Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Weitian Chen

Hong Jiang

Zhengyu Dai

Yang Xu

Bradley Dean Riedle

Yuji Fujii

Matthew John Shelton

Stuart N Ford

Joseph Jay Torres

Jose Velazquez Alcantar

Yijing Zhang

Guopeng Hu

Paul M Moubarak

Qi Wang

Pinzhi Liu

Timothy L Sargent

Fengyi Chen

Felix Nedorezov

Todd Mccullough

Akshay Bichkar

Jonathan Sullivan

Conor Edward Sullivan

Vladimir Ivanovic

Seunghoon Lee

Ankit Saini

Thirumal Nagadi

A vehicle includes a powertrain, an inertial measurement unit configured to measure inertial forces exerted onto the vehicle, and a controller. The controller is programmed to control the torque at the powertrain based on a mapped relationship between the inertial forces and a vehicle velocity, wherein the mapped relationship utilizes at least one mapping parameter. The controller is further programmed to estimate a mass of the vehicle based on the mapping parameter.

Vehicle mass calculation and vehicle controls

Methods and system are described for changing a driveline gear range from a higher gear range to a lower gear range. The driveline may include two electric machines and four clutches in a four wheel drive configuration. The methods and systems permit a driveline to change from a higher gear range to a lower gear range without stopping a vehicle.

System and method for changing to a low gear range of a four wheel drive vehicle

A vehicle includes a transmission, a powerplant, an inertial measurement unit, and a controller. The transmission has an input shaft and an output shaft. The powerplant is configured to generate and deliver torque to the input shaft. The inertial measurement unit is configured to measure inertial forces exerted onto the vehicle. The controller is programmed to, in response to a demanded torque at the output shaft and a non-transient condition of the vehicle, control the torque at the output shaft based on a torque at the input shaft and a gear ratio of the step-ratio transmission. The controller is further programmed to, in response to the demanded torque at the output shaft and a transient condition of the vehicle, control the torque at the output shaft based on the inertial forces and a vehicle velocity.

Vehicle powertrain control system

Methods and system are described for changing a driveline gear range from a lower gear range to a higher gear range. The driveline may include two electric machines and four clutches in a four wheel drive configuration. The methods and systems permit a driveline to change from a lower gear range to a higher gear range in a way that may reduce torque disturbances that may result from gear lash.

System and method for reducing gear lash related torque disturbances

System and method for changing gear ranges of a four wheel drive vehicle

A vehicle electric torque vectoring system includes a traction motor, a vectoring motor, gears, and a controller. The gears transfer torque from the propulsion and vectoring motors to wheels. The controller, responsive to a step change in an unmodified torque request for the vectoring motor and a predicted torque response of the vectoring motor being greater than the unmodified torque request, commands the vectoring motor to generate torque with a modified torque request less than the unmodified torque request. The controller further, responsive to the predicted torque response becoming less than the unmodified torque request, commands the vectoring motor to generate torque with the unmodified torque request.

Torque vectoring with model-predictive torque requests

A vehicle includes a transmission, an engine, a disconnect clutch, an inertial measurement unit, and a controller. The transmission has an input shaft and an output shaft. The engine is configured to generate and deliver torque to the input shaft. The disconnect clutch is configured to connect and disconnect the engine from the input shaft. The disconnect clutch is also configured to crank the engine during an engine start. The inertial measurement unit is configured to measure inertial forces exerted onto the vehicle. The controller is programmed to, in response to a command to adjust a torque of the disconnect clutch to a desired value that is derived from the inertial forces and a vehicle velocity, drive the clutch actuator pressure to a value that corresponds to the desired value.

Systems and methods for operating a driveline of a hybrid vehicle are described. In one example, vehicle launch is controlled according to a linear quadratic regulator that provides feedback control according to torque converter slip error and vehicle speed error. The vehicle launch is also controlled according to feed forward control that is based on requested torque converter slip and requested vehicle speed.

Methods and system for controlling launch of a hybrid vehicle

Methods and systems are provided for operating a vehicle that includes a torque vectoring electric machine. In one example, torque output of a torque vectoring electric machine is adjusted to reduce driveline torque disturbances when the torque vectoring electric machine is activated. The torque output is adjusted in response to a speed difference between a wheel speed and a speed of the torque vectoring electric machine.

Methods and system for operating a torque vectoring electric machine

Systems and methods for operating a driveline of a vehicle that includes an automatic transmission and a torque converter are described. In one example, vehicle launch is controlled according to a linear quadratic regulator that provides feedback control according to torque converter slip error and vehicle speed error. The vehicle launch is also controlled according to feed forward control that is based on requested torque converter slip and requested vehicle speed.

Methods and system for controlling launch of a vehicle having an automatic transmission

A method of operating a vehicle includes, responsive to a command to launch the vehicle and while the vehicle is in a first gear, determining, at a controller, a feedforward component including a target engine torque and a target bypass clutch torque, and a feedback component that is based on an error between the target converter slip and a measured converter slip and between the target wheel torque and a measured wheel torque. The method further includes changing a commanded engine torque and a commanded bypass clutch torque based on the feedforward component and the feedback component.

Engine torque and torque converter bypass clutch slip control during vehicle launch

Powertrains may include a spring damper between the engine crankshaft and transmission input shaft. In some circumstances, an oscillation known as shuffle may occur in such powertrains. Active adjustment of engine torque is substantially more effective at mitigating shuffle oscillations if the engine torque includes a p-term proportional to displacement of the damper spring in addition to a d-term proportional to the speed difference across the damper. For various reasons, the spring displacement is difficult to measure directly. An observer algorithm is utilized to calculate a current estimated spring displacement based on a crankshaft speed sensor, a transmission input speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, and past engine torques, using a dynamic model of the powertrain.

Powertrain with anti-shuffle control

A vehicle includes an engine with an associated engine-speed sensor, and wheels each having a respective wheel-speed sensor. The vehicle also includes a continuously variable transmission (CVT) coupled to the engine and configured to operate at variable input-to-output ratios. At least one controller is programmed to reduce the operating ratio of the CVT in response to the engine-speed sensor indicating the engine is operating at idle speed and the wheel-speed sensor indicating the velocity is approximately zero. This provides less noise, vibration and harshness in the vehicle due to the reduced ratio that is possible during conditions in which a vehicle launch in that reduced ratio may not be acceptable.

Continuously variable transmission (CVT) ratio control

A vehicle includes an engine and driven wheels each having an associated friction brake. A brake pedal is operable to engage the friction brakes. The vehicle includes a transmission having an input shaft driveably connected to the engine, an output element driveably connected to the driven wheels, and a gear mechanism adapted to establish at least one torque flow path between the input shaft and the output element. The transmission further includes a shift element that interrupts the torque flow path when disengaged. A gear selector is disposed in the passenger cabin and includes at least one forward-drive position, a reverse position, and a neutral position. At least one vehicle controller is configured to, in response to the gear selector being in the forward-drive position, a speed of the vehicle being zero, the vehicle being within a first predefined distance of a stoplight, and the brake pedal being depressed, disengage the shift element to put the transmission in neutral idle.

Control system and method for neutral idle operation

A method of controlling a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) simulates a step-ratio transmission upshift. To simulate a step-ratio torque phase, the input torque is gradually reduced before beginning to change the variator ratio. Then, as the variator ratio is changed, the input torque is gradually increased to compensate for the decreasing torque ratio, simulating the relatively constant output torque of an inertia phase of a step-ratio upshift.

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Windsor, CA, United States of America

Weitian Chen