Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Peter James Barrette

Joseph Jay Torres

Rajit Johri

Jose Velazquez Alcantar

Richard David Bruns

Corwin Stout

Ashok E Rodrigues

John Antoni Glab

Jonathan Sullivan

Syun Kyung Lee

Dana Joseph Katinas

John O'Rear

Joe Jay Torres

Ming Lang Kuang

Zhengyu Dai

Michael Edward Brewer

Guopeng Hu

Bang Kim Cao

Patrick Meloche

Zubair Feroz

Brian Hildreth

Methods and systems are provided for operating a vehicle in a mode to free the vehicle from being stuck in sand are presented. In one example, a speed of an electric machine is adjusted to determine when wheel jitter occurs. The electric machine speed may be maintained at a speed where wheel jitter occurs while the vehicle is stuck.

Methods and system for operating a vehicle in sand

A vehicle includes an all-wheel-drive powertrain having an electric machine configured to power wheels. A controller is programmed to output a first calculated vehicle speed derived from integrating a measured longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle and output a second calculated vehicle speed based on the measured longitudinal acceleration and a speed of one of the wheels. The controller is further programmed to, responsive to a flag being present, command a speed to the electric machine that is based on the first vehicle speed to reduce wheel slip, and responsive to a flag not being present, command a speed to the electric machine that is based on the second vehicle speed to reduce wheel slip.

Estimation of vehicle speed in all-wheel-drive vehicle

A vehicle includes an engine, a primary axle drivably connected to the engine, and a secondary axle drivably connected to the engine by a clutch. A controller is programmed to, in response to map data indicating that the vehicle is off-road, enable an off-road transfer torque control mode in which temperatures of the clutch are compared to a lower threshold. The controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the clutch exceeding the lower threshold, display a message to a driver indicative of rising temperatures of the clutch, and, in response to a temperature of the clutch exceeding an upper limit, enable a power limiting mode in which torque of the engine is limited to a predefined value.

Off-road clutch control

A vehicle includes an electric machine and a controller. The controller is programmed to responsive to a threshold difference, indicative of wheel slip, between average wheel speed and a vehicle speed that is based on a difference between wheel acceleration and measured vehicle acceleration, command a speed to the electric machine to reduce the wheel slip.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling yaw of a vehicle while maintaining vehicle speed. In one example, equal and opposite vectoring torques are applied to first and second wheels along with a propulsion torque so that a vehicle yaw moment may be induced without accelerating or decelerating the vehicle.

Methods and system for super positioning torque vectoring on a differential

One axle of a hybrid vehicle is powered by an electric motor while a second axle of the vehicle is powered by a powertrain that includes an internal combustion engine. The electrically driven axle can be controlled in a speed control mode or in a torque control mode based on a driver demanded torque. The speed control mode is used when slip is detected at the electrically driven axle. The torque control mode is used when the electrically driven axle has traction. During a transition between these modes, the rate of change of torque is controlled to a predetermined level to mitigate noise, vibration, and harshness.

Hybrid vehicle

An electrified axle system includes a pair of wheels, a super positioning torque vectoring differential coupled between the wheels, and a controller. The super positioning torque vectoring differential includes a traction motor and a vectoring motor. The controller operates the vectoring motor in speed control mode to reduce a speed difference between the wheels responsive to the difference exceeding a threshold, and operates the vectoring motor in torque control mode responsive to the difference falling within a target range and an accelerator pedal position achieving a value that depends on lateral acceleration associated with the system.

Speed control of super positioning torque vectoring differential

A method for reducing oscillations in a vehicle driveline includes transmitting torque to secondary wheels of the vehicle, determining a first rate of change in speed between the secondary wheels and primary wheels, if a second rate of change in speed between secondary wheels and primary wheels is greater than the first rate of change, reducing torque transmitted to the secondary wheels proportional to a ratio of the first rate of change and the second rate of change, and if the second rate of change is less than the first rate of change, using differential and proportional control to change said torque.

Reducing oscillations in a motor vehicle driveline

A motor vehicle driveline that can transmit power in a 4&#xd7;4 mode includes two front wheels, a rear drive shaft, a differential mechanism for transmitting power to two rear axle shafts connected driveably through the differential to the rear driveshaft, and a clutch for engaging and disengaging a drive connection in the differential mechanism. A method for controlling operation of the clutch includes the steps of operating the driveline in 4&#xd7;4 mode, determining a current accelerator pedal position, determining whether a current accelerator pedal position is less than a reference position for a predetermined period, determining a current speed of each front wheel of the vehicle, determining whether a current speed difference between the front wheels of the vehicle is less than a reference wheel slip for a first predetermined period, determining during a second predetermined period whether a current time rate of speed change of the rear drive shaft is less than a reference rear wheel slip. The clutch is prevented from being engaged if either the speed difference exceeds the reference speed difference, or the time rate of speed change of the rear drive shaft is greater than a reference rear wheel slip. Otherwise, the clutch is engaged.

Locker clutch control for a differential mechanism

A four wheel drive powertrain control for an automotive vehicle is disclosed. It includes a torque transfer case that distributes power from an engine-powered transfer case mainshaft to a secondary driving axle through a friction clutch as power is distributed directly from the engine-powered mainshaft to a primary driving axle. The friction clutch capacity is sufficient to mechanically lock the transfer case in a four wheel drive mode. If the clutch torque capacity is exceeded, a control algorithm will strategically ramp down engine torque requests by a powertrain controller to eliminate clutch slip.

Engine torque truncation method for a four-wheel drive vehicle

A four wheel drive assemblyincluding a torque transfer assemblywhich operates under the control of the controllerand which receives and selectively transfers a certain desired amount of torque to a front axlesand to the rear axlesThe amount of transferred torque varies depending upon the occurrence of a sensed slip condition the use of a pre-emptive slip control mode of operation in which the controllerdetermines that it is likely that a slip may occur. Particularly, controlleris allowed to enter the preemptive mode of operation only after an actual slip has occurred and the controllerexits this preemptive mode of operation upon the occurrence of a certain event or condition or upon the passage of a certain amount of time.

Four wheel drive assembly and a method for utilizing the same

A four wheel drive vehicle, which has an automatic four wheel drive mode, includes a trailer tow detection strategy. If a trailer tow situation is encountered while in automatic four wheel drive mode, then the duty cycle of a clutch in a transfer case can be adjusted to account for the trailer towed behind the vehicle.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Peter James Barrette