Control system for vehicular drive unit

• US 5,903,061 A
• Filed: 08/08/1996
• Issued: 05/11/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Hara, Takeshi, Tanaka, Satoru, Watanabe, Manabu, Omote, Kenji, Tsuzuki, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad, Elvin G.
• Application Number:
  US08/695,773
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.2, 180/65.4, 180/65.6, 180/2.1, 180/53.8, 180/165, 290/404, 290/45, 477/3, 477/5
• US Class Current: 290/40.00C
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4833 Step up or reduction gearing driving generator, e.g. to operate generator in most efficient speed range
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• 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 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 20/11 using model predictive control [MPC] strategies, i.e. control methods based on models predicting performance utilising navigation and traffic information in the control strategy B60W20/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0666 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0677 Engine power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/0043 the gear ratios comprising four forward speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• 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: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/91 : Orbital, e.g. planetary gears
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/919 : Stepped shift
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/945 : Characterized by control of gearing, e.g. control of transmission ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/946 : Characterized by control of driveline clutch

Abstract

A control system for a vehicular drive unit having an engine, a motor-generator for acting as a motor and a generator, a planetary gear including at least three rotary elements, a battery for storing electric power as generated by the motor-generator and for feeding electric power to drive the motor-generator, an engine controller for causing the engine to output a target output value on a best mileage curve; and a motor-generator controller for controlling the motor-generator. When the output of the motor-generator corresponding to a target output value of the engine is within an outputtable region of the motor-generator, the motor-generator controller causes the motor-generator to output a reaction torque corresponding to the output torque of the engine. When the output of the motor-generator is outside of the outputtable region, the motor-generator controller changes the target output value of the engine so that the output of the motor-generator is within the outputtable region, to thereby change the output of the motor-generator in accordance with the changed target output value of said engine.

Claims

1. A control system for a vehicular drive unit, comprising:

an engine having an output torque;

a motor-generator for acting as a motor and a generator;

a planetary gear including at least three rotary elements, the first rotary element connected to the output shaft of said engine, the second rotary element reacting against said first rotary element and connected to said motor-generator, and the third rotary element connected to an output member for transmitting a drive power to wheels;

a battery for storing electric power as generated by said motor-generator, and for feeding electric power to drive said motor-generator;

engine control means for causing said engine to output a target output value on a best mileage curve; and

motor-generator control means for controlling said motor-generator, wherein said motor-generator control means causes said motor-generator, when an output value of said motor-generator corresponding to the target output value of said engine is within an outputtable region of said motor-generator, to output a reaction torque corresponding to the output torque of said engine, and said motor-generator control means changes the target output value of said engine, when a required output of said motor-generator is outside of the outputtable region of said motor-generator, so that said output of said motor-generator is within the outputtable region of said motor-generator, to thereby change the output of said motor-generator in accordance with the changed target output value of said engine, the outputtable region being between a maximum output at a motor drive time and a maximum output at a generation time.

2. A control system for a vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, wherein said motor-generator control means changes the target output value of said engine, when said output of said motor-generator is outside of the outputtable range of said motor-generator, so that said output of said motor-generator lies on a maximum outputtable curve of said motor-generator.

3. A control system for a vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

an automatic transmission connected to said output member for establishing a plurality of gear stages; and

shift control means for shifting said automatic transmission to a gear stage at which the output of said motor-generator is smaller than an output of a prevailing gear stage.

4. A control system for a vehicular drive unit according to claim 3, further comprising:

an acceleration sensor for detecting an accelerator opening; and

a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed, and wherein said shift control means has a shift map for setting the plurality of gear stages in accordance with the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed as outputted from said acceleration sensor and said vehicle speed sensor.

5. A control system for a vehicular drive unit according to claim 3, wherein said shift control means includes:

compute means for computing outputs of said motor-generator individually at the plurality of gear stages; and

select means for selecting the gear stage at which the output of said motor-generator is a minimum from a result of computation of said compute means.

6. A control system for a vehicular drive unit according to claim 3, further comprising an acceleration sensor for detecting an accelerator opening, and

wherein said shift control means includes demanded shift means for shifting according to a degree of change in the accelerator opening when the degree of change in the accelerator opening is over a predetermined value.

7. A control system for a vehicular drive unit according to claim 3, further comprising battery residue detecting means for detecting the residue of said battery, wherein said shift control means includes shift correcting means for shifting in response to an output signal from said battery residue detecting means so that the battery residue falls within a proper range.