Hybrid electric vehicle
First Claim
1. A vehicle comprising:
- a first drive axle including two wheels for driving the vehicle and a second drive axle including two wheels for driving the vehicle, wherein said two wheels of at least one of said two drive axles are also steerable for steering the vehicle;
a dual-rotor electric traction motor for selectively driving simultaneously the wheels of the two drive axles, said dual-rotor motor including a first rotor for driving the wheels of said first drive axle and a second rotor for driving the wheels of said second drive axle, wherein when the dual-rotor motor is energized said two rotors are propelled to rotate in opposite directions under the action of the same electromagnetic forces, and wherein said opposite directions of rotation of the two rotors are reversible;
an electric power source for supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy, said electric power source including an electric battery for storing electric energy and selectively supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy and an electric generator for charging said electric battery and selectively supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy;
an internal-combustion engine for selectively driving said electric generator or the wheels of the first drive axle and the electric generator;
a clutch for selectively interrupting the transmission of mechanical energy between the internal-combustion engine and the wheels of the first drive axle; and
a central electronic controller arranged and programmed to control and coordinate the operation of the dual-rotor motor, internal-combustion engine, and said clutch, for operating the vehicle in a plurality of drive modes and charging the electric battery, wherein said plurality of drive modes includes;
a forward/low-speed/four-wheel-drive mode, wherein at speeds of the vehicle lower than a predetermined speed the clutch is disengaged, the dual-rotor motor alone drives the vehicle, and the internal-combustion engine drives the electric generator or rests;
a forward/high-speed/two-wheel-drive mode, wherein at speeds of the vehicle higher than said predetermined speed the clutch is engaged, the internal-combustion engine alone drives the vehicle while also driving the electric generator, and the dual-rotor motor does not operate,a forward/high-speed/four-wheel-drive mode, wherein at speeds of the vehicle higher than the predetermined speed the clutch is engaged and both the internal-combustion engine and the dual-rotor motor together drive the vehicle; and
a reverse/four-wheel-drive mode, wherein the clutch is disengaged, said opposite directions of rotation of both rotors are reversed, the dual-rotor motor alone drives the vehicle backward, and the internal-combustion engine drives the electric generator or rests.
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Accused Products
Abstract
At speeds of the vehicle lower than a predetermined speed, two rotors (19, 20) of a dual-rotor motor (17), rotating in opposite directions under the action of the same electromagnetic forces, drive the wheels (12, 13, 15, 16) of two drive axles (11, 14) respectively, driving the vehicle in a low-speed/four-wheel-drive mode, while an internal-combustion engine (45) drives an electric generator (52) or rests. The generator powers the dual-rotor motor, or charges an electric battery (56), or both. At speeds higher than the predetermined speed, the engine driving the generator also drives the wheels (12, 13) of the first drive axle (11), whereas under normal load the dual-rotor motor does not operate and the engine alone drives the vehicle in a high-speed/two-wheel drive mode, while under heavy load the dual-rotor motor, powered by the battery, operates and together with the engine drive the vehicle in a high-speed/four-wheel-drive mode. A clutch (51) selectively interrupts the power transmission between the engine and first drive axle. The dual-rotor motor selectively operates as a braking generator during speed retardation and braking of the vehicle. A central electronic controller (64) controls the operation of the clutch, dual-rotor motor, and engine for achieving high fuel efficiency and performance of the vehicle.
174 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A vehicle comprising:
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a first drive axle including two wheels for driving the vehicle and a second drive axle including two wheels for driving the vehicle, wherein said two wheels of at least one of said two drive axles are also steerable for steering the vehicle; a dual-rotor electric traction motor for selectively driving simultaneously the wheels of the two drive axles, said dual-rotor motor including a first rotor for driving the wheels of said first drive axle and a second rotor for driving the wheels of said second drive axle, wherein when the dual-rotor motor is energized said two rotors are propelled to rotate in opposite directions under the action of the same electromagnetic forces, and wherein said opposite directions of rotation of the two rotors are reversible; an electric power source for supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy, said electric power source including an electric battery for storing electric energy and selectively supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy and an electric generator for charging said electric battery and selectively supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy; an internal-combustion engine for selectively driving said electric generator or the wheels of the first drive axle and the electric generator; a clutch for selectively interrupting the transmission of mechanical energy between the internal-combustion engine and the wheels of the first drive axle; and a central electronic controller arranged and programmed to control and coordinate the operation of the dual-rotor motor, internal-combustion engine, and said clutch, for operating the vehicle in a plurality of drive modes and charging the electric battery, wherein said plurality of drive modes includes; a forward/low-speed/four-wheel-drive mode, wherein at speeds of the vehicle lower than a predetermined speed the clutch is disengaged, the dual-rotor motor alone drives the vehicle, and the internal-combustion engine drives the electric generator or rests; a forward/high-speed/two-wheel-drive mode, wherein at speeds of the vehicle higher than said predetermined speed the clutch is engaged, the internal-combustion engine alone drives the vehicle while also driving the electric generator, and the dual-rotor motor does not operate, a forward/high-speed/four-wheel-drive mode, wherein at speeds of the vehicle higher than the predetermined speed the clutch is engaged and both the internal-combustion engine and the dual-rotor motor together drive the vehicle; and a reverse/four-wheel-drive mode, wherein the clutch is disengaged, said opposite directions of rotation of both rotors are reversed, the dual-rotor motor alone drives the vehicle backward, and the internal-combustion engine drives the electric generator or rests. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for operating a vehicle comprising a first drive axle including two wheels for driving said vehicle and a second drive axle including two wheels for driving the vehicle, wherein the wheels of at least one of said two drive axles are also steerable for steering the vehicle, said method for operating a vehicle comprising the steps of:
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driving the vehicle in a forward/low-speed/four-wheel-drive mode at speeds lower than a predetermined speed of the vehicle via a dual-rotor electric traction motor including a first rotor for driving said wheels of said first drive axle and a second rotor for driving said wheels of said second drive axle, wherein when said dual-rotor motor is energized said two rotors are propelled to rotate in opposite directions under the action of the same electromagnetic forces; driving the vehicle in a forward/high-speed/two-wheel-drive mode at speeds higher than said predetermined speed via an internal-combustion engine, driving the wheels of the first drive axle, when said internal-combustion engine alone is capable to sustain the vehicle speed or to accelerate the vehicle to a higher speed; driving the vehicle in a forward/high-speed/four-wheel-drive mode at speeds higher than the predetermined speed via both the internal-combustion engine and the dual-rotor motor, wherein the internal-combustion engine drives the wheels of the first drive axle while the dual-rotor motor drives the wheels of the first and second drive axles, when the internal-combustion engine alone is not capable of sustaining the vehicle speed or of accelerating the vehicle to a higher speed; driving the vehicle in a reverse/four-wheel-drive mode via the dual-rotor motor, wherein said opposite direction of rotation of both rotors are reversed; interrupting the transmission of mechanical energy between the internal-combustion engine and the wheels of the first drive axle via a clutch when the vehicle does not move, when the vehicle operates in said forward/low-speed/four-wheel-drive mode, and when the vehicle operates in said reverse/four-wheel-drive mode; supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy from an electric power source including an electric battery for storing electric energy and selectively supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy and an electric generator for charging said electric battery and selectively supplying the dual-rotor motor with electric energy, wherein said electric generator is driven by the internal-combustion engine; controlling and coordinating the operation of the dual-rotor motor, internal-combustion engine, and said clutch via a central electronic controller for driving the vehicle in said drive modes and charging the electric battery; controlling the continuously variable tractive force of the vehicle in each of said drive modes only via the depression of an accelerator pedal controllable by the operator of the vehicle and continuously monitored by said central electronic controller. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification