Method and device for controlling start of mild hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11524671-B2
Application number	US-202016988933-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2020
Priority date	Dec 9, 2019
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

A method for controlling a start of a mild hybrid vehicle that includes an engine, a starter-generator starting the engine or generating electricity by an output of the engine, a starter starting the engine, and a battery supplying electric power to the starter-generator may include: determining, by a controller configured for controlling an operation of the vehicle, whether a start of the vehicle is requested; checking, by the controller, current limit data of the battery when the start of the vehicle is requested; checking, by the controller, start torque current data of the starter-generator according to state data of the vehicle; comparing, by the controller, the current limit data with the start torque current data; and starting, by the controller, the engine using the starter-generator or the starter according to a result of the comparing, by the controller, the current limit data with the start torque current data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for controlling a start of a vehicle that includes an engine, a starter-generator starting the engine or generating electricity by an output of the engine, a starter starting the engine, and a battery supplying electric power to the starter-generator, the method comprising:
determining, by a controller configured for controlling an operation of the vehicle, whether the start of the vehicle is requested;
checking, by the controller, current limit data of the battery upon determining that the start of the vehicle is requested;
checking, by the controller, start torque current data of the starter-generator according to state data of the vehicle;
comparing, by the controller, the current limit data with the start torque current data; and
starting, by the controller, the engine using the starter-generator or the starter according to a result of the comparing, by the controller, the current limit data with the start torque current data,
wherein the comparing, by the controller, the current limit data with the start torque current data includes:
checking, by the controller, a maximum current value of the start torque current data of the starter-generator; and
determining, by the controller, whether the current limit data are less than or equal to the maximum current value of the start torque current data, and
wherein the starting, by the controller, the engine using the starter-generator or the starter includes:
starting, by the controller, the engine using the starter-generator until a reference time when the start torque current data becomes a reference current value when the current limit data are equal to or less than the maximum current value of the start torque current data; and
starting, by the controller, the engine using the starter from the reference time to a start completion time.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining, by the controller, whether the start of the vehicle is requested includes:
determining, by the controller, that the start of the vehicle is requested upon determining that a start request signal is received, a position value of a brake pedal of the vehicle is less than or equal to a first reference value, a position value of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a second reference value, or a shifting stage of a shift lever of the vehicle is changed.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the checking, by the controller, the current limit data of the battery includes:
checking, by the controller, the current limit data according to a degradation state of the battery.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the checking, by the controller, the current limit data of the battery includes:
checking, by the controller, a degradation state of the battery according to at least one of a state of charge (SOC), a temperature, and a state of health (SOH) of the battery, and a current value of each cell included in the battery;
checking, by the controller, a current table matching the current limit data to each of a plurality of degradation states of the battery; and
checking, by the controller, the current limit data corresponding to the checked degradation state of the battery in the current table.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the checking, by the controller, the start torque current data of the starter-generator includes:
checking, by the controller, the start torque current data of the starter-generator according to at least one of a temperature of a coolant of the engine, an outside air temperature of the vehicle, and revolutions per minute of the engine included in the state data of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the starting, by the controller, the engine using the starter-generator or the starter includes:
starting, by the controller, the engine using the starter-generator when the current limit data exceed the maximum current value of the start torque current data.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes:
a processor; and
a non-transitory storage medium on which a program for performing the method of claim 1 is recorded and executed by the processor.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which a program for performing the method of claim 1 is recorded.

9. A device configured for controlling a start of a vehicle, the device comprising:
an engine configured to provide a driving force to the vehicle;
a starter-generator configured to start the engine or generate electricity by an output of the engine;
a first battery connected to the starter-generator and configured to supply electric power to the starter-generator or to be charged by electric power collected through the starter-generator;
a starter engaged to the engine and configured to start the engine;
a second battery connected to the starter and configured to supply electric power to the starter;
a vehicle state detector configured to detect state data of the vehicle to control the start of the vehicle;
a battery manager configured to check state data of the first battery and generate current limit data according to the state data of the first battery; and
a controller connected to the battery manager and the vehicle state detector and configured to receive the current limit data of the first battery from the battery manager when the start of the vehicle is requested, check start torque current data of the starter-generator according to the state data of the vehicle, and start the engine using the starter-generator or the starter according to the current limit data and the start torque current data,
wherein the controller is configured to check a maximum current value of the start torque current data of the starter-generator, start the engine using the starter-generator until a reference time when the start torque current data becomes a reference current value when the current limit data are equal to or less than the maximum current value of the start torque current data, and start the engine using the starter from the reference time to a start completion time.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the battery manager is configured to check the state data of the first battery including at least one of a state of charge (SOC), a temperature, and a state of health (SOH) of the first battery, and a current value of each cell included in the first battery.

11. The device of claim 9 , wherein the battery manager is configured to check a degradation state of the first battery according to the state data of the first battery and to check the current limit data according to the degradation state of the first battery.

12. The device of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to determine that the start of the vehicle is requested when a start request signal is received, a position value of a brake pedal of the vehicle is less than or equal to a first reference value, a position value of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a second reference value, or a shifting stage of a shift lever of the vehicle is changed.

13. The device of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to check the start torque current data of the starter-generator according to at least one of a temperature of a coolant of the engine, an outside air temperature of the vehicle, and revolutions per minute of the engine included in the state data of the vehicle.

14. The device of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to check a maximum current value of the start torque current data of the starter-generator and start the engine using the starter-generator when the current limit data exceed the maximum current value of

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Jang Hwa Yong

Classifications

• F02N2200/101

  Accelerator pedal position · CPC title

• B60W2510/0676

  Engine temperature · CPC title

• F02N2300/2002

  using different starting modes, methods, or actuators depending on circumstances, e.g. engine temperature or component wear · CPC title

• B60W10/30

  including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps · CPC title

• B60W30/192

  Mitigating problems related to power-up or power-down of the driveline, e.g. start-up of a cold engine · CPC title