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

• US 20080032855A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company), Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sah, Jy-Jen F., Kaminsky, Lawrence A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,497,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/3
• 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 6/40 characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components
• 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: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• 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 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2037/0866 Power split variators with distributing differentials, with the output of the CVT connected or connectable to the output shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2037/102 the input or output shaft of the transmission is connected or connectable to two or more differentials
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2037/104 Power split variators with one end of the CVT connected or connectable to two or more differentials
• 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: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A method and control system is presented to selectively actuate a plurality of clutches of a two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission. The method comprises executing a shift operation from a first to a second operating mode and monitoring shift abort criteria. A revised shift operation is executed to control the transmission shift into a third operating mode effective to meet an operator request for output torque. The exemplary transmission has four fixed gear ratio modes and two continuously variable modes. The preferred shift abort criteria include: monitoring the operator request for output torque; identifying presence of a fault in an oncoming torques transfer device effective to facilitate operation in the second operating mode; monitoring an optimization routine for managing torque inputs from the plurality of torque-generative devices.

Claims

1. Method to selectively actuate a plurality of torque-transfer devices of a torque-transmission device operative to receive torque inputs from a plurality of devices and operative to generate an output torque, comprising:

executing a shift operation from a first operating mode to a second operating mode;

monitoring shift abort criteria; and

,

electrifying a revised shift operation into a third operating mode effective to substantially meet an operator request for output torque.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein effecting a revised shift operation into a third operating mode effective to substantially meet and operator request for output torque further comprises executing there revised shift operation into the third operating mode when one of the shift abort criteria is met.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein monitoring the shift abort criteria comprises monitoring an operator request for output torque, a presence of a fault in an oncoming torque-transfer device, and an optimization routine for managing torque inputs from the plurality of devices.

4. Article of manufacture, comprising a storage medium having a computer program encoded therein for effecting a method to selectively actuate a plurality of torque-transfer devices of a transmission device operative to receive torque inputs from a plurality of devices and operative to transmit an output torque, the program comprising:

code to execute a shift operation from a first operating mode to a second operating mode;

code to monitor shift abort criteria; and

,

code to execute a revised shift operation into a third operating mode effective to substantially meet an operator request for output torque.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 4, wherein the code to execute a revised shift operation into a third operating mode effective to substantially meet an operator request for output torque further comprises code to execute the revised shift operation into the third operation mode when one of the shift abort criteria is met.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein the transmission device comprises a two-mode, compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission having four torque-transfer devices, the transmission operative in one of four fixed gear ratio modes and two continuously variable modes.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the transmission device operative to receive torque inputs from a plurality of devices comprises the transmission operably connected to a plurality of torque-generative devices comprising first and second electrical machines and an internal combustion engine.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the code to monitor the shift abort criteria comprises code to monitor the operator request for output torque.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the code to monitor the shift abort criteria comprises code to identify presence of a fault in an oncoming torque transfer device effective to facilitate operation in the second operating mode.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the code to monitor the shift abort criteria comprises code to monitor an optimization routine for managing torque inputs from the plurality of torque-generative devices.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the code to execute a revised shift operation into a third operating ode effective to substantially meet an operator request for output torque further comprises code to control operation of the first and second electrical machines and the internal combustion engine.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the third operating mode comprises the first operating mode when an off-going torque-transfer device has sufficient torque-carrying capacity.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the code to execute a revised shift operation into a third operating mode effective to substantially meet an operator request for output torque further comprises code to execute a shift operation into a continuously variable mode operation.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the third transmission operating mode comprises one of the second fixed gear ratio, the first continuously variable mode, and the second continuously variable mode, when the first transmission operating mode comprises the first fixed gear ratio.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the third transmission operating mode comprises one of the first fixed gear ratio, the third fixed gear ration, the fourth fixed gear ratio, the first continuously variable mode, and the second continuously variable mode when the first transmission operating mode comprises the second fixed gear ratio.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the third transmission operating mode comprises one of the first fixed gear ratio, the second fixed gear ratio, and the fourth fixed gear ratio when the first transmission operating mode comprises the third fixed gear ratio.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the third transmission operating mode comprises one of the second fixed gear ratio and the third fixed gear ratio when the first transmission operating more comprises the fourth fixed gear ratio.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the third transmission operating mode comprises one of the first fixed gear ratio and the second fixed gear ratio when the first transmission operating mode comprises the first continuously variable mode.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein the third transmission operating mode comprises one the second fixed gear ratio when the first transmission operating mode comprises the second continuously variable mode.

20. Control system for a two-mode compound-split, electro-mechanical transmission operative in one of a plurality of operating modes comprising four fixed gear ratio modes and two continuously variable modes, including a storage medium having an encoded computer program, the computer program comprising:

code to execute a shift operation from a first operating mode to a second operating mode;

code to monitor shift abort criteria; and

,

code to execute a revised shift operation into a third operating mode effective to substantially meet and operator request for output torque from the transmission.

21. The control system of claim 20, wherein code to monitor the shift abort criteria comprises code to monitor an operator request for output torque, a presence of a fault in an oncoming torque-transfer device, and an optimization routine for managing torque inputs from the plurality of devices.