IP Library Granted Patent US 12,600,342
Granted Patent B2
US 12,600,342 · App. 18/549,642 · Granted Apr 14, 2026

Method for controlling a hybrid powertrain and hybrid powertrain operating according to such a method

Inventors: Gaetano Ferri (Pescara, IT); Mario Pennazza (Pescara, IT); Riccardo Bucci (Turin, IT); Andrea Tonoli (Turin, IT); Nicola Amati (Turin, IT); Angelo Bonfitto (Turin, IT); Shailesh Hegde (Turin, IT); Enrico Zenerino (Turin, IT); Renato Galluzzi (Turin, IT)
Assignee: MUVIQ S.R.L.
B60W20/11B60W10/06B60W10/08B60W10/10B60W20/16B60W2510/0657B60W2510/083B60W2510/10B60W2510/244
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,600,342
App. No.
18/549,642
Granted
Apr 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A control method of a hybrid powertrain for a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an electrical machine connected to a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine via a transmission and a control unit are disclosed. The method includes acquisitioning first data representative of the efficiency of the internal combustion engine, of the electrical machine and of the transmission, acquisitioning second data representative of operating conditions of the vehicle, and processing the data, which includes calculating a distribution of the torque between the internal combustion engine and the electrical machine.

Claims (56)

1 . A method for controlling a hybrid powertrain for a vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, an electrical machine connected to a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine via a transmission including a belt, a battery, and a control unit, the method comprising:

acquiring first data comprising data representative of an efficiency of the internal combustion engine (M 1 ), representative of an efficiency of the electrical machine (M 2 ), and representative of an efficiency of the transmission (M 3 ),

acquiring second data representative of vehicle operating conditions,

processing, by the control unit, the first and second data, wherein said processing comprises calculating a distribution of torque between the internal combustion engine and the electrical machine, and

controlling said engine and said electrical machine based on the calculated distribution of torque;

wherein the data representative of the efficiency of the transmission is extracted from a map stored in the control unit, and the map represents the transmission efficiency as a function of the torque of the electrical machine and of a tension of the belt.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processing operates according to a strategy of minimizing the equivalent instantaneous consumption defined by the actual fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine and by the equivalent fuel consumption corresponding to the electrical machine power.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein controlling comprises activating a boost function or a recuperation function of the electric machine.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein, when a requested torque value is positive, the boost function is activated and, when the requested torque is negative, the recuperation function is activated; wherein the recuperation function instructs the system to convert mechanical power available to the electric machine into electrical power to recharge a battery.

5 . A method for controlling a hybrid powertrain for a vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, an electrical machine connected to a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine via a transmission, and a control unit, the method comprising:

acquiring first data comprising data representative of an efficiency of the internal combustion engine (M 1 ), representative of an efficiency of the electrical machine (M 2 ), and representative of an efficiency of the transmission (M 3 ),

acquiring second data representative of vehicle operating conditions,

processing, by the control unit, the first and second data, and

controlling said engine and said electrical machine based on the calculated distribution of torque;

wherein processing comprises calculating a distribution of torque between the internal combustion engine and the electrical machine and operates according to a strategy of minimizing the equivalent instantaneous consumption defined by the actual fuel consumption of the internal combustion engine and by the equivalent fuel consumption corresponding to the electrical machine power and the equivalent instantaneous consumption is calculated for a plurality of discrete torque values deliverable by the electrical machine at the angular speed and the corresponding torque delivered by the internal combustion engine.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the equivalent consumption is calculated based on a variable equivalence factor.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the variable equivalence factor contains a penalty factor (p(SOC)) dependent on battery charge level.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the penalty factor is defined by the relation:

p

(

SOC

)

=

1

-

(

SOC

(

t

)

-

SOC

target

(

SOC

max

-

SOC

min

)

/

2

)

a

wherein p(SOC) is the penalty factor, SOC(t) is the instantaneous battery charge, SOC target is the desired charge at the end of the cycle, SOC min and SOC max are the minimum and maximum battery charge.

9 . A hybrid powertrain for a vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, an electrical machine to a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine via a belt transmission and a control unit, the control unit configured for:

acquiring first data comprising data representative of an efficiency of the internal combustion engine (M 1 ), representative of an efficiency of the electrical machine (M 2 ), and representative of an efficiency of the belt transmission (M 3 ),

acquiring second data representative of vehicle operating conditions,

processing the first and second data, wherein said processing comprises calculating a distribution of torque between the internal combustion engine and the electrical machine, and

controlling the internal combustion engine and the electrical machine based on said calculated distribution of torque.

10 . The hybrid powertrain as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the transmission is an accessory drive.

11 . The hybrid powertrain as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the electrical machine is in a position downstream of the internal combustion engine.

12 . The hybrid powertrain as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the data representative of the efficiency of the belt transmission is calculated using a mathematical model.

13 . The hybrid powertrain as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the data representative of the efficiency of the belt transmission is extracted from a map stored in the control unit.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 21, 2025
From: PROPULSION SOLUTIONS S.R.L.,
To: MUVIQ S.R.L.
Reel/Frame 070710/0094 →
MERGER Recorded Jul 10, 2024
From: DAYCO EUROPE S.R.L.
To: PROPULSION SOLUTIONS S.R.L.
Reel/Frame 068463/0938 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 13, 2024
From: TONOLI, ANDREA; AMATI, NICOLA; BONFITTO, ANGELO; HEGDE, SHAILESH; ZENERINO, ENRICO; GALLUZZI, RENATO; FERRI, GAETANO; PENNAZZA, MARIO; BUCCI, RICCARDO
To: DAYCO EUROPE S.R.L.
Reel/Frame 067388/0481 →
Priority Claims (1)
IT 102021000005603 · Mar 10, 2021 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240157930A1 · May 16, 2024
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