Control unit for controlling electric oil pumps

Abstract

A control unit (7) for controlling electric oil pumps is suitable for controlling at least one electric oil pump of at least one towed and switched-off vehicle (3.1, 3.2, 3.3).

Description

Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to a control unit for controlling electric oil pumps according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to a system, a vehicle, a group of vehicles, an electric oil pump, a method, a computer program and a computer-readable medium according to the dependent claims. State of the art

[0002] Electric vehicle powertrains are often equipped with electric oil pumps to ensure controlled cooling and lubrication of components such as transmissions, motors, and the like. During towing or transport operations, the drive axles of the towed vehicles may be dragged along by the towing vehicle. Since the towed vehicles are typically switched off in such cases, with the ignition and terminals 15 and 30 deactivated, the electric oil pump is typically not activated and therefore does not function. This can cause parts of such powertrains to rotate or at least be subjected to friction, even when towed without a load, potentially leading to damage without adequate lubrication.

[0003] While methods and devices intended to prevent damage to transmissions during towing are known in the prior art, such as a method and device for ensuring lubrication of an automated manual transmission described in EP 2 286116 B1, these known solutions have the disadvantage of not being able to reliably guarantee lubrication of components of electric vehicle drives during towing operations and are relatively complex. General description of the invention

[0004] The object of the invention is to eliminate or at least reduce the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0005] The task is solved by a control unit for controlling electric oil pumps, wherein the control unit is suitable for controlling at least one electric oil pump of at least one towed and switched-off vehicle. Such a control unit solves the task by enabling the control of electric oil pumps in vehicles being towed and switched off, thus activating these electric oil pumps even when the vehicles are completely switched off, and thereby ensuring sufficient lubrication of lubrication-requiring components of the electric vehicle drives of such vehicles.

[0006] The term "electric oil pump" refers in particular to an oil pump that can be controlled by electrical signals and is typically also capable of receiving and sending digital electronic signals, preferably signals to a CAN bus of a vehicle of which the oil pump is a part. A "switched-off vehicle" is typically completely switched off, i.e., with the ignition switched off and terminal 15 and terminal 30 deactivated. The term "control" is to be understood in the broadest possible sense and includes, in particular, switching the electric oil pump on and / or off, data exchange with the electric oil pump, and / or the exchange of electrical signals with the electric oil pump, and especially the exchange of digital signals. In advantageous embodiments, the control unit is an external control unit, i.e., it is not part of the towed vehicle.In such cases, the control unit is preferably located on another vehicle, for example, a tow truck. Alternatively, it is also possible to temporarily install the control unit in the towed vehicle, typically during the towing process. In typical configurations, the towed vehicle is a truck or the tractor unit of a truck. In other configurations, the vehicle is a bus or a passenger car. The term "towing" typically refers to a process in which a tow truck pulls a towed vehicle, with at least one axle of the towed vehicle rolling.

[0007] In advantageous embodiments, the control unit is suitable for controlling at least one electric oil pump from a tow truck. The tow truck can also be referred to as the towing vehicle. In typical embodiments, the tow truck is a lorry or a semi-truck. Such control from the tow truck has the advantage, for example, that the driver of the tow truck has access to the control unit and no control units need to be installed on other vehicles.

[0008] In advantageous embodiments, the control unit is suitable for controlling multiple electric oil pumps in several vehicles being towed simultaneously, preferably from the towing vehicle. Various scenarios are conceivable: for example, each towed vehicle could have an electric oil pump, each of which could be controlled by the control unit. It is also conceivable that each of the towed vehicles could have multiple electric oil pumps, all of which could be controlled by the control unit. Furthermore, it is conceivable that some of the towed vehicles do not have any electric oil pumps at all, and / or that a vehicle could have both controllable and non-controllable electric oil pumps.

[0009] In advantageous embodiments, the control unit is capable of detecting when a fault exists in one of the electric oil pumps it controls, in particular by evaluating signals sent by the oil pump(s). For this purpose, the control unit typically includes a fault detection component for detecting faults in the oil pumps monitored by the control unit. The control unit and / or the fault detection component are typically capable of receiving and preferably also evaluating bus signals from the oil pumps, in particular CAN signals from the oil pumps.

[0010] In advantageous embodiments, the control unit is suitable for being supplied with electrical current by an external energy source, in particular a battery, preferably a battery of the tow truck. For this purpose, the control unit typically includes a power connection that can be connected to the external energy source. Alternatively, it is also possible that the control unit itself includes a battery, or that the battery is not the vehicle battery of the tow truck, but another external battery or even a battery of one of the towed vehicles. In such cases, the control unit is then configured to be connected to such external batteries.

[0011] In advantageous embodiments, the control unit is capable of supplying the oil pump(s) with electrical current so that they can be operated. This power supply is preferably wired, and in the case of multiple towed vehicles, this power supply is preferably provided either in parallel or in series. In principle, it is also possible for the power supply to be provided inductively rather than wired. A "parallel power supply" means that each cable connects the control unit to one of the towed vehicles or to one of the oil pumps of one of the towed vehicles. In such cases, there is typically one cable per towed vehicle and / or per controlled oil pump, connecting the vehicle or its oil pump to the control unit.The term "in series" means that the control unit is directly connected only to the first towed vehicle (from the perspective of the tow truck) and specifically to the electric oil pump of that first vehicle. All subsequent towed vehicles and their oil pumps are connected to the preceding towed vehicle and its oil pump. In such cases, there is no direct connection between these subsequent towed vehicles and the control unit on the tow truck; instead, there are only indirect connections via the preceding towed vehicles. This loop-through of the power supply through all towed vehicles minimizes the complexity of the wiring connections between the towed vehicles, and especially their electric oil pumps, on the one hand, and the control unit on the other.

[0012] In advantageous embodiments, the control unit is capable of communicating with the oil pump(s), with the data communication being conducted via a wired connection, preferably via cables of the wired power supply, and / or via a wireless connection. The wireless connection can be, for example, a Bluetooth connection, a WiFi connection, a car-to-car connection, or the like.

[0013] In advantageous embodiments, the control unit is capable of outputting information about the current state of the controlled oil pump(s) and / or about detected faults, particularly to the tow truck and / or a display device. For this purpose, the control unit typically includes an information output component for outputting such information about the current state of the controlled oil pump(s) and / or about detected faults in controlled oil pumps and / or other information to a display device and / or the tow truck. In typical embodiments, the display device comprises a display and / or a warning light and / or a loudspeaker, and the information output component is advantageously capable of sending corresponding signals for such displays and / or warning lights and / or loudspeakers to the display device.The output of information to the tow truck and / or the display device is typically accomplished via a wired signal line, or via radio transmission, or a combination of both transmission methods.

[0014] The problem is further solved by a system for externally controlling oil pumps in towed vehicles, comprising a control unit according to at least one of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0015] In addition to the control unit, such a system typically comprises at least one power transmission system for supplying power to the electric oil pump(s), and / or a communication system for enabling communication, particularly via data, between the oil pump(s) and the control unit, and / or a power source, particularly a battery, for supplying power to the control unit and / or the oil pump(s), and / or a display device. A "power transmission system" typically refers to a plurality of cables, which may run in parallel or in series and may typically be arranged as a wiring harness. In typical embodiments, the communication system is wired, preferably using the same cables as the power transmission system. In other preferred embodiments, the communication system is wireless.In advantageous embodiments, the display device comprises a display and / or a warning light and / or a sound output device, for example a loudspeaker.

[0016] Advantageously, at least some of the aforementioned components are implemented in the system using computer program code. In advantageous embodiments, the system is at least partially part of a vehicle control unit and / or a cloud. In typical embodiments, the system is a control unit, in particular a vehicle control unit.

[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, a vehicle comprises a control unit according to one of the previously described embodiments and / or a system according to one of the previously described embodiments.

[0018] An electric oil pump according to the invention is designed to be controlled by a control unit according to one of the previously described embodiments and / or a system according to one of the previously described embodiments. For this purpose, the oil pump typically comprises suitable components, for example, a current input and / or a control connection and / or a communication device for communication with the control unit and / or a signal generation component.

[0019] The invention is also solved by a vehicle comprising an electric oil pump according to the invention.

[0020] A vehicle group according to the invention comprises a vehicle according to the invention and at least one towed vehicle, preferably a plurality of towed vehicles, wherein one or more electric oil pump(s), preferably according to a previously described embodiment, of the towed vehicle(s) are connected to the control unit and / or the system, in particular via the power transmission system and / or via the communication system.

[0021] In a method according to the invention, an electric oil pump of at least one towed and switched-off vehicle is controlled, in particular by means of a control unit according to one of the previously described embodiments and / or by means of a system according to one of the previously described embodiments. The method typically comprises a communication process in which the control unit communicates with the oil pump(s) it controls, and / or a fault detection process in which it detects when a fault exists in one of the oil pumps controlled by the control unit, and / or an information output process in which information, for example about the states of the oil pumps and / or about faults of the oil pumps, is output, in particular to a display device as described above.In advantageous methods, several vehicles are towed simultaneously, particularly one after the other. This is also referred to as "piggybacking," a term that naturally originates from English. In typical embodiments of the method, two, three, or more vehicles are towed one after the other, with at least one axle of each vehicle typically rolling.

[0022] In one embodiment of the invention, a computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform one of the aforementioned methods. The computer program can also be referred to as a computer program product.

[0023] In one embodiment of the invention, a computer-readable medium comprises computer program code for carrying out one of the aforementioned methods and / or a aforementioned computer program. The term "computer-readable medium" includes, in particular but not exclusively, hard drives and / or servers and / or memory sticks and / or flash memory and / or DVDs and / or Blu-rays and / or CDs. Additionally, the term "computer-readable medium" also includes a data stream such as that generated when a computer program and / or a computer program product is downloaded from the internet. Brief description of the drawings

[0024] The invention is briefly explained below with reference to drawings, which show: Fig. 1: a vehicle group according to the invention in a first embodiment, Fig. 2: a vehicle group according to the invention in a second embodiment. Description of preferred embodiments

[0025] Fig. Figure 1 shows a vehicle group 1 according to the invention in a first embodiment. The vehicle group 1 comprises a tow truck 2 and three towed vehicles 3.1, 3.2, 3.3. The first towed vehicle 3.1 rests with its front axle on the tow truck 2. The rearmost axle of the towed vehicle 3.1 sits on the (in Fig. 1 (not shown) on the roadway and rolls along during the towing process. Similarly, the second towed vehicle 3.2 has its front axle resting on the first towed vehicle 3.1, and its rear axle resting on the roadway and rolling along during the towing process. The third towed vehicle 3.3, in turn, has its front axle resting on the second towed vehicle 3.2, and its rear axle resting on the roadway and rolling along during the towing process. The tow vehicle 2 includes a control unit 7, which is capable of controlling an electric oil pump in each of the towed vehicles 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3. Fig. In the illustrated embodiment 1, these are oil pumps (the oil pumps are in Fig. (1 not shown in detail), which are suitable for lubricating the rearmost axles of the towed vehicles 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and their components. In the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the control unit 7 is connected to the oil pumps of the towed vehicles 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 via a power transmission system. This power transmission system comprises a plurality of control cables 4.1, 4.2, 4.3. The first control cable 4.1 connects the control unit 7 to the electric oil pump of the first towed vehicle 3.1. The second control cable 4.2 connects the control unit 7 to the electric oil pump of the second towed vehicle 3.2. The third control cable 4.3 connects the control unit 7 to the electric oil pump of the third towed vehicle 3.3. The tow vehicle 2 includes a vehicle battery 6. This vehicle battery 6 is connected to the control unit 7 by two battery connection cables 5.1, 5.2 and supplies the control unit 7, and thus indirectly also the electric oil pumps of the towed vehicles 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, with power. The tow truck 2 further comprises a display device 8, which is located in Fig. 1 is represented as a flashing light. This indicator device 8 is connected to the control unit 7 via an indicator cable 9. The control unit 7 is capable of detecting faults in the oil pumps of the towed vehicles 3.1, 3.2, 3.3. For this purpose, the control unit 7 is designed to evaluate messages sent by the oil pumps, e.g., CAN messages, and to infer faults present in the oil pumps from this. Furthermore, the control unit 7 is capable of informing the indicator device 8 when such faults occur, which can then, for example, send a visual signal to a driver of the tow truck 2. In the exemplary embodiment in Fig. 1. For example, this could be a flashing of the indicator device 8 in the event of a detected fault in one of the controlled oil pumps.

[0026] Fig. Figure 2 shows a vehicle group 1 according to the invention in a second embodiment. The vehicle group 1 in Fig. 2 in turn comprises a tow truck 2 with a control unit 7, a vehicle battery 6 and a display device 8. The control unit 7 is connected to the vehicle battery 6 via the battery connection cables 5.1, 5.2. The control unit 7 is connected to the display device 8 via the display cable 9. The operation of the tow truck 2 in Fig. 2 is the same as the operation of the tow truck 2 in Fig. 1. Therefore, reference is made to the above explanations. Fig. 1 Reference is made. The towed vehicles 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 also correspond to those in Fig. 1 towed vehicle shown. Therefore, the explanations above also apply here. Fig. 1. Reference is made to this. In contrast to the embodiment in Fig. However, in section 1, the control cables 4.4, 4.5 and 4.6 are not arranged in parallel, but in series. It can be seen in Fig. 2. Recognize that control unit 7 is only directly connected to control cable 4.4. This control cable 4.4 connects a (in Fig. 2. (not explicitly shown) electric oil pump of the first towed vehicle 3.1 with the control unit 7. An electric oil pump (also not explicitly shown in Fig. 2 shown) of the second towed vehicle 3.2 is not directly connected to the control unit 7, but the control cable 4.5 connects this electric oil pump to the electric oil pump of the preceding first towed vehicle 3.1. Similarly, the electric oil pump (also not explicitly shown in Fig. 2 shown) of the third towed vehicle 3.3 is not directly connected to the control unit 7, but this oil pump is connected to the oil pump of the preceding second towed vehicle 3.2 via the control cable 4.6.

[0027] The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments. The scope of protection is defined by the claims. Reference sign 1 vehicle group 2 tow trucks 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 towed vehicles 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6 Control cable 5.1, 5.2 Battery connection cable 6. Vehicle battery (of the tow truck) 7 Control unit 8 Display device 9 display cables QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] EP 2 286116 B1

[0003]

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