Vehicular drive unit

• US 5,846,155 A
• Filed: 07/19/1996
• Issued: 12/08/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Hara, Takeshi, Tanaka, Satoru, Taniguchi, Takao, Hattori, Masashi, Tsuzuki, Shigeo, Inuzuka, Takeshi, Tsukamoto, Kazumasa, Miyagawa, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ta, Khoi Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/684,934
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 475/1, 475/2, 475/5, 475/10, 475/207, 475/210, 475/214, 475/215, 180/65.2, 180/65.6, 477/2, 477/4
• US Class Current: 477/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4833 Step up or reduction gearing driving generator, e.g. to operate generator in most efficient speed range
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/543 the transmission being a continuously variable transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• 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 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• 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 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/66 specially adapted for continuously variable gearings control of exclusively fluid gearing F16H61/38
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• 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: Y10S 903/903 : having energy storing means, e.g. battery, capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/91 : Orbital, e.g. planetary gears
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/918 : Continuously variable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/945 : Characterized by control of gearing, e.g. control of transmission ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/946 : Characterized by control of driveline clutch

Abstract

A vehicular drive unit having a combustion engine, a motor-generator for converting electric energy coming from a battery into mechanical energy to output the converted mechanical energy or for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy to store the converted electrical energy in the battery, and a planetary gear including at least three rotary elements. The vehicular drive unit further includes a continuously variable transmission for changing the revolution of an input member continuously variably to output the changed revolution to the drive wheels of the vehicle. The planetary gear has a first rotary element connected to the output shaft of the combustion engine, a secondary element acting in reaction against the first rotary element and connected to the motor-generator, and a third rotary element connected to the input member of the continuously variable transmission.

Claims

1. A vehicular drive unit, comprising:

a combustion engine;

a motor-generator for one of converting electric energy coming from a battery into mechanical energy to output the converted mechanical energy and for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy to store the converted electrical energy in the battery;

a planetary gear including at least three rotary elements;

a continuously variable transmission for changing the revolution of an input member continuously variably to output the changed revolution to drive wheels, wherein said planetary gear has a first rotary element connected to the output shaft of said combustion engine, a second rotary element acting in reaction against said first rotary element and said second rotary element connected to said motor-generator, and third rotary element connected to the input member of said continuously variable transmission; and

split mode control means for controlling the output of said motor-generator by one of adding and subtracting it to and from the output of said combustion engine, said combustion engine held in a predetermined state, so that said third rotary element may have a constant torque but may change its revolution number to satisfy the output required by the vehicle, and for controlling the torque ratio of said continuously variable transmission so that the revolution number of said third rotary element may satisfy the revolution number required by the vehicle.

2. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed;

a throttle sensor for detecting the throttle opening of said combustion engine; and

engagement means for changing the connected/fixed relations among the first, second and third rotary elements of said planetary gear in response to the output signals coming from said vehicle speed sensor and said throttle sensor.

3. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 2, further comprising motor mode control means for controlling said motor-generator, wherein when the vehicle speed is low and the throttle opening is small, said engagement means are so controlled that the output shaft of said combustion engine may be disconnected from said first rotary element, and said motor-generator is controlled by said motor mode control means.

4. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 2, further comprising parallel hybrid mode control means for controlling the torque of said motor-generator by one of adding and subtracting the torque to and from the output of said combustion engine, said combustion engine held in a predetermined state, so that the output required by the vehicle may be satisfied by changing the torque for a constant speed of said third rotary element, and for controlling the revolution ratio of said continuously variable transmission so that the revolution number of said third rotary element may take a predetermined value, wherein in medium and high speed ranges of the vehicle speed, said engagement means is so controlled that said rotary elements of said planetary gear may revolve together, and said combustion engine, said motor-generator and said continuously variable transmission are controlled by said parallel hybrid mode control means.

5. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 2, further comprising parallel hybrid mode control means for controlling the torque of said motor-generator by one of adding and subtracting the torque to and from the output of said combustion engine, said combustion engine held in a predetermined state, so that the output required by the vehicle may be satisfied by changing the torque for a constant speed of said third rotary element, and for controlling the revolution ratio of said continuously variable transmission so that the revolution number of said third rotary element may take a predetermined value, wherein in medium and high speed ranges of the vehicle speed, said engagement means are so controlled that the first rotary element of said planetary gear and the output shaft of said combustion engine may be disconnected but that the output shaft of said combustion engine may be connected to said third rotary element, and said combustion engine, said motor-generator and said continuously variable transmission are controlled by said parallel hybrid mode control means.

6. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 4, wherein one of said power split and parallel hybrid mode control means controls said continuously variable transmission and said motor-generator so that the output of said combustion engine may change along a best mileage curve.

7. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 4, further comprising average compute means for computing an average output of the vehicle, wherein one of said power split and parallel control means controls said combustion engine so that the output of the vehicle may be the average output computed by said average compute means.

8. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 4, further comprising residue detecting means for detecting the residue of said battery, wherein when the residue detected by said residue detecting means is within a proper range, said parallel hybrid mode control means controls said motor-generator to supplement the output of said combustion engine if the output is lower than the vehicle output so that it is short, and to generate the electric power with an excess output if the combustion engine output is higher than the vehicle output.

9. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 4, further comprising residue detecting means for detecting the residue of said battery, wherein when the residue detected by said residue detecting means is small, said parallel hybrid mode control means controls the output of said combustion engine so that said motor-generator generates electric power.

10. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 4, further comprising residue detecting means for detecting the residue of said battery, wherein when the residue detected by said residue detecting means is large, said parallel hybrid mode control means controls the output of said combustion engine so that said motor-generator may generate the torque.

11. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 5, wherein one of said power split and parallel hybrid mode control means controls said continuously variable transmission and said motor-generator so that the output of said combustion engine may change along a best mileage curve.

12. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 5, further comprising average compute means for computing an average output of the vehicle, wherein one of said power split and parallel control means controls said combustion engine so that the output of the vehicle may be the average output computed by said average compute means.

13. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 5, further comprising residue detecting means for detecting the residue of said battery, wherein when the residue detected by said residue detecting means is within a proper range, said parallel hybrid mode control means controls said motor-generator to supplement the output of said combustion engine if the output is lower than the vehicle output so that it is short, and to generate the electric power with an excess output if the combustion engine output is higher than the vehicle output.

14. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 5, further comprising residue detecting means for detecting the residue of said battery, wherein when the residue detected by said residue detecting means is small, said parallel hybrid mode control means controls the output of said combustion engine so that said motor-generator generates electric power.

15. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 5, further comprising residue detecting means for detecting the residue of said battery, wherein when the residue detected by said residue detecting means is large, said parallel hybrid mode control means controls the output of said combustion engine so that said motor-generator may generate the torque.

16. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, further comprising mode select means for selecting from:

a motor mode, in which said engagement means is controlled to disconnect the output shaft of said combustion engine and said first rotary element and to rotate said planetary gear together so that the vehicle may be driven by said motor-generator;

a power split mode, in which said engagement means is controlled to rotate said first, second and third rotary elements of said planetary gear individually so that the vehicle may be driven by said combustion engine and said motor-generator;

a parallel hybrid mode, in which said engagement means is controlled to rotate the output shaft of said engine and said third rotary element together so that the vehicle may be driven by said combustion engine and said motor-generator; and

an engine mode, in which said engagement means are controlled to connect the first rotary element and the third rotary element of said planetary gear so that the vehicle may be driven by said combustion engine.

17. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 10, further comprising residue detecting means for detecting the residue of the battery, wherein the select regions of the individual mode by said select means are changed according to the residue of said battery.

18. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 15, further comprising residue detecting means for detecting the residue of the battery, wherein the select regions of the individual mode by said select means are changed according to the residue of said battery.

19. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

reverse engagement means adapted to be controlled by forward/backward operation means; and

reverse control means for causing said reverse engagement means to retain the first rotary element of said planetary gear and said engagement means to disconnect the output shaft of said combustion engine and said first rotary element thereby to output the revolution of said second rotary element by said motor-generator as a reverse revolution to said third rotary element.

20. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

deceleration detecting means for detecting deceleration of the vehicle; and

regenerative braking control means for controlling said motor-generator to convert inertial energy of the vehicle into the electric energy on the basis of the output signal coming from said deceleration detecting means thereby to store the converted electrical energy in said battery.

21. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, wherein said continuously variable transmission is of the toroidal type.

22. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, wherein said continuously variable transmission is of the belt type.

23. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, wherein said planetary gear is a simple planetary gear, wherein said first rotary element is a ring gear, wherein said second rotary element is a sun gear, and wherein said third rotary element is a carrier.

24. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, wherein said planetary gear is a simple planetary gear, wherein said first rotary element is a sun gear, wherein said second rotary element is a ring gear, and wherein said third rotary element is a carrier.

25. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, wherein said planetary gear is a double-pinion planetary gear, wherein said first rotary element is a carrier, wherein said second rotary element is a sun gear, and wherein said third rotary element is a ring gear.

26. The vehicular drive unit according to claim 1, wherein said planetary gear is a double-pinion planetary gear, wherein said first rotary element is a sun gear, wherein said second rotary element is a carrier, and wherein said third rotary element is a ring gear.