CONTROL APPARATUS FOR VEHICULAR POWER TRANSMITTING SYSTEM

• US 20120072065A1
• Filed: 11/10/2009
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Minamikawa, Koki, Ando, Yoshiki
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• 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 15/2027 whilst maintaining constant speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/14 Synchronous machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• 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 20/30 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 2510/1025 Input torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1022 Input torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1055 : Output torque change rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18072 : Coasting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/19 : Improvement of gear change, e.g. by synchronisation or smoothing gear shift
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/18066 : Coasting
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/18125 : Regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2037/0873 : with switching, e.g. to change ranges
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/186 : Coasting
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0237 : Selecting ratios for providing engine braking
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0437 : by using electrical signals F16H61/0403 and F16H61/061 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/60 : Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A control apparatus for a power transmitting system of a vehicle provided with a transmission portion having a plurality of speed ratios to be established in steps, and an electric motor operatively connected to an input-side rotary member of said transmission portion and controlled to generate a regenerative torque in a decelerating state of the vehicle, the control apparatus is configured: to implement a shifting control to perform a shifting operation of said transmission portion under the condition of a determination in the decelerating state of the vehicle that an input torque of said transmission portion including said regenerative torque is substantially zero; and to implement the shifting control to perform the shifting operation of said transmission portion under the condition of an improvement of a fuel economy rather than the determination that the input torque of said transmission portion is substantially zero, when a target deceleration value of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a power transmitting system of a vehicle provided with a transmission portion having a plurality of speed ratios to be established in steps, and an electric motor operatively connected to an input-side rotary member of said transmission portion and controlled to generate a regenerative torque in a decelerating state of the vehicle, the control apparatus being configured:

to implement a shifting control to perform a shifting operation of said transmission portion under the condition of a determination in the decelerating state of the vehicle that an input torque of said transmission portion including said regenerative torque is substantially zero; and

to implement the shifting control to perform the shifting operation of said transmission portion under the condition of an improvement of a fuel economy rather than the determination that the input torque of said transmission portion is substantially zero, when a target deceleration value of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined threshold value.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, configured to provide a predetermined value of said regenerative torque used to determine whether the input torque of said transmission portion is substantially zero, and to determine whether the input torque of said transmission portion is substantially zero, by determining whether said regenerative torque is equal to said predetermined value.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1, configured to provide a predetermined shifting point at which the shifting operation of said transmission portion should be performed while the input torque of said transmission portion is substantially zero, and to determine whether the input torque of said transmission portion is substantially zero, by determining whether a point representative of a running state of the vehicle coincides with said predetermined shifting point.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 3, in that wherein the vehicle is provided with a braking system for applying a wheel braking torque to each wheel, the control apparatus being configured to apply a braking force to the vehicle to achieve a target deceleration value of the vehicle, with said wheel braking torque in addition to said regenerative torque, and to set said shifting point at which the input torque of said transmission portion is substantially zero, such that the shifting point to be used when only said regenerative torque is applied to the vehicle is lowered by an amount corresponding to an amount of increase of the target deceleration value.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1, configured to implement a shifting synchronization control to place a power transmitting path through said transmission portion in a power cut-off state, and to control said electric motor for controlling a rotating speed of an input-side rotary member of said transmission portion to synchronize with a speed value to be established after the shifting operation, during a process of the shifting operation of the transmission portion.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1, configured to implement the shifting control to perform the shifting operation of said transmission portion, so as to maximize a regeneration efficiency of said electric motor.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power transmitting system is further provided with a differential portion operatively connected to an engine, and said transmission portion constitutes a portion of a power transmitting path between said engine and drive wheels.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said differential portion has a differential mechanism operatively connected to said engine, and a differential-portion electric motor operatively connected to said differential mechanism, and is operable as an electric continuously-variable transmission, with a differential state of said differential mechanism being controlled by controlling an operating state of said differential-portion electric motor.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmission portion is a step-variable transmission having speed ratios to be mechanically established.

6. (canceled)