Hybrid powertrain coordination during a diesel particulate filter regeneration event

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9254838-B2
Application number	US-201213616857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2012
Priority date	Jun 5, 2012
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A hybrid diesel-electric powertrain includes an electric motor in electrical communication with a traction battery, a diesel engine in power-flow communication with the electric motor and with an automatic transmission, and a controller. The diesel engine and electric motor are configured to provide a combined torque to the automatic transmission. The powertrain further includes an exhaust aftertreatment device in fluid communication with the diesel engine. The controller is configured to: receive a regeneration request from the exhaust aftertreatment device; determine if a state-of-charge of the fraction battery is within a predetermined range of a target value; initiate a regeneration event if the state-of-charge of the traction battery is within the predetermined range of the target value; receive an immediate torque request from the automatic transmission; and provide a torque command to the electric motor in response to the immediate torque request.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling a vehicle powertrain during an aftertreatment regeneration event, the powertrain including an electric motor in power-flow communication with a diesel engine, the method comprising:
receiving a regeneration request;
determining if a state-of-charge of a traction battery is within a predetermined range of a target value;
initiating the regeneration event if the state-of-charge of the traction battery is within the predetermined range of the target value;
receiving an immediate torque request from a transmission control module in response to a request for an automatic gear change, wherein the immediate torque request is a momentary negative torque request that is operative to decrease the torque transmitted through an automatic transmission to facilitate the automatic gear change; and
operating the electric motor in response to the immediate torque request.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein initiating the regeneration event includes increasing the ratio of fuel-to-air provided to the diesel engine to a level greater than a stoichiometric balance.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein operating the electric motor in response to the immediate torque request includes operating the electric motor as a generator to produce a negative output torque.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising drawing-down the state-of-charge of the traction battery if the state-of-charge is above the predetermined range.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising regenerating the state-of-charge of the traction battery if the state-of-charge is below the predetermined range.

6. A hybrid diesel-electric powertrain comprising:
an electric motor in electrical communication with a traction battery;
a diesel engine in power-flow communication with the electric motor and with an automatic transmission, the diesel engine and electric motor configured to provide a combined torque to the automatic transmission;
an exhaust aftertreatment device in fluid communication with the diesel engine, the exhaust aftertreatment device including a lean NOx trap;
a controller in communication with the electric motor, the diesel engine, and the automatic transmission, the controller configured to:
receive a regeneration request from the exhaust aftertreatment device;
determine if a state-of-charge of the traction battery is within a predetermined range of a target value;
initiate a regeneration event if the state-of-charge of the traction battery is within the predetermined range of the target value;
receive an immediate torque request from the automatic transmission in response to a request for an automatic gear change, wherein the immediate torque request is a momentary negative torque request that is operative to decrease the torque transmitted through the automatic transmission to facilitate the automatic gear change; and
provide a torque command to the electric motor in response to the immediate torque request.

7. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to initiate the regeneration event by increasing a ratio of fuel-to-air provided to the diesel engine to a level greater than a stoichiometric balance.

8. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 6 , wherein the torque command provided to the electric motor is configured to operate the electric motor as a generator to produce a negative output torque from the motor.

9. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to draw down the state-of-charge of the traction battery if the state-of-charge is above the predetermined range.

10. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to regenerate the state-of-charge of the traction battery if the state-of-charge is below the predetermined range.

11. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 6 , wherein the exhaust aftertreatment device is configured to provide a regeneration request when the pressure drop across the aftertreatment device exceeds a threshold pressure drop.

12. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 6 , wherein the immediate torque request includes a request for an immediate change in combined torque; and
wherein the electric motor supplies substantially all of the immediate change in combined torque in response to the immediate torque response during the regeneration event.

13. A hybrid diesel-electric powertrain comprising:
an electric motor in electrical communication with a traction battery;
a diesel engine in power-flow communication with the electric motor and with an automatic transmission, the diesel engine and electric motor configured to provide a combined torque to the automatic transmission;
an exhaust aftertreatment device in fluid communication with the diesel engine, the exhaust aftertreatment device including a lean NOx trap;
a controller in communication with the electric motor, the diesel engine, and an the automatic transmission, the controller configured to:
receive a regeneration request from the exhaust aftertreatment device;
determine if a state-of-charge of the traction battery is within a predetermined range of a target value;
initiate a regeneration event if the state-of-charge of the traction battery is within the predetermined range of the target value;
receive an immediate torque request from the automatic transmission in response to a request for an automatic gear change, the immediate torque request including a request for the combined torque to momentarily approach zero to facilitate the gear change; and
provide a negative torque command to the electric motor in response to the immediate torque request.

14. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 13 , wherein the negative torque command provided to the electric motor is configured to operate the electric motor as a generator to produce a negative output torque from the motor.

15. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to draw down the state-of-charge of the traction battery if the state-of-charge is above the predetermined range.

16. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to regenerate the state-of-charge of the traction battery if the state-of-charge is below the predetermined range.

17. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 13 , wherein the exhaust aftertreatment device is configured to provide a regeneration request when the pressure drop across the aftertreatment device exceeds a threshold pressure drop.

18. The hybrid diesel-electric powertrain of claim 6 , wherein the immediate torque request includes a request for an immediate change in combined torque; and
wherein the electric motor supplies substantially all of the immediate change in combined torque in response to the immediate torque response during the regeneration event.

Assignees

• Whitney Christopher E
• Scavone Luca
• Heap Anthony H
• Gm Global Tech Operations Inc

Inventors

• Whitney Christopher E
• Scavone Luca
• Heap Anthony H

Classifications

• Y02T10/62

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• B60W2510/244

  Charge state · CPC title

• B60W20/1082 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60W10/115

  with planetary gears · CPC title