Powertrain control system

• US 10,196,994 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2016
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Leone, Thomas G., Miller, Kenneth James, Hocking, Chris James
• Primary Examiner(s): Dallo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/155,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20170328292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/00 Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function for propulsion of purely electrically-propelled vehicles with power supplied within the vehicle B60L50/00 - B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0881 Seat occupation; Driver or passenger presence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1882 characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/18 Multi-cylinder engines scavenging aspects F02B25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/021 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/101 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/501 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/60 said parameters being related to the driver demands or status
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/602 Pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2400/12 Engine control specially adapted for a transmission comprising a torque converter or for continuously variable transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0087 Selective cylinder activation, i.e. partial cylinder operation deceleration cut-off F02D41/123
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/26 using computer, e.g. microprocessor

Abstract

A vehicle includes a transmission, a torque converter coupled to the transmission, a controller in communication with the transmission and the torque converter; a driver seat, a passenger seat, and a back seat coupled to the transmission, and sensors configured to detect occupancy of the seats. The sensors are in communication with the controller. The controller is programmed to receive data from the sensors, determine an occupancy status based on the occupancy data, set an engine operating parameter of one of the transmission and the torque converter based on the occupancy status, and control one of the transmission and the torque converter to operate according to the parameter.

Claims

1. A controller comprising a processor and a memory for a vehicle including an engine, the controller programmed to:

determine an occupancy status of the vehicle based on received sensor data, wherein the occupancy status is one of a driver-seat occupied status, a passenger-seat-only-occupied status, a back-seat-only-occupied status, and an unoccupied status;

set a lock-up schedule for a torque converter based on the occupancy status; and

control the engine to operate in accordance with the schedule.

2. The controller of claim 1, wherein the controller is further programmed to set a transmission schedule based on the occupancy status, and control the engine to operate in accordance with the transmission schedule.

3. The controller of claim 2, wherein a transmission schedule for the unoccupied status includes each gear ratio at a lower speed of the vehicle for each value of throttle than a transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status includes each gear ratio at a lower speed of the vehicle for each value of throttle than the transmission schedule for one of the driver-seat-occupied status and the passenger-seat-only-occupied status.

4. The controller of claim 1, wherein a lock-up schedule for the unoccupied status has quantities of slip no higher than, and under at least some vehicle conditions lower than, a lock-up schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status;

and the lock-up schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has quantities of slip no higher than, and under at least some vehicle conditions lower than, a lock-up schedule for one of the driver-seat-occupied status and the passenger-seat-only-occupied status.

5. A method of controlling a vehicle comprising:

detecting an occupancy status of the vehicle, wherein the occupancy status is one of a driver-seat occupied status, a passenger-seat-only-occupied status, a back-seat-only-occupied status, and an unoccupied status;

setting a lock-up schedule for a torque converter based on the occupancy status; and

controlling the engine to operate in accordance with the schedule.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising setting a transmission schedule based on the occupancy status;

and controlling the engine to operate in accordance with the transmission schedule.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a transmission schedule for the unoccupied status includes each gear ratio at a lower speed of the vehicle for each value of throttle than a transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status includes each gear ratio at a lower speed of the vehicle for each value of throttle than a transmission schedule for one of the driver-seat-occupied status and the passenger-seat-only-occupied status.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein a lock-up schedule for the unoccupied status has quantities of slip no higher than, and under at least some vehicle conditions lower than, a lock-up schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status;

and the lock-up schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has quantities of slip no higher than, and under at least some vehicle conditions lower than, a lock-up schedule for one of the driver-seat-occupied status and the passenger-seat-only-occupied status.

9. A vehicle comprising:

a torque converter coupled to the transmission;

a controller in communication with the transmission and the torque converter;

a driver seat, a passenger seat, and a back seat coupled to the transmission; and

sensors configured to detect occupancy of the front seat and of the back seat and in communication with the controller;

wherein

the controller is programmed to receive occupancy data from the sensors, determine an occupancy status based on the occupancy data, set a lock-up schedule of the torque converter based on the occupancy status, and control the torque converter to operate according to the schedule; and

the occupancy status is one of a driver-seat occupied status, a passenger-seat-only-occupied status, a back-seat-only-occupied status, and an unoccupied status.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the controller is further programmed to determine the occupancy status as the driver-seat-occupied status if the occupancy data indicates that the driver seat is occupied, as the passenger-seat-only-occupied status if the occupancy data indicates that the passenger seat is occupied and the driver seat is unoccupied, as the back-seat-only-occupied status if the occupancy data indicates that the driver and passenger seats are unoccupied and the back seat is occupied, and as the unoccupied status if the occupancy data indicates that the seats are unoccupied.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, further comprising a transmission, wherein the controller is further programmed to set a transmission schedule of the transmission based on the occupancy status, and control the engine to operate in accordance with the transmission schedule.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein a transmission schedule for the unoccupied status includes each gear ratio at a lower speed of the vehicle for each value of throttle than a transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status, and the transmission schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status includes each gear ratio at a lower speed of the vehicle for each value of throttle than a transmission schedule for one of the driver-seat-occupied status and the passenger-seat-only-occupied status.

13. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein a lock-up schedule for the unoccupied status has quantities of slip no higher than, and under at least some vehicle conditions lower than, a lock-up schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status;

and the lock-up schedule for the back-seat-only-occupied status has rates of slip no higher than, and under at least some vehicle conditions lower than, a lock-up schedule for one of the driver-seat-occupied status and the passenger-seat-only-occupied status.