Control system comprising at least one electronic control unit for controlling an internal combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11155256-B2
Application number	US-201816038560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2018
Priority date	Jan 19, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A control system has at least one electronic control unit for controlling an internal combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle, which records at least the vehicle speed and the driver's desired driving performance and the driving performance specified by a safety control system or a driver assistance system. The control unit is designed such that, below a pre-defined vehicle speed threshold and/or in the event of recognition of an urban area, while in a purely electric driving mode, it only engages the internal combustion engine when the current desired driving performance exceeds a pre-defined upper threshold, preferably once the maximum tractive force at the wheel for purely electric driving is at least reached.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control system, comprising:
an electronic control unit configured to control an internal combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle, wherein
the control unit is configured to detect a vehicle speed and an accelerator pedal angle,
below a predefined vehicle speed threshold, the control unit starts the internal combustion engine only:
after determining whether or not a maximum possible tractive force on a wheel for purely electric driving has been reached, and
when the current accelerator pedal angle exceeds a given value.

2. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is configured such that the predefined upper threshold of the accelerator pedal angle is defined below a vehicle speed-independent accelerator pedal angle threshold provided for an escape function.

3. The control system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the control unit is configured such that, above the predefined vehicle speed threshold, a dynamic accelerator pedal angle prediction is performable, by which, even before the predefined upper threshold of the accelerator pedal angle is exceeded by the current accelerator pedal angle or before the accelerator pedal angle of the maximum possible tractive force on the wheel for purely electric driving is exceeded, the internal combustion engine is startable.

4. An electronic control unit that controls an internal combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle, the electronic control unit comprising a processor and associated non-transitory memory having stored thereon program code that, when executed by the processor, carries out the acts of:
detecting a vehicle speed and an accelerator pedal angle;
in a purely electric driving mode, starting the internal combustion engine only
when a current accelerator pedal angle exceeds a predefined upper threshold when below a predefined vehicle speed threshold, and
after a maximum possible tractive force on a wheel for purely electric driving has been reached.

5. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is configured such that the predefined upper threshold of the accelerator pedal angle is defined below a vehicle speed-independent accelerator pedal angle threshold provided for an escape function.

6. The control system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the control unit is configured such that, above the predefined vehicle speed threshold, a dynamic accelerator pedal angle prediction is performable, by which, even before the predefined upper threshold of the accelerator pedal angle is exceeded by the current accelerator pedal angle or before the accelerator pedal angle of the maximum possible tractive force on the wheel for purely electric driving is exceeded, the internal combustion engine is stumble.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Wiesbeck Ferdinand
• Etzel Michael
• Rank Andreas
• Schroeder Jochen
• Glatz Christian

Classifications

• B60K6/387

  Actuated clutches, i.e. clutches engaged or disengaged by electric, hydraulic or mechanical actuating means · CPC title

• B60W2540/103

  Accelerator thresholds, e.g. kickdown · CPC title

• B60W20/20 Primary

  Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration · CPC title

• B60W20/00

  Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles {(hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L)} · CPC title

• B60W2520/10

  Longitudinal speed · CPC title