METHOD AND APPARATUS TO CONTROL AN ELECTRO-MECHANICAL TRANSMISSION DURING SHIFTING EVENT

• US 20070276569A1
• Filed: 05/25/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Sah, Jy-Jen, Heap, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• 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 10/115 with planetary gears
• 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 20/40 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 2050/0006 Digital architecture hierarchy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1015 Input shaft speed, e.g. turbine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/104 Output speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2037/106 : with switching means to provide two variator modes or ranges
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/201 : with three sets of orbital gears
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2041 : with four engaging means
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/728 : with means to change ratio in the mechanical gearing
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/08 : Timing control
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/686 : with orbital gears
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/918 : Continuously variable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/945 : Characterized by control of gearing, e.g. control of transmission ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19228 : Multiple concentric clutch shafts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19251 : Control mechanism

Abstract

A method and system for executing a shift from a first fixed gear to a second fixed gear in a powertrain system comprising a two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission operative to receive a speed input from an engine is described. It includes deactivating an off-going clutch, and generating a time-based profile for rotational speed of an oncoming clutch. The input speed is controlled based upon the rotational speed of the oncoming clutch and an output of the transmission. The oncoming clutch is actuated, preferably when the input speed is synchronized with a rotational speed of an output shaft of the transmission multiplied by a gear ratio of the second fixed gear, preferably after a predetermined elapsed period of time in the range of 500 milliseconds.

Claims

1. Method for executing a shift from a first fixed gear to a second fixed gear in a powertrain system comprising a two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission operative to receive a speed input from an engine, the method comprising:

deactivating an off-going clutch operative to control the transmission in the first fixed gear;

generating a time-based profile for rotational speed of an oncoming clutch operative to control the transmission in the second fixed gear;

controlling the speed input from the engine based upon the time-based profile for rotational speed of the oncoming clutch and an output of the transmission; and

,

actuating the oncoming clutch operative to control the transmission in the second fixed gear.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the time-based profile for rotational speed of the oncoming clutch comprises:

determining a rotational speed of the oncoming clutch at a start of the shift; and

,

applying the determined rotational speed of the oncoming clutch at the start of the shift to a precalibrated format for a time-based change in speed of the oncoming clutch.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the precalibrated format for a time-based change in speed of the oncoming clutch comprises a three-step format, wherein the first step comprises a ramp up in speed of the oncoming clutch, the second step comprises a steady state change in speed of the oncoming clutch, and the third step comprises a ramp down in speed of the oncoming clutch.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the speed input from the engine based upon the time-based profile for rotational speed of the oncoming clutch and an output of the transmission comprises controlling the speed input from the engine to substantially synchronize the rotational speed of the oncoming clutch with a rotational speed of an output shaft of the transmission multiplied by a gear ratio of the second fixed gear.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising controlling the speed input from the engine to substantially synchronize the rotational speed of the oncoming clutch to a rotational speed of an output shaft of the transmission multiplied by a gear ratio of the second fixed gear after a predetermined elapsed period of time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined elapsed period of time comprises a period of approximately 500 milliseconds from deactivation of the off-going clutch to actuation of the oncoming clutch.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein deactivating the off-going clutch operative to control the transmission in the first fixed gear further comprises operating the two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission in a continuously variable mode to transmit torque to a driveline.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein operating the two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission in the continuously variable mode to transmit torque to the driveline further comprises controlling operation of first and second electrical machines in a speed phase to transmit torque to the two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the time-based profile for rotational speed of the oncoming clutch operative to control the transmission in the second fixed gear and controlling the speed input from the engine based upon the time-based profile for rotational speed of the oncoming clutch and the output of the transmission farther comprises:

adjusting the time-based profile for rotational speed of the oncoming clutch based upon a change in the rotational speed of the output of the transmission; and

,

controlling the speed input from the engine to substantially synchronize the rotational speed of the oncoming clutch to match the change in the rotational speed of the output of the transmission multiplied by the gear ratio of the second fixed gear.

7. Article of manufacture, comprising a storage medium having an encoded computer program operative to effect a shift from a first fixed gear to a second fixed gear in a transmission device operative to receive an input speed from a shaft of an engine, the computer program comprising:

code to deactivate an off-going clutch;

code to generate a time-based profile for rotational speed of an oncoming clutch;

code to control the input speed from the shaft of the engine based upon the time-based profile for rotational speed of the oncoming clutch and an output of the transmission; and

,

code to actuate the oncoming clutch.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the transmission comprises a two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission having four torque-transfer clutches and operable in one of four fixed gear modes and two continuously variable modes.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission is operable to receive torque input from first and second electrical machines.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein operation of the transmission in one of the four fixed gears modes is effected by actuation of pre-selected pairs of the torque-transfer clutches.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the code to control the input speed from the shaft of the engine based upon the time-based speed profile for the oncoming torque-transfer clutch and the output of the transmission comprises code to control input speed of the engine to substantially synchronize the speed of the oncoming clutch to a speed of an output shaft of the transmission multiplied by a gear ratio of the second fixed gear after an elapsed period of time.

12. Powertrain system, comprising:

A) an internal combustion engine operatively connected to an electro-mechanical transmission device effective to operate in one of four fixed gears via selective actuation of four clutches; and

,

B) a control system;

i) adapted to monitor an input speed from the engine to the transmission, and, monitor speed of an output shaft of the transmission; and

,

ii) adapted to control the input speed of the engine and adapted to selectively actuate the four clutches; and

,

iii) including a storage medium having an encoded computer program operative to effect a shift from a first fixed gear to a second fixed gear in the transmission, the computer program comprising;

code to deactivate an off-going clutch;

code to generate a time-based profile for speed of an oncoming clutch;

code to control the input speed from the engine based upon the time-based profile for speed of the oncoming clutch and the speed of the output shaft of the transmission; and

,

code to actuate the oncoming clutch.

13. The powertrain system of claim 12, further comprising code to control the input speed from the engine to substantially synchronize the speed of the oncoming clutch to the speed of the output shaft of the transmission multiplied by a gear ratio of the second fixed gear after a predetermined elapsed period of time.

14. The powertrain system of claim 12, wherein the control system comprises a distributed control module architecture operative to coordinate control of the powertrain system.