Electrified vehicle performance mode with intentional wheel spin for tire heating

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11685366-B2
Application number	US-202117461204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 30, 2021
Priority date	Aug 30, 2021
Publication date	Jun 27, 2023
Grant date	Jun 27, 2023

Abstract

An electrified vehicle includes a controller programmed to implement performance mode control of first and second electric machines and wheel brakes associated with wheels of respective first and second axles to provide a braking force to a first axle while providing torque to the second axle to intentionally spin the tires of the second axle to provide a peelout and associated heating or smoking of the tires to improve traction and provide a visual display of power. The maneuver may be repeated for the first axle by providing torque to the first axle while applying braking force to the second axle. A sequential maneuver that spins tires of the first axle followed by tires of the second axle may be performed by specified manipulation of the brake pedal and accelerator pedal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrified vehicle comprising:
a first electric machine configured to provide torque to wheels of at least a first axle;
an energy store coupled to the first electric machine;
wheel brakes associated with the wheels of the first axle and wheels of a second axle; and
a controller in communication with the first electric machine and the wheel brakes, the controller programmed to, during a first time period, control the wheel brakes to apply a braking torque to the wheels of only the second axle in response to brake pedal position exceeding an associated brake pedal threshold while controlling the first electric machine to apply torque to the wheels of the first axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the first axle in response to accelerator pedal position exceeding an associated accelerator pedal threshold, the accelerator pedal threshold being greater than the brake pedal threshold.

2. The electrified vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to control the first electric machine to stop applying torque to the wheels of the first axle in response to detecting movement of the wheels of the second axle.

3. The electrified vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a human-machine interface (HMI) configured to activate a performance mode in response to operator input, wherein the controller controls the first electric machine to apply torque to the wheels of the first axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the first axle only while the performance mode is activated.

4. The electrified vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to, during a second time period, control the wheel brakes to apply a braking torque to the wheels of only the first axle while controlling the first electric machine to apply torque to the wheels of the second axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the second axle in response to the accelerator pedal position exceeding the associated accelerator pedal threshold and the brake pedal position exceeding the associated brake pedal threshold.

5. The electrified vehicle of claim 4 further comprising a human-machine interface (HMI) configured to activate a performance mode in response to operator input, wherein the controller controls the first electric machine to apply torque to the wheels of the second axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the second axle only while the performance mode is activated.

6. The electrified vehicle of claim 1 further comprising:
a second electric machine configured to provide torque to wheels of at least the second axle, wherein the controller is further programmed to, during a second time period, control the wheel brakes to apply a braking torque to the wheels of only the first axle while controlling the second electric machine to apply torque to the wheels of the second axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the second axle in response to the accelerator pedal position exceeding the associated accelerator pedal threshold and the brake pedal position exceeding the associated brake pedal threshold.

7. The electrified vehicle of claim 6 wherein the second time period is automatically initiated by the controller in response to expiration of the first time period such that the controller automatically controls spinning of the wheels of the second axle immediately following spinning of the wheels of the first axle.

8. The electrified vehicle of claim 6 wherein the controller is further programmed to limit wheel speed of the spinning wheels to a maximum spinning threshold speed, and programmed to limit the first time period and the second time period based on tire temperature of the spinning wheels.

9. A method for controlling an electrified vehicle having a first electric machine configured to provide torque to wheels of a first axle and a second electric machine configured to provide torque to wheels of a second axle, the method comprising, by a controller:
in response to accelerator pedal position exceeding a first threshold and brake pedal positions exceeding a second threshold higher than the first threshold:
applying braking torque to the wheels of the first axle while controlling the second electric machine to apply driving torque to the wheels of the second axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the second axle.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
applying braking torque to the wheels of the second axle while controlling the first electric machine to apply driving torque to the wheels of the first axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the first axle.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein controlling the first electric machine and the second electric machine to apply driving torque to spin the wheels of the first and second axles, respectively, is performed only while a track mode is activated.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein controlling the first and second electric machines comprises limiting associated wheel spin speed to a corresponding maximum threshold spin speed.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein controlling the first and second electric machines comprises applying driving torque for a predetermined time based on estimated tire temperature.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising receiving input from a human-machine interface (HMI) indicative of selection of a wheel spin operating mode.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising reducing the driving torque applied by the second electric machine to zero in response to wheel speed of the wheels of the first axle exceeding an associated threshold while applying the braking torque to the wheels of the first axle.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising reducing the driving torque applied by the first electric machine to zero in response to wheel speed of the wheels of the second axle exceeding an associated threshold while applying the braking torque to the wheels of the second axle.

17. A system comprising:
a first electric machine configured to provide propulsive torque to wheels of a first axle;
a second electric machine configured to provide propulsive torque to wheels of a second axle;
an electric energy store configured to power the first and second electric machines;
a braking system configured to apply a braking torque to the wheels of the first and second axles;
a human-machine interface (HMI) configured to receive input from, and provide output to, a vehicle operator; and
a controller in communication with the first and second electric machines, the braking system, and the HMI, the controller programmed to, in response to activation of a tire heating selection via the HMI and concurrent depression of an accelerator pedal to a position exceeding a first threshold and a brake pedal to a position exceeding a second threshold, wherein the first threshold is higher than the second threshold:
command the braking system to apply braking torque to the wheels of the first axle while commanding the second electric machine to apply driving torque to the wheels of the second axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the second axle at a predetermined maximum speed during a first time period; and
after expiration of the first time period, command the braking system to release braking torque to the wheels of the first axle and apply braking torque to the wheels of the second axle while commanding the first electric machine to apply driving torque to wheels of the first axle to intentionally spin the wheels of the first axle at a predetermined maximum speed during a second time period.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the controller is fu

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Maddi Reddy Nithesh
• Hurst Neil

Classifications

• B60W2050/146

  Display means · CPC title

• B60W30/02 Primary

  Control of vehicle driving stability · CPC title

• B60W10/192

  electric brakes · CPC title

• B60W2540/10

  Accelerator pedal position · CPC title

• B60W10/08

  including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators · CPC title