Electronic control device for automatically switching coupling and torque conversion working conditions of hydraulic torque converter
By designing an electronic control device that is coupled with torque converter and automatic switching of torque variable operating conditions, the smooth transition of power mode switching of torque converter is achieved by using the coordinated design of a single oil circuit and multiple valves, and the problem of seamless power connection in the existing technology is solved, reducing the sense of pause and manufacturing cost.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510586814.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-05-08
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-13
AI Technical Summary
It is difficult for existing torque converters to achieve seamless power connection among new energy hybrid models, resulting in power interruption or stutterance.
An electronic control device for coupling and automatic switching of torque converter operating conditions is designed. The torque converter lock is controlled by a single oil circuit, and the flow direction of the closed oil circuit is switched by opening and closing of the locking return valve, unlocking return valve, unlocking control valve, and locking control valve, thereby realizing the locking and unlocking of the torque converter, and pressure compensation is performed through the hydraulic oil pump.
The smooth transition of power mode switching is achieved, which reduces the sense of pause, simplifies the structural structure of the torque converter assembly, reduces manufacturing costs, and supports coordinated control with the hybrid system.
Smart Images
Figure CN120140435A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of hydraulic torque converter control, and particularly to an electronic control device for automatically switching between the coupling and torque conversion working conditions of a hydraulic torque converter. Background Technique
[0002] A hydraulic torque converter includes a pump impeller, a turbine, a stator, and a lock-up clutch. The stator is sleeved on the output shaft of the hydraulic torque converter via a one-way clutch. The pump impeller is connected to the output shaft of the engine through a pump housing, the turbine is sleeved on the output shaft of the torque converter, and the pump impeller and the turbine transmit torque through a liquid and increase the torque through the stator. The lock-up clutch is sleeved on the turbine shaft through a spline and is used to control the rigid connection between the turbine and the pump housing. Through the lock-up clutch, the hydraulic torque converter has two working states: coupling and torque conversion, corresponding to the locking and unlocking of the lock-up clutch. That is, when the lock-up clutch is locked, the pump impeller and the turbine are coupled, and the engine output power can be transmitted to the transmission (the output shaft of the hydraulic torque converter) by 100%; when the lock-up clutch is unlocked, the pump impeller and the turbine perform torque conversion, and the engine output power is reduced, but when there is a speed difference between the pump impeller and the turbine, the torque output can be increased. Thus, the switching between the flexible connection and the rigid connection between the engine output shaft and the transmission is realized.
[0003] The locking and unlocking of the lock-up clutch are usually controlled by switching multiple hydraulic oil circuits and controlling the locking and unlocking of the lock-up clutch through the pressure output of a hydraulic oil pump.
[0004] In a new energy hybrid vehicle, when the traditional transmission is retained, the seamless connection of power in the hybrid mode or the engine direct drive mode is completed based on the hydraulic torque converter, avoiding power interruption or jerks. The purpose of this application is to propose an electronic control to achieve seamless connection of power and reduce the sense of jerk. Summary of the Invention
[0005] In view of the requirements for the use of the existing hydraulic torque converter in new energy hybrid vehicle models proposed in the background technique, the present invention provides an electronic control device for automatically switching between the coupling and torque conversion working conditions of a hydraulic torque converter, which has the advantages of single oil circuit control for torque converter locking, smooth transition of power mode switching, and valve pressure compensation, and solves the problems proposed in the above background technique.
[0006] The present invention provides the following technical solution: An electronic control device for automatically switching between the coupling and torque conversion working conditions of a hydraulic torque converter, including a stator shaft, a torque converter output shaft, and a pump housing. One end of an oil circuit led out inside the stator shaft is a locking oil port, and one end of an oil circuit led out inside the torque converter output shaft is an unlocking oil port. The unlocking oil port and the locking oil port are communicated to form a closed oil circuit, and the flow direction of the closed oil circuit is switched to control the coupling and torque conversion of the hydraulic torque converter.
[0007] Preferably, unlocking control valves and locking control valves are respectively arranged at the closing sections of the unlocking oil port and the locking oil port, a pump oil inlet is arranged between the unlocking control valve and the locking control valve, a branch is arranged on each of the pipe sections between the unlocking control valve and the unlocking oil port and between the locking control valve and the locking oil port, a locking return valve and an unlocking return valve are respectively arranged on the two branches, and the two branches are connected to the pump oil tank after converging.
[0008] Preferably, when the unlocking control valve and the unlocking return valve are opened synchronously, the locking control valve and the locking return valve are closed synchronously; on the contrary, when the unlocking control valve and the unlocking return valve are closed synchronously, the locking control valve and the locking return valve are opened synchronously.
[0009] Preferably, the valve openings of the unlocking control valve and the locking control valve are controlled steplessly.
[0010] Preferably, at the instant when the unlocking control valve is fully opened, the valve core opening of the unlocking return valve is half open; at the instant when the locking control valve is fully opened, the valve core opening of the locking return valve is half open.
[0011] Preferably, a pressure sensor for detecting the hydraulic pressure is fixedly installed on one side of the pump housing to obtain pressure data in real time, and according to the rated pressure data, the hydraulic oil pump is controlled to perform pressure compensation on the pressure data to the rated pressure data.
[0012] Preferably, the electronic control device for automatically switching the coupling and torque conversion working conditions of the torque converter is applied to the power mode switching process of a new energy hybrid vehicle.
[0013] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The present invention realizes the switching of the flow direction of the closed oil circuit through the opening and closing of the locking return valve, the unlocking return valve, the unlocking control valve and the locking control valve, thereby realizing the locking and unlocking of the torque converter. The single oil circuit can simplify the structural configuration of the torque converter assembly, reduce the manufacturing cost, and support the coordinated control with the hybrid system.
[0014] 2. The present invention delays the exhaustion of the pressure by controlling the valve opening of the oil outlet end to obtain short-term slip friction, can realize the smooth transition of power switching, reduce the sense of jerk, and realize the seamless mode switching with a response speed of milliseconds.
[0015] 3. The present invention performs pressure compensation on the oil circuit through the hydraulic oil pump, which can extend the service life of the locking return valve and the unlocking return valve. At the same time, the locking return valve and the unlocking return valve can also reduce the requirement for the pressure control accuracy of the hydraulic oil pump. Description of the Drawings
[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic oil circuit of the torque converter of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the state of the unlocking control valve of the torque converter of the present invention; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the state of the lock control valve of the torque converter of the present invention; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the slip friction control during the unlocking process of the torque converter of the present invention; Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the slip friction control during the locking process of the torque converter of the present invention.
[0017] In the figure: 1, stator shaft; 2, output shaft of the torque converter; 3, guide wheel; 4, pump impeller; 5, turbine; 6, pump housing; 7, lock-up clutch; 8, unlocking oil port; 9, locking oil port; 11, locking return valve; 12, unlocking return valve; 21, unlocking control valve; 22, locking control valve. Specific embodiments
[0018] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
[0019] Please refer to Figure 1 , a lock-up torque converter, including a stator shaft 1. The inside of the stator shaft 1 is movably sleeved with an output shaft 2 of the torque converter through a bearing. One end of the output shaft 2 of the torque converter is connected to the input shaft of the gearbox, and the other end of the output shaft 2 of the torque converter is fixedly sleeved with a turbine 5. The outside of the stator shaft 1 is movably sleeved with a pump impeller 4 through a bearing. The pump impeller 4 is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the engine through a pump housing 6. A guide wheel 3 is arranged between the pump impeller 4 and the turbine 5. The guide wheel 3 is movably sleeved on the outside of the stator shaft 1 through a one-way clutch. A lock-up clutch 7 is sleeved on the end of the output shaft 2 of the torque converter through a spline, and the lock-up clutch 7 abuts against the pump housing 6 to achieve rigid transmission.
[0020] An electronic control device for automatically switching the coupling and torque conversion working conditions of a torque converter forms a connected oil circuit in sequence through the inside of the output shaft 2 of the torque converter, one side of the pump housing 6, the lock-up clutch 7, the turbine 5, the pump impeller 4, and the inside of the stator shaft 1. One end of the oil circuit led out from the inside of the output shaft 2 of the torque converter is an unlocking oil port 8, and one end of the oil circuit led out from the inside of the stator shaft 1 is a locking oil port 9.
[0021] Connect the unlocking oil port 8 and the locking oil port 9 to form a closed oil circuit, and respectively install an unlocking control valve 21 and a locking control valve 22 at the closed sections of the unlocking oil port 8 and the locking oil port 9. A pump oil inlet is arranged between the unlocking control valve 21 and the locking control valve 22. A branch is arranged on each of the pipe sections between the unlocking control valve 21 and the unlocking oil port 8 and between the locking control valve 22 and the locking oil port 9. A locking return valve 11 and an unlocking return valve 12 are respectively arranged on the two branches. After the two branches converge, they are connected to the pump oil tank. When the unlocking control valve 21 and the unlocking return valve 12 are opened synchronously, the locking control valve 22 and the locking return valve 11 are closed synchronously; conversely, when the unlocking control valve 21 and the unlocking return valve 12 are closed synchronously, the locking control valve 22 and the locking return valve 11 are opened synchronously.
[0022] Thus, the flow direction of the closed oil circuit can be switched by controlling the opening and closing of the four valves, thereby controlling the unlocking and locking of the lock-up clutch 7. Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the lock-up clutch 7 is in the unlocked state. Correspondingly, the engine is flexibly connected to the transmission to achieve torque conversion; refer to Figure 3 , the lock-up clutch 7 is in the locked state. Correspondingly, the engine is rigidly connected to the transmission to achieve coupling.
[0023] By jointly controlling the oil circuit direction with four valves, the unlocking and locking control of the lock-up clutch 7 can be realized by a single oil circuit, simplifying the structural configuration of the torque converter assembly and reducing the manufacturing cost.
[0024] Among them, the valve openings of the unlocking control valve 21 and the locking control valve 22 are steplessly controlled. That is, there is an instant when the unlocking control valve 21 is fully open and the unlocking return valve 12 is half open, or an instant when the locking control valve 22 is fully open and the locking return valve 11 is half open.
[0025] Refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , at the instant when the unlocking control valve 21 is fully open, the valve core opening of the unlocking return valve 12 is half open, that is, the pressure at the oil outlet end is not completely exhausted. At this time, during the process of transitioning from the locked state to the unlocked state, before the lock-up clutch 7 is completely disengaged from the pump housing 6, there is a transition period. During this period, the power of the engine is not completely transmitted by the liquid transmission soft connection, but there is partial frictional transmission, which is called slip friction. Similarly, at the instant when the locking control valve 22 is fully open, the valve core opening of the locking return valve 11 is half open, and the pressure at the oil outlet end is not completely exhausted. At this time, during the process of transitioning from the unlocked state to the locked state, before the lock-up clutch 7 is completely pressed against the pump housing 6, there is a transition period. During this period, the power of the engine is not completely transmitted by the liquid transmission soft connection, but there is partial frictional transmission.
[0026] Through the opening control design of the four valves in cooperation with the oil return valve, smooth transition of the unlocking and locking switching of the torque converter can be achieved, reducing the sense of jerk. At the same time, when the vehicle reaches the torque conversion condition, the precision requirement of the hydraulic oil pump for pressure control is reduced.
[0027] A pressure sensor for detecting hydraulic pressure is fixedly installed on one side of the pump housing 6. The vehicle engine control system obtains the pressure sensor data in real time, and corrects the pressure control of the oil return valve according to the obtained pressure data, and the hydraulic oil pump performs pressure compensation.
[0028] Specifically, in the normal state, when the oil return valve is in the half-open state instantaneously, the pressure data detected by the pressure sensor is the rated pressure; in the abnormal state, when the valve acts instantaneously, the pressure data obtained in real time is the detected pressure. When there is a deviation between the detected pressure and the rated pressure, according to the positive and negative deviations, the hydraulic oil pump compensates the pressure into the oil circuit. The positive deviation reduces the compensation pressure, and the negative deviation increases the compensation pressure. Considering that when the oil return valve switches states, the valve core is subjected to pressure impact, and there are cumulative errors or reduction in control precision. The service life of the valve core is extended through the pressure compensation of the oil pump, so that the service lives of the valve and the pump are complementary.
[0029] The electronic control device specifically includes a data acquisition module, an engine control unit, a lock-up control valve, and a pressure controller.
[0030] The data acquisition module is used to collect various vehicle operating condition information in real time. In the present invention, it particularly refers to the turbine speed (i.e., the output shaft speed of the torque converter), the engine speed (i.e., the pump impeller speed), the opening and closing state of the lock-up control valve, the output pressure of the hydraulic oil pump, and the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor.
[0031] The engine control unit is used to control the engine speed, increasing the speed, decreasing the speed, or keeping it unchanged.
[0032] The lock-up control valve is used to cooperate with the hydraulic circuit to control the oil fluid to change direction, including two return valves and two stop valves.
[0033] The pressure controller is used to control the output pressure of the hydraulic oil pump.
[0034] When the new energy hybrid vehicle switches the power mode, according to the data obtained by the data acquisition module, the current turbine speed and engine speed are compared, and according to the unlocking and locking states of the torque converter, the engine, the lock-up control valve, and the pressure controller are operated to control the power transition switching of the corresponding working conditions.
[0035] When the turbine speed is greater than the engine speed, in the case of the torque converter being locked, the engine speed is preferentially increased to the turbine speed, and then the lock-up control valve is operated to transition from lock-up to unlock. The return valve at the oil outlet end is half-open and then fully open; in the case of the torque converter being unlocked, the engine speed is preferentially increased to the turbine speed, and then the power output is connected.
[0036] When the turbine speed is less than the engine speed, in the case of the torque converter being locked, the return valve at the oil outlet end is half-open, and the return valve is fully opened after the engine is connected to the power output; in the case of the torque converter being unlocked, the engine is directly connected to the power output.
[0037] When the turbine speed is close to the engine speed, in the case of the torque converter being locked, the return valve at the oil outlet end is half-open, and the return valve is fully opened after the engine is connected to the power output; in the case of the torque converter being unlocked, the engine speed is preferentially increased to 1.1 - 1.15 times the speed.
[0038] The above control method mainly lies in that when the engine is connected to the power output, according to the real-time values of the engine speed and the turbine speed, and according to the engagement state of the lock-up clutch, before the power is fully connected, the slip friction state of the torque converter is connected first, effectively improving the seamless connection during power conversion and reducing the sense of jerk caused by the speed difference.
[0039] The hydraulic oil pressure value collected near the lock-up clutch, the pressure value under normal working conditions is the rated pressure, and the hydraulic oil pressure value at the moment when the lock-up control valve acts is the detected pressure. The detected pressure is compared with the rated pressure. If there is a deviation, and the deviation is positive, the pressure controller reduces the pressure output of the hydraulic oil pump; if the deviation is negative, the pressure controller increases the pressure output of the hydraulic oil pump.
[0040] It should be noted that in this article, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.
[0041] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, for those of ordinary skill in the art, it can be understood that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. An electronic control device for coupling a hydraulic torque converter and automatically switching between torque conversion conditions, comprising a stator shaft (1), a torque converter output shaft (2), and a pump housing (6), characterized in that: One end of the internal oil outlet circuit of the stator shaft (1) is a locking oil port (9), and one end of the internal oil outlet circuit of the torque converter output shaft (2) is an unlocking oil port (8). The unlocking oil port (8) is connected to the locking oil port (9) to form a closed oil circuit. The flow direction of the closed oil circuit is switched to control the coupling and torque conversion of the hydraulic torque converter.
2. The electronic control device for automatic switching of torque converter coupling and torque conversion working conditions according to claim 1, characterized in that: The closing sections of the unlocking oil port (8) and the locking oil port (9) are respectively provided with an unlocking control valve (21) and a locking control valve (22); a pump oil inlet is provided between the unlocking control valve (21) and the locking control valve (22); a branch is provided on the pipe section between the unlocking control valve (21) and the unlocking oil port (8) and the pipe section between the locking control valve (22) and the locking oil port (9); a locking return valve (11) and an unlocking return valve (12) are respectively provided on the two branches; the two branches are connected to the pump oil tank after merging.
3. The electronic control device for automatic switching of torque converter coupling and torque conversion conditions according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the unlocking control valve (21) and the unlocking return valve (12) are opened synchronously, the locking control valve (22) and the locking return valve (11) are closed synchronously; conversely, when the unlocking control valve (21) and the unlocking return valve (12) are closed synchronously, the locking control valve (22) and the locking return valve (11) are opened synchronously.
4. The electronic control device for automatic switching of torque converter coupling and torque conversion conditions according to claim 2, characterized in that: The valve openings of the unlocking control valve (21) and the locking control valve (22) are steplessly controlled.
5. The electronic control device for automatic switching of torque converter coupling and torque conversion conditions according to claim 4, characterized in that: At the moment when the unlocking control valve (21) is fully opened, the valve core opening of the unlocking return valve (12) is half open; at the moment when the locking control valve (22) is fully opened, the valve core opening of the locking return valve (11) is half open.
6. The electronic control device for automatic switching of torque converter coupling and torque conversion conditions according to claim 1, characterized in that: A pressure sensor for detecting hydraulic pressure is fixedly mounted on one side of the pump housing (6) to obtain pressure data in real time and, based on the rated pressure data, to control the hydraulic oil pump to perform pressure compensation on the pressure data to the rated pressure data.
7. The electronic control device for automatic switching of torque converter coupling and torque conversion conditions according to claim 5, characterized in that: The electronic control device for hydraulic torque converter coupling and automatic switching of torque conversion conditions is applied to the power mode switching process of new energy hybrid vehicles.