Paddle shifter control of hybrid powertrain

• US 10,189,468 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2016
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nefcy, Bernard D., Kuang, Ming Lang, Soo, Brian Thomas, Ford, Stuart N., Davison, Mark, Meinhart, Matthew Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Estremsky, Sherry L
• Application Number:
  US15/054,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20170247027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• 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: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/54 Transmission for changing ratio
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/30 Control strategies involving selection of transmission gear ratio control of change speed gearings, together with other vehicle sub-units B60W10/10; HEV transmission gearing B60K6/36; gearings and control thereof F16H
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1025 Input torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18127 Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/087 : where the control system corrects or modifies a request from the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 : Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 : Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/60 : Control of electric machines, e.g. problems related to electric motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/70 : Control of gearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0204 : for gearshift control, e.g. control functions for performing shifting or generation of shift signal
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/42 : Ratio indicator devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 : Data processing systems or methods, management, administration
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/917 : with transmission for changing gear ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 : Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A vehicle comprises a hybrid powertrain includes an electric machine coupled between an automatic gearbox and an engine. The vehicle includes paddle shifters configured to output a driver requested gear change. The hybrid powertrain is configured to selectively operate in an economy mode that optimizes fuel economy. While operating in the economy mode, a controller may selectively inhibit the driver requested gear change when the change may negatively impact fuel economy. In the economy mode, the driver requested gear change may be inhibited during a demand for braking. If the driver requested gear change is a downshift request, the downshift is inhibited and simulated using electric machine torque.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a controller programmed to change a gear of a transmission in a hybrid powertrain in response to receiving a request from a paddle shifter and, in response to the hybrid powertrain operating in an economy mode and receiving the request in a presence of a brake demand signal indicative of a demand for braking, maintain the gear in an automatically selected gear.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a lamp associated with the paddle shifter wherein the controller is further programmed to flash the lamp for a predetermined time after the request in response to maintaining the gear.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a lamp associated with the paddle shifter wherein the controller is further programmed to change a color of the lamp for a predetermined time after the request in response to maintaining the gear.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the hybrid powertrain operating in a mode other than the economy mode and receiving the request in an absence of the brake demand signal being indicative of the demand for braking, change the gear according to the request and decrease a performance score that is displayed to a driver.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to choose the automatically selected gear to maximize an amount of regenerative energy recovered by an electric machine in the hybrid powertrain.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the request being a downshift request in a presence of brake demand and accelerator demand signals that are indicative of a coastdown condition, maintain the gear and change a torque of an electric machine to simulate an expected torque change due to downshifting.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the controller is further programmed to request the expected torque change based on a present gear of the transmission, a requested gear, and a present torque input to the transmission.

8. The vehicle of claim 6 wherein the controller is further programmed to cease simulating the expected torque change in response to the brake demand signal being indicative of a demand for braking or the accelerator demand signal being indicative of a demand for acceleration of the vehicle.

9. A hybrid powertrain comprising:

a controller programmed to change a gear of a transmission in response to receiving a request from a paddle shifter and, in response to the hybrid powertrain operating in an economy mode and receiving a downshift request in a presence of brake demand and accelerator demand signals indicative of a coastdown condition, increase a regenerative torque command for an electric machine by a predetermined amount without changing the gear.

10. The hybrid powertrain of claim 9 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the brake demand signal being indicative of a demand for braking, increase the regenerative torque command of the electric machine according to the brake demand signal.

11. The hybrid powertrain of claim 9 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to a state of charge of a battery exceeding a battery full threshold, reduce the regenerative torque command and downshift the transmission.

12. The hybrid powertrain of claim 9 wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to operating the hybrid powertrain in a mode other than the economy mode and receiving the downshift request in a presence of the brake demand signal being indicative of a demand for braking, downshift the transmission and decrease a performance score for display.

13. The hybrid powertrain of claim 9 wherein the controller is further programmed to increase the regenerative torque command by the predetermined amount that is based on a present gear of the transmission, a requested gear, and a present torque input to the transmission.

14. The hybrid powertrain of claim 9 wherein the controller is further programmed to cease requesting the regenerative torque command in response to the accelerator demand signal being indicative of a demand for acceleration.

15. A method comprising:

maintaining by a controller an automatically selected gear of a transmission of a hybrid powertrain in response to receiving a gear change request from a driver while the hybrid powertrain is operating in an economy mode and a brake demand signal is indicative of a demand for braking;

outputting by the controller a signal indicative of a gear change denial to a display; and

changing by the controller a gear of the transmission according to the automatically selected gear and ceasing to output the signal indicative of the gear change denial in response to the gear change request matching the automatically selected gear.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising increasing by the controller a regenerative torque command to an electric machine and inhibiting the gear change request in response to the gear change request being a downshift request while the hybrid powertrain is operating in the economy mode and the brake demand signal is indicative of an absence of demand for braking and an accelerator demand signal is indicative of an absence of demand for acceleration.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising shifting by the controller a gear from the automatically selected gear according to the gear change request in response to receiving the gear change request when the hybrid powertrain is operating in a mode other than the economy mode.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising outputting by the controller a signal indicative of a decreased performance score in a presence of the brake demand signal being indicative of a demand for braking and the gear change request resulting in collection of less regenerative energy than operating in the automatically selected gear.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising generating by the controller the automatically selected gear to minimize fuel consumption when the hybrid powertrain is operating in the economy mode.