Method for controlling and regulating a power train of a hybrid vehicle and power train of a hybrid vehicle

• US 7,360,616 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2004
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Schiele, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis; Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): OLSZEWSKI, JOHN
• Application Number:
  US11/010,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20050155803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.7, 180/65.6, 180/65.2, 180/65.3, 477/1, 477/3, 477/6, 477/7, 477/14, 477/5, 477/12, 475 1- 5
• US Class Current: 180/65.265
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/268 Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• 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 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/101 Infinitely variable gearings
• 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 2710/105 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 5/04 of inertia type
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/946 Characterized by control of driveline clutch

Abstract

A method for controlling and regulating a power train of a hybrid vehicle and a power train of a hybrid vehicle having one internal combustion engine, one electric machine, one shifting element and one output in a power flow of the power train and designed with continuously variable transmitting capacity and one clutch device and the internal combustion engine. The electric machine can be operatively interconnected via the clutch device, the hybrid vehicle being optionally driveable via the electric machine and/or via the internal combustion engine and the internal combustion engine can be started via the electric machine. In the operation of the power train, the transmitting capacity of the shifting element during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine is adjusted so that on the output of the power train, a torque abuts which is independent of the starting operation of the internal combustion engine.

Claims

1. A method of controlling and regulating a power train (1) of a hybrid vehicle having one internal combustion engine (2), an electric machine (3), a shifting element (11) with a continuously variable transmitting capacity which is disposed in a power flow of the power train (1) between the electric machine (3) and an output (5) of the power train (1), and a clutch device (7) located between the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) which facilitates operative connection of the internal combustion engine (2) with the electric machine (3) so that the hybrid vehicle can optionally be driven by at least one of the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2), the method comprising the steps of:

establishing the operative connection by actuation of the clutch device (7), during a starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), between the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) to start the internal combustion engine (2) by operation of the electric machine (3),

adjusting a transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11), during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), so that a torque, independent of the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), is transmitted to an output of the power train (1), and

during a traction operation of the power train (1), when the clutch device (7) has a transmitting capacity at which essentially no torque can be conveyed via the clutch device (7),

increasing an input torque of the electric machine (3), during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), and adjusting the transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11) so that a torque independent of an increase of the input torque of the electric machine (3) is transmitted to the output of the power train (1).

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting, during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), the transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11) so that the shifting element (11) is slippingly operated during the increase of the input torque of the electric machine (3) and only one part of the input torque of the electric machine (3) is conveyed via the shifting element (11) in a direction of the output (5).

3. A method of controlling and regulating a power train (1) of a hybrid vehicle having one internal combustion engine (2), an electric machine (3), a shifting element (11) with a continuously variable transmitting capacity which is disposed in a power flow of the power train (1) between the electric machine (3) and an output (5) of the power train (1), and a clutch device (7) located between the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) which facilitates operative connection of the internal combustion engine (2) with the electric machine (3) so that the hybrid vehicle can optionally be driven by at least one of the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2), the method comprising the steps of:

establishing the operative connection by actuation of the clutch device (7), during a starting operation of the internal combustion engine (7), between the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) to start the internal combustion engine (7) by operation of the electric machine (3),

adjusting a transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11), during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (7), so that a torque, independent of the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), is transmitted to an output of the power train (1), and

increasing an input torque of the electric machine (3) to a rotational speed value (n_KSG_max) equivalent to a rotatory energy of the electric machine (3) required to start the internal combustion engine (2).

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of, when the rotational speed value (n_KSG_max) of the electric machine (3) is reached, raising the transmitting capacity of the clutch device (7) so that the internal combustion engine (2) is started by the electric machine (3).

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of corresponding the rotational speed (n _KSG_max) of the electric machine (3) at least to a value such that a load change of the power train (1) from a traction operation to a coasting operation is omitted during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2).

9. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of adjusting the transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11) so that the torque abutting on the output (5) corresponds to a driver'"'"'s power request.

10. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of adjusting the transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11) so that the torque abutting on the output (5) corresponds to a torque value preset by a driving program.

11. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of controlling and regulating the internal combustion engine (2), after starting, so that a rotational speed (n_mot) of the internal combustion engine (2) is higher than or equal to a synchronous rotational speed of the shifting element (11).

6. A method of controlling and regulating a power train (1) of a hybrid vehicle having one internal combustion engine (2), an electric machine (3), a shifting element (11) with a continuously variable transmitting capacity which is disposed in a power flow of the power train (1) between the electric machine (3) and an output (5) of the power train (1), and a clutch device (7) located between the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) which facilitates operative connection of the internal combustion engine (2) with the electric machine (3) so that the hybrid vehicle can optionally be driven by at least one of the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2), the method comprising the steps of:

establishing the operative connection by actuation of the clutch device (7), during a starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), between the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) to start the internal combustion engine (2) by operation of the electric machine (3),

adjusting a transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11), during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), so that a torque, independent of the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), is transmitted to an output of the power train (1), and

during a starting operation occurring during a coasting operation of the drive train (1), adjusting the transmitting capacity of the shifting element (1), during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), so that a reduction of an input torque of the electric machine (3) occurring during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2) in an area of the shifting element (11) is compensated by a slip operation of the shifting element (11).

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of carrying out, during a coasting operation of the power train (1) and upon an occurrence of a brake torque counteracting a coasting torque of the output (5), the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2) when a rotational speed (n_KSG) of the electric machine (3) is higher than an idling rotational speed of the internal combustion engine (2).

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of controlling and regulating the transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11), during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2), so that a predefined brake torque to be applied to the output (5) by the electric machine (3) is supported on the output (5) by the electric machine (3).

12. A power train (1) of a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

an internal combustion engine (2),

an electric machine (3),

a transmission (4) having a shifting element (11) having a continuously variable transmitting capacity and disposed in a power flow of the power train (1) between the electric machine (3) and an output (5), and

a clutch device (7) situated between the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) by which the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) can be brought to operative connection, and

a device (6) located between the internal combustion engine (2) and the electric machine (3) for dampening rotational irregularities and is at least partly integrated in a housing of the transmission (4), whereby

the hybrid vehicle is selectably driven by at least one of the electric machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) and whereby

the internal combustion engine (2) can be started by means of the electric machine (3) by creating a connection between the electrical machine (3) and the internal combustion engine (2) via the clutch device (7), and by one of

during a starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2),

adjusting the transmitting capacity of the shifting element (11) during the internal combustion engine (2) starting operation so that a torque independent of the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2) is transmitted to an output of the power train (1), and

during a coasting operation of the drive train (1),

adjusting the transmitting capacity of the shifting element (1) so that a reduction of an input torque of the electric machine (3) occurring during the starting operation of the internal combustion engine (2) in an area of the shifting element (11) is compensated by a slip operation of the shifting element (11).

13. The power train according to claim 12, wherein the device (6) for dampening rotational irregularities has at least one primary mass (9) and one secondary mass (10) which are coupled with each other via a spring-damper system (8).

14. The power train according to claim 13, wherein the clutch device (7) is situated between the primary mass (9) and the secondary mass, the primary mass (9) being disposed upon a side of the clutch device (7) facing the internal combustion engine (2) and the secondary mass upon a side of the clutch device (7) remote from the electric machine (3).

15. The power train according to claim 14, wherein rotatory masses of the electric machine (3) from the secondary mass of the device (6) r dampen rotational irregularities.

16. The power train according to claim 12, wherein both the clutch device (7) and the device (6) for dampening rotational irregularities are integrated in the housing of the transmission (4).

17. The power train according to claim 12, wherein the shifting element (11) is situated in the power flow of the power train (1) departing from the electric machine (3) in one of a direction of the output (5) before, in, or after the transmission (4).