Hybrid vehicle and method of disengaging an overdrive clutch in a hybrid vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsBernard D. Nefcy, Daniel Scott Colvin, Luke Ottaway, Walter Joseph Ortmann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes an engine and electric machine connected to a planetary gear, a one-way clutch, and a controller. The one-way clutch transfers torque from the planetary gear to an overdrive gear. The controller, in response to a condition requiring disengagement of the one-way clutch, increases a torque of the electric machine based on a torque command for the electric machine and the torque transferred from the planetary gear to the overdrive gear.
Claims16
A vehicle comprising:
- an engine and electric machine connected to a planetary gear;
- a one-way clutch configured to transfer torque from the planetary gear to an overdrive gear;
- and
- a controller programmed to, responsive to a power demand increasing or decreasing, braking, a vehicle speed decreasing, or an engine shutdown request, each requiring one-way clutch disengagement, increase an electric machine torque based on the torque transferred from the planetary gear to the overdrive gear.
A hybrid vehicle comprising:
- a planetary gear set including sun, carrier, and ring gears, the ring gear configured to transfer torque to a traction wheel;
- an engine connected to the carrier and configured to transfer torque to the planetary gear set;
- an overdrive gear configured to transfer torque from the engine to the traction wheel;
- a one-way clutch configured to transfer torque from the planetary gear set to the overdrive gear when switching between powertrain nominal and overdrive operation modes;
- a generator connected to the sun gear and configured to overrun the one-way clutch when rotated in a disengagement direction;
- and
- a controller programmed to, in response to a condition requiring switching from the powertrain overdrive mode to the powertrain nominal operation mode, alter a torque of the generator in the disengagement direction according to a torque command that is based on the torque transferred from the planetary gear set to the overdrive gear.
A method of controlling a vehicle having an engine and an electric machine connected to a planetary gear set, and a one-way clutch configured to transfer torque from the planetary gear set to an overdrive gear, the method comprising:
- in response to a condition requiring disengagement of the one-way clutch, increasing a torque of the electric machine based on the torque transferred from the planetary gear set to the overdrive gear until the torque being transferred to the overdrive gear becomes zero;
- and
- in response the torque transferred to the overdrive gear becoming zero, adjusting a speed of the electric machine such that the one-way clutch achieves an overrunning state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.