Motor vehicle having a hybrid drive

• US 7,835,842 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Unterforsthuber, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US11/717,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20070219697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 26/021 with means for providing feel, e.g. by changing pedal force characteristics
• 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 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/103 Accelerator thresholds, e.g. kickdown
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/904 Component specially adapted for hev

Abstract

A motor vehicle includes two drive units for generating driving torque, the driving units being operable jointly as well as individually for generating driving torque. A device is provided for defining a driver'"'"'s intention, and a control unit is provided for processing the driver'"'"'s intention and for generating a control signal for controlling the drive units. The device for defining the driver'"'"'s intention is constructed such that a force stage with an increased restoring force exists within the adjusting range of the device. The control unit is constructed such that, starting out from a driving operation in which only one driving device for generating a positive driving torque is active, when the force stage is exceeded, a change-over from one to the other drive unit, or a connection of the other drive unit, takes place.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

two drive units for generating a driving torque for the motor vehicle, the two drive units being operable both jointly and separately for generating the driving torque;

a driver'"'"'s intention input device operably configured to be acted upon by a restoring force;

a control unit for processing a driver'"'"'s intention signal from the driver'"'"'s intention input device and for generating a control signal for controlling the two drive units;

wherein the driver'"'"'s intention input device is operably configured such that a force stage having an increased restoring force exists within an adjusting range of the input device; and

wherein the control unit is operably configured such that, starting from a drive operation in which only one of the two drive units is active for generating a positive driving torque, when the force stage is exceeded, a switch-over from the one drive unit to the other drive unit, or a coupling-in of the other drive unit, occurs.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein one of the two drive units is as an internal-combustion engine and the other is an electrical machine.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is operably configured such that, starting out from only an electrical driving operation, the internal-combustion engine is connected or a change-over to only an internal-combustion engine operation takes place when the force stage is exceeded.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the input device is operably configured such that the force stage is positionable at different adjusting path points within the adjusting range of the input device.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the input device and the control unit are operably configured such that the position of the force stage is changeable automatically as a function of a charge condition of an energy accumulating device supplying the electrical machine.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the input device and the control unit are operably configured such that, when the motor vehicle is stationary, the force stage is placed in an adjusting path position in which at least one of the drive units would be started in the case of an automatic motor start, and when a force stage positioned in this manner is exceeded, the internal-combustion engine is started automatically.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the input device is operably configured such that the force stage is positionable at different adjusting path points within the adjusting range of the input device.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the input device and the control unit are operably configured such that the position of the force stage is changeable automatically as a function of a charge condition of an energy accumulating device supplying the electrical machine.

9. The motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the input device and the control unit are operably configured such that, when the motor vehicle is stationary, the force stage is placed in an adjusting path position in which at least one of the drive units would be started in the case of an automatic motor start, and when a force stage positioned in this manner is exceeded, the internal-combustion engine is started automatically.

10. The motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the input device and the control unit are operably configured such that, when the motor vehicle is stationary, the force stage is placed in an adjusting path position in which at least one of the drive units would be started in the case of an automatic motor start, and when a force stage positioned in this manner is exceeded, the internal-combustion engine is started automatically.

11. The motor vehicle according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the input device and the control unit are operably configured such that, when the motor vehicle is stationary, the force stage is placed in an adjusting path position in which at least one of the drive units would be started in the case of an automatic motor start, and when a force stage positioned in this manner is exceeded, the internal-combustion engine is started automatically.

12. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the input device is operably configured such that the force stage is positionable at different adjusting path points within the adjusting range of the input device.

13. A method of controlling two drive units of a motor vehicle, which generate driving torque based on a driver'"'"'s intention signal communicated via an input device upon which a restoring force acts, the two drive units being operable jointly as well as individually for generating the driving torque, the method comprising the acts of:

defining a force stage in the input device having an increased restoring force existing within an adjusting range of the input device;

starting from a drive operation of the vehicle in which only one drive unit is active for generating the driving torque, switching-over from the one drive unit to the other drive unit, or coupling-in the other drive unit, when the force stage is exceeded.

14. A method of operating a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine drive unit and an electrical machine drive unit, the electrical machine drive unit having an associated energy accumulator for supplying power to the electrical machine drive unit, the method comprising the acts of:

detecting whether a force stage having an increased restoring force within an adjusting range of a driver'"'"'s input device has been exceeded; and

upon exceeding the force stage, either switching over a drive operation of the vehicle from only the electrical machine drive unit to the internal combustion engine drive unit or coupling-in the internal combustion engine drive unit with the electrical machine drive unit.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the act of automatically changing a position of the force stage as a function of a charge condition of the energy accumulator of the electrical machine drive unit.