Method for operating a hybrid vehicle and hybrid vehicle

• US 7,580,779 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Holz, Matthias, Pott, Ekkehard, Zillmer, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli; Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/327,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20060173590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• 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 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/20 Reducing vibrations in the driveline
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

In a method for operating a hybrid vehicle with an electric motor coupled with a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder that can be switched off, with a first partial momentum, from an overall momentum provided to the vehicle, being provided by the internal combustion engine and a second partial momentum from the electric motor, and the second partial momentum is used specifically for dampening a cyclic irregularity of the internal combustion engine. Further, means are provided in a hybrid vehicle control, by which the second partial momentum can be used specifically to dampen the cyclic irregularity of the internal combustion engine when one or, if necessary, several cylinders are switched off.

Claims

1. A method for operating a hybrid vehicle having a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine which is coupled to an electric machine, the internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder which can be switched off, wherein of a total momentum provided by the vehicle a first partial momentum is provided by the internal combustion engine and a second partial momentum is provided by the electric machine, the method comprising the step of:

when one or several cylinders is/are switched off, utilizing the second partial momentum in a controlled manner to damp cyclic irregularities of the internal combustion engine, wherein at least one of a magnitude and phase of the damping is determined on the basis of fuel consumption and a vehicle driving comfort parameter.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a measurement of the cyclic irregularity is determined for said dampening of the cyclic irregularity and depending on said measurement a dampening counter momentum is applied onto the internal combustion engine via the electric machine.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a measurement of the cyclic irregularity is determined for said dampening of the cyclic irregularity and depending on said measurement a dampening counter momentum is applied onto the internal combustion engine via the electric machine, wherein for generating said dampening counter momentum the electric machine is operated either in a motor-mode or in a generator-mode.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein for said dampening of the cyclic irregularity the partial momentum provided by the internal combustion engine is selected depending on a drag momentum of the internal combustion engine.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein for said dampening of the cyclic irregularity the partial momentum provided by the internal combustion engine is selected in a range from more than 80% and less than 300% of the drag momentum of the internal combustion engine.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein an even number n of cylinders that can be switched off is provided and n/2 cylinders each are jointly switched on and/or off.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least two cylinders that can be switched off are provided and said cylinders are alternating switching on and off according to predetermined time or cycle patterns.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a dimension and a phase of the dampening is selected depending on operational parameters.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein a fuel injected gasoline or diesel motor is used as the internal combustion engine.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein switching off said cylinder or cylinders occurs by at least one of deactivating gas exchange valves and stroke reversing of cams of the camshaft.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the electric machine and the multi-cylinder internal combustion engine are coupled to one another in a mechanically fixed manner.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the electric machine and the multi-cylinder internal combustion engine are variably coupled to one another in a mechanical manner.

13. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an electric motor coupled to a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, having at least one cylinder that can be switched off, wherein a first partial momentum, from the entire momentum provided to the vehicle, being provided by the internal combustion engine and a second partial momentum by the electric motor, and

control means, operable to control the second partial momentum such that when one or several cylinders is/are switched off, the second partial momentum is used in a controlled manner to damp cyclic irregularities of the internal combustion engine, wherein the control means are further operable to determine at least one of a magnitude and phase of the damping on the basis of fuel consumption and a vehicle driving comfort parameter.

14. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the internal combustion engine is a directly fuel-injected gasoline or diesel motor.

15. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the electric motor and the multi-cylinder engine are mechanically coupled to one another.

16. A hybrid vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the electric motor and the multi-cylinder internal combustion engine are variably coupled to one another mechanically.

17. A method for operating a hybrid vehicle with an electric motor coupled to a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, having at least one cylinder that can be switched off, with a first partial momentum, of a total momentum provided to the vehicle, being provided by the internal combustion engine and a second partial momentum by the electric motor, the method comprising the steps of:

dampening cyclic irregularities of the internal combustion engine using the electric motor when one or several cylinders are switched off, wherein a measurement of the cyclic irregularity is determined for said dampening of the cyclic irregularity and depending on said measurement a dampening counter momentum is applied onto the internal combustion engine via the electric motor; and

wherein at least one of a magnitude and phase of the damping is determined on the basis of fuel consumption and a vehicle driving comfort parameter.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein for said dampening of the cyclic irregularity the partial momentum provided by the internal combustion engine is selected in a range from more than 80% and less than 300% of the drag momentum of the internal combustion engine.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein an even number n of cylinders that can be switched off is provided and n/2 cylinders each are jointly switched on and/or off.