Method for operating a non-railbound land vehicle with a combustion engine-generator unit and an electric drive motor and corresponding vehicle

• US 20040040757A1
• Filed: 10/22/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Magnet-Motor Gesellschaft Fur Magnetmotorische Technik MbH
• Inventors: Ehrhart, Peter, Scherg, Christof, Weck, Werner
• Granted Patent: US 7,163,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 180/65.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/46 Series type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/26 by pedal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

The invention relates to a non-railbound land vehicle (2) comprising a drive system with the following components; a combustion engine-generator unit (=VG unit) (14, 16); at least one electric drive motor (18, 20); a power control station (30) for the electric motor that can be operated by the driver of the vehicle and a control electronics (24) that is connected to the VG unit, the electric motor and the power control station. The invention is characterized in that the control electronics is configured and can operate in such a way that it reduces temporarily the electrical power demanded by the electric motor and/or at least one secondary current consumer for the transition from one operating phase with a first power state of the electric motor and/or at least one secondary current consumer (26) of the vehicle to an operating phase with a higher, second power state of the electric motor and/or at least one secondary current consumer in order to attain fster transition of the combustion engine (14) from a first power output to a higher second power output.

Claims

1. A method for operating a non-rail bound land motor vehicle which has a drive system with the following components:

an internal combustion engine-generator unit;

at least one electric drive motor;

a power command signal generator, which can be operated by the driver of the motor vehicle, for the electric motor;

and an electronic control system which is connected to the internal combustion engine-generator unit, to the electric motor and to the power command signal generator,

the internal combustion engine-generator unit being controlled by means of the electronic control system in such a way that the motor vehicle is operated in the essentially steady-state operating phases in each case with a combination of supplied torque and rotational speed of the internal combustion engine which is favorable for fuel consumption,

characterized in that for the transition from an operating phase with a first power state of the electric motor and/or at least one secondary current load of the motor vehicle to an operating phase with a higher, second power state of the electric motor and/or at least one secondary current load, the electrical power demanded by the electric motor and/or by at least one secondary current load is temporarily reduced in order to achieve a faster transition of the internal combustion engine from a first power output level to a higher, second power output level.

2. The non-rail bound land motor vehicle which has a drive system with the following components:

an internal combustion-generator unit;

at least one electric drive motor;

a power command signal generator, which can be operated by the driver of the motor vehicle, for the electric motor;

and an electronic control system which is connected to the internal combustion-generator unit, to the electric motor and to the power command signal generator,

the electronic control system being embodied and being capable of operating in such a way that the internal combustion engine-generator unit is controlled in such a way that the motor vehicle is operated in the essentially steady-state operating phases in each case with a combination of supplied torque and rotational speed of the internal combustion engine which is favorable for fuel consumption,

characterized in that the electronic control system is embodied and capable of operating in such a way that, for the transition from an operating phase with a first power state of the electric motor and/or at least one secondary current load of the motor vehicle to an operating phase with a higher, second power state of the electric motor and/or of at least one secondary current load, it temporarily reduces the electrical power demanded by the electric motor and/or by at least one secondary current load in order to achieve a faster transition of the internal combustion engine from a first power output level to a higher, second power output level.

3. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the electronic control system is embodied and capable of operating in such a way that the magnitude and/or the duration of the reduction in the demand for electrical power vary as a function of the difference between the first power state and the demanded second power state.

4. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the electronic control system is embodied and capable of operating in such a way that, during the transition from the first power output level, to the second power output level, it dynamically adapts the reduction in the demand for electrical power to the instantaneous difference between the instantaneous power level and the second power output level.

5. The motor vehicle as claimed in one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the power command signal generator has a mechanical element, preferably a pedal, which can be operated by the driver of the vehicle, and a transducer which converts the position and/or the change in the position of the mechanical element into an electrical signal.

6. The motor vehicle as claimed in one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that an electronic modification device is provided with which the signal of the power command signal generator and/or a signal which reflects the power consumption of the secondary current load can be converted into a modified signal.

7. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that a signal which is modified in terms of the amplitude and/or the shape and/or the timing and/or the time profile can be generated by means of the modification device.

8. The motor vehicle as claimed in one of claims 6 to 7, characterized in that a signal with ramped timing can be generated as a modified signal by means of the modification device.

9. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the modified signal is ramped only for a part of its duration.

10. The motor vehicle as claimed in one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that a modified signal which contains a time delay in the reduction of the demand for electrical power can be generated by means of the modification device.

11. The motor vehicle as claimed in one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that the modification device contains a plurality of modification methods stored in it, and in that it is possible to choose between the modification methods.