Method for operating a parallel hybrid drive train of a vehicle

• US 7,762,922 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2007
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Frotscher, Gerd, Kilian, Stefan, Blattner, Stefan, Schiele, Peter, Dreibholz, Ralf, Kaltenbach, Johannes, Tenbrock, Friedrich, Allgaier, Bernd, Gromus, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; David D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holmes; Justin
• Application Number:
  US11/702,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20070207892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 477/5
• 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 10/26 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 2510/105 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/105 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/24 Energy storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18027 Drive off, accelerating from standstill
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A method is described for operating a parallel hybrid device train (1) of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine (2), an electric engine (3) and an output (5) wherein the electric engine (3) is disposed in the power train between the output (5) and the internal combustion engine (2) and both between the internal combustion engine (2) and the electric engine (3) and between the electric engine (3) and the output (5) is respectively provided a frictionally engaged shifting element (7, 8). In addition, a nominal output torque abutting on the output (5) can be adjusted according to the transmitting capacity of the first shifting element (8) located between the electric engine (3) and the output (5). According to the invention, the transmitting capacity of the first shifting element (8) is adjusted under control according to the nominal input torque required so that the first shifting element (8) has a transmitting capacity needed for producing the nominal output torque on the output (5). Furthermore, an input rotational speed of the electric engine (3) is adjusted under regulation during a starting process of the internal combustion engine (2) in order to keep the first shifting element in slip operation at least during the starting process of the internal combustion engine (2) and to produce the nominal output torque on the output (5).

Claims

1. A method of operating a parallel hybrid drive train (1) of a vehicle including an internal combustion engine (2), an electric engine (3) located between the internal combustion engine (2) and an output (5), a first frictionally engaged shifting element (8) located between the electric engine (3) and the output (5) and a second frictionally engaged shifting element (7) located between the internal combustion engine (2) and the electric engine (3), comprising the steps of:

adjusting a nominal output torque (m_fahr_soll) on the output (5) by adjusting the transmitting capacity of the first shifting element (8) under control according to the required nominal output torque (m_fahr_soll) so that the first shifting element (8) has a transmitting capacity required for providing the nominal torque (m_fahr_soll) on the output (5),

adjusting an input rotational speed (n_3) of the electric engine (3) under regulation during a starting process of the internal combustion engine (2) to maintain the first shifting element (8) in a slip operation and to provide the nominal output torque (m_fahr_soll) on the output (5) during at least the starting process of the internal combustion engine (2), including

during the starting process of the internal combustion engine (2),

adjusting the input rotational speed (n_3) of the electric engine (3) according to at least one of the nominal output torque (m_fahr_soll) on the output, a controlled standard (m_7) of the transmitting capacity of the second shifting element (7) and a regulation divergence between a nominal standard (d_omg_soll) of a slip of the first shifting element (8) and an actual slip (omg_ist) of the first shifting element (8), and

adapting control portions of a nominal standard of the input torque (m_3) of the electric engine (3) by way of correction control blocks (K2, K3) to an actual operating state of the parallel hybrid drive train (1).

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of increasing the transmitting capacity of the second shifting element (7), when engagement of the internal combustion engine (2) is demanded, to a value needed for engaging the internal combustion engine (2), the disengaged internal combustion engine (2) is increasingly driven by the electric engine (3) as the transmitting capacity of the second shifting element (7) increases and a drag torque (m_7) that results therefrom and counters the input torque (m_3) of the electric engine (3) producing an interference parameter of the regulation of the input rotational speed (n_3) of the electric engine (3).

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting the transmitting capacity of the second shifting element (7), after engagement of the internal combustion engine (2), to a value that reduces the load of the electric engine (3) in relation to the load of the electric engine (3) prior to the engagement of the internal combustion engine (2).

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting the transmitting capacity of the second shifting element, after expiration of a predefined period of time, departing from the value required for the engagement of the internal combustion engine, to a value that reduces the load of the electric engine in relation to the load of the electric engine prior to the engagement of the internal combustion engine.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of continuously adjusting the transmitting capacity of the second shifting element (7) to a value at which the second shifting element (7) has a full transmitting capacity.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of operating the internal combustion engine (2), during a starting process, under control by of a nominal input torque curve or of a nominal input rotational speed and passing the second shifting element (7) to a synchronous state when the internal combustion engine (2) is engaged.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of adjusting the transmitting capacity of the second shifting element (7), when the internal combustion engine (2) is engaged and in synchronous operating state of the second shifting element (7), to a value at which a torque abutting on the second shifting element (7) is transmitted at least slip-free.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of increasing the transmitting capacity of the first shifting element (8), when the second shifting element (7) is synchronous, in a direction of a predefined value from the value equivalent to the nominal output torque (m_fahr_soll) abutting on the output (5) and examining, during an inquiry step, whether slip of the first shifting element (8) is below a predefined nominal slip value during a predefined period of time.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of increasing the transmitting capacity of the first shifting element, when a result of the inquiry is positive, from the predefined value to the full transmitting capacity.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of leaving the transmitting capacity of the first shifting element (8), when a result of the inquiry is negative, at the predefined value and after expiration of a monitoring period of time is increased to the full transmitting capacity.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of taking over a load from the electric engine (3) to the internal combustion engine (2) when the second shifting element (7) is synchronous or engaged, and when the internal combustion engine (2) is engaged.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of additionally adjusting the slip operation of the first shifting element (8) under control according to other operating state parameters (m_7, m_2) of the parallel hybrid drive train (1) which produce interference parameters of the regulation of the input rotational speed (n_3) of the electric engine (3).

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of feeding a regulation divergence, between the nominal standard (d_omg_soll) of the slip of the first shifting element (8) and of the actual slip (omg_ist) of the first shifting element (8), to a regulation device (22), and an exit value of which represents a regulated portion of the nominal standard of the input torque (m_3) of the electric engine (3) which is added to the control portions of the nominal standard of the input torque (m_3) of the electric engine (3).