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Power transmission mechanism

  • US 6,878,093 B2
  • Filed: 11/22/2002
  • Issued: 04/12/2005
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A power transmission mechanism, in which at least one of either an internal combustion engine and an electric motor communicate with the drive wheels to transmit a driving force to said drive wheels, comprising:

  • a transmission comprising an input shaft that engages to said internal combustion engine, an output shaft that engages to said drive wheels, input shaft rotation power transmission members that are provided on said input shaft, and output shaft rotation power transmission members that are provided on said output shaft, and wherein said input shall and said output shaft, whose gear ratios can be changed stepwise, are engaged by selective meshing between a plurality of transmission gears including an input shaft idle gear provided on each of said input shaft and said output shaft, and the driving force of said internal combustion engine is transmitted to said drive wheels, or can disengage said input shaft and said output shaft;

    a first driving force interrupting device that can engage at a variable rotation speed ratio a first rotation shaft rotation power transmission member provided on a rotation shaft of said electric motor and said output shaft rotation power transmission member provided on said output shaft, and can transmit the driving force of said electric motor to said drive wheels;

    a second driving force interrupting device that engages a second rotation shaft rotation power transmission member provided on said rotation shaft and said input shaft rotation power transmission member provided on said input shaft, and can transmit the driving power of said electric motor to said internal combustion engine; and

    an interrupt control device that actuates at least one of said first driving force interrupting device and said second driving force interrupting device, wherein, when a vehicle is in a travel made in which the internal combustion engine is stopped and the vehicle is driven by the electric motor at a velocity higher than a predetermined velocity, the internal combustion engine is started in response to a sudden demand for starting the internal combustion engine by connecting the rotation shaft of the electric motor with the output shaft by actuating the first driving force interrupting device, and the output shaft and the input shaft of the internal combustion engine are connected at an appropriate gear ratio in the transmission while the second driving force interrupting device is not actuated, and when the vehicle is in a travel mode in which the velocity of the vehicle is less than a predetermined velocity, such as near zero, and the internal combustion engine is stopped, the internal combustion engine is started in response to the sudden demand for starting the internal combustion engine by connecting the rotation shaft of the motor with the input shaft of the internal combustion engine through the input shaft idle gear by actuating the second driving force interrupting device while the rotation shaft of the electric motor is connected with the output shaft at a variable transmission rotation speed by actuating the first driving force interrupting device and the rotation speed of the electric motor is increased until a predetermined engine start allowing speed.

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