Electric creep torque control in vehicles having a manual/mechanical transmission
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsChristopher Edward Pedlar, David Hesketh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for providing electric creep in a manual transmission vehicle having an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and an engine uses an electric motor configured to provide creep torque to a transmission output shaft when the manual transmission is in neutral, the electric creep mode is activated and the engine is auto-stopped. The system may provide forward or reverse creep torque. The system may cancel the electric creep in response to a vehicle door opening, a driver unbuckling a seatbelt, or depressing the accelerator pedal or the clutch pedal, or shifting the manual transmission out of neutral.
Claims19
A vehicle comprising:
- an engine;
- an accelerator pedal;
- a brake pedal;
- a clutch pedal;
- a manual transmission having an output shaft;
- an electric machine configured to rotate the output shaft when the manual transmission is in neutral;
- and
- a controller programmed to:
- auto-stop the engine responsive to the accelerator pedal being released, the brake pedal being depressed, and the clutch pedal being released,
- responsive to the engine being auto-stopped, the brake pedal being depressed, and creep mode being requested, activate a creep mode, and
- responsive to the creep mode being activated, provide creep torque based on position of the brake pedal.
A controller for providing electric creep in a vehicle comprising a manual transmission, an engine, and an electric machine configured to be controlled by accelerator, brake and clutch pedals, the controller configured to:
- switch off the engine when the electric creep is activated;
- control the electric machine to provide the electric creep based on extent of depression of the brake pedal;
- and
- cancel the electric creep responsive to the clutch pedal being depressed.
A vehicle comprising:
- an engine;
- a manual transmission coupled to the engine;
- a motor configured to power driven wheels of the vehicle;
- and
- a controller programmed to
- auto-stop the engine responsive to accelerator and clutch pedals being released, a brake pedal being depressed, and the transmission being in neutral, and
- responsive to the engine being auto-stopped and electric creep being requested, power the driven wheels via the motor based on position of the brake pedal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.