Method for operating a parallel hybrid powertrain of a vehicle with at least one internal combustion engine and at least one electric motor

• US 7,770,676 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Gromus, Michael, Habe, Klaus, Schwemer, Christian, Neumann, Martin, Schiele, Peter, Kaltenbach, Johannes, Tenbrock, Friedrich, Allgaier, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan; Hau V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Evans; Bryan A
• Application Number:
  US11/787,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20070246273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.21, 180/65.25, 180/65.265, 180/65.275, 180/65.285, 903/930, 903/946, 477/167, 477/168, 477/176
• US Class Current: 180/65.285
• 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 10/023 Fluid clutches
• 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 2510/0241 Clutch slip, i.e. difference between input and output speeds
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/025 Clutch slip, i.e. difference between input and output speeds
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/105 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/946 Characterized by control of driveline clutch

Abstract

A method for operating a parallel hybrid powertrain (1) of a vehicle having one internal combustion engine (2) and one electric motor (3). The electric motor is located in the drivetrain between an output and the internal combustion engine. Between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor, a frictionally engaged shifting element is provided, while between the electric motor and the output, a starting element (6) having a hydrodynamic torque converter (6A) and a converter lock-up clutch (6B) is disposed. A target output torque to be applied to the output is dependent on the slippage of the starting element. During a starting phase of the internal combustion engine via the electric motor, an input torque produced by the electric motor is directed at least in part via the torque converter and in part via the converter lock-up clutch.

Claims

1. A method for operating a parallel hybrid powertrain (1) of a vehicle to minimize torque fluctuations in an output of the powertrain caused by starting a combustion engine, the parallel hybrid powertrain comprising at least one internal combustion engine (2) and at least one electric motor (3), the electric motor (3) being located in the powertrain between the internal combustion engine (2) and the output of the powertrain (1), a frictionally engaged shifting element (5) being located between the internal combustion engine (2) and the electric motor (3), a starting element (6), comprising a hydrodynamic torque converter (6A) and a converter lock-up clutch (6B), being located between the electric motor (3) and the output, and a target output torque (m_fahr_soll) directed to the output being dependent on slippage of the starting element (6), the method comprising the steps of:

generating an input torque with the electric motor (3); and

directing an amount of the input torque to the combustion engine (2) for starting the internal combustion engine (2);

during a starting phase in which the electric motor (3) starts the internal combustion engine (2);

directing at least a first portion of the input torque to the torque converter (6A);

directing at least a second portion of the input torque to the converter lock-up clutch (6B); and

regulating slippage of the starting element (6) depending on a target input speed (n_3_soll) of the electric motor (3) and a target transmission capacity (m_WK_soll) of the converter lock-up clutch (6B).

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of maintaining the converter lock-up dutch (6B) in a slip operation substantially at least an entire starting phase of the internal combustion engine (2) by a speed regulator of the electric motor (3), while directing the input torque generated by the electric motor (3) substantially toward the output via the converter lock-up clutch (6B).

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of substantially producing the target output torque (m_fahr_soll) with the electric motor (3) when one or more of the shifting element (5), disposed between the electric motor (3) and the internal combustion engine (2), has a transmission capacity at which substantially no torque is directed via the shifting element (5), and the internal combustion engine (2) is shut off, and connecting the internal combustion engine (2) to the parallel hybrid powertrain (1) when requested to produce an input torque, via the internal combustion engine, by varying the transmission capacity of the shifting element (5).

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of adjusting the transmission capacity of the shifting element (5) to the value required for connecting the internal combustion engine (2), increasingly shut-off internal combustion engine (2) by the electric motor (3) as the transmission capacity of the shifting element (5) increases, and counteracting the input torque of the electric motor (3) representing a disturbance variable for determining the target input speed (n_3_soll) of the electric motor (3) with the resulting drag torque, when a connection to the internal combustion engine (2) has been requested.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling the internal combustion engine (2), during the starting phase, by one of a target input torque curve and a target input speed curve, and switching the shifting element (5) to a synchronous state while the internal combustion engine (2) is connected.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of, when the internal combustion engine (2) is connected and the shifting element (5) is in a synchronous operating mode, adjusting the transmission capacity of the shifting element (5) to a value at which torque present on the shifting element (5) is transmitted substantially slip-free.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of, following the starting phase of the internal combustion engine (2) when the target input speed (n_3_soll) of the electric motor (3) is smaller than an idle speed of the internal combustion engine (2), adjusting the transmission capacity of the shifting element (5) to a value at which the shifting element (5) switches to a slip operation and the internal combustion engine (2) operates without disturbance at the idle speed.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of at least reducing the power flow of the parallel hybrid powertrain (1), between the electric motor (3) and the output of the vehicle in the area of the transmission (4), by at least one of:

switching a frictionally engaged clutch of the transmission (4) into a slip condition;

completely disengaging a shifting element of the transmission (4) such that the output torque, present on the output during the starting phase of the internal combustion engine (2), is substantially zero, when by way of one or more of a higher-ranking driving strategy;

actuating one of the brake pedal and a parking brake to stop vehicle movement and

starting the internal combustion engine (2) to electrically charge an electric accumulator associated with the electric motor (3).

3. A method for operating a parallel hybrid powertrain (1) of a vehicle with at least one internal combustion engine (2) and at least one electric motor (3), the electric motor (3) being located in the powertrain between the internal combustion engine (2) and an output of the powertrain (1), a frictionally engaged shifting element (5) being located between the internal combustion engine (2) and the electric motor (3), a starting element (6), comprising a hydrodynamic torque converter (6A) and a converter lock-up clutch (6B), being located between the electric motor (3) and the output, and a target output torque (m_fahr_soll) directed to the output being dependent on slippage of the starting element (6), the method comprising the steps of:

generating an input torque with the electric motor (3); and

during a starting phase in which the electric motor (3) starts the internal combustion engine (2);

directing at least a first portion of the input torque to the torque converter (6A); and

directing at least a second portion of the input torque to the converter lock-up clutch (6B); and

determining a target input speed (n_3_soll) of the electric motor (3) and a target transmission capacity (m_WK_soll) of the converter lock-up clutch (6B), as a function of a minimum speed difference (n_diff_min) between an input speed and an output speed of the starting element (6), with the minimum speed difference (n_diff_min) depending on operational state parameters of the parallel hybrid powertrain (1), for producing the target output torque (m_fahr_soll) directed to the output.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of defining the minimum speed difference (n_diff_min) to maintain the slip operation of the starting element (6) at least substantially during an entire starting phase of the internal combustion engine (2), while the input torque, produced by the electric motor (3), is substantially directed toward the output via the converter lock-up clutch (6B).

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of using the minimum speed difference (n_diff_min) to represent a variable one of determined during the application as a function of the requested target output torque (m_fahr_soll) and based on a characteristic curve computed as a function of the output torque.

6. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of using the minimum speed difference (n_diff_min) to represent a variable one of determined during the application as a function of the actual turbine speed (n_t_ist) and based on a characteristic curve computed as a function of the turbine speed of the torque converter.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of determining a target input speed (n_3_soll) of the electric motor (3) as a function of an actual turbine speed (n_t_ist) of the torque converter (6A) and the minimum speed difference (n_diff_min).

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of a determining a theoretical turbine torque (m_t_theo) of the torque converter (6A) as a function of the actual turbine speed (n_t_ist) of the torque converter (6A) and the target input speed (n_3_soll) of the electric motor (3), while taking into consideration converter maps of the torque converter (6A).

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of the determining a target transmission capacity (m_WK_soll) of the converter lock-up clutch (6B) from a difference between the theoretical turbine torque (m_t_theo) of the torque converter (6A) and the requested target output torque (m_fahr_soll).

10. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of determining a theoretical pump torque (m_p_theo) of the torque converter (6A), as a function of the actual turbine speed (n_t_ist) of the torque converter (6A), and the target input speed (n_3_soll) of the electric motor (3), while taking into consideration converter maps of the torque converter (6A).

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of computing a disturbance variable torque (m_3_stoer) influencing the speed control of the electric motor (3) from a sum of the target transmission capacity (m_WK_soll) of the converter lock-up clutch (6B) and the theoretical pump torque (m_p_theo) of the torque converter (6A), with the disturbance variable torque (m_3_stoer) representing a control portion of a target input torque (m_3_soll) of the electric motor (3).

12. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of determining a control deviation from the actual rotational speed (n_t_ist) of the electric motor (3) and the target rotational speed (n_3_soll) of the electric motor (3).

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of feeding the control deviation of the input speed of the electric motor (3) as an input value to a controller (11), and the output value of which represents the control portion of the target input torque (m_3_soll) of the electric motor (3).

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of defining the target input torque (m_3_soll) of the electric motor (3) as a sum of the disturbance variable torque (m_3_stoer) and the control portion (m_3_adjust).