THROTTLE-FREE TRANSMISSIONLESS HYBRID VEHICLE

• US 20110040435A1
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marsaili Gillecriosd
• Original Assignee: Marsaili Gillecriosd
• Inventors: Gillecriosd, Marsaili
• Granted Patent: US 8,191,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/268 Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• 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 6/442 Series-parallel switching type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/52 Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• 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 20/20 Control strategies involving selection of hybrid configuration, e.g. selection between series or parallel configuration
• 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 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0605 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/083 Torque
• 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

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.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

vehicle wheels, first and second motor-generators, a combustion engine and an energy storage device;

a first coupler between said first motor generator and said engine and a second coupler between said first motor-generator and one of said vehicle wheels, and a coupling between said second motor-generator and said one or another one of said vehicle wheels;

a driver-operated pedal and a comparator for sensing a position of said pedal;

a master controller responsive to said position of said pedal and comprising a command signal output;

a current controller coupled between said energy storage device and one of said electric motor-generators, said current controller comprising a current control signal input;

a signal path between said command signal output and said current control signal input.

2. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein said first and second couplers are engagable and disengagable under control of said master controller, and wherein said vehicle is configurable into:

(A) a low speed configuration in which;

(a) one of said motor generators is coupled to said wheels and is connected to receive current from at least one of said energy storage device or the other of said motor generators, and (b) the other one of said motor generators is coupled to be driven by said engine and is connected provide current to said energy storage device or to the one motor generator; and

(B) a high speed configuration in which;

(a) said engine is coupled to said wheels, (b) a selected one of said motor generators is coupled to said engine, and

(c) said selected one motor generator is connected through said current controller to provide current to said energy storage device.

3. The hybrid vehicle of claim 2 further comprising a vehicle speed sensor comprising a speed signal output coupled to said vehicle controller.

4. The hybrid vehicle of claim 3 wherein said controller is programmed to configure said vehicle into said low speed configuration upon said speed output signal corresponding to a vehicle speed below a predetermined threshold and to configure said vehicle into said high speed configuration upon said speed output signal corresponding to a vehicle speed above a predetermined threshold.

5. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein each one of said first and second couplers comprises a disengagable spline coupler.

6. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein said coupling is between said second motor generator and said one of said vehicle wheels, and wherein said second motor generator is coupled between said one of said vehicle wheels and said second coupler.

7. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein said coupling is between said second motor generator and said other one of said vehicle wheels.

8. The hybrid vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of said first and second couplers is disengagable under control of said master controller.

9. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

vehicle wheels, a generator, a combustion engine and an energy storage device;

said generator being coupled to said engine and said wheels being coupled to said engine, said generator being electrically coupled to said energy storage device;

a driver-operated pedal and a comparator for sensing a position of said pedal;

a master controller responsive to said position of said pedal and comprising a command signal output;

a current controller coupled between said energy storage device and said generators, said current controller comprising a current control signal input;

a signal path between said command signal output and said current control signal input.

10. A method of operating a vehicle having wheels, an engine, a generator and an energy storage device, said method comprising:

coupling said engine to drive said wheels and to drive said generator, and coupling said generator to deliver electrical current to said energy storage device;

governing a speed of said wheels by generator loading of said engine.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising leaving said engine unthrottled.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said governing comprises performing a comparison of the position of a user-controlled pedal with a previous position of said pedal and wherein said governing comprises changing said vehicle speed in accordance with said comparison.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said governing comprises performing a comparison of a selected speed with a measured speed of said wheels, and changing said vehicle speed in accordance with said comparison.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said performing generator loading of said engine comprises controlling electric current flowing from said motor-generator to said energy storage device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said controlling electric current comprises performing pulse modulation of the electric current and controlling a pulse width of said pulse modulation.