Clutched flywheel transmission

• US 9,300,184 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Punch Flybrid Limited
• Original Assignee: Flybrid Automotive Limited (Torotrak Plc)
• Inventors: Cross, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, William C
• Application Number:
  US13/519,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20130192399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 743/29, 743/31, 743/33, 745/722, 180/165
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/105 the accumulator being a flywheel
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/30 Flywheels F16F15/16, F16F15/28 take precedence; suppression of vibrations in rotating systems using elastic members or friction-damping members moving with the system, i.e. split flywheels or single masses connected to a hub by elastic members or friction-damping members F16F15/12; rotary-body aspects in general F16C13/00, F16C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/044 when a freewheel device is disengaged or bridged
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0462 by controlling slip rate during gear shift transition
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0412 Cooling or heating; Control of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/043 within rotary parts, e.g. axial channels or radial openings in shafts
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0473 Friction devices, e.g. clutches or brakes
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/04 Smoothing ratio shift
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/025 for power storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19614 Disconnecting means

Abstract

An energy storage and recovery system device for a vehicle, comprising a flywheel, a first and a second set of gears, and multiple wet mutliplate clutches, wherein one of each gear set is arranged coaxially along a clutch shaft with one of the clutches, and wherein the device is coupled to the vehicle transmission, such that actuation of a clutch redirected the torque path via the gears, thereby enabling multiple ratios and therefore multiple speeds.

Claims

1. An energy storage and recovery system device comprising a flywheel arranged for energy storage and a gearbox, wherein the gearbox comprises a first gear set comprising a first plurality of gears wherein each gear of the first gear set is operatively coupled to a first shaft, and a second gear set comprising a second plurality of gears wherein each gear of the second gear set is operatively coupled to a second shaft, and wherein each respective gear of the first gear set is paired to a respective gear of the second gear set, and is separated by a respective dedicated clutch in series, the pairs of gears and their respective clutches providing multiple torque transfer paths, at least two of the multiple torque transfer paths being configured to allow torque transfer in the same direction as one another;

wherein the first shaft is couplable to the flywheel arranged for energy storage, and the second shaft is couplable to a vehicle transmission, and wherein each respective clutch has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of each respective clutch is coupled to the respective gear of the first gear set, and wherein the second side of each respective clutch is coupled to the respective gear of the second gear set, and wherein the clutches can be actuated individually to allow torque flow between the first gear set and the second gear set;

wherein the flywheel is not an engine flywheel; and

wherein a control device is configured to control the operation of at least one of the clutches to provide substantially continuous slippage of at least one clutch throughout the duration of torque transfer through the at least one of the clutches.

2. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the clutches are wet clutches.

3. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein a cooling oil flow is supplied to a centre of each clutch to control the clutch temperatures, the cooling oil enabling extraction of heat from the clutches to allow the substantially continuous slippage of the at least one clutch.

4. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein a lubricant is supplied, via jets, to gear teeth as they come out of mesh with the first or second intermediate gear.

5. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein each respective gear of the first gear set is located coaxially with its respective dedicated clutch and with the paired respective gear of the second gear set.

6. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flywheel for energy storage is coupled to the first shaft.

7. A vehicle comprising a transmission input shaft wherein an energy storage and recovery system device in accordance with claim 1 is coupled to an input shaft of the vehicle transmission.

8. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clutches can be actuated individually via an actuator configured to create a normal force on the clutch plates of the at least one clutch to increase the torque in the clutch, the normal force being substantially proportional to a braking or accelerating torque of the vehicle in order to provide controlled slippage of the at least one clutch.

9. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1, including a clutch lubrication and cooling system for supplying a cooling oil flow.

10. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one clutch is mounted on a clutch shaft, and wherein the clutch lubrication and cooling system includes a central bore of the clutch shaft and at least one aperture in the clutch shaft via which oil is supplied to the at least one clutch.

11. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the device and the flywheel have a combined weight which is less than 20 kg.

12. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one torque transfer path allows torque transfer in either direction along the path.

13. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flywheel is not mounted on an internal combustion engine crankshaft.

14. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least two of the said pairs of gears provide different gear ratios to one another.

15. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuation force of the said individual actuation of the clutches is arranged to be modulated torque flow between the first gear set and the second gear set.

16. An energy storage and recovery system device comprising a gearbox, wherein the gearbox comprises a first gear set comprising a first plurality of gears wherein each gear of the first gear set is operatively coupled to a first shaft, and a second gear set comprising a second plurality of gears wherein each gear of the second gear set is operatively coupled to a second shaft, and wherein each respective gear of the first gear set is paired to a respective gear of the second gear set, and is separated by a respective dedicated clutch in series, the pairs of gears and their respective clutches providing multiple torque transfer paths, at least two of the multiple torque transfer paths being configured to allow torque transfer in the same direction as one another;

wherein the first shaft is couplable to a flywheel arranged for energy storage, and the second shaft is couplable to a vehicle transmission, and wherein each respective clutch has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of each respective clutch is coupled to the respective gear of the first gear set, and wherein the second side of each respective clutch is coupled to the respective gear of the second gear set, and wherein the clutches can be actuated individually to allow torque flow between the first gear set and the second gear set; and

wherein the device includes a controller arranged to control the operation of at least one of the clutches to cause substantially continuous slippage of at least one clutch throughout the duration of torque transfer through the clutch.

17. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 16 wherein the clutches are wet clutches.

18. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 16 wherein a cooling oil flow is supplied to a centre of each clutch to control clutch temperatures, the cooling oil enabling extraction of heat from the clutches to allow the substantially continuous slippage of the at least one clutch.

19. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 16 wherein lubricant is supplied, via jets, to gear teeth as they come out of mesh with the first or second intermediate gear.

20. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 16 wherein each respective gear of the first gear set is located coaxially with its respective dedicated clutch and with the paired respective gear of the second gear set.

21. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 16 combined with a flywheel for energy storage that is couplable to the first shaft.

22. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 21 wherein the device and the flywheel have a combined weight which is less than 20 kg.

23. A vehicle comprising a transmission input shaft, wherein an energy storage and recovery system device in accordance with claim 16 is coupled to an input shaft of the vehicle transmission.

24. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 16 wherein the clutches can be actuated individually via an actuator configured to create a normal force on the clutch plates of the at least one clutch to increase the torque in the clutch, the normal force being substantially proportional to the vehicle braking or accelerating torque in order to provide controlled slippage of the at least one clutch.

25. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 16, including a clutch lubrication and cooling system for supplying a cooling oil flow.

26. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least one clutch is mounted on a clutch shaft, and wherein the clutch lubrication and cooling system includes a central bore of the clutch shaft and at least one aperture in the clutch shaft via which oil is supplied to the at least one clutch.

27. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 16 wherein at least one torque transfer path allows torque transfer in either direction along the path.

28. An energy storage and recover system device as claimed in claim 16 wherein at least two of the said pairs of gears provide different gear ratios to one another.

29. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 20 wherein the actuation force of the said individual actuation of the clutches is arranged to be modulated to modulate torque flow between the first gear set and the second gear set.

30. An energy storage and recovery system device comprising a flywheel arranged for energy storage and a gearbox, wherein the gearbox comprises a first gear set comprising gears wherein each gear of the first gear set is operatively coupled to a first shaft, and a second gear set comprising gears wherein each gear of the second gear set is operatively coupled to a second shaft, and wherein each respective gear of the first gear set is paired to a respective gear of the second gear set, and is separated by a respective dedicated clutch in series, the pairs of gears and their respective clutches providing multiple torque transfer paths, at least two of the multiple torque paths being configured to all torque transfer in the same direction as one another;

wherein the first shaft is couplable to the flywheel arranged for energy storage, and the second shaft is couplable to a vehicle transmission, and wherein each respective clutch has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of each respective clutch is coupled to the respective gear of the first gear set, and wherein the second side of each respective clutch is coupled to the respective gear of the second gear set, and wherein the clutches can be actuated individually to allow torque flow between the first gear set and the second gear set;

wherein the flywheel is coupled to the first shaft such that energy can be stored in and recovered from the flywheel only via the gearbox; and

wherein a control device is configured to control the operation of at least one of the clutches to provide substantially continuous slippage of at least one clutch throughout the duration of the torque transfer through the clutch.

31. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 30 wherein the clutches are wet clutches, and a cooling oil flow is supplied to a centre of each clutch to control the clutch temperatures, the cooling oil enabling extraction of heat from the clutches to allow the substantially continuous slippage of the at least one clutch.

32. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 30 wherein each respective gear of the first gear set is located coaxially with respective dedicated clutch and with the paired respective gear of the second gear set.

33. An energy storage and recovery system device as claimed in claim 30 wherein the clutches can be actuated individually via an actuator configured to create a normal force to the clutch plates of the at least one clutch to increase the torque in the clutch, the normal force being substantially proportional to the vehicle braking or accelerating torque in order to provide controlled slippage of the at least one clutch.