# US 9,550,488 B1 · Hybrid vehicle and method of controlling a hybrid vehicle powertrain

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- Number: US 9,550,488 B1
- Document ID: US9550488B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 14/856,019
- Filed: 2015-09-16
- Granted: 2017-01-24
- Earliest claimed: 2015-09-16
- Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Rajit Johri; Francis Thomas Connolly; Jason Meyer; Jeffrey Allen Doering; Xiaoyong Wang; Mark Steven Yamazaki; Ming Lang Kuang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9550488B1

## CPC

- B60W 20/00: Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles {(hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L)}
- B60K 6/48: Parallel type
- B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines
- B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
- B60W 20/10: Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
- B60K 2006/4825: {Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft}
- B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position
- B60W 2710/028: Clutch input shaft speed
- B60W 2710/0666: Engine torque
- B60W 2710/083: Torque
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles
- Y10S 903/912: Drive line clutch
- Y10S 903/946: Characterized by control of driveline clutch
- 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
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine, an electric machine, a torque converter and a controller. The torque converter includes an impeller and receives power from the engine and electric machine. The controller, in response to an absence of driver demanded torque and a difference between desired and estimated impeller speeds, adjusts a torque of the electric machine based on a difference between an estimated engine torque and a desired impeller torque in order to drive the impeller toward the desired impeller speed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle comprising:
an engine;
an electric machine;
a torque converter including an impeller and configured to receive power from the engine and electric machine; and
a controller programmed to, in response to an absence of driver demanded torque and a difference between desired and estimated impeller speeds, adjust electric machine torque based on a difference between estimated engine torque and desired impeller torque to drive the impeller toward the desired impeller speed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the desired impeller torque is based on a difference between desired engine torque and battery charging torque.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the torque converter further includes a turbine and wherein the desired impeller torque is further based on current turbine speed and the desired impeller speed.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The vehicle of claim 3, wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust the electric machine torque based on a feedback term that is defined by a difference between the desired and estimated impeller speeds.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust the desired engine torque based on an error term that is defined by the feedback term.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The vehicle of claim 4, wherein the difference between the desired and estimated impeller speeds results from a disturbance in the desired engine torque during steady state operation of the engine.

### Claim 7

A vehicle comprising:
an engine configured to deliver a steady state power load to an impeller of a torque converter during an absence of driver demanded torque;
a motor configured to deliver power to the impeller; and
a controller programmed to, in response to a difference between desired and estimated impeller speeds, adjust motor torque based on a deviation of the load to drive the impeller toward the desired impeller speed.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the deviation is defined by a difference between estimated engine torque and desired impeller torque.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the desired impeller torque is based on a difference between battery charging torque and desired engine torque.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the torque converter includes a turbine and wherein the desired impeller torque is further based on current turbine speed and the desired impeller speed.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust the motor torque based on a feedback term defined by a difference between the desired and estimated impeller speeds.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust the desired engine torque by an error term that is defined by the feedback term.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the difference between the desired and estimated impeller speeds results from a disturbance in the desired engine torque during steady state operation of the engine.

### Claim 14

A method of controlling an engine and motor each configured to deliver power to a torque converter impeller comprising:
in response to an absence of driver demanded torque and a difference between desired and estimated impeller speeds, adjusting motor torque based on a difference between estimated engine and desired impeller torques and the difference between desired and estimated impeller speeds to drive the impeller toward the desired impeller speed.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the desired impeller torque is based on a difference between desired engine torque and battery charging torque.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the desired impeller torque is further based on current torque converter turbine speed and the desired impeller speed.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the difference between the desired and estimated impeller speeds results from a disturbance in the desired engine torque during steady state operation of the engine.