DE102022121134A1 - System for setting an operating strategy of a hybrid powertrain - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system (1) for setting an operating strategy of an electric drive in a hybrid vehicle and to a hybrid vehicle with the system (1) according to the invention. The system (1) according to the invention has a control unit (20) which is designed to activate a boost of the electric drive (42) and to deactivate it after a set period. Furthermore, the system (1) has a control element (10) which is designed to set the duration of the boost activated by the control unit (20).

Description

The present invention relates to a system for setting an operating strategy of a hybrid powertrain, and to a hybrid vehicle with the system according to the invention. A hybrid drive train is understood to mean the drive train of a hybrid vehicle.

In the context of this application, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has both an internal combustion engine and an electric drive, which together form the drive train and can provide drive power to propel the vehicle. Hybrid vehicles have the particular advantage over vehicles exclusively with combustion engines in that their battery can be recharged when the electric drive is in generator mode when braking.

A boost is the increase in the system performance of the drive through the electric drive. A hybrid vehicle in which an electric boost operation can be activated to increase acceleration via a kick-down switch is, for example, from the patent DE 10 2006 013 677 A1 known. Also the patent specification DE 10 2019 121 444 A1 discloses a boost for an electrified motor vehicle that can be activated manually using a button.

Hybrid systems in motorsport are increasingly being used in keeping with the spirit of the times. The existing concepts often have a battery for operating the electric drive, which has a relatively low energy content. Two different systems in particular are known with regard to boost operation. On the one hand, the operating strategy consists of providing additional energy to the electric drive at the push of a button by the driver. On the other hand, the additional driving force of the electric drive is automatically called upon according to specified performance requirements without any additional intervention from the driver.

With such operating strategies, on fast circuits, not enough energy can be stored in the battery to allow boost operation to work permanently throughout the entire lap or the entire journey lasting several laps. With conventional operating strategies, this often means that all of the additional energy is used up early in the lap or the distance to be covered and there is no energy or too little energy available for the remaining distance. This leads to a worse lap time compared to a lap in which the available energy is most sensibly used across the entire lap.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a system for setting an operating strategy of an electric drive for a hybrid vehicle, which can be used to ensure that boost operation is available over an entire lap and can be used as optimally as possible. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a hybrid vehicle which has the system according to the invention.

These tasks are solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are contained in the subclaims.

The system according to the invention for setting an operating strategy of an electric drive in a hybrid vehicle has a control unit which is designed to activate a boost of the electric drive and to deactivate it after a set duration. Depending on the embodiment, the set duration corresponds to a maximum duration in which the boost is active or the duration for which the boost was activated. Thus, even in an embodiment of a vehicle in which the boost is activated by the driver pressing a button and the duration of the boost is linked to the duration of the button actuation, the boost is deactivated after the set duration has expired. Furthermore, the system has a control element which is designed to set the duration of the boost activated by the control unit.

Limiting the boost duration prevents the battery from being consumed too quickly on a race track. Once the set boost duration has expired, the system output is limited again to the combustion engine output. This can ensure that boost operation is also available at the end of a distance to be covered. By being able to adjust the duration of the boost activated by the control unit (i.e. the boost duration), the system can be adapted to different route characteristics, in particular their length. Preferably, the boost is automatically used by the vehicle control at the optimal points of use or is only activated by the driver at the desired positions on the route. Regardless of whether the boost is activated, the driver can shorten the boost duration and thus reduce the energy used when the boost is activated if it is determined that the energy content of the battery is not sufficient to cover an entire lap or the entire distance to be covered with the set boost duration without discharging the battery too much. Depending on the embodiment, the boost duration can describe both the maximum duration of the boost activation and the duration of the boost activation in general, provided it is an embodiment in which the boost is only activated and then remains activated for the corresponding boost duration.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the control element is provided in the form of a specially designed button, switch, rotary switch or slider. “Specially trained” means that only settings relating to the boost can be made using the corresponding control element. This includes in particular the setting of the boost duration and the boost activation itself, whereby the boost activation can also be carried out by the driver via a separate control element, if provided. In this way, the driver can directly influence the system without having to navigate through a menu. Such an embodiment also includes the actuation of a digital button, for example by means of a touch sensor. The control element is preferably provided on the steering wheel in order to optimize accessibility for the driver and to make adjustments easier while driving.

Furthermore, an embodiment of the invention is advantageous in which the system also has a display in which the set boost duration and/or a remaining boost reserve are displayed. The display gives the driver of the vehicle a better overview of the extent to which the boost duration needs to be adjusted so that sufficient energy is available at the end of the lap.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, different boost durations are pre-programmed, between which there are defined time steps. In this embodiment, the duration of the boost is adjustable in these defined time steps. These different boost durations are preferably repeated in a loop when the control element is actuated multiple times. Such a design represents an easy-to-use system for the driver of the vehicle.

The control unit is preferably also designed to end the boost of the electric drive when a defined event occurs, regardless of the presetting of the duration of the boost. Different actions such as braking, turning on the indicators, a detected impact, a specific position on the race track, a previous accident on the track or similar can be defined as a defined event.

The hybrid vehicle according to the invention has the system according to the invention.

• 1 zeigt eine Ausführungsform des erfindungsgemäßen Systems 1

Advantageous aspects and embodiments of the system according to the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing.

• 1 shows an embodiment of the system 1 according to the invention

1 shows an embodiment of the system 1 according to the invention. It has an actuating element 10, a control unit 20, a display 30 and a drive train 40, the drive train being composed of an internal combustion engine 41 and an electric drive 42.

The control unit 20 is able to activate and deactivate a boost operation of the electric drive 42 if necessary. Different alternatives are conceivable. First of all, the system can be set up in such a way that the boost is used automatically by the control unit itself depending on certain driving maneuvers. Such a defined driving maneuver is based on the overall effect of the drive train in a certain driving situation. If, for example, it is determined that switching on the boost when the driver presses the accelerator pedal by more than 90% and at the same time the vehicle speed is less than 100km/h, the effect of the boost is greatest in terms of the fastest possible lap time, then this position can be used of the accelerator pedal and the speed range can be defined as the driving maneuver that triggers the boost. If the boost is activated in this way, according to the invention it remains activated either for a predetermined duration or until a second driving maneuver that deactivates the boost (referred to as a defined event in the context of this application) is detected, for example braking or exceeding a certain speed or similar be.

Alternatively, the system can also be set up so that the boost from the control unit is triggered exclusively by an operation (for example pressing a button) by the driver. The boost can be deactivated again when the activation is completed or it can be made available permanently for a set boost duration. The embodiment with a direct coupling of the actuation by the driver and the activation or deactivation of the boost when the actuation is ended has, in particular Very short acceleration phases between two consecutive curves have advantageous effects, since in such a scenario the set boost duration may not be needed at all and the boost should only be made available for a very short time.

Depending on the embodiment with regard to the activation and deactivation of the boost, the boost duration can, according to the invention, be both a maximum boost duration and a preset boost duration, with the boost only ending when the boost duration has been reached (or, depending on the embodiment, a defined event occurs). .

The actuating element 10 can be used to set the boost duration, which is taken into account by the control unit 20. This is preferably done in fixed steps with fixed time intervals. For example, in the embodiment shown, these are passed on to the driver through the display 30. In the embodiment shown, the default boost duration setting is 8 seconds. By actuating the actuating element 10, which can be provided, for example, in the form of a button, a slider, a rotary switch or similar, the boost duration can be shortened to 6 seconds. Press again for 4 seconds and so on. In addition, it is preferably provided that the boost duration can be reduced to 0 seconds. In this way, the driver can completely prevent the connection of the electric drive in order to be able to better experience the effect of the connection by the electric drive. In the embodiment shown, the setting to the initial value of 8 seconds takes place again when the actuating element 10 is actuated several times.

Of course, further embodiments of the invention are also conceivable, in particular with a rotary switch, in which the boost duration can be increased up to a maximum value by turning it in one direction and can be reduced to a minimum value by turning it in the other direction.

Furthermore, the display 30 shows a boost reserve, which gives the driver information about the energy remaining in the battery for the boost. Using the display of the boost reserve, the driver can easily monitor the charge status of the battery and adjust the boost duration accordingly if the charge status decreases quickly or vice versa.

In addition, the driver can make a variable increase in drive power within a lap by adjusting the boost duration. If additional power is required at a certain position, for example for an overtaking process, the driver can increase the boost duration if there is sufficient reserve in order to simplify the overtaking process, for example for accelerating out of a curve or for an increased top speed on the straight. Since this short-term increased boost duration placed greater demands on the boost reserve than intended, the boost reserve can be filled back to a planned level by the recuperation operation of the electric drive by subsequently reducing the boost duration. This makes it possible for the driver to intervene directly in the operating strategy of the drive train, in particular the electric drive.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102006013677 A1 [0003]
• DE 102019121444 A1 [0003]

Claims (8)

System (1) for setting an operating strategy of an electric drive (42) in a hybrid vehicle, a control unit (20) designed to activate a boost of the electric drive (42) and to deactivate it after a set period, a control element (10) designed to set the duration of the boost activated by the control unit (20). System (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the control element (10) is provided in the form of a specially designed button, switch or rotary switch. System (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system (1) further has a display (30) in which the set duration of the boost and / or a remaining boost reserve are displayed. System (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the duration of the boost can be set in defined time steps, the durations to be set being repeated in a loop, in particular when the control element (10) is actuated multiple times. System (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (20) is activated automatically depending on a driving situation. System (1) according to one of the preceding Claims 1 until 5 , whereby the control unit (20) activates the boost at the driver's request. System (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (20) is designed to end the boost of the electric drive (42) when a defined event occurs. Hybrid vehicle comprising the system (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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