Throttle-free transmissionless hybrid vehicle
First Claim
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1. A method of operating a hybrid vehicle having first and second motor-generators, a combustion engine, first and second wheels and an energy storage device for powering said motor-generators, said method comprising:
- operating said vehicle in a low-speed mode when vehicle speed is below a threshold speed, said low-speed mode comprising driving one of said motor-generators by said engine to charge said energy storage device while said engine is decoupled from said first and second wheels and while the other one of said motor-generators provides mechanical power to one of said wheels using electrical power from said one motor-generator or from said energy storage device;
when the vehicle speed exceeds said threshold, operating said vehicle in a high-speed mode comprising;
(a) engaging said engine through disengagable coupling to said first wheel, engaging a selected one of said motor-generators to one of said wheels or to said engine, propelling said vehicle with mechanical power from said engine while operating said selected one motor generator as an electric generator to charge said energy storage device;
(b) controlling the road speed of said vehicle by controlling a level of electric current generated by said selected one motor-generator so as to control a mechanical load of said selected one motor-generator on said engine.
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Abstract
In a high speed mode of operating and electric-gas hybrid car, the combustion engine is directly engaged to the wheels without a transmission and that vehicle speed is controlled without a throttle by electric generator loading of the engine.
44 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of operating a hybrid vehicle having first and second motor-generators, a combustion engine, first and second wheels and an energy storage device for powering said motor-generators, said method comprising:
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operating said vehicle in a low-speed mode when vehicle speed is below a threshold speed, said low-speed mode comprising driving one of said motor-generators by said engine to charge said energy storage device while said engine is decoupled from said first and second wheels and while the other one of said motor-generators provides mechanical power to one of said wheels using electrical power from said one motor-generator or from said energy storage device; when the vehicle speed exceeds said threshold, operating said vehicle in a high-speed mode comprising; (a) engaging said engine through disengagable coupling to said first wheel, engaging a selected one of said motor-generators to one of said wheels or to said engine, propelling said vehicle with mechanical power from said engine while operating said selected one motor generator as an electric generator to charge said energy storage device; (b) controlling the road speed of said vehicle by controlling a level of electric current generated by said selected one motor-generator so as to control a mechanical load of said selected one motor-generator on said engine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of operating a hybrid vehicle having a first motor-generator coupled through a first disengagable spline to a drive shaft of the vehicle, a second motor-generator connected to said drive shaft or an other drive shaft of the vehicle, and a combustion engine coupled through a second disengagable spline to the first motor-generator, and an energy storage device, said method comprising:
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operating said vehicle in a low-speed mode when vehicle speed is below a threshold speed, said low-speed mode comprising driving one of said motor-generators by said engine to charge said energy storage device while said engine is disengaged from said drive shaft and while the other one of said motor-generators provides mechanical power to said one drive shaft or said other drive shaft using electrical power from said one motor-generator or from said energy storage device; when the vehicle speed exceeds said threshold, operating said vehicle in a high-speed mode, said high speed mode comprising; (a) engaging said engine to said one drive shaft or said other drive shaft through one or both of said first and second disengagable splines, propelling said vehicle with mechanical power from said engine while engaging a selected one of said motor-generators to said one or other drive shaft or to said engine and operating said selected one of said motor generators in a generator mode to charge said energy storage device; (b) controlling the road speed of said vehicle by controlling a level of electric current generated by said selected one motor-generator so as to control a mechanical load of said selected one motor-generator on said engine. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification