Front end accessory drive with multiple speed ratios

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11566561-B2
Application number	US-202016995240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2020
Priority date	Aug 17, 2020
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine having a crankshaft, an electric machine having a shaft, and a front end accessory drive (FEAD). The FEAD includes a multi-speed pulley assembly mounted to one of the crankshaft and the shaft, a pulley mounted to the other of the crankshaft and the shaft, and a tension member trained around the multi-speed pulley assembly and the pulley. The multi-speed pulley assembly is configured to establish a low speed ratio between the shaft and the crankshaft and a high speed ratio between the shaft and the crankshaft. A vehicle controller is programmed to, in switch between the high speed ratio and the low speed ratio to optimize operating conditions of the FEAD.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
an engine including a crankshaft;
an electric machine including a shaft;
a front end accessory drive (FEAD) including a tension member operably connecting the crankshaft and the shaft and a gearing arrangement configured to establish a first speed ratio between the crankshaft and the shaft when in a first condition and a second speed ratio between the crankshaft and the shaft when in a second condition, wherein the second speed ratio is higher than the first speed ratio; and
a controller programmed to:
in response to a request to start the engine with the electric machine, (i) command the gearing arrangement to the second condition and (ii) command the electric machine to start the engine, and
in response to (i) the engine being OFF, (ii) a speed of the vehicle being greater than zero and less than two miles per hour, and (iii) the driver depressing an accelerator pedal, (i) command the gearing arrangement to the second condition and (ii) command the electric machine to start the engine.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to an electrical power output of the electric machine being less than a desired value, command the gearing arrangement to the second condition to increase the electrical power output.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to a request for regenerative braking with the electric machine, command the gearing arrangement to the second condition to increase an electrical power output of the electric machine and increase a negative torque at the crankshaft.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gearing arrangement is mounted to the shaft of the electric machine.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gearing arrangement is mounted to the crankshaft.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gearing arrangement includes a planetary gearset.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the gearing arrangement further includes an electrically controllable clutch operate to place the gearing arrangement in the first and second conditions.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the gearing arrangement includes:
an electrically controllable clutch,
a pulley engageable with the tension member, and
a planetary gearset having a sun gear fixed to the clutch, a ring gear fixed to the pulley, and a planet carrier fixed to the crankshaft or the shaft of the electric machine, wherein the gearing arrangement is in the first condition when the clutch is disengaged and is in the second condition when the clutch is engaged.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:
a water pump including a pulley connected to the tension member; and
an air-conditioning unit including a pulley connected to the tension member.

10. A vehicle comprising:
an engine including a crankshaft;
an electric machine including a shaft;
a front end accessory drive (FEAD) including a tension member operably connecting the crankshaft and the shaft and a gearing arrangement configured to establish a first speed ratio between the crankshaft and the shaft when in a first condition and a second speed ratio between the crankshaft and the shaft when in a second condition, wherein the second speed ratio is higher than the first speed ratio, wherein the gearing arrangement includes:
an electrically controllable clutch,
a pulley engageable with the tension member,
a planetary gearset having a sun gear fixed to the clutch, a ring gear fixed to the pulley, and a planet carrier fixed to the crankshaft or the shaft of the electric machine, wherein the gearing arrangement is in the first condition when the clutch is disengaged and is in the second condition when the clutch is engaged, and

a one-way clutch connected between the ring gear and the sun gear; and
a controller programmed to, in response to a request to start the engine with the electric machine, (i) command the gearing arrangement to the second condition and (ii) command the electric machine to start the engine.

11. A vehicle comprising:
an engine including a crankshaft;
an electric machine including a shaft;
a front end accessory drive (FEAD) including a multi-speed pulley assembly mounted to one of the crankshaft and the shaft, a pulley mounted to the other of the crankshaft and the shaft, and a tension member trained around the multi-speed pulley assembly and the pulley, wherein the multi-speed pulley assembly is configured to establish a low speed ratio between the shaft and the crankshaft and a high speed ratio between the shaft and the crankshaft; and
a controller programmed to:
in response to a request for regenerative braking with the electric machine, command the multi-speed pulley assembly to establish the high speed ratio, and
in response to (i) the engine being OFF, (ii) a speed of the vehicle being greater than zero and less than two miles per hour, and (iii) the driver depressing an accelerator pedal, command the multi-speed pulley assembly to establish the high speed ratio.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to a request to start the engine with the electric machine, command the multi-speed pulley assembly to establish the high speed ratio.

13. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to an electrical power output of the electric machine being less than a desired value, command the multi-speed pulley assembly to establish the high speed ratio.

14. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the multi-speed pulley assembly is mounted to the shaft of the electric machine.

15. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the multi-speed pulley assembly is mounted to the crankshaft.

16. The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the multi-speed pulley assembly includes a second pulley and a gearing arrangement, wherein the gearing arrangement rotationally fixes the second pulley to the crankshaft when in the low speed ratio and the second pulley rotates faster than the crankshaft when in the high speed ratio.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Papaioannou George Aristidis
• Vaughn Timothy
• Dahlin Nicholas
• Brevick John Edward

Classifications

• B60K2025/005

  driven by electric motors forming part of the propulsion unit · CPC title

• F02B67/06 Primary

  driven by means of chains, belts, or like endless members · CPC title

• F02B2275/06

  Endless member is a belt · CPC title

• F02N15/046

  of the planetary type · CPC title

• F02N11/04 Primary

  the motors being associated with current generators · CPC title