# US 8,571,736 B2 · Method for operating a drive device of a motor vehicle and drive device for a motor vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,571,736 B2 - Document ID: US8571736B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/389,478 - Filed: 2010-08-12 - Published: 2012-08-16 - Granted: 2013-10-29 - Earliest claimed: 2009-10-12 - Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH - Applicants: Jens-Werner Falkenstein; Manfred Hellmann - Inventors: Jens-Werner Falkenstein; Manfred Hellmann - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8571736B2 ## CPC - B60W 40/1005: {Driving resistance} - B60W 50/0097: {Predicting future conditions} - B60K 6/485: Motor-assist type - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 30/19: Improvement of gear change, e.g. by synchronisation or smoothing gear shift - B60K 2006/268: {Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor} - B60W 20/00: Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles {(hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L)} - B60W 2510/244: Charge state - B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2530/16: Driving resistance - B60W 2552/15: Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction - B60W 2556/50: of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data - F02N 11/0837: {Environmental conditions thereof, e.g. traffic, weather or road conditions} - F02N 2200/124: Information about road conditions, e.g. road inclination or surface - Y02T 10/62: Hybrid 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 - 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 - F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A method for operating a drive device of a motor vehicle, which includes at least one internal combustion engine and at least one electric machine, a driving resistance, in particular an uphill gradient, being ascertained and the internal combustion engine being operated as a function thereof. The internal combustion engine is operated as a function of a driving resistance to be expected, which is determined as a function of an instantaneous driving resistance. A drive device for a motor vehicle is also described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for operating a drive device of a motor vehicle, which includes at least one internal combustion engine and at least one electric machine, the method comprising: detecting an uphill gradient; ascertaining a driving resistance from the detected uphill gradient; determining a driving resistance to be expected as a function of the detected uphill gradient and a change in the detected uphill gradient; scaling the change in the detected uphill gradient by a scaling factor that increases as a speed of the motor vehicle decreases; and operating the internal combustion engine as a function of the driving resistance to be expected. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an instantaneous change in driving resistance is taken into account for determining the driving resistance to be expected. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: starting the internal combustion engine if a predefinable threshold value is exceeded by the determined driving resistance to be expected. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in determining the driving resistance to be expected, at least one parameter for weighting an instantaneous change in driving resistance is taken into account. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein vehicle speed is taken into account as a parameter in determining the driving resistance to be expected. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a predefinable time value is taken into account as a parameter in determining the driving resistance to be expected. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the predefinable threshold value is selected as a function of an instantaneously possible drive torque of the electric machine. ### Claim 8 A drive device for a motor vehicle, comprising: at least one internal combustion engine; at least one electric machine; and a device configured to: detect an uphill gradient; ascertain a driving resistance from the detected uphill gradient; determine a driving resistance to be expected as a function of the detected uphill gradient and a change in the detected uphill gradient; scale the change in the detected uphill gradient by a scaling factor that increases as a speed of the motor vehicle decreases; and operate the internal combustion engine as a function of the driving resistance to be expected. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The drive device as recited in claim 8, wherein the instantaneous driving resistance is an instantaneous uphill gradient. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The drive device as recited in claim 8, wherein the device has at least one inclination sensor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The drive device as recited in claim 8, wherein the device includes a detector configured to detect at least one of an instantaneous vehicle speed, and an instantaneously possible drive torque of the electric machine. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising starting the internal combustion engine if the driving resistance to be expected exceeds a maximum available drive torque of the electric machine. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising calculating the maximum available drive torque of the electric machine as a function of a charge state of an energy storage device of the electric machine.