Hybrid vehicle automatic simulated shifting

• US 8,831,842 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2013
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Dufford, Mohammad E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALLACE, DONALD JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US13/744,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20140200777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.27, 180/65.28, 180/65.285, 381/432, 477/4, 477/5, 477/15, 477/27, 477/29, 701/22, 701/53, 701/54, 903/902, 903/947
• US Class Current: 701/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/105 of electric type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/30 Control strategies involving selection of transmission gear ratio control of change speed gearings, together with other vehicle sub-units B60W10/10; HEV transmission gearing B60K6/36; gearings and control thereof F16H

Abstract

A system for simulated shifting for a hybrid vehicle, the system includes a plurality of wheels, an engine, a sensor, a transmission, a memory for storing target engine speeds and deceleration torques for a plurality of simulated gears, and a processor. The engine provides a torque to the plurality of wheels. The sensor detects a requested deceleration torque. The transmission simulates a current simulated gear by delivering an applied torque, which corresponds to the requested deceleration torque, to the plurality of wheels and an engine speed corresponding to the simulated gear. The processor simulates a downshift by increasing an engine speed of the engine without changing the applied torque to the plurality of wheels when the requested deceleration torque exceeds a deceleration torque of a lower simulated gear.

Claims

1. A system for simulated shifting for a hybrid vehicle comprising:

a plurality of wheels;

an engine for providing a torque to the plurality of wheels;

a sensor configured to detect braking applied by a driver;

a transmission coupled to the engine and the plurality of wheels and configured to simulate a current simulated gear and deliver an applied torque to the plurality of wheels, the applied torque being based on a requested deceleration torque that corresponds to the applied braking detected by the sensor;

a memory for storing a deceleration torque for each of a plurality of simulated gears; and

a processor coupled to the engine, the sensor, the transmission, and the memory, the processor configured to;

increase an engine speed of the engine when the requested deceleration torque exceeds a deceleration torque of a lower simulated gear, and

blend the applied torque with the deceleration torque for a simulated gear of the plurality of simulated gears when or after the applied braking is decreased or no longer applied, for smoothly completing a shifting of the transmission when the hybrid vehicle transitions from deceleration to acceleration.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the memory further stores a target engine speed for each of the plurality of simulated gears, and

wherein the processor is further configured to simulate a downshift for each simulated gear lower than the current simulated gear having a deceleration torque exceeded by the requested deceleration torque, and increase the engine speed of the engine based on the target engine speed corresponding to the current simulated gear.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to add a delay between consecutive simulated downshifts.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to blend the applied torque with the deceleration torque of the lower simulated gear when the requested deceleration torque is reduced.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer sensor configured to detect an actual deceleration of the hybrid vehicle to correspond to the requested deceleration torque.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a brake pedal sensor configured to detect a requested brake pressure to correspond to the requested deceleration torque.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a paddle shifter configured to override the processor to simulate shifting.

8. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

a plurality of wheels;

an engine for providing a torque to the plurality of wheels;

a brake pedal sensor configured to detect a pressure being applied to a brake pedal, the pressure being applied to the brake pedal corresponding to a requested deceleration torque;

a transmission coupled to the engine and the plurality of wheels and configured to simulate a current simulated gear and deliver an applied torque to the plurality of wheels, the applied torque corresponding to the requested deceleration torque;

a memory for storing a target engine speed and a deceleration torque for each of a plurality of simulated gears;

a processor coupled to the engine, the brake pedal sensor, the transmission, and the memory, the processor configured to;

simulate a downshift for each simulated gear lower than the current simulated gear having a deceleration torque exceeded by the requested deceleration torque, and

blend the applied torque with the deceleration torque for a simulated gear of the plurality of simulated gears when or after the applied pressure is decreased or no longer applied, for smoothly completing a shifting of the transmission when the hybrid vehicle transitions from deceleration to acceleration; and

a paddle shifter configured for manual simulated shifting.

9. The hybrid vehicle of claim 8, wherein simulating a downshift comprises increasing an engine speed of the engine without changing the applied torque to the plurality of wheels.

10. The hybrid vehicle of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to add a delay between consecutive simulated downshifts.

11. The hybrid vehicle of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to blend the applied torque with the deceleration torque of a simulated gear when the pressure is released from the brake pedal.

12. The hybrid vehicle of claim 8, further comprising an accelerometer sensor configured to detect an actual deceleration of the hybrid vehicle, wherein the actual deceleration corresponds to the requested deceleration torque.

13. The hybrid vehicle of claim 8, wherein the paddle shifter is further configured to override the processor to simulate shifting.

14. A method for simulating shifting for a hybrid vehicle comprising:

simulating a current simulated gear;

sensing braking applied by a driver;

delivering an applied torque being based on a requested deceleration torque that corresponds to the applied braking;

increasing an engine speed without changing the applied torque when the requested deceleration torque exceeds a deceleration torque of a lower simulated gear; and

blending the applied torque with the deceleration torque for a simulated gear of the plurality of simulated gears when or after the applied braking is decreased or no longer applied, for smoothly completing a shifting of the transmission when the hybrid vehicle transitions from deceleration to acceleration.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the requested deceleration torque corresponds to a pressure applied to a brake pedal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the applied torque is blended to a deceleration torque of the lower simulated gear when the brake pedal is released.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein increasing the engine speed without changing the applied torque further comprises increasing the engine speed without changing the applied torque for each simulated gear lower than the current simulated gear having a deceleration torque exceeded by the requested deceleration torque.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein increasing the engine speed without changing the applied torque further comprises adding a delay between each consecutive increase in the engine speed for each simulated gear.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein increasing the engine speed without changing the applied torque further comprises generating an engine sound.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the engine speed is controlled independently from a vehicle speed of the hybrid vehicle.