Power transmitting mechanism for hybrid vehicle

• US 8,585,523 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: UD Trucks Corporation (Isuzu Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: UD Trucks Corporation (Isuzu Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Yamada, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, David D
• Assistant Examiner(s): KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS
• Application Number:
  US13/320,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20120065017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,462 Days
• Field of Search: 475/5, 475/282, 475/317, 475/320
• US Class Current: 475/5
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/381 characterized by driveline brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4825 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft
• 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 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/724 using external powered electric machines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A proposition is to provide a power transmitting mechanism for a hybrid vehicle having improved energy utilization efficiency. A power transmitting mechanism for the hybrid vehicle using powers of the engine and the motor/generator in a combined manner, the mechanism includes an engine drive shaft coupled to an engine output shaft via a main clutch; a motor output shaft of a motor/generator rotatably supported separately from the engine drive shaft; a drive shaft brake releasing/fixing the engine drive shaft; a motor-brake releasing/fixing the motor output shaft; and a planetary gear mechanism.

Claims

1. A power transmitting mechanism for a hybrid vehicle having an engine, a main clutch, a motor/generator, a transmission, and a final reduction gear which are coaxially disposed, and using powers of the engine and the motor/generator in a combined manner, the power transmitting mechanism for the hybrid vehicle comprising:

an engine drive shaft coupled to an engine output shaft via the main clutch;

a motor output shaft of the motor/generator rotatably supported separately from the engine drive shaft;

a drive shaft brake releasing/fixing the engine drive shaft;

a motor-brake releasing/fixing the motor output shaft; and

a planetary gear mechanism formed of a ring gear coupled to the motor output shaft, a sun gear coupled to the engine drive shaft, a plurality of planetary gears with which the sun gear and the ring gear are engaged, and a planetary carrier coupled to the transmission and receiving and transmitting orbital motions of the planetary gears, wherein;

by fixing the main clutch and releasing the drive shaft brake and the motor-brake, driving forces of the engine and the motor/generator are synthesized in the planetary gear mechanism to be transmitted to the transmission;

by fixing the main clutch and the motor-brake and releasing the drive shaft brake, only the driving force of the engine is transmitted to the transmission from the planetary gear mechanism;

by releasing the main clutch and the motor-brake and fixing the drive shaft brake, only the driving force of the motor/generator is transmitted to the transmission from the planetary gear mechanism, and the motor/generator is inversely operated when braking a vehicle to apply a regenerative brake; and

by putting the engine in an idle state to fix the main clutch and inversely rotating the motor/generator to set an output from the planetary gears to “

0”

, the vehicle stops, and by changing the rotation of the motor/generator to a forward rotation side, the vehicle starts to move.

2. A power transmitting mechanism for a hybrid vehicle having an engine, a main clutch, a motor/generator, a transmission, and a final reduction gear which are coaxially disposed, and using powers of the engine and the motor/generator in a combined manner, the power transmitting mechanism for the hybrid vehicle comprising:

an engine drive shaft coupled to an engine output shaft via the main clutch;

a motor output shaft of the motor/generator rotatably supported separately from the engine drive shaft;

a motor-brake releasing/fixing the motor output shaft;

a planetary gear mechanism formed of a ring gear coupled to the motor output shaft, a sun gear coupled to the engine drive shaft, a plurality of planetary gears with which the sun gear and the ring gear are engaged, and a planetary carrier coupled to the transmission and receiving and transmitting orbital motions of the planetary gears; and

a lock-up clutch releasing/fixing the planetary carrier and the ring gear, wherein;

by fixing the main clutch and releasing the motor-brake and the lock-up clutch, driving forces of the engine and the motor/generator are synthesized in the planetary gear mechanism to be transmitted to the transmission;

by fixing the main clutch and the motor-brake and releasing the lock-up clutch, only the driving force of the engine is transmitted to the transmission from the planetary gear mechanism;

by releasing the main clutch and the motor-brake and fixing the lock-up clutch, only the driving force of the motor/generator is transmitted to the transmission from the planetary gear mechanism, and the motor/generator is inversely operated when braking a vehicle to apply a regenerative brake; and

by putting the engine in an idle state to fix the main clutch and inversely rotating the motor/generator to set an output from the planetary gears to “

0”

, the vehicle stops, and by changing the rotation of the motor/generator to a forward rotation side, the vehicle starts to move.