Granted Patent B2

US 7,544,151 · App. 11/531,502 · Granted Jun 9, 2009

Abstract

Claims (31)

1. Method to monitor an electrically-actuated hydraulic pump selectively operative to supply pressurized fluid to a hydraulic circuit for a transmission device operably connected to an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, comprising:

monitoring operation of the vehicle;

passively monitoring a pressure in the hydraulic circuit;

intrusively monitoring the pressure in the hydraulic circuit; and,

determining the hydraulic pump is functioning properly when the monitored pressure in the hydraulic circuit exceeds a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying presence of a fault related to the hydraulic circuit when the monitored pressure in the hydraulic circuit does not exceed the threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein passively monitoring pressure in the hydraulic circuit comprises monitoring pressure in the hydraulic circuit when the electrically-actuated hydraulic pump is selectively actuated and the vehicle is in a key-on, engine-off mode and the monitored vehicle operations have met a first set of predetermined criteria.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein intrusively monitoring the pressure in the hydraulic circuit comprises monitoring pressure in the hydraulic circuit when the electrically-actuated hydraulic pump is selectively actuated.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising monitoring pressure in the hydraulic circuit when the hydraulic pump is selectively actuated and the vehicle is in a key-off, engine-off mode and the monitored vehicle operations have met a second set of predetermined criteria.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising deactivating the selectively actuated hydraulic pump substantially immediately after the monitored pressure in the hydraulic circuit exceeds the threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising intrusively monitoring the pressure in the hydraulic circuit only when the passively monitored pressure in the hydraulic circuit did not exceed the threshold.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein monitoring operation of the vehicle comprises monitoring a temperature of the pressurized fluid, an elapsed time, a position of an ignition switch, and, a presence of diagnostic codes.

9. Article of manufacture, comprising a storage medium having a computer program encoded therein for controlling a powertrain system comprising an engine operatively connected to a transmission, the transmission having a main hydraulic pump and an electrically-actuated selectively-operative hydraulic pump, each pump operative to supply hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic circuit of the transmission, the computer program comprising:

code for monitoring operation of the vehicle;

code for passively monitoring a pressure in the hydraulic circuit;

code for intrusively monitoring the pressure in the hydraulic circuit; and,

code for determining at least one of the hydraulic pumps is functioning properly when the monitored pressure in the hydraulic circuit exceeds a threshold.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9 , wherein the code for passively monitoring pressure in the hydraulic circuit comprises code for monitoring pressure when the electrically-actuated hydraulic pump is operating and the vehicle is in a key-on, engine-off mode and the monitored vehicle operations have met a first set of predetermined criteria.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the code for intrusively monitoring the pressure in the hydraulic circuit comprises code for monitoring the pressure when the electrically-actuated hydraulic pump is operating and the vehicle is in a key-off, engine-off mode and the monitored vehicle operations have met a second set of predetermined criteria.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 , wherein the code for intrusively monitoring the pressure in the hydraulic circuit further comprises code for intrusively monitoring the pressure in the hydraulic circuit only when the passively monitored pressure in the hydraulic circuit does not exceed the threshold.

13. Control system for a vehicle, comprising:

a powertrain, comprising an engine operatively connected to a transmission having a main hydraulic pump and an auxiliary hydraulic pump each pump operative to supply pressurized fluid to a hydraulic circuit for the transmission; and,

a distributed control module system, adapted to execute a control scheme operative to:

monitor operation of the vehicle;

passively monitor a pressure in the hydraulic circuit;

intrusively monitor the pressure in the hydraulic circuit; and,

determine the auxiliary hydraulic pump is functioning properly when the monitored pressure in the hydraulic circuit exceeds a threshold.

14. The control system of claim 13 , wherein the transmission comprises a two-mode compound-split electro-mechanical transmission having four torque transfer clutches each clutch selectively actuatable by the hydraulic circuit.

15. The control system of claim 14 , further comprising the control system operative to selectively actuate the four torque transfer clutches to selectively operate the transmission in one of four fixed gears and two electrically variable modes.

16. The control system of claim 13 , wherein the main hydraulic pump is operatively actuated by an input shaft from the engine.

17. The control system of claim 13 , wherein the auxiliary pump comprises an electrically-driven pump operatively controlled by a control module of the distributed control module system.

Assignments (14)