Low-voltage battery charging split of hyrbid 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.
Claims18
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;
- and
- 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.
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.
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.