HYBRID DRIVE APPARATUS

• US 20130260936A1
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kumagai, Toshiharu, Takei, Yasuhito, Tanaka, Yoshikazu, Hayasaka, Ken, Yoshizawa, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,114,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 475/5
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/387 Actuated clutches, i.e. clutches engaged or disengaged by electric, hydraulic or mechanical actuating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/50 Architecture of the driveline characterised by arrangement or kind of transmission units
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2037/0886 with switching means, e.g. to change ranges
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2037/101 Power split variators with one differential at each end of the CVT
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/0043 the gear ratios comprising four forward speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/0047 the gear ratios comprising five forward speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/0052 the gear ratios comprising six forward speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2005 with one sets of orbital gears
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2007 with two sets of orbital gears
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2041 with four engaging means
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2043 with five engaging means
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/2097 comprising an orbital gear set member permanently connected to the housing, e.g. a sun wheel permanently connected to the housing
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/728 with means to change ratio in the mechanical gearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/902 Prime movers comprising electrical and internal combustion motors

Abstract

A hybrid drive apparatus is provided in which a first planetary gear mechanism transmits rotation of a first main shaft to which the driving force of an engine is inputted to a main speed-changing part at an equal speed due to engagement of a first clutch, and transmits the rotation of the first main shaft to the main speed-changing part and a first motor/generator at an increased speed due to engagement of a second clutch. This enables the range of gear ratios of the transmission to be extended and the degree of freedom in setting a gear ratio or a step ratio to be increased, and moreover, it is possible to enhance the power generation efficiency by rotating the first motor/generator at a high speed without using a special speed increase device.

Claims

1. A hybrid drive apparatus comprising an engine, a first motor/generator and a transmission,

characterized in that the transmission comprises an input shaft, an output shaft disposed in parallel to the input shaft, and an intermediate shaft disposed in a power transmission path from the input shaft to the output shaft,

a first power transmission path that is established via a speed-increasing mechanism and a speed-increasing clutch and a second power transmission path that is established via an equal-speed clutch but not via the speed-increasing mechanism being provided between the input shaft and the intermediate shaft,

the first motor/generator being disposed on a downstream side of the speed-increasing mechanism, and a main speed-changing part being disposed on a downstream side of the intermediate shaft.

2. A hybrid drive apparatus comprising an engine, a first motor/generator and a transmission,

characterized in that a first planetary gear mechanism is disposed on a first input shaft of the transmission to which a driving force of the engine is inputted,

a first element of the first planetary gear mechanism being always connected to the first input shaft,

a second element of the first planetary gear mechanism being non-rotatably fixed to a casing,

a third element of the first planetary gear mechanism being connected to the first motor/generator,

the first planetary gear mechanism being capable of increasing the speed of rotation inputted from the first input shaft to the first element and outputting the rotation to the third element, engagement of the first clutch provided between the first element and a main speed-changing part of the transmission allowing rotation of the first input shaft to be transmitted to the main speed-changing part at an equal speed, and engagement of a second clutch provided between the third element and the main speed-changing part allowing rotation of the first input shaft to be transmitted to the main speed-changing part at an increased speed.

3. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the main speed-changing part is formed from a second planetary gear mechanism,

a first element of the second planetary gear mechanism is always connected to a second motor/generator and a second input shaft that is relatively rotatably fitted around an outer periphery of the first input shaft,

a second element of the second planetary gear mechanism is capable of being connected to the first element via a third clutch and is also capable of being fixed to the casing via a brake, and

a third element of the second planetary gear mechanism is connected to an output shaft of the transmission.

4. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first input shaft and the output shaft are disposed in parallel to each other, a gear fixed to one of the first input shaft and the output shaft meshes with a gear relatively rotatably supported on the other, and the relatively rotatably supported gear is capable of being coupled to said other of the first input shaft and the output shaft via a fourth clutch.

5. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first clutch and the second clutch are disposed at positions that are coaxial with and on an inner peripheral side of the first motor/generator and at which the first and second clutches are superimposed thereon in the axial direction, and the third clutch and the brake are disposed at positions that are coaxial with and on an inner peripheral side of the second motor/generator and at which the third clutch and the brake are superimposed thereon in the axial direction.

6. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first planetary gear mechanism is disposed at a position that is coaxial with and on the inner peripheral side of the first motor/generator and at which the first planetary gear mechanism is superimposed thereon in the axial direction, and the second planetary gear mechanism is disposed at a position that is coaxial with and on the inner peripheral side of the second motor/generator and at which the second planetary gear mechanism is superimposed thereon in the axial direction.

12. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first clutch and the second clutch are disposed at positions that are coaxial with and on an inner peripheral side of the first motor/generator and at which the first and second clutches are superimposed thereon in the axial direction, and the third clutch and the brake are disposed at positions that are coaxial with and on an inner peripheral side of the second motor/generator and at which the third clutch and the brake are superimposed thereon in the axial direction.

7. A hybrid drive apparatus comprising an engine, a first motor/generator and a transmission,

characterized in that the transmission comprises an input shaft, an output shaft disposed in parallel to the input shaft, a first intermediate shaft relatively rotatably fitted around an outer periphery of the output shaft, and a second intermediate shaft relatively rotatably fitted around an outer periphery of the input shaft,

a driving force of the engine being inputted into the input shaft,

a first gear provided on the input shaft meshing with a second gear provided on the output shaft to thus transmit rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft at an increased speed,

a planetary gear mechanism being disposed on an outer periphery of the second intermediate shaft,

a first element of the planetary gear mechanism being connected to a third gear provided on the first intermediate shaft,

a second element of the planetary gear mechanism being connected to the second intermediate shaft,

a third element of the planetary gear mechanism being connected to the output shaft,

the input shaft being capable of being coupled to the second intermediate shaft via a first clutch, and the second gear being capable of being coupled to the first intermediate shaft via a second clutch and being capable of rotating integrally with the first motor/generator.

8. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first element of the planetary gear mechanism is capable of being coupled to the second intermediate shaft via a third clutch and is capable of being coupled to a casing via a brake.

9. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus comprises a second motor/generator that is capable of rotating integrally with the second intermediate shaft.

10. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first motor/generator is disposed on an outer peripheral side of the first intermediate shaft, the second gear is disposed on one side in an axial direction of the first motor/generator, the third gear is disposed on the other side in the axial direction, and the second clutch is disposed at a position that is coaxial with and on an inner peripheral side of the first motor/generator and at which the second clutch is superimposed thereon in the axial direction.

11. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first clutch is disposed at a position that is coaxial with and on an inner peripheral side of the second motor/generator and at which the first clutch is superimposed thereon in the axial direction.

13. The hybrid drive apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus comprises a second motor/generator that is capable of rotating integrally with the second intermediate shaft.