Method and arrangement for controlling a drive system

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for taking up play in a drive system when a change in load occurs. The drive system comprises a drive engine (1), preferably an internal combustion engine, coupled to a drive line (2) in a vehicle, an electric motor (3) which acts on the drive engine (1) and/or the drive line (2) with a driving or braking torque, and which motor (3) is coupled to the drive engine or constitutes a part of the drive line, and a control system (4) for controlling the electric motor (3). The control system (4) sends a pulse to the electric motor (3) when a change in load occurs, a torque pulse taking up play in the drive line (2) before a torque stage from the drive engine (1) begins. The size of the pulse is selected from a matrix stored in a memory (12), depending on the current operating conditions. The invention also relates to an arrangement for implementing the method.

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a method for taking up play in a drive line when a change in load occurs in a drive system in a motor vehicle. The invention also relates to an arrangement for implementing the method. BACKGROUND ART In modern motor vehicles, vibrations can sometimes occur in the drive line. In this context, drive line means all the component parts of the transmission between the output crankshaft of the engine and the driving wheel axles. Vibrations may arise, for example, if there is play in the drive line when a torque is applied to the latter from the engine. This play can occur during engine braking, when a negative torque loads the drive line and winds the latter up like a torsion spring. When the throttle is opened, the drive line is subjected to a positive torque, which means that it is subjected to a change in load. This change in load, when the torque applied to the drive line changes from braking to driving, can bring about a jerk with subsequent vibrations throughout the drive system. The main cause of this jerk is an unchecked acceleration of the flywheel when the drive line passes through said play Apart from being an unpleasant sensation for the driver and passengers, these vibrations can give rise to unnecessary wear on the drive line. Under certain circumstances, for example on bends or on a slippery surface, variations in the torque delivered to the driving wheels can cause situations which are a danger to traffic. From WO-A1-9708440, for example, an arrangement and a method for implementing the latter are already known, which aim to regulate torque fluctuations by means of an electric motor which is coupled to the drive line. By measuring the torque on the drive line and feeding these measured values back to a control system, the electric motor can be continuously regulated so as to counteract jerks and vibrations associated with changes in load. The disadvantage of this system is that it is relatively complicated and requires a control system which is capable of reacting to the rapid variations which can occur in the drive line. If vibrations arise for which the control system is not programmed, there may be problems in damping these quickly enough. The system is moreover intended for counteracting vibrations in the drive line as a function of measured torque variations, that is to say that the system reacts only when a jerk has started to occur and/or when the vibrations can be measured. Other known solutions are to hold back the internal combustion engine so that the change in torque of the engine is zero when the drive line passes through the play. This can be brought about by damping the movement of the throttle (applies to an electric throttle), which results in inferior response, or by reducing the ignition and/or regulating the air and/or fuel supply, which results in higher fuel consumption in addition to inferior response. EP 0 934 844 A discloses the features of the preamble of claims 1 or 7. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION The invention aims to produce a drive system in which jerks and vibrations caused by play in the drive line when a change in load occurs are minimized, by giving the drive line a certain preloading. This is achieved by the method according to Claim 1 and the arrangement according to Claim 7. The method according to the invention aims to take up or preload play in a drive system when a change in load occurs. In this connection, the drive system comprises a drive engine, preferably an internal combustion engine, coupled to a drive line in a vehicle, an electric motor which acts on the drive engine and/or the drive line with a driving or braking torque, the motor being coupled to the drive engine or constituting a part of the drive line, and a control system for controlling the electric motor. The electric motor preferably consists of what is known as an integrated starter motor and generator, hereinafter referred to as an ISG, which can be coupled to the crankshaft of the engine, directly or via a transmission, for example a chain. An ISG can also be positioned elsewhere in the drive line after the drive engine, for example close to the gearbox. When the control system senses that a change in load is directly imminent, a pulse is sent to the electric motor which in turn generates a torque pulse which takes up the play in the drive line. In order for it to be possible to achieve this, the control system is provided with input data from the drive engine, so that it can detect an imminent change in load and react to this before the torque stage from the drive engine is applied to the drive line. This is possible on account of the delay which occurs between the request of the driver to the control system of the engine and the delivery of the torque by the drive engine. Said delay occurs because on the one hand it takes time for the engine control system to adjust fuel injection and ignition and on the other hand the drive engine has to overcome a certain moment of inertia so as to be capable of increasing revolutions and delivering torque. The control system measures torque applied to the drive line in the current operating conditions and calculates on this basis the current play in the drive line. In the light of these values, the control system selects the height and duration of the pulse from a matrix stored in a memory. The pulse itself can have varying forms, such as an individual square pulse, a repeated square pulse with uniform or varying intervals, a ramped or sawtooth-shaped pulse, or a sinusoidal pulse, which can have both positive and negative values. It is important for the invention that the pulse, irrespective of shape, height and duration, is sent only once when an imminent change in load is detected. Said pulse is sent to the electric motor which generates a torque pulse which will take up the play in the drive line. If the pulse has been selected correctly, the drive line will be preloaded when the torque stage from the drive engine is applied, jerks and vibrations in the system then being avoided. Situations may nevertheless arise for which the matrix of the control system has not been prepared, for example unexpected or extreme operating conditions with torques which are not included in the matrix, or wear of parts in the drive line which results in the play increasing over time. Pulses which are too great can result in the torque pulse itself of the electric motor causing jerks or vibrations, while pulses which are too small result in torque pulses which do not take up the play in the drive line completely. The control system therefore also measures the degree to which the torque pulse takes up the play in the drive line. The size of the pulses in said matrix can thus be corrected on the basis of how torque pulses from the electric motor have taken up the play. In addition to correcting existing values of the height and/or duration of the pulse in the matrix, it is also possible to add new values for situations it does not include. The system does not therefore have direct feedback for continuous regulation, but is self-learning in such a manner that it adapts the functioning of the control system by checking the effect of earlier sent pulses on the play in the drive line. Other advantages of the system, in addition to reduced wear and improved safety, are that the drive line can be controlled with greater accuracy and is more stable. The response of the engine can also be improved because less regulation of the drive engine and the electric motor is required. This in turn means that the fuel consumption can be reduced in the process because the injection system requires fewer instructions from the control system of the engine and can operate more evenly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic construction of the drive system of a vehicle; Figure 2A shows a torque curve with torque requested by the driver; Figure 2B shows a torque curve with torque delivered by the engine; Figure 2C shows a torque curve for a torque pulse from the electric motor, and Figure 2D shows a torque curve with torque delivered to the drive wheels. MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A preferred embodiment according to the invention, which can be seen from Figure 1, comprises a drive system with an internal combustion engine 1 coupled to a drive line 2, an electric motor 3, preferably in the form of an ISG, and an electronic control system 4 for the electric motor 3. The drive line 2 comprises a gearbox with clutch 5 and a driving shaft 6 between the gearbox 5 and the drive wheels 7. The invention can be applied to both front-wheel and rear-wheel drive vehicles, and also to four-wheel drive vehicles. The control system 4 is coupled to an engine control system 8 for the drive engine 1 so as to obtain data about the action of the driver on the throttle of the engine, and to at least one sensor for measuring the torque on the drive line 2. A first sensor 9 is preferably positioned close to the output shaft of the drive engine 1. In order to monitor how the drive system is affected under different operating conditions, additional torque sensors 10, 11 can be positioned on suitable parts of the drive line 2. In order for it to be possible to control the electric motor 3 under different operating conditions, the control system 4 is provided with a memory 12. The memory 12 contains data in a matrix, the value of the pulse to be sent to the electric motor 3 being selected depending on the input signals the control system 4 receives from the engine control system 8 and one or more torque sensors 9-11. It is possible, however, to construct a system without torque sensors because it is possible to estimate the size of the torque with great accuracy, either empirically or by means of previous measurements. The functioning of the system can be seen from the diagrams in Figures 2A-D. In an operating situation when the vehicle is engine-braked and the driver wishes to open the throttle, a request for torque is sent to the engine control system 8. If a request for torque M R occurs at the time t R , this will be detected by the control system 4. As can be seen from Figure 2A, which shows requested torque as a function of time, and 2B, which shows the torque delivered by the drive engine as a function of time, a time delay t D occurs between the time t R of the request for torque M R and the time t C of the delivery of torque M C by the drive engine. Said delay arises because on the one hand it takes time for the engine control system to adjust air supply, fuel injection and ignition and on the other hand the drive engine has to overcome a certain inertia of its moving parts in order to increase revolutions before torque can be delivered. As soon as such a request for torque has been sent to the engine control system 8, this is detected by the control system 4. By means of the torque measured by the sensor 9, the control system 4 can calculate the size of the existing play in the drive line 2. This play consists of the angle through which the entire drive line 2 has to be rotated from its instantaneous, engine-braking position in order to be capable of taking up a driving torque from the drive engine without jerks or vibrations occurring in the drive system. This calculated play, the size of the braking torque M B and the size of the requested torque M R form the basis for the selection made by the control system 4 of a suitable pulse from the matrix in the memory 12. At the time t T , a pulse is triggered from the control system 4 to the electric motor 3. The delay from the time t R of the request for torque to the time t T of triggering of the electric motor 3 is very short, preferably shorter than 300 ms. As can be seen from Figure 2C, which shows torque delivered from the electric motor 3 as a function of time, said motor emits a torque pulse proportional to the pulse predetermined by the matrix of the control system 4. The motor 3 generates a torque M E for a predetermined period of time t P . The torque pulse is delivered to the drive line 2 during the delay t D between the time t R of the request for torque and the time t C when the torque stage up to the torque M C delivered from the engine begins. By using an electric motor, the torque pulse can be controlled with great accuracy and in rapid processes on account of its short time constant. Figure 2D shows torque delivered to the drive wheels as a function of time. As can be seen from the diagram, the transition between braking torque M B and desired driving torque M W is achieved gently, without jerks or vibrations, by means of the invention. As can be seen from Figure 2B, which also shows torque delivered from the engine without the system according to the invention (broken line), the system allows the response of the engine to be improved. In order to avoid or minimize jerks and vibrations, the torque delivered by the drive engine 1 to the drive line 2 has to be increased more slowly during the change in load. This can be seen even more clearly in Figure 2D, which also shows the torque delivered to the drive wheels without the system according to the invention (broken line). In this connection, it can be seen that the desired torque M W to the drive wheels can be delivered more rapidly and without torsional vibrations in the drive line if preloading of the play according to the invention is used. In the event that situations arise for which the matrix of the control system has not been prepared, for example unexpected or extreme operating conditions with torques which are not included in the matrix, or wear of parts in the drive line which results in the play on which the matrix was based increasing over time, the matrix of the memory can be corrected. By means of one or more torque sensors 9-11, or alternatively the speed sensor (not shown) of the engine, the control system 4 can check the effect of the pulses delivered on the drive line 2. Suitable positions for the additional sensors 9 and 10 can be close to the gearbox 5 or the axles of the drive wheels 7. Pulses from the control system 4 which are too great can result in the torque pulse itself of the electric motor 3 causing jerks or vibrations in the drive line 2, while pulses which are too small result in torque pulses which do not take up the play in the drive line 2 completely. The control system 4 therefore also measures the degree to which the torque pulse takes up the play in the drive line 2. The size of the pulses in the matrix in said memory 12 can thus be corrected on the basis of how torque pulses from the electric motor 3 have taken up the play. If, for example, wear in the drive line 2 leads to the play increasing, the value of the pulse size in the matrix will produce an inadequate torque pulse from the electric motor. The discrepancy can be measured by the torque sensor 9, the signal of which gives rise to an error message in the control system 4. Depending on the size of the error, the control system 4 calculates a new value for the height and/or duration of the pulse for the current operating conditions and includes this in the matrix of the memory 12. In addition to correcting existing values of the height and/or duration of the pulse in the matrix, it is also possible to add new values for situations the matrix does not include. The system does not therefore have direct feedback for continuous regulation, but is self-learning in such a manner that it adapts the functioning of the control system 4 by checking the effect of earlier sent pulses on the play in the drive line 2.

Claims: Method for taking up play in a drive system when a change in load occurs, the drive system comprising a drive engine (1), preferably an internal combustion engine, coupled to a drive line (2) in a vehicle, an electric motor (3) which acts on the drive engine (1) and/or the drive line (2) with a driving or braking torque, the motor (3) being coupled to the drive engine r constituting a part of the drive line, a control system (4) for controlling the electric motor (3), characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: determining if a change in load is imminent; determining if a driving or braking torque is required from said electric motor (3), sending a single pulse to the electric motor when a change in load occurs, whereby a torque pulse from the electric motor takes up play in the drive line (2) before a torque stage from the drive engine (1) begins. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the control system (4) measures torque applied to the drive line (2) under the current operating conditions. Method according to Claim 2, characterized in that the control system (4) selects the height and/or duration of the pulse from a matrix in a memory (12), on the basis of the torque applied Method according to Claim 3 characterized in that the control system (4) measures the degree to which the torque pulse takes up the play in the drive line (2). Method according to Claim 4, characterized in that the control system (4) corrects the size of the pulse for the current operating conditions in said matrix on the basis of how the torque pulse from the electric motor (3) has taken up the play. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is implemented when the change in load in the drive line (2) goes from negative (M B ) to positive (M C ) torque, and vice versa. Drive system for implementing the method according to Claim 1, which drive system comprises a drive engine (1), preferably an internal combustion engine, coupled to a drive line (2) in a vehicle, an electric motor (3) which can act on the drive engine (1) and/or the drive line (2) with a driving or braking torque, the motor (3) being coupled to the drive engine (1) or constituting a part of the drive line (2), a control system (4) for controlling the electric motor (3), characterized in that the control system (4) is arranged so as to send a single pulse to the electric motor (3) when a change in load occurs, which motor generates a torque pulse for the purpose of taking up play in the drive line (2) before a torque stage from the drive engine (1) begins. Drive system according to Claim 7, characterized in that the electric motor (3) consists of an integrated starter motor and generator. Drive system according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the control system (4) is provided with a matrix stored in a memory (12), in which the size and duration of the pulse are linked to different operating conditions. Drive system according to Claim 9, characterized in that the drive line (2) is provided with at least one sensor (9, 10, 11) in order to measure the effect of the torque pulse on the play in the drive line (2). Drive system according to Claim 10, characterized in that the control system (4) is arranged so as to correct the size of the pulse in the matrix in the light of measured values from said sensors (9, 10, 11). Drive system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the change in load occurs when the drive engine (1) changes from engine braking to engine driving, and vice versa.

Inventors: FREDERIKSSON KRISTER, LINDSTROEM JOHAN, FREDERIKSSON, KRISTER, LINDSTROEM, JOHAN, LINDSTRÖM, Johan
Applicants: VOLVO PERSONVAGNAR AB
Application year: 2001
Main classification: B60K41
IPC codes: B60W10, B60W20, B60K6