

operating a vehicle engine in an auto stop-start (SS) mode unless one or more SS inhibit conditions are present; and

when one or more SS inhibit conditions are present, inhibiting the SS mode and operating a vehicle transmission in an idle load reduction (ILR) mode unless one or more ILR inhibit conditions are present.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

while operating a vehicle engine in the SS mode, inhibiting operation of the vehicle transmission in the ILR mode.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

while operating a vehicle engine in the SS mode, automatically starting the vehicle engine in response to a SS mode exit condition.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

in response to automatically starting the vehicle engine, inhibiting operation of the vehicle transmission in the ILR mode for a calibratable inhibit time.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein operating the vehicle transmission in the ILR mode includes controlling slip at a forward clutch of the vehicle transmission to operate the vehicle transmission in a transmission idle load reduction mode.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein operating the vehicle transmission in the ILR mode includes disengaging a forward clutch of the vehicle transmission to operate the vehicle transmission in a neutral idle mode.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

while operating the vehicle transmission in the ILR mode, detecting for one or more SS inhibit conditions.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

exiting the ILR mode and operating the vehicle engine in the SS mode unless one or more SS inhibit conditions are detected.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

operating the vehicle engine and the vehicle transmission in a normal idle condition when one or more SS inhibit conditions are present and when one or more ILR inhibit conditions are present.