# US 10,308,233 B2 · Methods and system for estimating driveline torque of a hybrid vehicle

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- Number: US 10,308,233 B2
- Document ID: US10308233B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/016,588
- Filed: 2016-02-05
- Published: 2017-08-10
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2016-02-05
- Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Rajit Johri; Jeffrey Allen Doering; Ming Lang Kuang; Xiaoyong Wang; Mark Steven Yamazaki; Jason Meyer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308233B2

## CPC

- B60W 20/10: Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
- B60K 6/387: Actuated clutches, i.e. clutches engaged or disengaged by electric, hydraulic or mechanical actuating means
- B60W 10/02: including control of driveline clutches
- B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines
- B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
- B60W 50/0097: {Predicting future conditions}
- B60W 50/06: Improving the dynamic response of the control system, e.g. improving the speed of regulation or avoiding hunting or overshoot
- B60K 2006/4825: {Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft}
- B60W 2050/0056: {Low-pass filters}
- B60W 2510/0628: Inlet air flow rate
- B60W 2510/0638: Engine speed
- B60W 2510/083: Torque
- B60W 2540/00: Input parameters relating to occupants
- B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position
- B60W 2710/021: Clutch engagement state
- B60W 2710/0666: Engine torque
- B60W 2710/083: Torque
- B60Y 2200/92: Hybrid vehicles
- B60Y 2300/42: Control of clutches
- B60Y 2300/43: Control of engines
- B60Y 2300/60: Control of electric machines, e.g. problems related to electric motors or generators
- B60Y 2400/426: Hydrodynamic couplings, e.g. torque converters
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles
- Y10S 903/914: Actuated, e.g. engaged or disengaged by electrical, hydraulic or mechanical means
- Y10S 903/93: Conjoint control of different elements
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

Systems and methods for operating a hybrid powertrain that includes an engine and a motor/generator are described. The systems and methods align in time an estimated motor torque and an actual motor torque to provide an estimated driveline torque. The alignment compensates for communications delays between different controllers over a controller area network.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A powertrain operating method, comprising:
estimating a motor torque via a controller based on a requested motor torque and a motor model;
correcting the estimated motor torque via adding a low pass filtered error value to the estimated motor torque, where the low pass filtered error value is equal to a digital domain operator multiplied by the estimated motor torque minus an actual motor torque, and where the low pass filtered error value includes a communications delay, and where the communications delay is an amount of time between a starting time a control variable value is sent over a controller area network and an ending time a control variable value is received over the controller area network;
adding the corrected estimated motor torque to an estimated engine torque to estimate driveline torque via the controller; and
adjusting a driveline actuator responsive to the estimated driveline torque via the controller.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, where the requested motor torque is based on a driver demand torque.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, where the estimated engine torque is based on engine speed and engine airflow.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, where the driveline actuator is a transmission clutch or an engine torque actuator.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, where the estimated motor torque is based on output of a transfer function.

### Claim 6

A powertrain operating method, comprising:
via a controller, estimating a motor torque based on a requested motor torque and a motor model;
correcting the estimated motor torque via adding an error value that has been low pass filtered to the estimated motor torque, the error value being equal to a digital domain operator multiplied by the estimated motor torque minus an actual motor torque;
adding the corrected estimated motor torque to an estimated engine torque to estimate driveline torque via the controller; and
adjusting a driveline actuator responsive to the estimated driveline torque via the controller.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, where the estimated motor torque is corrected for a controller area network communications delay.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, where the controller area network communications delay is an amount of time between a starting time a control variable is sent over a controller area network from a vehicle system controller and an ending time a controller variable value is received at a motor controller.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising inputting the error value to a proportional/integral controller.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, where the driveline actuator is a torque converter lock up clutch, and where the digital domain operator denotes a time shift of a controller area network (CAN) by d time steps.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, where the driveline actuator is an engine torque actuator.

### Claim 12

A system, comprising:
an engine;
a motor/generator;
a motor/generator controller in electrical communication with the motor/generator;
a disconnect clutch positioned in a powertrain between the engine and the motor/generator;
a transmission coupled to the motor/generator; and
a vehicle system controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory to align in time an estimated motor torque value and an actual motor torque value output via the motor/generator controller, the estimated motor torque value based on a motor model and a requested motor torque, and additional executable instructions to correct the estimated motor torque value via adding an error value that has been low pass filtered to the estimated motor torque value, the error value being equal to a digital domain operator multiplied by the estimated motor torque value minus the actual motor torque value.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, further comprising additional executable instructions to determine the estimated motor torque value.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, where the estimated motor torque value and the actual motor torque value output via the motor/generator controller are aligned in time via a predictor.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, further comprising additional instructions to determine an engine torque request.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, further comprising additional instructions to add the estimated motor torque value to an estimated engine torque to estimate driveline torque.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16, further comprising additional instructions to adjust a driveline actuator responsive to the estimated driveline torque.