Hybrid vehicle provided with an electronically controlled transmission

• US 10,435,012 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2017
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Marelli Europe SPA
• Original Assignee: Magneti Marelli S.p.A.
• Inventors: Gaviani, Giovanni, Sola, Cesare, Medico, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Jacob S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lillian T
• Application Number:
  US15/439,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20170240164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 20/04 floor mounted
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 20/06 mounted on steering column or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2026/046 with electrical transmission means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/583 Data transfer between instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/774 on or in the centre console
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/20 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/36 characterised by the transmission gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/54 Transmission for changing ratio
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• 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 20/30 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 2050/0006 Digital architecture hierarchy
• 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: F16H 59/0217 with electric switches or sensors not for gear or range selection, e.g. for controlling auxiliary devices for gear selection F16H59/044; for range selection F16H59/105
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0006 : Electronic control units for transmission control, e.g. connectors, casings or circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A hybrid vehicle comprising: a pair of drive wheels; an internal combustion heat engine; an electrically controlled transmission; a control unit of the heat engine; a control unit of the transmission; a passenger compartment having a driver'"'"'s seat provided with a plurality of controls that can be operated by the driver and comprise a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal and transmission control means; and an electronic control unit of the transmission control means that is physically installed in the passenger compartment close to the transmission control means, fulfills the function of acquiring the current position of the transmission control means and also fulfills the function of vehicle management unit by receiving the orders given by the driver and by providing the control unit of the heat engine and the control unit of the transmission with the corresponding objectives to meet the driver'"'"'s needs.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle (1) comprising:

at least one pair of drive wheels (2);

an internal combustion heat engine (5);

an electronically controlled transmission (11), which transmits a torque from the heat engine (5) to the drive wheels (2);

at least one electric machine (8, 9), which can be connected to the drive wheels (2);

an electronic power converter (14, 15), which controls the electric machine (8, 9);

an electronic control unit (17) of the heat engine (5), which supervises the operation of the heat engine (5) and controls the heat engine (5) to pursue a torque objective and/or an rpm objective;

an electronic control unit (18) of the transmission (11), which supervises the operation of the transmission (11) and controls the transmission (11) to perform, if required, a gear shift;

an interior provided with a plurality of controls, which can be operated by a driver and comprise a steering wheel (20), an accelerator pedal (21), a brake pedal (22) and transmission control lever (23);

an electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever, which is physically installed in the interior close to the transmission control lever (23) and fulfils the function of acquiring the current position of the transmission control lever (23) by directly receiving and thus processing the raw signals coming from at least one position sensor coupled to the transmission control lever (23); and

a vehicle management unit, which receives orders given by the driver and provides the control unit (17) of the heat engine (5), the control unit (18) of the transmission (11) and the electronic power converter (14, 15) with the corresponding objectives to follow the driver'"'"'s orders;

wherein a vehicle control unit is integrated in the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever so that the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever also fulfils the function of vehicle management unit by receiving the orders given by driver and by providing the electronic control unit (17) of the heat engine (5), the electronic control unit (18) of the transmission (11) and the electronic power converter (14, 15) with the corresponding objectives to meet the driver'"'"'s needs.

2. The vehicle (1) according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever comprises:

a hardware device (24) provided with a memory and with at least one microprocessor;

a first software (25), which is run by the hardware device (24) and fulfils the function of acquiring the position of the transmission control lever (23) by processing the raw signals provided by the position sensor coupled to the transmission control lever (23), so as to safely and precisely obtain the position of the transmission control lever (23); and

a second software (26), which is run by the hardware device (24) in parallel with the first software (25) and fulfils the function of vehicle management unit, namely the second software (26) directs and coordinates the heat engine (5), the transmission (11) and the electric machine (8, 9).

3. The vehicle (1) according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle management unit integrated in the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever determines driver'"'"'s motion needs based on the position of the accelerator pedal (21), the position of the brake pedal (22) and the position of the transmission control lever (23), namely the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever translates these positions into a longitudinal speed objective and into a longitudinal acceleration objective for the vehicle (1).

4. The vehicle (1) according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle management unit integrated in the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever establishes how to pursue the longitudinal speed objective and the longitudinal acceleration objective by coordinating the heat engine (5), the transmission (11) and the electric machine (8, 9).

5. The vehicle (1) according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle management unit integrated in the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever establishes the torque objective and the rpm objective for the heat engine (5), a gear ratio objective for the transmission (11) and a torque objective and an rpm objective for the electric machine (8, 9).

6. The vehicle (1) according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever is physically installed in a central tunnel (27) supporting the transmission control lever (23).

7. The vehicle (1) according to claim 1, wherein:

the electronic control unit (17) of the heat engine (5) is physically installed in an engine compartment to be arranged close to the heat engine (5) and communicates with the vehicle management unit integrated in the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever through a CAN network; and

the electronic control unit (18) of the transmission (11) is physically installed close to the transmission (11) and communicates with the vehicle management unit integrated in the electronic control unit (19) of the transmission control lever through the CAN network.