# US 11,440,395 B2 · Electrified vehicle torque transfer system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,440,395 B2 - Document ID: US11440395B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/794,308 - Filed: 2020-02-19 - Published: 2021-08-19 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-02-19 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Guopeng Hu; Zhengyu Dai; Michael Tekletsion Berhan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11440395B2 ## CPC - B60K 6/387: Actuated clutches, i.e. clutches engaged or disengaged by electric, hydraulic or mechanical actuating means - B60K 6/48: Parallel type - B60K 6/547: the transmission being a stepped gearing - 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 20/00: Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles {(hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L)} - B60W 20/40: Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers {(power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192)} - B60K 6/24: characterised by the combustion engines - B60K 6/26: characterised by the motors or the generators - B60K 2006/268: {Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor} - B60K 2006/4825: {Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft} - B60K 2006/4841: {the gear provides shifting between multiple ratios} - B60W 2510/0638: Engine speed - B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position - B60W 2710/021: Clutch engagement state - B60W 2710/023: Clutch engagement rate - B60W 2710/083: Torque - B60W 2710/085: Torque change rate - Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles - 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 - 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 - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An electrified vehicle torque transfer system includes, among other things, an engine having an engine shaft, an electric machine having an electric machine shaft, a first clutch that is selectively engaged to rotatably couple together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft such that the engine can drive rotation of the electric machine, and a second clutch that is selectively engaged to rotatably couple together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft such that the electric machine can drive rotation of the engine. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrified vehicle torque transfer system, comprising: an engine having an engine shaft; an electric machine having an electric machine shaft; a first clutch that is selectively engaged to rotatably couple together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft such that the engine can drive rotation of the electric machine, the first clutch configured to rotate about a first axis when engaged; and a second clutch that is selectively engaged to rotatably couple together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft such that the electric machine can drive rotation of the engine, the second clutch configured to rotate about a second axis when engaged, the first axis different than the second axis. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 1, wherein the first clutch is a first disconnect clutch that can transition back and forth between a first clutch open position and a first clutch closed position, the first disconnect clutch rotatably coupling together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft when in the first clutch closed position. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 2, wherein the second clutch is a second disconnect clutch that can transition back and forth between a second clutch open position and a second clutch closed position, the second disconnect clutch rotatably coupling together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft when in the second clutch closed position. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 1, wherein the first clutch is engaged and the second clutch is disengaged when driving the electric machine shaft with the engine shaft through the first clutch, wherein the first clutch is disengaged and the second clutch is engaged when driving the engine shaft with the electric machine shaft through the second clutch. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 1, further comprising a speed reducing gear system that decreases a rotational speed of the engine shaft relative to a rotational speed of the electric machine shaft when the second clutch is rotatably coupling together the engine shaft with the electric machine shaft and when the electric machine shaft is driving the engine shaft. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 1, wherein, when the first clutch is rotatably coupling together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft, one rotation of the engine shaft causes one rotation of the electric machine shaft. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 6, wherein, when the second clutch is rotatably coupling together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft, one rotation of the electric machine shaft causes less than one rotation of the engine shaft. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 1, wherein the engine shaft is configured to drive rotation of the electric machine shaft when the first clutch is rotatably coupling together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft, wherein the electric machine shaft is configured to drive rotation of the engine shaft when the second clutch is rotatably coupling together the engine shaft and the electric machine shaft. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 1, wherein the first clutch has a first torque capacity and the second clutch has a second torque capacity that is less than the first torque capacity. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electrified vehicle torque transfer system of claim 1, wherein an axis of rotation of the engine shaft is coaxial with an axis of rotation of the electric machine shaft, wherein the first axis is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the electric machine shaft, wherein the second axis is offset from the axis of rotation of the electric machine shaft. ### Claim 11 A torque transfer method for an electrified vehicle, comprising: driving an electric machine shaft with an engine shaft by transferring torque from the engine shaft, through a first clutch, to the electric machine shaft; and driving the engine shaft with the electric machine shaft by transferring torque from the electric machine shaft, through a second clutch, to the engine shaft, the first clutch rotating about a first axis when engaged, the second clutch rotating about a second axis when engaged, the first axis different than the second axis. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising rotatably driving at least one wheel of an electrified vehicle with the electric machine shaft. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising driving the engine shaft with the electric machine shaft to start an engine having the engine shaft. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the first clutch has a first torque capacity and the second clutch has a second torque capacity that is less than the first torque capacity. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein, when driving the electric machine shaft with the engine shaft through the first clutch, one rotation of the engine shaft causes one rotation of the electric machine shaft. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein, when driving the engine shaft with the electric machine shaft, one rotation of the electric machine shaft causes less than one rotation of the engine shaft. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the first clutch is a first disconnect clutch, and the second clutch is a second disconnect clutch. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the first disconnect clutch is closed and the second disconnect clutch is open when driving the electric machine shaft with the engine shaft through the first disconnect clutch, wherein the first disconnect clutch is open and the second disconnect clutch is closed when driving the engine shaft with the electric machine shaft through the second disconnect clutch. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising decreasing a rotational speed of the engine shaft relative to a rotational speed of the electric machine shaft when the electric machine shaft is driving the engine shaft through the second clutch.