SIMULTANEOUS AUTO-START AND ASYNCHRONOUS SHIFT FOR A HYBRID VEHICLE

• US 20130023380A1
• Filed: 07/22/2011
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Sah, Jy-Jen F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,475,329 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/5
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• 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 2710/025 Clutch slip, i.e. difference between input and output speeds
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/027 Clutch torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1011 Input shaft speed, e.g. turbine speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine, a first motor, a second motor, and a gearbox. An oncoming clutch is configured to engage during a transition to a target operating mode to transfer an engine torque to the gearbox during the target operating mode. An off-going clutch is configured to transfer a reactive torque to the gearbox during the transition to the target operating mode. The off-going clutch is configured to be disengaged during at least a portion of the target operating mode. A controller is configured to simultaneously control the off-going clutch and the oncoming clutch during the transition. The controller is configured to control the reactive torque of the off-going clutch using a clutch torque profile associate with the target operating mode and the engagement of the oncoming clutch using a shift profile associated with target operating mode.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an engine configured to generate an engine torque;

a first motor configured to generate a first motor torque;

a second motor configured to generate a second motor torque;

a gearbox configured to receive at least one of the engine torque, the first motor torque, and the second motor torque;

an oncoming clutch configured to engage during a transition to a target operating mode and transfer the engine torque to the gearbox during the target operating mode;

an off-going clutch configured to transfer a reactive torque to the gearbox during the transition to the target operating mode, wherein the off-going clutch is configured to be disengaged during at least a portion of the target operating mode; and

a controller configured to simultaneously control the torque capacity of the off-going clutch and the engagement of the oncoming clutch during the transition to the target operating mode, wherein;

the controller is configured to control the reactive torque of the off-going clutch during the transition using engine and motor torques associated with the target operating mode; and

the controller is configured to control the engagement of the oncoming clutch during the transition using a shift profile associated with the target operating mode.

2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the reactive torque of the off-going clutch by controlling the engine and motor torques and engine and motor accelerations during the transition to the target operating mode.

3. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a capacity of the off-going clutch during the transition based at least in part on the clutch torque profile.

4. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to select the clutch torque profile based at least in part on an output torque profile associated with the transition to the target operating mode.

5. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to identify a speed profile associated with the transition to the target operating mode.

6. A vehicle as set forth in claim 5, wherein the speed profile defines a change in a desired input speed of the gearbox during the transition.

7. A vehicle as set forth in claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to select the shift profile based at least in part on the identified speed profile.

8. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a capacity of the oncoming clutch during the transition based at least in part on the shift profile.

9. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to synchronize the oncoming clutch during the transition and prior to engaging the oncoming clutch.

10. A vehicle as set forth in claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control a slip speed of the oncoming clutch to substantially zero to synchronize the oncoming clutch.

11. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to release the off-going clutch after the oncoming clutch is engaged.

12. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to simultaneously control the reactive torque of the off-going clutch and the engagement of the oncoming clutch during the transition to the target operating mode.

13. A method comprising:

identifying a transition to a target operating mode of a hybrid vehicle, wherein the hybrid vehicle includes an off-going clutch configured to transfer a reactive torque during the transition and an oncoming coming clutch configured to engage during the transition;

identifying an output torque profile associated with the target operating mode;

selecting a clutch torque profile based at least in part on the output torque profile;

identifying an input speed profile associated with the transition to the target operating mode;

selecting a clutch slip speed profile based at least in part on the input speed profile; and

simultaneously controlling the reactive torque of the off-going clutch using the selected clutch torque profile and the engagement of the oncoming clutch using the selected shift profile during the transition to the target operating mode.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein controlling the reactive torque of the off-going clutch includes adjusting the capacity of the off-going clutch during the transition based at least in part on the selected clutch torque profile.

15. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein controlling the torque capacity of the off-going clutch and the slip speed of the off-going clutch includes transferring the reactive torque in accordance with the selected clutch torque profile during the transition to the target operating mode.

16. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein the speed profile defines a change in a desired input speed of a gearbox during the transition and wherein selecting the shift profile is based at least in part on the change in the input speed of the gearbox.

17. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein controlling the oncoming clutch includes controlling a capacity of the oncoming clutch during the transition based at least in part on the selected shift profile.

18. A method as set forth in claim 13, wherein controlling the engagement of the oncoming clutch includes synchronizing the oncoming clutch during the transition to the target operating mode.

19. A method as set forth in claim 18, wherein synchronizing the oncoming clutch includes controlling a slip speed of the oncoming clutch to substantially zero.

20. A vehicle comprising:

an engine configured to generate an engine torque;

a first motor configured to generate a first motor torque;

a second motor configured to generate a second motor torque;

a gearbox configured to receive at least one of the engine torque, the first motor torque, and the second motor torque;

an oncoming clutch configured to engage during a transition to a target operating mode and transfer the engine torque to the gearbox during the target operating mode;

an off-going clutch configured to transfer a reactive torque to the gearbox during the transition to the target operating mode, wherein the off-going clutch is configured to be disengaged during at least a portion of the target operating mode; and

a controller configured to wherein the controller is configured to simultaneously control the reactive torque of the off-going clutch and the engagement of the oncoming clutch during the transition to the target operating mode;

wherein the controller is configured to select a clutch torque profile based at least in part on an output torque profile associated with the transition to the target operating mode and control the reactive torque of the off-going clutch during the transition by controlling a slip speed of the off-going clutch in accordance with the selected clutch torque profile;

wherein the controller is configured to identify an input speed profile associated with the transition to the target operating mode, select a clutch slip speed profile based at least in part on the input speed profile, and control the engagement of the oncoming clutch during the transition based at least in part on the selected shift profile, and wherein the controller is configured to synchronize the oncoming clutch before engaging the oncoming clutch and disengage the off-going clutch after the oncoming clutch is engaged.