Hybrid Powertrain Engine Start Arbitration Logic
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hybrid vehicles face inefficiencies in engine starting decisions, leading to frequent short engine runs that degrade components and offer little fuel economy benefit, due to varying driving conditions causing engines to be restarted and stopped quickly.
Innovation Solution
A powertrain operating method utilizing two control agents to assess present and predicted vehicle conditions, arbitrating engine start requests to optimize engine starting based on battery state, propulsion torque, driver demand, and other factors, thereby reducing unnecessary engine starts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the engine is restarted frequently to meet varying driver demand or battery charge needs, then the vehicle can respond to changing conditions, but the engine runs for only a few seconds and then stops again, degrading fuel economy and increasing component degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The arbitration logic performs preliminary evaluation of engine start requests by assessing multiple conditions (driver demand torque, propulsion motor torque, battery state of charge, predicted vehicle conditions) before authorizing an engine start. This preliminary action prevents unnecessary engine starts by determining in advance whether the engine should be started, thereby avoiding short engine runs that would degrade fuel economy while still maintaining the ability to respond to genuine changing conditions
2Adaptability or versatility
If the engine is restarted frequently to meet varying driver demand or battery charge needs, then the vehicle can respond to changing conditions, but starting components experience increased degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The arbitration logic performs preliminary evaluation of engine start requests by assessing multiple conditions (driver demand torque, propulsion motor torque, battery state of charge, predicted vehicle conditions) before authorizing an engine start. This preliminary action prevents unnecessary engine starts, thereby reducing the frequency of start requests and minimizing degradation of starting components while still maintaining the ability to respond to genuine changing conditions
3Device complexity
If the engine is started based on simple threshold checks without considering predicted conditions, then the control logic is simple, but the engine may be started when little benefit is realized
Solution Approach 1:
The arbitration logic performs preliminary evaluation of engine start requests by assessing multiple conditions (driver demand torque, propulsion motor torque, battery state of charge, predicted vehicle conditions) before authorizing an engine start. This preliminary action ensures that engine starts are authorized only when beneficial conditions are met, improving productivity by avoiding unnecessary engine starts while maintaining reasonable control logic complexity through structured conditional assessment
Solution Approach 2:
The arbitration logic dynamically adjusts engine start authorization based on multiple varying conditions including driver demand torque, propulsion motor torque, battery state of charge, and predicted vehicle conditions. This dynamic assessment ensures that engine starts are authorized only when beneficial, improving productivity by adapting to real-time and predicted conditions rather than relying on fixed simple thresholds
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for operating a hybrid powertrain of a vehicle that includes an engine and a motor/generator are described. The systems and methods may judge whether or not to generate an engine start request when an engine is stopped in response to present vehicle operating conditions and predicted vehicle operating conditions.