Method and arrangement in a hybrid vehicle for initiating early engine operation during take-off conditions
AssigneeVolvo Car Corporation
InventorAnders Lasson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method for potentiating an engine's power contribution to a hybrid electric vehicle's performance in a take-off operating condition is disclosed. Normally, fuel injection to, and ignition at the engine 511 are only commenced when the engine is operating at a speed exceeding the resonance speed of the drive train to reduce engine start harshness; such resonance speeds of the drive train being dictated, at least in part, by transmission backlash, softness and the like. During high driver acceleration demands, however, ignition and the injection of fuel is desirably started as early as possible to potentiate output power and acceleration.
Claims6
A method for potentiating an engine's power contribution to a hybrid electric vehicle's performance in a take-off operating condition, the method comprising the steps of:
- initiating take-off acceleration of a hybrid electric vehicle exclusively utilizing an electric motor of the vehicle;
- predicting the future demand for an engine's power contribution to the hybrid electric vehicle's immediate future power demand during take-off acceleration;
- starting the engine of the hybrid electric vehicle at the time that the determination is made of future demand for the engine's power contribution during the take-off acceleration;
- and
- increasing the speed of operation of the engine as rapidly as predetermined operating efficiency parameters permit.
A method for potentiating an engine's power contribution to a hybrid electric vehicle's performance in a take-off operating condition, the method comprising the steps of:
- initiating take-off acceleration of hybrid electric vehicle exclusively utilizing an electric vehicle's immediate future power demand during take-off acceleration;
- starting the engine of the hybrid electric vehicle at the time that the determination is made of future demand for the engine's power contribution during the take-off acceleration;
- and
- starting the engine at an engine speed below a resonance speed of a drivetrain of the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.