Apparatus and method for controlling a hybrid vehicle
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsGoro Tamai, William Leonard Aldrich, III, Tony T. Hoang, Patrick L. Risse
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A propulsion system for use in a hybrid vehicle, the propulsion system includes an internal combustion engine, an electric motor/generator operatively coupled to the internal combustion engine, an electric storage medium, and a propulsion system controller for actuating the propulsion system. The propulsion system controller varies the operating conditions of the electric motor/generator system in response to operating conditions of the vehicle. The propulsion system controller further varies the operating conditions of the electric motor/generator during an engine cranking sequence.
Claims16
A method for operating a propulsion system of a hybrid vehicle, comprising:
- determining if an engine starting command has been requested;
- sensing the state of charge of an electric storage medium;
- sensing the temperature of an engine coolant of an internal combustion engine;
- operating a motor/generator in a first mode of operation for providing a starting force to said internal combustion engine and in a second mode of operation for generating an electrical charge;
- and
- varying the rate of a prime pulse during a starting sequence of said internal combustion engine, said prime pulse being varied in response to the value of the state of charge of said electrical storage medium and the engine coolant temperature of said internal combustion engine.
A method for operating a propulsion system of a hybrid vehicle, comprising:
- determining if an engine starting command has been requested;
- sensing the state of charge of an electric storage medium;
- sensing the temperature of an engine coolant of an internal combustion engine;
- operating a motor/generator in a first mode of operation for providing a starting force to said internal combustion engine and in a second mode of operation for generating an electrical charge;
- varying the starting speed of said motor/generator in said first mode in response to the state of charge of said electric storage medium;
- and
- varying the rate of the prime pulse during a starting sequence of said internal combustion engine, said prime pulse being varied in response to the value of the state of charge of said electrical storage medium and the engine coolant temperature of said internal combustion engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.