Low-voltage battery charging split of hybrid vehicles with belt integrated starter-generators
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsMark Steven Yamazaki, Christopher Alan Lear, Scott James Thompson, Rajit Johri, Fazal Urrahman Syed
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle includes an electric machine, a starter-generator, and a controller. The electric machine is coupled to a traction battery via an inverter. The starter-generator is mechanically coupled with an engine and electrically coupled with a low-voltage battery. And, the controller charges the low-voltage battery with power from the traction battery, and in response to a torque demand of the electric machine falling below a threshold defined by losses of the inverter, transitions to the starter-generator to charge the low-voltage battery.
Claims16
A vehicle comprising:
- an electric machine coupled to a traction battery via an inverter;
- a starter-generator mechanically coupled with an engine and electrically coupled with a low-voltage battery;
- a controller programmed to charge the low-voltage battery with power from the traction battery, and in response to a torque demand of the electric machine falling below a threshold defined by losses of the inverter, transition to the starter-generator to charge the low-voltage battery;
- and
- a disconnect clutch configured to couple the engine with the electric machine, wherein the controller is programmed to, in response to the engine obtaining a target speed, close the disconnect clutch.
A vehicle controller comprising:
- input channels configured to receive signals indicative of a torque demand of an electric machine;
- output channels configured to provide commands to transition charging a low-voltage battery from an inverter of the electric machine to a starter-generator of an engine;
- and
- control logic programmed to, in response to the torque demand falling below a threshold defined by losses of the inverter, generate the commands, wherein the input channels are further configured to receive clutch signals indicative of a status of a disconnect clutch coupled between the engine and the electric machine, and wherein the control logic is further programmed to, while the clutch signals indicate an open status, generate commands to charge the low-voltage battery with the starter-generator.
A method of controlling a vehicle powertrain comprising:
- while an engine disconnect clutch coupling an engine to an electric machine is closed, and an SOC of a traction battery is less than a predefined value, charging a low-voltage battery with power from the electric machine, and
- in response to a torque demand of the electric machine falling below a threshold, charging the low-voltage battery with power from a starter-generator of the engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.