Electrical architecture of a hybrid vehicle, hybrid vehicle and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9453458-B2
Application number	US-201214129825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2012
Priority date	Jun 28, 2011
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

An electrical architecture of a hybrid motor vehicle including a combustion engine driving an alternator that recharges a low-voltage on-board battery connected to a starter of and to a vehicle on-board network, an electric traction machine powered by a high-voltage traction battery, and a hybrid transmission including a coupling mechanism that can occupy at least a first position in which the combustion engine is uncoupled from the drive train connecting the electric machine to vehicle wheels, a second position in which the wheels are driven by the combustion engine with or without top-up from the electric machine, and a third position in which the combustion engine and the electric machine are coupled to combine their respective torques, bound for the wheels. The combustion engine and the alternator constitute an electricity generator configured to supply energy requirements of the traction electric machine in an electric mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical architecture of a hybrid motor vehicle comprising:
a combustion engine driving an alternator that recharges a low-voltage on-board battery connected to a starter of the combustion engine and to a vehicle on-board network;
an electric traction machine powered by a high-voltage traction battery; and
a hybrid transmission including coupling means that can occupy at least a first position in which the combustion engine is uncoupled from a drive train connecting the electric machine to wheels of the vehicle, a second position in which the wheels are driven by the combustion engine with or without top-up from the electric machine, and a third position in which the combustion engine and the electric machine are coupled to combine their respective torques, bound for the wheels, wherein in the third position the coupling means connects a solid shaft, connected to the combustion engine, to a hollow shaft, connected to the electric machine, wherein the solid shaft is disposed within an interior space of the hollow shaft;
wherein the combustion engine and the alternator constitute an electricity generator set configured to supply energy requirements of the electric traction machine in an electric mode.

2. The electrical architecture as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the traction battery and on-board battery are connected by a voltage transformer enabling voltage between the traction battery and the on-board battery to be reduced.

3. The electrical architecture as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the voltage transformer has a reversible functioning enabling it to raise a voltage of a charging current circulating from the on-board battery in a direction of the traction battery.

4. The electrical architecture as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the alternator is a high-voltage alternator directly connectable to the traction battery.

5. The electrical architecture as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the alternator is connected to the traction battery via a connection point that is between the voltage transformer and the traction battery.

6. A hybrid vehicle, comprising an electrical architecture according to claim 1 .

7. The electrical architecture as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the solid shaft is connected to a flywheel of the combustion engine and the hollow shaft is connected to a rotor of the electric machine.

8. A control method of a hybrid vehicle that includes a combustion engine driving an alternator that recharges a low-voltage on-board battery connected to a starter of the combustion engine and to a vehicle on-board network; an electric traction machine powered by a high-voltage traction battery; and hybrid transmission including coupling means that can occupy at least a first position in which the combustion engine is uncoupled from a drive train connecting the electric machine to wheels of the vehicle, a second position in which the wheels are driven by the combustion engine with or without top-up from the electric machine, and a third position in which the combustion engine and the electric machine are coupled to combine their respective torques, bound for the wheels, wherein in the third position the coupling means connects a solid shaft, connected to the combustion engine, to a hollow shaft, connected to the electric machine, wherein the solid shaft is disposed within an interior space of the hollow shaft; wherein the combustion engine and the alternator constitute an electricity generator set configured to supply energy requirements of the electric traction machine in an electric mode, the method comprising:
recharging the traction battery while the vehicle is traveling in the electric mode.

9. The control method of a hybrid vehicle as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the combustion engine is used as a generator to recharge the traction battery when the vehicle is moving off in electric mode.

10. The control method as claimed in claim 8 , using the electric machine as an only source of driving energy up to a speed threshold, and then coupling the combustion engine to the wheels.

11. The control method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the electric traction machine is used as an only source of driving energy up to a speed threshold, beyond which operation can pass to a hybrid mode or to a combustion mode.

Assignees

• Vignon Antoine
• Fremau Nicolas
• Randi Sid-Ali
• Renault Sa

Inventors

• Vignon Antoine
• Fremau Nicolas
• Randi Sid-Ali

Classifications

• B60K6/48

  Parallel type · CPC title

• B60Y2400/607

  Axial flux machines · CPC title

• B60K6/28 Primary

  characterised by the electric energy storing means, e.g. batteries or capacitors · CPC title

• B60Y2400/112

  Batteries · CPC title

• B60Y2400/428

  Double clutch arrangements; Dual clutches · CPC title