Adaptive state of charge regulation and control of variable speed hybrid electric supercharger assembly for efficient vehicle operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10934951-B2
Application number	US-201816159215-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2018
Priority date	Mar 12, 2013
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

A variable speed hybrid electric supercharger assembly is controlled to regulate an adaptive state of charge of an energy storage device and/or to boost an engine based on a performance mode selected by a driver. In one example, a reference state of charge is determined based upon driving characteristics of a vehicle and compared to an actual state of charge of the energy storage device. If the difference indicates a deficit, an operation mode is selected to regenerate the energy storage device. In another example, a planetary gearing arrangement between an engine and an electric motor is configured to increase or decrease power transferred to the supercharger by the engine based upon the performance mode selected by the driver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A supercharger assembly for an engine, the supercharger assembly comprising:
a supercharger configured to provide boost to the engine;
an electric motor coupled to the supercharger; and
a planetary gearing arrangement coupled between the engine and the electric motor, the planetary gearing arrangement including a sun gear coupled with the supercharger, a ring gear coupled with the motor, and a plurality of planet gears coupled with the internal combustion engine and being configured to:
increase power transferred to the supercharger by the engine using the electric motor to increase the boost to the engine, wherein power from the electric motor and the internal combustion engine is transferred to the sun gear associated with the supercharger via the planet and ring gears; and
decrease power transferred to the supercharger by the engine to decrease the speed of the supercharger to decrease the boost to the engine,

wherein the boost provided by the supercharger to the engine is controlled based upon a performance mode selected by a driver.

2. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , wherein the performance mode includes one of an economy performance mode and an enhanced performance mode.

3. The supercharger assembly of claim 2 , wherein the boost is increased in the enhanced performance mode.

4. The supercharger assembly of claim 3 , wherein the electric motor drives the supercharger to increase the boost.

5. The supercharger assembly of claim 2 , wherein the boost is decreased in the economy performance mode.

6. The supercharger assembly of claim 5 , wherein the planetary gearing arrangement decreases the power transferred to the supercharger by the engine.

7. The supercharger assembly of claim 2 , wherein a mapping is used to correlate a desired torque of the engine and speed of the engine to a characteristic of the supercharger.

8. The supercharger assembly of claim 7 , wherein the characteristic includes mass air flow of the supercharger.

9. The supercharger assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a brake operable to stop rotation of the sun gear.

10. A method for boosting an engine using a supercharger assembly operably connected to the engine and a motor via a planetary gear set including a sun gear coupled with the supercharger, a ring gear coupled with the motor, and a plurality of planet gears coupled with the engine, the method comprising:
receiving a selection of a performance mode;
when an enhanced performance mode is selected, increasing a speed of the supercharger to greater than that provided by the power of the engine; and
when an economy performance mode is selected, decreasing the speed of the supercharger to less than that provided by the power of the engine.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the increasing of the speed of the supercharger further comprises using an electric motor to increase the speed.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the decreasing of the speed of the supercharger further comprises using a gearing system to decrease the speed.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising mapping a desired torque of the engine and speed of the engine to a mass air flow of the supercharger and pressure of the supercharger to control an input to the supercharger.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing feedback to manipulate the input to the supercharger.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a difference between a requested air flow of the supercharger and an actual air flow of the supercharger to provide the mapping.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising controlling a bypass valve and a throttle to create the requested air flow.

17. A method for boosting an engine using a supercharger assembly operably connected to the engine and a motor via a planetary gear set including a sun gear coupled with the supercharger, a ring gear coupled with the motor, and a plurality of planet gears coupled with the engine, the method comprising:
receiving a selection between an economy performance mode and an enhanced performance mode;
when an enhanced performance mode is selected, increasing a speed of the supercharger using an electric motor to greater than that provided by the power of the engine; and
when an economy performance mode is selected, decreasing the speed of the supercharger to less than that provided by the power of the engine.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the decreasing of the speed of the supercharger further comprises using a gearing system to decrease the speed.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising mapping a desired torque of the engine and speed of the engine to a mass air flow of the supercharger and pressure of the supercharger to control an input to the supercharger.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
determining a difference between a requested air flow of the supercharger and an actual air flow of the supercharger to provide the mapping; and
controlling a bypass valve and a throttle to create the requested air flow.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Benjey Robert Philip
• Tsourapas Vasilios

Classifications

• B60W40/06

  Road conditions · CPC title

• B60W10/26

  for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors · CPC title

• B60K6/485

  Motor-assist type · CPC title

• F02B33/38

  of Roots type · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title