Hybrid vehicle and process for operating a hybrid vehicle

• US 6,370,451 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Lutz, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C.
• Application Number:
  US09/825,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20010044682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 701/22, 701/55, 701/56, 701/204
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/04 characterised by arrangement, location, or kind of gearing electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• 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 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/188 Controlling power parameters of the driveline, e.g. determining the required power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/30 in transportation, e.g. on roads, waterways or railways
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/946 : Characterized by control of driveline clutch

Abstract

A hybrid drive for a vehicle in which the driving power provided by an internal combustion engine (ICE) or an electric motor may be fed via a transmission with a transmission input shaft and a transmission output shaft to the drive train. The ICE and the electric motor are connectable to each other via a coupling and the electric motor is directly connected to the transmission. An electric energy storage device is connected to the ICE for receiving a charge and to the electric motor for providing power to the electric motor. The hybrid drive is designed so that the torque that can be provided by the electric motor is greater than that of the internal combustion engine. In addition, the transmission input shaft always turns in the same direction as the transmission output shaft so that reverse drive by the hybrid drive is only possible using the electric motor.

Claims

1. A process for operating a hybrid drive of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

a. inputting current vehicle parameters to a computer connected to a vehicular navigation system, said parameters including a fuel supply level and a charge level of an electric energy storage device;

b. inputting a desired destination into the computer;

c. calculating a route using the vehicular navigation system including topographical data about the route and calculating an expected travel time for traveling the route to the desired destination assuming that an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor of the hybrid drive are substantially used equally during the route;

d. displaying the expected travel time;

e. querying a user to determine whether the expected travel time is approved by the user; and

f. adjusting the relative use of the ICE and the electric motor during the route to meet an approved travel time if the expected travel time is determined not to be approved by the user in step e. and repeating the calculation of step c. using the adjusted use of the ICE and the electric motor; and

g. establishing charging cycles for the energy storage device by the internal combustion engine during portions of the route, excluding periods of uphill travel, before beginning travel on said route.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said step f. comprises increasing the use of the ICE relative to the use of the electric motor during the route to decrease the expected travel time and increasing the use of the electric motor relative to the use of the ICE during the route to increase the expected travel time.