Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Aisin Aw Co., Ltd.

Hidehiko Banshoya

Atsushi Tabata

Tatsuya Imamura

Toshiki Kanada

Haruhisa Suzuki

Kiyonori Takagi

Atsushi Kawamoto

Tooru Matsubara

Kazuyuki Shiiba

Yuji Yasuda

Junji Matsushita

Katsutoshi Shimizu

Kuniaki Ishii

A hybrid vehicle includes a clutch and a transmission unit configured to be able to switch into a neutral state. The hybrid vehicle is able to transmit power of an engine through any one of a first path through which power is transmitted from the engine to a first MG via a transmission unit and a differential unit and another second path through which power is transmitted from the engine to the first MG. The clutch is provided in the second path, and switches between an engaged state and a released state. The controller controls the engine, the first MG, the transmission unit and the clutch. The controller sets the transmission unit to a non-neutral state, sets the clutch to the engaged state, and then causes the vehicle to travel by using driving force from the first MG and driving force from the second MG.

Hybrid vehicle

A control process including the following steps is executed. The control process includes, at the time of switching from series-parallel mode to series mode, a step of reducing an engine torque, a step of releasing a clutch, a step of reducing a reaction torque of a first rotary electric machine and a step of increasing a torque of a second rotary electric machine, and, when synchronization is started and a step of increasing a positive torque of the first MG, a step of starting engagement of a clutch, and, when a rotation speed of the first rotary electric machine and a rotation speed of an engine are synchronous with each other, a step of engaging the clutch.

A transmission unit is able to switch between a non-neutral state where power of an engine is transmitted via a path Kand a neutral state where power of the engine is not transmitted via the path K. A clutch is able to switch between an engaged state where power is transmitted from the engine to a first MG and a released state where transmission of power from the engine to the first MG is interrupted. When the transmission unit is controlled to the non-neutral state and, at the same time, the clutch is set to the released state, a vehicle is operable in series-parallel mode. When power is transmitted via the path Kby directly coupling the engine to the first MG by the clutch and the path Kis interrupted by controlling the transmission unit to the neutral state, the vehicle is operable in series mode.

Hybrid vehicle operable in series mode and in series-parallel mode

A power transmission apparatus includes a first electric motor, a power split mechanism, a second electric motor, a case, a support wall, and a breather mechanism. The case accommodates the first electric motor, the power split mechanism, and the second electric motor. The support wall is provided between the power split mechanism and the second electric motor. The breather mechanism is located in a rotational angle range that is at least equal to 90 degrees and is smaller than 180 degrees. The breather mechanism has a through hole and a breather chamber. The breather chamber is provided at a case inner side end of the through hole and is opened in a direction that does not oppose a virtual surface that passes through the rotational axis at a rotational angle of 90 degrees of the second electric motor.

Power transmission apparatus for vehicle

A hybrid vehicle is able to select series-parallel mode by engaging a clutch (C) or a brake (B) and releasing a clutch (CS), and is able to select series mode by releasing both the clutch (C) and the brake (B) and engaging the clutch (CS). The hybrid vehicle includes a simultaneous supply prevention valve () that prevents simultaneous engagement of the clutch (CS) and at least one of the clutch (CI) or the brake (B). When a signal pressure of at least one of hydraulic pressure for engaging the clutch (C) or hydraulic pressure for engaging the brake (B) is input to the simultaneous supply prevention valve (), the simultaneous supply prevention valve () is switched to a state where supply of hydraulic pressure to the clutch (CS) is cut off.

A hybrid vehicle includes an electronic control unit configured to, when the drive mode is changed from one of the series-parallel mode and the parallel mode to the other one of the series-parallel mode and the parallel mode and the speed stage is changed from one of the low speed stage and the high speed stage to the other one of the low speed stage and the high speed stage, selectively execute either one of a first control and a second control. The first control is control in which the drive mode and the speed stage are changed by passing through the series mode. The second control is control in which one of the drive mode and the speed stage is changed and then the other one of the drive mode and the speed stage is changed without passing through the series mode.

A hybrid vehicle includes an engine (), a first motor generator (MG), a second motor generator (MG), a transmission unit (power transmission unit) (), a differential unit (), a clutch (CS) and a mechanical oil pump (). The hybrid vehicle is able to switch between series-parallel mode in which power of the engine is transmitted via the transmission unit and the differential unit and series mode in which power of the engine is transmitted via the clutch. The differential unit () is a planetary gear mechanism including a sun gear (S) connected to the first motor generator (MG), a ring gear (R) connected to the second motor generator (MG), and a carrier (CA) connected to a ring gear (R) that is an output element of the transmission unit (). The mechanical oil pump () is driven by power that is transmitted from the carrier (CA) of the differential unit.

A hybrid vehicle includes a power transmission unit configured to switch a power transmission path between an engine, a first MG, and a second MG. The control device is configured such that, during execution of regenerative braking using at least one of the first MG and the second MG while the engine is stopped, when a state amount indicating a state related to a battery has reached a determination threshold, the control device executes a standby operation in which the state of the power transmission unit is brought from a current state closer to a state that enables an engine brake operation in which the engine in a fuel-cut state is rotated using an external force to generate a loss.

A control device performs a control process such that when there is a request in a series/parallel mode to switch the current mode to a parallel mode, and the current speed ratio also has a value faster than a Lo rotation synchronization speed ratio, the control device performs the step of switching the running mode to the parallel mode via a series mode with asynchronous switching, whereas when the current speed ratio has a value slower than the Lo rotation synchronization speed ratio, the control device performs the step of switching the running mode to the parallel mode via the series mode with synchronous switching.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Hidehiko Banshoya