Power transmission mechanism

• US 20030104901A1
• Filed: 11/22/2002
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kitamura, Katsuhiro, Fukushima, Tatsuya, Takizawa, Kazuaki, Shimabukuro, Eijiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,878,093 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/3
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/268 Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4808 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox output shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4825 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/36 characterised by the transmission gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/421 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/081 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/089 all of the meshing gears being supported by a pair of parallel shafts, one being the input shaft and the other the output shaft, there being no countershaft involved
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/909 Gearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/914 : Actuated, e.g. engaged or disengaged by electrical, hydraulic or mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/919 : Stepped shift
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/945 : Characterized by control of gearing, e.g. control of transmission ratio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/946 : Characterized by control of driveline clutch
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19284 : Meshing assisters

Abstract

The present invention reliably starts an internal combustion engine that is stopped during travel of the vehicle. While the internal combustion engine is stopped and the internal combustion engine and the transmission are disengaged by the main clutch, it is determined whether the mode is the EV travel mode, corresponding to the driving mode by the electric motor. In the case of the motor driving mode, and if the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined value, the engine is started in neutral mode. If the vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined value, the engine is started in standby mode. When starting in the standby mode, a gear set is selected based on the vehicle speed, and the input shaft and the output shaft are engaged. When starting in the neutral mode, the rotation shaft of the electric motor and the input shaft are engaged, and at the same time, by sliding the drive clutch the rotation speed of the electric motor is increased without changing the driving force of the electric motor that is transmitted to the drive wheels.

Claims

1. A power transmission mechanism, in which at least one of either an internal combustion engine or 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 shaft and said output shaft, whose gear ratios can be changed stepwise, are engaged by selective meshing between a plurality of transmission gears 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 the first rotation shaft rotation power transmission member provided on the 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 power interrupting device that engages the 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 either said first driving force interrupting device or said second driving force interrupting device.

2. A power transmission mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said first rotation shaft rotation power transmission member, said second rotation shaft rotation power transmission member, said input shaft rotation power transmission member, and said output shaft rotation power transmission member are gears or pulleys that transmit power by rotating.

3. A power transmission mechanism according to claim 1, wherein:

said input shaft rotation power transmission member comprises an input shaft gear that is integral to said input shaft and an input shaft idle gear that can rotate with respect to said input shaft;

said output shaft rotation power transmission member comprises an output shaft gear that is integral to said output shaft;

said first driving force interrupting device engages said first rotating axle rotation power transmitting member to said output shaft gear via said input shaft idle gear; and

said second driving force interrupting device engages said second rotation shaft rotation power transmission member to said input shaft gear.

4. A power transmission mechanism according to claim 1, wherein:

said input shaft rotation power transmission member comprises an input shaft gear that is integral to said input shaft;

said output shaft rotation power transmission member provides an output shaft gear that is integral to said output shaft and an output shaft idle gear that can rotate with respect to said output shaft;

said first driving force interrupting device engages said first rotation shaft rotation power transmission member to said output shaft gear; and

said second driving force interrupting device engages said second rotation shaft rotation power transmission member to said input shaft gear via said output shaft idle gear.

5. A power transmission mechanism according to claim 3, wherein said input shaft gear is said transmission gear provided on said input shaft.

6. A power transmission mechanism according to claim 4, wherein said input shaft gear is said transmission gear provided on said input shaft.

7. A power transmission mechanism according to claim 1 comprising:

an engaging/disengaging device that is provided between said internal combustion engine and said transmission, and engages or disengages said internal combustion engine and said transmission;

a start-in-neutral device wherein, in the state in which the driving force of said electric motor is transmitted to said drive wheels by said first driving source interrupting device, and said input shaft and said output shaft are disengaged by said transmission, and said internal combustion engine and said transmission are disengaged by said engaging/disengaging device, and said rotation shaft and said input shaft are engaged by said second driving force interrupting device, the rotation speed of said electric motor is set such that, when said internal combustion engine and said transmission are engaged by said engaging/disengaging device, the rotation speed of said input shaft is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed that allows starting of said internal combustion engine, and said internal combustion engine is started up by engaging said internal combustion engine and said transmission by said engaging/disengaging device, or in the state in which the driving force of said electric motor is transmitted to said drive wheels by said first driving force interrupting device, and said input shaft and said output shaft are disengaged by said transmission, and said internal combustion engine and said transmission are engaged by said engaging/disengaging device, and said rotation shaft and said input shaft are disengaged by said second driving force interrupting device, the rotation speed of said motor is set such that, when said rotation shaft and said input shaft are engaged by said second driving force interrupting device, the rotation speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed that allows the start of said internal combustion engine, and said internal combustion engine is started up by engaging said rotation shaft and said input shaft by said second driving power interrupting device;

a transmission control device wherein, in a state in which the driving force of said electric motor is transmitted to said drive wheels by said first driving force interrupting device, and said internal combustion engine and said transmission are disengaged by said engaging/disengaging device, said gear ratio is set according to the velocity of the vehicle such that, when said input shaft and said output shaft are engaged by said transmission, the rotation speed of said input shaft is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation speed that allows the start of said internal combustion engine, and said input shaft and said output shaft are engaged by said transmission;

a start-in-standby device wherein, in a state in which the driving force of said electric motor is transmitted to said driving wheels by said first driving force interrupting device, and said internal combustion engine and said transmission are disengaged by said engaging/disengaging device, when a start request for said internal combustion engine is generated, at that point in time said input shaft engaged to said output shaft by said transmission control device and said internal combustion engine are engaged by said engaging/disengaging device; and

an internal combustion engine start control device that operates by selecting either said start-in-neutral device or said standby start device depending on said velocity of the vehicle.