Powertrain for a vehicle and a method of assembling the powertrain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9573454-B2
Application number	US-201615051133-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2016
Priority date	Mar 13, 2014
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

A powertrain for a vehicle includes an engine and a method of assembling the powertrain includes providing the engine. A starter mechanism is selectively operable to start the engine. A motor-generator includes an adapter to dispose the motor-generator and the starter mechanism in alternative assembly configurations being a first assembly configuration and a second assembly configuration. The first assembly configuration is when the starter mechanism is coupleable to the adapter to selectively transfer torque from the motor-generator through the adapter and the starter mechanism to start the engine. The second assembly configuration is when the starter mechanism is spaced from the adapter to operate independently of the motor-generator such that the starter mechanism selectively transfers torque to start the engine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A powertrain for a vehicle, the powertrain comprising:
an engine;
a starter mechanism selectively operable to start the engine; and
a motor-generator including an adapter to dispose the motor-generator and the starter mechanism in alternative assembly configurations being a first assembly configuration and a second assembly configuration, with the first assembly configuration being when the starter mechanism is coupleable to the adapter to selectively transfer torque from the motor-generator through the adapter and the starter mechanism to start the engine, and the second assembly configuration being when the starter mechanism is spaced from the adapter to operate independently of the motor-generator such that the starter mechanism selectively transfers torque to start the engine.

2. A powertrain as set forth in claim 1 wherein the motor-generator includes a motor/generator shaft selectively rotatable about a first axis, with the adapter coupled to the motor/generator shaft.

3. A powertrain as set forth in claim 2 wherein the motor-generator includes a sensor disposed about the motor/generator shaft to detect a position of the motor/generator shaft during rotation of the motor/generator shaft.

4. A powertrain as set forth in claim 2 wherein the adapter is disposed at a distal end of the motor/generator shaft, with the adapter including a first coupling portion.

5. A powertrain as set forth in claim 4 wherein the first coupling portion is splined.

6. A powertrain as set forth in claim 4 further including a first gear coupled to the first coupling portion of the adapter when in the first assembly configuration.

7. A powertrain as set forth in claim 6 further including a first shaft having the first gear attached to the first shaft, with the first shaft attached to the first coupling portion when in the first assembly configuration such that the first shaft, the first gear and the motor/generator shaft are rotatable in unison.

8. A powertrain as set forth in claim 7 wherein the first shaft includes a second coupling portion engaging the first coupling portion of the adapter when in the first assembly configuration, with the first gear spaced from the second coupling portion.

9. A powertrain as set forth in claim 6 further including a ring gear attached to a crankshaft and wherein the starter mechanism includes a first starter gear being engagable with the ring gear to selectively start the engine, and wherein the starter mechanism includes a second starter gear coupleable to the first gear when in the first assembly configuration.

10. A powertrain as set forth in claim 9 wherein the first starter gear is movable to selectively engage the ring gear, and the second starter gear is movable to selectively engage the first gear, and when the first starter gear engages the ring gear and the second starter gear engages the first gear, the motor/generator shaft, the first gear, the first and second starter gears and the ring gear rotate concurrently with each other to transfer torque from the motor/generator shaft through the adapter, the first and second starter gears and the ring gear to the crankshaft to start the engine.

11. A powertrain as set forth in claim 4 wherein the starter mechanism is further defined as a starter clutch coupleable to the first coupling portion of the adapter when in the first assembly configuration to selectively connect rotation between the motor/generator shaft and the starter mechanism to selectively transfer torque to start the engine.

12. A powertrain as set forth in claim 1 wherein the starter mechanism includes a motor when in the second assembly configuration and operates independently of the motor-generator such that the motor of the starter mechanism selectively transfers torque to start the engine, with the motor spaced from the adapter.

13. A powertrain as set forth in claim 12 further including a ring gear attached to a crankshaft and wherein the starter mechanism includes a first starter gear being engagable with the ring gear to selectively rotate the ring gear and the crankshaft to start the engine, and wherein the motor of the starter mechanism is coupled to the first starter gear to selectively rotate the first starter gear.

14. A powertrain as set forth in claim 1 wherein the motor-generator and the starter mechanism are selectively geared to each other through the adapter when in the first assembly configuration to selectively start the engine.

15. A powertrain as set forth in claim 1 wherein the starter mechanism operates independently of the motor-generator when in the second assembly configuration to selectively start the engine.

16. A powertrain as set forth in claim 1 wherein the starter mechanism is further defined as a starter clutch coupleable to the motor-generator through the adapter when in the first assembly configuration to selectively transfer torque from the motor-generator through the adapter and the starter mechanism to start the engine.

17. A powertrain as set forth in claim 1 :
wherein the motor-generator includes a motor/generator shaft and a motor/generator pulley coupleable to the motor/generator shaft, with the motor/generator pulley being disposed adjacent to a first end of the motor-generator and being rotatable about a first axis;
wherein the adapter is disposed adjacent to a second end of the motor-generator;
further including a crankshaft and a crankshaft pulley coupleable to the crankshaft such that the crankshaft pulley and the crankshaft are rotatable in unison about a longitudinal axis; and
further including an endless rotatable device disposed about the crankshaft pulley and the motor/generator pulley to selectively transfer rotational movement between the crankshaft pulley and the motor/generator pulley.

18. A powertrain for a vehicle, the powertrain comprising:
an engine including a housing and a crankshaft at least partially disposed inside the housing;
a starter mechanism selectively operable to rotate the crankshaft to start the engine; and
a motor-generator including an adapter to dispose the motor-generator and the starter mechanism in alternative assembly configurations being a first assembly configuration and a second assembly configuration, with the first assembly configuration being when the starter mechanism is coupleable to the adapter to selectively transfer torque from the motor-generator through the adapter and the starter mechanism to the crankshaft to start the engine, and the second assembly configuration being when the starter mechanism is spaced from the adapter to operate independently of the motor-generator such that the starter mechanism selectively transfers torque to the crankshaft to start the engine.

19. A powertrain as set forth in claim 18 wherein the motor-generator includes a motor/generator shaft selectively rotatable about a first axis, with the adapter coupled to the motor/generator shaft and wherein the motor-generator includes a sensor disposed about the motor/generator shaft to detect a position of the motor/generator shaft during rotation of the motor/generator shaft.

20. A method of assembling a powertrain, the method comprising:
providing an engine;
coupling a motor-generator to the engine, with the motor-generator including an adapter;
providing a starter mechanism being selectively operable to start the engine; and
assembling the motor-generator and the starter mechanism in a first assembly configuration when the starter mechanism is coupleable to the adapter

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Holmes Alan G
• Rajala Alexandru
• Namuduri Chandra S
• Atluri Venkata Prasad

Classifications

• Y02T10/62

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title

• B60K6/22 Primary

  characterised by apparatus, components or means specially adapted for HEVs · CPC title

• Y10S903/909

  Gearing · CPC title

• Y10S903/904

  Component specially adapted for hev · CPC title

• B60K6/485

  Motor-assist type · CPC title