FRONT-AND REAR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE

• US 20120083955A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: NOGUCHI, Masatoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,387,847 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/12 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/441 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/461 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/106 for maintaining or recovering the adhesion of the drive wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/18 Controlling the braking effect B60L7/12, B60L7/14, B60L7/16 take precedence
• 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 10/119 including control of all-wheel-driveline means, e.g. transfer gears or clutches for dividing torque between front and rear axle B60W10/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/11 using model predictive control [MPC] strategies, i.e. control methods based on models predicting performance utilising navigation and traffic information in the control strategy B60W20/12
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 : Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 : Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 : Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/403 : between front and rear axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18036 : Reversing
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/82 : Four wheel drive systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 : Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

One embodiment provides a vehicle including: a first drive system configured to drive first wheels; and a second drive system configured to drive second wheels, wherein the first drive system includes: an electric motor; a motor controller; an engagement/disengagement unit provided between the electric motor side and the first drive wheels side; an engagement/disengagement controller; and a one-way power transmission unit provided between the electric motor side and the first drive wheels side in parallel to the engagement/disengagement unit, and configured, at least, to engage the both sides when a reverse-direction rotational power is inputted from the first wheels side to the electric motor side, wherein, when the vehicle reverses, a reverse driving force to reverse the vehicle is generated at least in the first drive system.

Claims

1. A front- and rear-wheel-drive vehicle comprising:

first drive wheels which are one of front wheels and rear wheels;

second drive wheels which are the other of the front wheels and the rear wheels;

a first drive system configured to drive the first drive wheels; and

a second drive system configured to drive the second drive wheels,

wherein the first drive system comprises;

an electric motor configured to generate a driving force for the vehicle;

a motor controller configured to control the electric motor;

an engagement/disengagement unit provided on a power transmission line between the electric motor and the first drive wheels, and configured to engage or disengage both sides of the electric motor and the first drive wheels;

an engagement/disengagement controller configured to control the engagement/disengagement unit; and

a one-way power transmission unit provided on the power transmission line in parallel to the engagement/disengagement unit, and configured to

connect the both sides when a forward-direction rotational power is inputted from the electric motor side to the first drive wheels side,

disconnect the both sides when a reverse-direction rotational power is inputted from the electric motor side to the first drive wheels side,

disconnect the both sides when the forward-direction rotational power is inputted from the first drive wheels side to the electric motor side and

connect the both sides when the reverse-direction rotational power is inputted from the first drive wheels side to the electric motor side,

wherein, when the vehicle reverses, a reverse driving force to reverse the vehicle is generated at least in the first drive system, and

wherein, when the reverse driving force is generated in the first drive system, the engagement/disengagement controller controls the engagement/disengagement unit to engage the electric motor side with the first drive wheels side, and the motor controller drives the electric motor to generate the reverse-direction rotational power.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a reversing controller configured to perform a switching, when the vehicle reverses, between

a one wheels reversing state in which the reverse driving force is generated only in the first drive system and

a front and rear wheels reversing state in which the reverse driving force is generated in both the first drive system and the second drive system.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising:

a road surface condition acquiring unit configured to estimate or detect a road surface condition,

wherein the reversing controller performs the switching based on the road surface condition.

4. The vehicle of claim 3,

wherein the road surface condition acquiring unit estimates or detects an inclined condition of the road surface as the road surface condition, and

wherein the reversing controller performs the switching based on the inclined condition of the road surface.

5. The vehicle of claim 4,

wherein the reversing controller performs the switching to the front and rear wheels reversing state when an inclination toward a reversing direction is larger than a predetermined value.

6. The vehicle of claim 3,

wherein the road surface condition acquiring unit estimates or detects a friction condition of the road surface as the road surface condition, and

wherein the reversing controller performs the switching based on the friction condition of the road surface.

7. The vehicle of claim 6,

wherein the reversing controller performs the switching to the front and rear wheels reversing state when a friction is lower than a predetermined value.

8. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising:

a reverse intention acquiring unit configured to estimate or detect a reverse intention of the driver of the vehicle, and

wherein the reverse intention acquiring unit determines whether the switching should be performed or not after the reverse intention is acquired and before the vehicle starts to reverse.

9. The vehicle of claim 2, further comprising;

a slip condition acquiring unit configured to estimate or detect a slip in the first drive wheels when the vehicle reverses in the one wheels reversing state, and

wherein the reversing controller performs the switching to the front and rear wheels reversing state when the slip occurs.

10. The vehicle of claim 2,

wherein the second drive system comprises:

an engine configured to generate a driving force for the vehicle; and

an additional electric motor,

the vehicle further comprising;

a charged condition acquiring unit configured to estimate or detect a charged amount of a battery system configured to supply power to the electric motor and the additional motor, and

wherein the reversing controller controls the engine and the additional electric motor based on the charged amount when the vehicle reverses in the front and rear wheels reversing state.

11. The vehicle of claim 10,

wherein, when the charged amount is lower than a predetermined value, the reversing controller controls the second drive system to generate the driving force by using at least the engine.

12. The vehicle of claim 10,

wherein, when the charged amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined value, the reversing controller controls the second drive system to generate the driving force by using at least the additional electric motor.

13. The vehicle of claim 10,

wherein, when the charged amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined value, the reversing controller controls the second drive system to generate the driving force by using the additional electric motor while stopping the engine.

14. The vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the second drive system comprises:

an engine configured to generate a driving force for the vehicle; and

an additional electric motor,

the vehicle further comprising;

a battery system configured to store a power generated by the additional electric motor; and

a power supply controller configured to control a power supply to the electric motor, and

wherein the electric motor is driven by consuming at least either the generated power by the additional electric motor or the supplied power of the battery system.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:

a battery system temperature acquiring unit configured to estimate or detect a temperature of the battery system,

wherein, when the temperature of the battery system is lower than a predetermined value, the power supply controller and the motor controller control so that the generated power which is supplied to the electric motor from the additional electric motor does not exceed a consumed power by the electric motor.

16. The vehicle of claim 15,

wherein, when the temperature of the battery system is lower than a predetermined value, the power supply controller and the motor controller control so that the generated power which is supplied to the electric motor from the additional electric motor equals to a consumed power by the electric motor.

17. The vehicle of claim 14,

wherein the power supply controller and the motor controller control so that the generated power which is supplied to the electric motor from the additional electric motor becomes larger than a consumed power by the electric motor.

18. The vehicle of claim 14, further comprising:

a charged condition acquiring unit configured to estimate or detect a charged amount of the battery system,

wherein, when the charged amount is lower than a predetermined value, the power supply controller and the motor controller control so that the generated power which is supplied to the electric motor from the additional electric motor becomes larger than the consumed power by the electric motor.

19. The vehicle of claim 14,

wherein the power supply controller controls so that only the generated power by the additional electric motor is supplied to the electric motor.

20. The vehicle of claim 19, further comprising:

a charged condition acquiring unit configured to estimate or detect a charged amount of the battery system,

wherein, when the charged amount is lower than a predetermined value, the power supply controller controls so that only the generated power by the additional electric motor is supplied to the electric motor.

21. A front- and rear-wheel-drive vehicle comprising:

first drive wheels which are one of front wheels and rear wheels;

second drive wheels which are the other of the front wheels and the rear wheels;

a first drive system configured to drive the first drive wheels; and

a second drive system configured to drive the second drive wheels,

wherein the first drive system comprises;

an electric motor configured to generate a driving force for the vehicle;

a motor controller configured to control the electric motor;

an engagement/disengagement unit provided on a power transmission line between the electric motor and the first drive wheels, and configured to engage or disengage both sides of the electric motor and the first drive wheels;

an engagement/disengagement controller configured to control the engagement/disengagement unit; and

a one-way power transmission unit provided on the power transmission line in parallel to the engagement/disengagement unit, and configured to

connect the both sides when a forward-direction rotational power is inputted from the electric motor side to the first drive wheels side,

disconnect the both sides when a reverse-direction rotational power is inputted from the electric motor side to the first drive wheels side,

disconnect the both sides when the forward-direction rotational power is inputted from the first drive wheels side to the electric motor side and

connect the both sides when the reverse-direction rotational power is inputted from the first drive wheels side to the electric motor side,

the vehicle further comprising;

a reverse prohibiting unit configured to prohibit reverse driving using only the driving force of the second drive system when the vehicle reverses.