HYBRID VEHICLE DRIVING SYSTEM, HYBRID VEHICLE, AND DRIVING METHOD

• US 20100198439A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xinctec Technologies LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Ishii, Noriaki
• Granted Patent: US 9,227,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/443 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• 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 20/30 Control strategies involving selection of transmission gear ratio control of change speed gearings, together with other vehicle sub-units B60W10/10; HEV transmission gearing B60K6/36; gearings and control thereof F16H
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0657 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0666 Engine power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/086 Power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1061 Output power
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

When a driver turns on an accelerator, a CPU permits revolution of planetary gears, and a motor rotates a ring gear to drive wheels. Then, when the driver turns off the accelerator, the CPU calculates a target RPM to be output by a Stirling engine according to a depression amount and a depression time of the accelerator. When the RPM output by the Stirling engine reaches close to the target RPM, the revolution of the planetary gears is inhibited, the operation of the motor is stopped, and the Stirling engine rotates the ring gear via a sun gear and the planetary gears to drive the wheels.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle driving system comprising:

an electric motor;

an external combustion engine; and

a power transmission section that selectively transmits one or both of power output by said external combustion engine and power output by said electric motor to a wheel,

wherein said power transmission section includes;

an output calculation device that calculates an output value to be output by said external combustion engine depending on power to be transmitted to said wheel;

an output comparison device that compares a calculation result of said output calculation device with an output value output by said external combustion engine; and

a power selection device that selects power to be transmitted to said wheel according to a comparison result of said output comparison device.

2. The hybrid vehicle driving system according to claim 1, wherein said output comparison device compares a calculation result using the calculation result of said output calculation device and the output value output by said external combustion engine with a predetermined threshold,

said power selection device selects power output by said external combustion engine as power to be transmitted to said wheel when the comparison result of said output comparison device shows that an absolute value of a difference between the calculation result of said output calculation device and the output value output by said external combustion engine is a predetermined threshold or less, and

said power selection device selects at least power output by said electric motor as power to be transmitted to said wheel when the comparison result of said output comparison device shows that a subtraction result obtained by subtracting the output value output by said external combustion engine from the calculation result of said output calculation device is larger than a predetermined threshold.

3. The hybrid vehicle driving system according to claim 2, wherein said power selection device selects power output by said electric motor as power to be transmitted to said wheel when the comparison result of said output comparison device shows that a subtraction result obtained by subtracting the output value output by said external combustion engine from the calculation result of said output calculation device is larger than a predetermined threshold.

4. The hybrid vehicle driving system according to claim 2, wherein said power selection device selects power output by said electric motor as power to be transmitted to said wheel when the comparison result of said output comparison device shows that a subtraction result obtained by subtracting the calculation result of said output calculation device from the output value output by said external combustion engine is larger than a predetermined threshold.

5. The hybrid vehicle driving system according to claim 2, wherein said power selection device selects power output by said electric motor as power to be transmitted to said wheel, and controls said electric motor so as to operate as a generator when the comparison result of said output comparison device shows that a subtraction result obtained by subtracting the calculation result of said output calculation device from the output value output by said external combustion engine is larger than a predetermined threshold.

6. The hybrid vehicle driving system according to claim 1, wherein said power transmission section further includes:

a planetary gear mechanism using a first gear to which the power output by said electric motor is transmitted, a second gear to which the power output by said external combustion engine is transmitted, and a third gear that transmits the power transmitted to said second gear to said first gear during rotation stop or rotational movement stop; and

a switching portion that switches rotation or rotational movement of said third gear on/off,

the power transmitted to said first gear is transmitted to said wheel, and

said power selection device controls said switching portion so as to stop the rotation or the rotational movement of said third gear and controls said electric motor so as to stop the output of the power when selecting the power output by said external combustion engine as the power to be transmitted to said wheel, and

said power selection device controls said switching portion so as to cause the rotation or the rotational movement of said third gear and controls said electric motor so as to output the power when selecting the power output by said electric motor as the power to be transmitted to said wheel.

7. The hybrid vehicle driving system according to claim 1, further comprising a generator that is interlocked with said external combustion engine and generates electric power to be supplied to said electric motor.

8. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

a hybrid vehicle driving system according to claim 1; and

a wheel driven by said hybrid vehicle driving system.

9. A method for driving a driving system including an electric motor, an external combustion engine, and a power transmission section that selectively transmits one or both of power output by said external combustion engine and power output by said electric motor to a wheel, said method comprising:

calculating an output value to be output by said external combustion engine depending on power to be transmitted to said wheel;

comparing a calculation result with an output value output by said external combustion engine; and

selecting power to be transmitted to said wheel according to a comparison result.