Transmission system and method for driving a vehicle

• US 20050107204A1
• Filed: 12/06/2002
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTI Group BV
• Original Assignee: Alexander F.A. Serrarens, Bas G. Vroemen, Roell M. Van Druten
• Inventors: Van Druten, Roell M., Serrarens, Alexander F. A., Vroemen, Bas G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,410,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 475/198
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/541 without reverse ratio using instead electric reversing
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/105 the accumulator being a flywheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/38 characterised by the driveline clutches shift clutches within the gearing or transmission B60K6/36 , B60K6/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/485 Motor-assist type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/543 the transmission being a continuously variable transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/115 with planetary gears
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18027 Drive off, accelerating from standstill
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2003/0818 comprising means for power-shifting
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/725 with means to change ratio in the mechanical gearing
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/728 with means to change ratio in the mechanical gearing
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 37/0826 with only one output shaft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/909 Gearing

Abstract

A vehicle (1) has an epicyclic gearing (3) with three rotational members (5, 7, 9). Rotational member (9) is connected to a load formed by the wheels (17) of a vehicle. Rotational member (5) is connected to a flywheel (11) and rotational member (7) is connected to an engine (13). The vehicle (1) furthermore comprises a transmission-unit (19), embodied either as a conventional or as a automated manual transmission-unit, with two in/outputs (21, 23). In/output (21) is connected to the rotational member (7) and in/output (23) is connected to the third rotational member (9). A force-closed clutch (25) with slip capacity is located between in/output (21) and rotational member (7). With this transmission-system, the wheels (17) remain driven by the engine (13), also during disengagement of the clutch (25).

Claims

1. Transmission-system for a load comprising:

an inertia that is part of the transmission-system,

an epicyclic gearing with three rotational members, of which;

a first member is connected via a first node to the inertia, and

a second and third member can be connected via a second and third node, respectively, to two further inertias formed by a driving source and a load, whereby each member is connected via a first branch to the node and the node is connected via a second branch to one of the inertias,

a transmission-unit with two in/outputs, of which a first in/output is connected via a third branch, not comprising a part of one of the first or second branches, to one of the nodes and the second in/output is connected via another third branch, not comprising a part of one of the first or second branches, to another of the nodes, and

at least one clutch, characterized in that the at least one clutch is located;

in one of the third branches between one of the in/outputs of the transmission-unit and the node connected to this in/output and/or

in one of the first branches between at least one of the rotational members of the epicyclic gearing and the node connected to this rotational member and/or

between at least two of the rotational members of the epicyclic gearing.

2. Transmission-system according to claim 1, characterized in that the second rotational member is connected to a driving source via the second node, and in that the third rotational member is connected to a load via the third node, where the transmission-unit is positioned between the second and the third node, and where the clutch is positioned between the transmission-unit and the second node.

3. Transmission-system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the nodes is located on a shaft, on which shaft also a brake is positioned.

4. Transmission-system according to claim 1, characterized in that the inertia comprises a machine that can function as a motor or as a generator, and in that the transmission-system furthermore comprises an energy-accumulator which can exchange energy with the machine.

5. Transmission-system according to claim 1, characterized in that the ratio of the speeds of the in/outputs of the transmission-unit, in case all clutches are closed and the speed of the first rotational member that is connected to the inertia is zero under all circumstances, is between the lowest and the highest possible transmission ratio of the other two rotational members, and preferably in the middle of these two transmission ratios.

6. Transmission-system according to claim 1, characterized in that the transmission-unit is of the constant-mesh type and has no synchro-meshes.

7. Drive-unit comprising a driving source and a transmission-system according to claim 1, wherein the driving source is connected to one of the two further nodes.

8. Drive-unit according to claim 7, characterized in that the driving source comprises a combustion engine, as well as an electromotor/generator connected thereto.

9. Drive-unit according to claim 7, characterized in that the maximum of kinetic energy of the inertia and that of the driving source differ by no more than a factor of five.

10. Drive-unit according to claim 7, characterized in that the driving source is a high-speed combustion engine that is relatively small and lightweight.

11. Vehicle comprising driven wheels and a drive-unit according to any one of the preceding claims 7, wherein the driven wheels are connected to the other further node.

12. Method for preserving or increasing, preferably stepwise, the driving torque at the wheels of a motorized vehicle, which comprises a primary driving source as well as a transmission-unit and an epicyclic gearing with three rotational members, of which a first rotational member is connected to an inertia, such as a flywheel and/or a secondary driving source of the vehicle, where a in/output of the transmission-unit is connected to the driving source and to a second rotational member of the epicyclic gearing, and where the other in/output of the transmission-unit is connected to the wheels and to a third rotational member of the epicyclic gearing, in which method the primary driving source maintains or increases its torque, characterized in that the driving torque at the wheels is preserved or increased by interrupting the transmission unit, for instance by disengaging a clutch that is connected to the transmission-unit.

13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the vehicle comprises a brake which is connected to the first rotational member of the epicyclic gearing which member itself is connected to the inertia, in which method the brake is activated during upshifts of the transmission-unit, which causes an increase in the torque transmission from the driving source to the wheels.

14. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the vehicle comprises a brake which is connected to the first rotational member of the epicyclic gearing which member itself is connected to the inertia, in which method the brake is activated during downshifts of the transmission-unit, towards a transmission ratio larger than the ratio of the speeds of the in/outputs of the transmission-unit in case all clutches are closed and the speed of the first rotational member that is connected to the inertia is zero for all circumstances, in order to facilitate faster downshifting.

15. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that an additional transmission ratio between the driving source and the wheels is obtained by halting the first rotational member of the epicyclic gearing that is connected to the inertia.

16. Method according to claims 12, characterized in that an additional transmission ratio between the driving source and the wheels is obtained by connecting two of the three rotational members of the epicyclic gearing.

17. Method according to claims 15, characterized in that the first rotational member of the epicyclic gearing which is connected to the inertia is halted, or alternatively, two of the three rotational members are connected to each other, so that a fixed transmission ratio is created between the primary driving source and the wheels, and in that the transmission-unit is shifted into a higher gear while a clutch that is connected to the transmission-unit is open, after which by closing this clutch and releasing all three rotational members, the transition is made towards a transmission ratio between the primary driving source and the wheels corresponding to a higher gear, without interruption of the driveline between the primary driving source and the wheels.

18. Method according to any one of the preceding claims 12, characterized in that the vehicle comprises a brake that is connected to the primary driving source, and that the inertia comprises a secondary driving source embodied as an electromotor, in which method the vehicle is driven forward and backward using the electromotor while the primary driving source is halted by the brake.

19. Method according to any one of the preceding claims 12, characterized in that the vehicle comprises a first clutch positioned between the transmission-unit and the driving source, as well as a second clutch and a brake located between the second rotational member and the driving source, and in that the inertia comprises a machine that can function as a motor or as a generator, in which method the second clutch is opened and the brake is released after which the machine is accelerated independently, so that subsequently the vehicle can be launched or the transmission-unit can be upshifted under full load.

20. Method according to claims 16, characterized in that the first rotational member of the epicyclic gearing which is connected to the inertia is halted, or alternatively, two of the three rotational members are connected to each other, so that a fixed transmission ratio is created between the primary driving source and the wheels, and in that the transmission-unit is shifted into a higher gear while a clutch that is connected to the transmission-unit is open, after which by closing this clutch and releasing all three rotational members, the transition is made towards a transmission ratio between the primary driving source and the wheels corresponding to a higher gear, without interruption of the driveline between the primary driving source and the wheels.