Independent clutch and power device control of a multi-mode electro-mechanical infinitely variable transmission operating without electric energy storage device

US12459491B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12459491-B2
Application numberUS-202217661887-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateMay 3, 2022
Priority dateMay 3, 2022
Publication dateNov 4, 2025
Grant dateNov 4, 2025

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A method and system for operating a multi-mode electro-mechanical infinitely variable transmission (EMIVT) that is coupled to an engine and includes two electric machines is described. In one example, operating modes of the two electric machines are controlled without regard to vehicle speed and system conditions that are external to the two electric machines.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

The invention claimed is: 1 . A driveline, comprising: a transmission including a first electric machine, a second electric machine, a planetary gear set, and a DC voltage bus; an internal combustion engine coupled to the transmission; and a controller including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory that cause the controller to operate the first electric machine in a first electric machine voltage control mode and the second electric machine in a second electric machine torque control mode in response to a speed of the second electric machine being less than a second threshold speed for voltage regulation of the DC voltage bus and a speed of the first electric machine being greater than a first threshold speed for voltage regulation of the DC voltage bus while operating the internal combustion engine in an engine torque control mode, and wherein the engine is operated in only the engine torque control mode and not in speed control mode for all vehicle speeds and all driver demand torque requests. 2 . The driveline of claim 1 , further comprising additional instruction to operate the second electric machine in a second electric machine voltage control mode and the first electric machine in a first electric machine torque control mode in response to the speed of the second electric machine being greater than the second threshold speed for voltage regulation of the DC voltage bus and the speed of the first electric machine being less than the first threshold speed for voltage regulation of the DC voltage bus while operating the internal combustion engine in the engine torque control mode, wherein the engine torque is adjusted via an engine actuator including one or more of a throttle, a cam phase adjuster, a fuel injector, and a turbocharger waste gate during the engine torque control mode. 3 . The driveline of claim 2 , further comprising additional instruction to operate the first electric machine in the first electric machine voltage control mode and the second electric machine in the second electric machine torque control mode in further response to the second electric machine being power limited for voltage regulation of the DC voltage bus. 4 . The driveline of claim 3 , further comprising additional instruction to operate the second electric machine in the second electric machine voltage control mode and the first electric machine in the first electric machine torque control mode in further response to the first electric machine being power limited for voltage regulation of the DC voltage bus. 5 . The driveline of claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle that includes the driveline, and where the internal combustion engine is operated in the engine torque control mode while the vehicle is operated at zero speed and at all times when the vehicle is traveling at speeds above zero speed, wherein the engine torque control mode comprises commanding the engine to follow a requested torque. 6 . The driveline of claim 1 , where the controller is a driveline controller, and wherein the engine is operated in the engine torque control mode in response to an electric energy storage device not being present or coupled to the DC bus. 7 . The driveline of claim 6 , further comprising and engine controller configured to adjust one or more actuators such that the internal combustion engine generates a torque requested via the driveline controller, and wherein the engine speed increases and decreases during the engine torque control mode.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US12459491B2 cover?
A method and system for operating a multi-mode electro-mechanical infinitely variable transmission (EMIVT) that is coupled to an engine and includes two electric machines is described. In one example, operating modes of the two electric machines are controlled without regard to vehicle speed and system conditions that are external to the two electric machines.
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Dana Belgium Nv
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification B60W20/40. Mapped technology areas include Operations & Transport.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Nov 04 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 7 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).