IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,718,301
Granted Patent B2
US 11,718,301 · App. 17/546,591 · Granted Aug 8, 2023

Method for operating a motor vehicle comprising a power take-off unit

Inventor: Ulf Lang (Friedrichshafen, DE)
Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
B60W30/1888B60W10/02B60W10/04B60W10/11B60W2300/15B60W2710/021B60W2710/0644B60W2710/0677B60W2710/081B60W2710/086B60W2710/1005B60W2710/1011B60W2710/1022B60W2710/1083
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,718,301
App. No.
17/546,591
Granted
Aug 8, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of operating a motor vehicle. A request for coupling a power take-off is detected. It is checked ( 12 ) whether relevant boundary conditions for coupling the power take-off are fulfilled. If the boundary conditions are fulfilled, a system pressure for actuating the power take-off clutch is built up ( 16 ). It is checked ( 18 ) whether sufficient system pressure to actuate the power take-off clutch has been built up. When sufficient system pressure has sufficiently been built up, a confirmation signal is produced ( 20 ). In reaction to the confirmation signal, a driving transmission control unit is modified ( 34 ) in order to actuate the at least one shifting element of the driving transmission with a higher actuation pressure than with an unmodified driving transmission control unit.

Claims (30)

1. A method of operating a motor vehicle with a motor, a driving transmission having at least one shifting element, a power take-off and a power take-off clutch by which the power take-off is coupleable to the driving transmission, the method comprising at least the following steps:

detecting a request to couple the power take-off;

checking whether respective boundary conditions for coupling the power take-off are fulfilled;

when the respective boundary conditions are fulfilled, building-up a system pressure sufficient for actuating the power take-off clutch;

checking whether a system pressure sufficient for actuating the power take-off clutch has been built up;

when sufficient system pressure has been built up, producing a confirmation signal that actuation of the power take-off clutch is permitted; and

modifying a driving transmission control unit in reaction to the confirmation signal, in order to actuate the at least one shifting element of the driving transmission with a higher actuation pressure than with an unmodified driving transmission control unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, with the modification of the driving transmission control unit, in addition deactivating a learning function for an actuation pressure when actuating the at least one shifting element of the driving transmission.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, in reaction to the confirmation signal, modifying a motor control unit with at least one of the following functions:

specification of at least one rotation speed limit for the motor; and

specification of a limit for the power drawn from the motor.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, along with the modification of the transmission control unit, in addition activating a different shifting program for the driving transmission.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the following steps:

checking whether the power take-off has been coupled, within a predetermined time interval, after producing the confirmation signal; and

reducing the system pressure for actuating the power take-off clutch and cancelling the confirmation signal, when the power take-off has not been coupled within the predetermined time interval.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the following steps:

after the power take-off has been coupled, checking whether the relevant boundary conditions for coupling the power take-off are still fulfilled; and

while the power take-off is currently coupled, cancelling the confirmation signal when the relevant boundary conditions are no longer fulfilled.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising, even after the confirmation signal has been cancelled, maintaining the system pressure for actuating the power take-off clutch at least until the power take-off has been decoupled.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, for the modification of the driving transmission control unit in reaction to the confirmation signal, determining a value for increasing the actuation pressure compared with an unmodified actuation pressure as a function of the following factors:

a rotation speed applied at the drive input of the driving transmission; and

a torque applied at the drive input of the driving transmission.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising calculating an actual torque at a drive input of the driving transmission as a function of at least one of the following parameters:

a torque provided at a crankshaft of the motor;

a consumer loss;

a motor braking force when driving downhill; and

a calculated torque applied on the power take-off.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising calculating a torque at the power take-off in each case once as a function of a characteristic of the power take-off and once as a function of a converter slip, and when the torque calculated as the function of the converter slip is smaller than the torque calculated as the function of the characteristic of the power take-off, using that torque for control purposes.

11. A control unit designed to carry out the method according to claim 1 .

12. A computer program designed to enable a control unit to carry out the method according to claim 1 , when the computer program is run on the control unit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2021
From: LANG, ULF
To: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
Reel/Frame 058350/0448 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2020 215 661.1 · Dec 10, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220185286A1 · Jun 16, 2022