Dual motor electric driveline

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11945293-B2
Application number	US-202217654219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2022
Priority date	Jun 13, 2019
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

Methods and sysemteds for a driveline, comprising: a transmission having an input and an output, a power take-off (PTO), a first electric motor drivingly engaged or selectively drivingly engaged with the input of the transmission, a second electric motor, a first clutching device, and a second clutching device, wherein the second electric motor is selectively drivingly engaged with the input of the transmission through the first clutching device, and wherein the second electric motor is selectively drivingly engaged with the PTO through the second clutching device. The present document further relates to a vehicle including said dual motor electric driveline, and to a method of controlling said dual motor electric driveline.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
when a requested power or a requested torque is greater than a respective threshold, operating a driveline in a first mode, the first mode comprising engaging a first electric motor and a second electric motor to an input of a transmission; and
when the requested power or the requested torque is less than the respective threshold, operating the driveline in a second mode, the second mode comprising engaging the first electric motor to the input of the transmission and engaging the second electric motor to an input of a power take-off (PTO);
wherein the first electric motor and the second electric motor are connected to a coupling device, and the coupling device is connected to the input of the PTO and the input of the transmission, and
wherein the coupling device comprises:
a first reduction ratio between the first electric motor and the transmission, and a second reduction ratio between the second electric motor and the transmission; and
the transmission comprises a first gear ratio and a second gear ratio.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the first mode a first clutch is in a first position and a second clutch is in a second position and in the second mode the first clutch is in a second position and the second clutch is in a first position.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein when a requested PTO input is greater than a respective threshold, changing the position of the second clutch.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising synchronizing a speed of the second electric motor to a transmission speed before connecting the second electric motor to the input of the transmission.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising shifting between the first gear ratio and the second gear ratio.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising synchronizing a speed of the second electric motor to a transmission speed before connecting the second electric motor to the input of the transmission, wherein the synchronizing the speed of the second electric motor takes into account a current gear ratio.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising operating in the first gear ratio and the second gear ratio, wherein operating in the first gear ratio comprises engaging a first set of gears, and operating in the second gear ratio comprises engaging a second set of gears, and
rotationally locking one of the first set of gears or the second set of gears to an output shaft with a synchronizer.

8. A method comprising:
operating a driveline in a first mode when a requested power or a requested torque is greater than a respective threshold, the first mode comprising engaging a first electric motor and a second electric motor to an input of a transmission via one or more clutches; and
operating the driveline in a second mode when the requested power or the requested torque is less than the respective threshold, the second mode comprising engaging the first electric motor to the input of the transmission and engaging the second electric motor to an input of a power take-off (PTO) via the one or more clutches,
wherein the first electric motor and the second electric motor are connected to a coupling device, and the coupling device is connected to the input of the PTO and the input of the transmission, and
wherein the coupling device comprises:
a first reduction ratio between the first electric motor and the transmission, and a second reduction ratio between the second electric motor and the transmission; and
the transmission comprises a first gear ratio and a second gear ratio.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more clutches comprises a first clutch and a second clutch, and
wherein a state of the first clutch and a state of the second clutch are changed to engage the second electric motor to the input of the PTO or to engage the input of the transmission.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more clutches comprises a first clutch and a second clutch, and
the first clutch switches between a first state and a second state and the second clutch switches between a first state and a second state when the second electric motor is switched between being engaged with the input of the PTO and being engaged with the input of the transmission.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the coupling device comprises the one or more clutches and the one or more clutches engage an output of the second electric motor to the input of the transmission or engage the output of the second electric motor to the input of the PTO.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising switching between the first gear ratio and the second gear ratio.

13. A system comprising:
a first electric motor and a second electric motor connected to a coupling device;
the coupling device connected to a power take-off (PTO) and a transmission, the coupling device comprising one or more clutches; and
an electronic control unit (ECU) with instructions stored in memory to:
change a state of the one or more clutches to engage the first electric motor and the second electric motor to an input of the transmission when a requested motor input is greater than a respective threshold, and
change the state of the one or more clutches to engage the first electric motor to the input of the transmission and engage the second electric motor to an input of the PTO when the requested motor input is less than the respective threshold,

wherein the first electric motor and the second electric motor are connected to a coupling device, and the coupling device is connected to the input of the PTO and the input of the transmission, and
wherein the coupling device comprises:
a first reduction ratio between the first electric motor and the transmission, and a second reduction ratio between the second electric motor and the transmission; and
the transmission comprises a first gear ratio and a second gear ratio.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the ECU comprises further instructions for:
switching between the first gear ratio of the transmission and the second gear ratio of the transmission.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the transmission comprises a synchronizer; and
wherein the ECU comprises further instructions for:
synchronizing a speed of the first electric motor with a transmission speed before switching between the first gear ratio and the second gear ratio.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the ECU comprises further instructions for:
synchronizing a speed of the second electric motor with a transmission speed before engaging the second electric motor to the input of the transmission.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the ECU comprises further instructions for:
change the state of the one or more clutches to engage the transmission to the PTO such that the PTO may provide energy to the transmission or the transmission may provide energy to the PTO.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the ECU comprises further instructions for:
change the transmission to a neutral state and change the state of the one or more clutches to engage the first electric motor and the second electric motor to the input of the PTO.

Assignees

• Dana Italia Srl

Inventors

• Serrao Lorenzo
• Van Raepenbusch Filip

Classifications

• B60K1/02 Primary

  comprising more than one electric motor · CPC title

• B60K17/02

  characterised by arrangement, location, or kind of clutch · CPC title

• B60K17/06

  of change-speed gearing (B60K17/10 - B60K17/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60K23/02

  for main transmission clutches · CPC title

• B60K25/06

  from the transmission power take-off · CPC title