TW202403171A - A modified trigger wheel, a controller and method for a prime mover of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A controller 120 for vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle comprises position sensor 116 and a rotary electric machine 118 coupled to a primary shaft of a prime mover of the vehicle. Both of the position sensor 116 and the rotary electric machine 118 are connected/interfaced to/with the controller 120, characterized in that, the controller 120 configured to receive, upon rotation of the primary shaft, a position signal from the position sensor 116 positioned to monitor a modified trigger wheel 114. The controller 120 processes the position signal and determines a tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel 114. The controller 120 determines a parameter in dependence of the determined tooth pattern comprising at least one of a direction of rotation of the primary shaft, a knocking of the engine and an electrical position of the rotary electric machine 118. A system 130, and method for the same is also disclosed.

Description

Improved trigger wheel, controller and method for prime mover of vehicle

The present invention relates to an improved trigger wheel, controller and method for a vehicle prime mover.

The crankshaft trigger wheels commonly used in vehicle systems are 36-2, 24-2, 12-3, etc. Rotating machines such as generators or integrated starter generators (ISG) are often coupled to the crankshaft of the vehicle's engine. In the case of a belt driven starter generator (BSG) system, the rotating machine is coupled to the engine by a belt. In addition, inductive crankshaft sensors are widely used, which do not provide rotation direction information, and the stop position calculated by the controller using the inductive sensor is unreliable and therefore not used for quick starts. Additionally, the required minimum and maximum engine speed support are 40 RPM and 12000 RPM respectively. Alternatively, engine speed gradient, manifold pressure based techniques are widely used for engine position detection.

According to the prior art US20030037607, an encoded crank position sensor is disclosed. A target wheel for providing timing information for a crankshaft in an internal combustion engine, the target wheel comprising a substantially circular member having a plurality of teeth having variable widths and the teeth having a non-uniform pattern A rising edge is distributed and a falling edge is distributed in a uniform manner, where the target wheel provides speed and timing information for multiple internal combustion engine configurations.

without.

1 illustrates a block diagram of a system and controller for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle includes a prime mover for providing motive power, a main shaft coupling the prime mover to the drive system of the vehicle, and a position sensor 116 for monitoring the mechanical position of the main shaft. The prime mover is either a rotating electric machine 118 having a rotor shaft as a main shaft or an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft as a main shaft, and the internal combustion engine is coupled to the rotating electric machine 118 for assistance. Both the rotating motor 118 and the position sensor 116 are connected/interfaced to/with the controller 120 , wherein the controller 120 is configured to automatically switch from the position sensor 116 upon rotation of the spindle. Receiving the position signal, the position sensor is positioned to monitor/sense the modified trigger wheel 114 . The modified trigger wheel 114 is coupled to the spindle either directly or via, but not limited to, a belt. The controller 120 processes the position signal and determines the tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel 114 . The controller 120 determines a parameter based on the determined tooth pattern. This parameter is associated with at least one of the internal combustion engine and the rotating electrical machine 118 . Rotary electric machine 118 is connected to controller 120 via inverter circuit 128 .

According to the present invention, the controller 120 is equipped with necessary signal detection, acquisition and processing circuits together with sensors (when necessary). The controller 120 is a control unit, which includes a memory component 122, such as a random access memory (Random Access Memory; RAM) and/or a read only memory (Read Only Memory; ROM)), an analog-to-digital converter (Analog -to-Digital Converter (ADC) and Digital-to-Analog Convertor (DAC), clocks, timers, counters and at least one processor ( Ability to implement machine learning). The memory element 122 is pre-stored with logic or instructions or programs or applications or modules/models and/or threshold values, preset tooth patterns, which are accessed by at least one processor according to defined routines. The internal components of controller 120 are not explained in light of the current state of the art, and as such are not necessarily to be understood in a limiting manner. The controller 120 may also include a communication unit to communicate via a network such as Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, serial network, and the like. Communicate with external computing devices such as clouds and remote servers through wireless or wired means. The controller 120 may be implemented in the form of a System-in-Package (SiP) or a System-on-Chip (SOC) or any other known type. In addition, the controller 120 is a vehicle control unit (Vehicle Control Unit; VCU), a body control unit/module (BCU/BCM), an engine control unit (Engine Control Unit; ECU), or a combination thereof.

According to a specific example of the present invention, the controller 120 is suitable for two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles, small motorcycles, electric bicycles, three-wheeled vehicles such as motor tricycles, four-wheeled vehicles such as cars, multi-wheeled vehicles and other vehicles, such as water sports. vehicles and snowmobiles.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the parameter is at least one selected from the group consisting of a rotation direction of the main shaft, a knock of the engine, and an electrical position of the rotating electric machine 118 . The electrical position is the position in the electrical cycle of the phase voltage signal of the rotating electrical machine 118 . The position is determined based on a fixed relationship between the phase voltage signal and the position signal.

In order to determine the electrical position, the controller 120 first detects the tooth pattern on the position signal. Once the tooth pattern is detected, the controller 120 correlates the tooth pattern with corresponding known electrical positions in the electrical cycle of the phase voltage signal. Additionally, once the electrical position is determined, the controller 120 then calculates the torque required to start the prime mover and therefore more quickly achieves closed-loop operation for the rotating electric machine 118 . The prime mover is a rotating electrical machine 118 or an internal combustion engine. The controller 120 then drives the rotating electric machine 118 based on the calculated torque. The time taken until the torque calculation is known with known electrical position and actuation is very little, ie in the time it takes for the first tooth pattern to detect itself, so the electrical position is determined very quickly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 120 is configured to use phase voltage signals generated by the rotating electrical machine 118 to determine the electrical position of the rotating electrical machine 118 . However, before determining the electrical position, the controller 120 is configured to control the inverter circuit 128 to cause the prime mover to rotate in an open loop mode for detecting the tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel 114 . The controller 120 actuates the rotary motor 118 and begins to rotate the main shaft of the prime mover. When the spindle begins to rotate, that is, after the spindle has rotated, the tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel 114 is detected, and the electrical position of the phase voltage signal is therefore derived, which is then used to calculate the actual torque required to control the rotating motor 118 . The controller 120 then applies the calculated torque and starts/drives the prime mover.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 120 is configured to detect the direction of rotation of the crankshaft (reverse direction) based on the position signal received from the position sensor 116 (ie, the tooth pattern determined from the position signal). or forward), detonation in the engine, and at least one of the electrical position of the rotating electric machine 118 . Consider a system 130 in which the prime mover is an engine and the main shaft is a crankshaft. In order to detect the direction of rotation of the engine, the controller 120 is configured to detect the first tooth pattern and the second tooth pattern. When detecting the first tooth pattern, the direction is considered to be reversed. Similarly, when detecting the second tooth pattern, then the direction is considered forward. The tooth period after identification of Top Dead Center (TDC) is used to analyze the engine speed profile for knock detection. To detect knock, the controller 120 is configured to observe a perturbation in the calculated engine speed after compression TDC. Typically, a conventional trigger wheel of type 36-2 or 24-2 is used. The tooth angle is 10 or 15 degrees and makes it difficult to reliably capture oscillations. By modifying the trigger wheel 114, both the low pulse period and the high pulse period are used by the controller 120. And there is already a fixed relationship between low pulses and high pulses. In the case of knock, this relationship is disturbed and the effects due to knock are more easily captured.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an improved trigger wheel 114 is provided for determining the position of a main shaft of a prime mover in a vehicle. The modified trigger wheel 114 includes a plurality of teeth with equal tooth periods on its periphery and a reference gap (one tooth gap, two tooth gaps, etc.), characterized in that the plurality of teeth have at least Three different widths. The plurality of teeth are arranged in a pattern to detect at least one of the direction of rotation of the spindle, detonation of the engine, and the electrical position of the rotating electric machine 118 coupled to the spindle. Trigger wheel 114 is also related to an encoder wheel that includes marks and gaps instead of teeth. The trigger wheel 114 can also be replaced with an encoder wheel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least three widths of the plurality of teeth used to improve the trigger wheel 114 include a first width, a second width, and a third width or more widths, and each of the plurality of teeth has an equal The tooth period "L" (also called tooth segment). By way of example and without limitation, the first width is represented by "A" and corresponds to a tooth width designed with a 50:50 (low/high) ratio within the tooth period "L", that is, one-half of the tooth period is teeth and the rest is clearance. The second width is represented by "B" and corresponds to the tooth width designed with a 25:75 (low/high) ratio within the tooth period "L", that is, 25% of the tooth period "L" is the tooth and 75% is gap. Similarly, the third width is represented by "C" and corresponds to the tooth width designed with a 75:25 (low/high) ratio within the tooth period "L", that is, 75% of "L" is the tooth and the remaining 25 % is the gap. The first pattern of teeth contains ABAC…. The second pattern of teeth contains ACAB. Similarly, other combinations of different patterns are possible, such as, but not limited to, ACBA, ABCA, ABBC, ACCB, etc. Once the modified trigger wheel 114 is designed and coupled to the crankshaft, the tooth pattern changes based on the direction of rotation of the crankshaft. Tooth width types need not be limited to just three different types, such as A, B and C. And the low/high ratio does not need to be limited to 50:50, 75:25 or 25:75.

The workings of the invention are contemplated in accordance with the invention and are likewise not necessarily to be understood in a limiting manner. The vehicle under consideration contains an engine as the prime mover and a crankshaft as the main shaft. Before proceeding with the explanation, the signal from the conventional trigger wheel is explained via the first graph 100 . The first signal 102 represents a cross-sectional view of a conventional trigger wheel with equal tooth periods and equal tooth widths. The second signal 104 is the position signal detected by the position sensor 116 (also known as the crank signal for the engine). Consider now a modified trigger wheel 114 with a 24-2 configuration in which the tooth pattern is ABAC. Referring to the second graph 110, the third signal 106 represents a cross-sectional view of the improved trigger wheel 114 as proposed in the present invention. The fourth signal 108 is a position signal detected by the position sensor 116 for the modified trigger wheel 114 . The fifth signal 112 is one of the phase voltage signals of the rotating electrical machine 118 after processing the actual phase voltage signal (not shown). Dotted vertical lines indicate tooth period and corresponding tooth width. It can be seen that the falling edge and rising edge of the fifth signal 112 (voltage signal) are synchronized with the falling/rising edges of the fourth signal 108 . However, the fourth signal 108 and the fifth signal 112 may be offset to a certain extent, in which case the controller 120 is configured to adjust the offset after receiving the respective signals.

Now, it is considered that the improved trigger wheel 114 is provided in a vehicle such as a motorcycle. The rider switches on the vehicle, after which the controller 120 triggers the start of the rotating motor 118 via the inverter circuit 128, which causes the crankshaft to rotate in an open loop, that is, without any information of mechanical or electrical position. The rotating electric machine 118 functions, for example, as an integrated starter generator (ISG) that is coupled to the crankshaft of the engine. Once the crank signal is received by the controller 120, the controller 120 detects the tooth pattern. If the tooth pattern is detected as ACAB, it is determined to be inverted. Similarly, if the tooth pattern is detected as ABAC, forward rotation is determined. Additionally, if incorrect rotation is detected, the controller 120 is configured to also correct the direction of rotation. Assuming the correct direction of rotation is detected, the controller 120 correlates the tooth pattern with the electrical period of the phase voltage signal and identifies the electrical position of the rotating electrical machine 118 . Once the electrical position is identified, the controller 120 calculates the exact amount of torque required to start the engine from rest, and then starts and drives the engine.

According to a specific example of the present invention, a prime mover management system 130 for a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle includes a main shaft coupling the prime mover to the vehicle's drive system, and a position sensor 116 for monitoring the mechanical position of the main shaft. The prime mover is either a rotating electric machine 118 having a rotor shaft as a main shaft or an internal combustion engine coupled to the rotating electric machine 118 having a crankshaft as a main shaft. Controller 120 is connected to rotating electric machine 118 via inverter circuit 128 and to crankshaft position sensor 116 , characterized in that modified trigger wheel 114 is coupled to the main shaft of the prime mover, and controller 120 is configured to: After the spindle rotates, it receives a position signal from the position sensor 116, which is positioned/set to monitor/sense the modified trigger wheel 114; processes the position signal and determines the tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel 114; and based on the experience Determine the tooth pattern to determine the parameters. This parameter is associated with at least one of the internal combustion engine and the rotating electrical machine 118 . The parameter is at least one selected from the group consisting of the rotation direction of the spindle, the knock of the engine, and the electrical position of the rotating electric machine 118 .

Additionally, when the prime mover is an internal combustion engine, the controller 120 is configured to calculate the torque required to start the internal combustion engine from the determined position in the electrical cycle, and drive the rotating electric machine 118 and start/drive the internal combustion engine based on the calculated torque.

In another example, an improved trigger wheel 114 is disclosed. For a rotating electrical machine 118 based on 6 pole pairs, there will be 6 electrical cycles in the phase/voltage signal during one rotation of the rotor. Three-phase/polyphase rotating electrical machines 118 may also be used and are not limited thereto. The modified trigger wheel 114 can be used as a replacement for an existing/conventional trigger wheel. For example, the conventional trigger wheel 24-2 may be replaced with the modified trigger wheel 114. Each edge/pulse on the modified trigger wheel 114 gives position information about the electrical system. The modified trigger wheel 114 and rotating motor 118 with 6 pulses are equivalent to pole pairs and are the simplest way to detect electrical position. The modified trigger wheel 114 may be comparable to and may replace a corresponding equivalent conventional trigger wheel such as 24-2. The controller 120 receives 22 cycles of the voltage signal. At least three unique pulses (including the reference gap) are designed on the modified trigger wheel 114 . More unique patterns may exist. There is a fixed pattern on the voltage signal in the electrical pulse. The offset between the mechanical system and the electrical system is adjustable. During start-up, the controller 120 can detect the electrical position in two or less cycles on the phase voltage signal. Following electrical position detection, controller 120 uses the information to strategically operate rotating electrical machine 118 . In mild hybrid or EV system controlled motor operation, no additional sensors are required to determine electrical position. System costs are also reduced.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 120 is configured to determine the electrical position of the rotating electrical machine 118 (serving as a prime mover) in an electric vehicle (EV). Consider an electric motor tricycle as a vehicle. The rotor shaft of the rotating electrical machine 118 is equipped with a modified trigger wheel 114 . Additionally, a position sensor 116 is placed adjacent to the modified trigger wheel 114 . The controller 120 first energizes the rotating motor 118 in an open-loop manner, and measures the position signal from the position sensor 116 while rotating. The controller 120 determines the mechanical position, and then determines the electrical position by correlating the mechanical position with the phase voltage signal of the rotating electrical machine 118 . Once the electrical position is determined, the controller 120 can activate with the required torque and then drive the EV accordingly.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating electrical machine 118 is an integrated starter generator (ISG) or other type of rotating electrical machine 118 known in the art.

Figure 2 illustrates a method for operating a prime mover of a vehicle according to the invention. The vehicle includes a main shaft coupling the prime mover to the vehicle's drive system, and a position sensor 116 for monitoring the mechanical position of the main shaft. The prime mover is either a rotating electric machine 118 having a rotor shaft as a main shaft or an internal combustion engine coupled to the rotating electric machine 118 having a crankshaft as a main shaft. The rotating motor 118 and the position sensor 116 are connected to the controller 120 . The method is characterized by a plurality of steps, wherein step 202 includes receiving a position signal from a position sensor 116 positioned/set for monitoring the modified trigger wheel 114 after rotating the spindle. The modified trigger wheel 114 is coupled to the spindle either directly or indirectly, such as but not limited to via a belt. Step 204 includes processing the position signal and determining the tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel 114 . Step 206 includes determining parameters based on the determined tooth pattern. This parameter is associated with at least one of the internal combustion engine and the rotating electrical machine 118 . The parameter is at least one selected from the group consisting of the rotation direction of the spindle, the knock of the engine, and the electrical position of the rotating electric machine 118 .

When the prime mover includes an internal combustion engine, step 208 includes calculating the torque required to start the internal combustion engine from the determined electrical position of the rotating electric machine 118 . Step 210 includes driving the rotary electric machine 118 and starting/driving the internal combustion engine based on the calculated torque.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved/improved trigger wheel 114 for a vehicle engine is disclosed. For systems 130 with ISG, electrical position detection is faster. The complexity of position estimation in existing software is reduced to a great extent. In addition, switching from open-loop control (when the position is not determined) to closed-loop control (when the position is known) of the ISG system 130 is faster. For mild hybrid systems, an electric motor is used to assist the internal combustion engine. By modifying the coupling of the trigger wheel 114 to the crankshaft/spindle, detection of electrical position is possible. Additional sensors for detecting the position of the rotating motor 118 are saved, thereby reducing the cost of the system 130 . Also for EV applications, if the phase voltage signal is analyzed by the position signal, the electrical position of the rotating electrical machine 118 can be derived. In such a system 130, several sensors are also used to determine electrical position, which is eliminated and thus further reduces the cost of the system 130. With unidirectional sensors, inversion detection is possible, and therefore expensive bidirectional sensors are not required. Additionally, the controller 120 is able to accurately calculate the stop position, which is then used for engine restart. The present invention also enables sensorless knock detection. The tooth pattern (profile or sequence) after TDC is effectively used to detect knock, so the modified trigger wheel 114 serves as a cost-effective sensorless knock detection solution in automotive systems. Implementation of the present invention has no impact on existing engine management system software or logic because the same modified trigger wheel 114 can be used for engine position and engine speed calculations without any changes to the logic.

It should be understood that the specific examples explained in the above description are illustrative only and do not limit the scope of the invention. Many such specific examples as explained in the description, as well as other modifications and variations of the specific examples, are contemplated. The scope of the invention is limited only by the scope of the patent application.

without

See the accompanying drawings below to describe specific examples of the present disclosure,

[Fig. 1] illustrates a block diagram of a system and controller for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and

[Fig. 2] illustrates a method for operating the prime mover of the vehicle according to the present invention.

Claims (10)

A controller (120) for a vehicle that includes a prime mover for providing motive power, a main shaft coupling the prime mover to a drive system of the vehicle, and a mechanical position for monitoring the main shaft. A position sensor (116), wherein the prime mover is any of a rotating electrical machine (118) having a rotor shaft as the main shaft and an internal combustion engine coupled to the rotating electrical machine (118) having a crankshaft as the main shaft. One, wherein the rotating electrical machine (118) and the position sensor (116) are connected to the controller (120), characterized in that the controller (120) is configured to: After the spindle rotates, a position signal is received from the position sensor (116), which is positioned to monitor a modified trigger wheel (114) coupled to the spindle, Process the position signal and determine a tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel (114), and A parameter is determined based on the determined tooth pattern, wherein the parameter is associated with at least one of the internal combustion engine and the rotating electrical machine (118). The controller (120) of claim 1, wherein the parameter is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a rotation direction of the main shaft, a knock of the engine, and a rotation of the rotating electrical machine (114) An electrical location. For example, the controller (120) of claim 2 is configured to: Calculate the torque required to start the internal combustion engine from the determined electrical position, and The rotating electric machine (118) is driven based on the calculated torque and the engine is started. An improved trigger wheel (114) for determining the position of a main shaft of a prime mover in a vehicle. The improved trigger wheel (114) includes a plurality of teeth on its periphery and a reference gap, characterized in that the The plurality of teeth have at least three different widths within respective tooth periods of equal length. The improved trigger wheel (114) of claim 4, wherein the plurality of teeth are arranged in a pattern to detect a direction of rotation of a main shaft of the prime mover, a detonation of the engine and an electric current of the rotating electrical machine (118) at least one of the locations. A prime mover management system (130) for a vehicle including a main shaft coupling the prime mover to a drive system of the vehicle and a position sensor (116) for monitoring a mechanical position of the main shaft ), wherein the prime mover is any one of a rotating electrical machine (118) having a rotor shaft as the main shaft and an internal combustion engine coupled to the rotating electrical machine (118) having a crankshaft as the main shaft, wherein the rotating electrical machine (118) and the position sensor (116) are connected to the controller (120), characterized in that, A modified trigger wheel (114) is coupled to the main shaft of the prime mover, and The controller (120) is configured to: After the spindle rotates, a position signal is received from the position sensor (116), which is set to monitor a modified trigger wheel (114), Process the position signal and determine a tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel (114), and A parameter is determined based on the determined tooth pattern, wherein the parameter is associated with at least one of the internal combustion engine and the rotating electrical machine (118). Such as the system (130) of claim 6, wherein when the prime mover is an internal combustion engine, the controller (120) is configured to: Calculate the torque required to start the internal combustion engine from the determined electrical position, and The rotary electric machine (118) is driven based on the calculated torque and the internal combustion engine is started. A method for operating a prime mover of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising coupling the prime mover to a main shaft of a drive system of the vehicle, and a position sensor for monitoring a mechanical position of the main shaft (116) , wherein the prime mover is any one of a rotating electrical machine (118) having a rotor shaft as the main shaft and an internal combustion engine coupled to the rotating electrical machine (118) having a crankshaft as the main shaft, wherein the rotating electrical machine (118) 118) and the position sensor (116) are connected to the controller (120), characterized in that the method includes the following steps: After the spindle rotates, a position signal is received from the position sensor (116), which is positioned to monitor a modified trigger wheel (114) coupled to the spindle, Process the position signal and determine a tooth pattern of the modified trigger wheel (114), and A parameter is determined based on the determined tooth pattern, wherein the parameter is associated with at least one of the internal combustion engine and the rotating electrical machine (118). The method of claim 8, wherein the parameter is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a direction of rotation of the main shaft, a knock of the engine, and an electrical position of the rotating electrical machine (114). For example, the method of claim 9, when the prime mover is an internal combustion engine, the method further includes: Calculate the torque required to start the internal combustion engine from the determined electrical position, and The rotary electric machine (118) is driven based on the calculated torque and the internal combustion engine is started/driven.

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