Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Hirokatsu Amanuma

Yusuke Tatara

Kenji Honda

Kazuhisa Yamamoto

Naoki Uchiyama

Shuji Oshida

Takashi Aoki

Kazuhiko Kitano

Akihiro Yamamoto

Tetsu Sugiyama

Osamu Saito

Taiji Maruyama

Yasuaki Hotozuka

Ryo Nishikawa

Yasuhiko Sugo

Hidenori Okamura

In a motor generator pulley, a mechanical clutchand a switching unitare provided such that the mechanical clutchis interposed between a first power transmission unitA and a second power transmission unitB and can transmit power even when an engineserves as a drive element and a motor generatorserves as a drive element and when the motor generatorserves as the drive element and the engineserves as the driven element, and that the switching unitcan switch, when at least one of the engineand the motor generatorserves as a drive element, the mechanical clutchso as to inhibit the engineand the motor generatorfrom being connected to each other.

Vehicular power transmission apparatus

A regeneration control system which permits highly efficient regeneration while a vehicle is traveling stably, and also permits regeneration to be performed without interfering with a smooth behavior correction made by a driver when the behavior of the vehicle has been disturbed. The regeneration control system includes a total regeneration amount determiner for determining the total regeneration amount of a first electric motor connected to front wheels and a second electric motor connected to rear wheels, a regeneration amount allocation determiner for determining regeneration amount allocation to each electric motor, a determination value calculator for calculating a determination value based on a steering angle and a yaw rate, and a determiner for determining whether a determination value lies within a predetermined range.

Regeneration control system

A driving force switching control apparatus in a vehicle which runs by two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive in accordance with the running state. The apparatus includes a device for determining whether the vehicle runs at a constant speed; and a device for determining a drive system of the vehicle running at a constant speed to be the two-wheel drive or the four-wheel drive according to road surface conditions computed using rolling resistance. A threshold value for switching between the two-wheel drive and the four-wheel drive is changed in a manner such that a determination area where the four-wheel drive is selected increases according to increase in the rolling resistance. Sufficient driving force transmitted to the wheels can be secured even when the road surface condition varies, and accordingly, sufficient driving force is secured also when the running condition is changed from constant speed running to acceleration or deceleration running.

Driving force switching control apparatus

A hybrid vehicle is capable of performing regenerative operations of generator-motors disposed adjacently to front wheels and/or rear wheels of the vehicle so as to achieve efficient conversion of kinetic energy of the vehicle into electric energy as much as possible when the vehicle slows down, thereby permitting higher use efficiency of energy. When the vehicle decelerates, a target deceleration force or a target deceleration torque of the vehicle is set, and a permissible maximum value of the braking torque to be imparted to rear wheels from a second generator-motor is set, and the permissible maximum value and the target deceleration torque of the vehicle, whichever is smaller, is set as a target braking torque to be imparted from the second generator-motor to the rear wheels. Furthermore, with the remaining torque of the target deceleration torque being set as an upper limit, a target braking torque to be imparted to front wheels from a first generator-motor is determined, and a friction type braking mechanism compensates a shortfall torque of a total sum of the target braking torques of the two generator-motors to reach the target deceleration torque.

Hybrid vehicle

A first link mechanism of a suspension is provided at a rear end portion of a vehicle for connecting a drive wheel to a vehicle body, so that the drive wheel performs vertical movements relative to the vehicle body via the first link mechanism. In addition, a shock absorber is attached to a lower arm of the first link mechanism for resiliently supporting the drive wheel relative to the vehicle body. Furthermore, a second link mechanism is provided on the upper arm and the lower arm of the first link mechanism which performs symmetrically vertical movements relative to the vertical movements of the first link mechanism, and a motor is integrally attached to the second link mechanism, whereby inertia energy resulting from the vertical movements of the drive wheel and inertia energy resulting from the vertical movements of the motor are made to be offset against each other.

Vehicle with electric motors

A CAT temperature sensor which detects the temperature of a catalyst (catalyst temperature TCAT) is provided in an exhaust purification apparatus of an exhaust pipe, and an exhaust vent temperature sensor which detects the temperature of an exhaust vent (exhaust vent TEND) is provided in near the exhaust vent. A FIECU, in the case where the catalyst temperature TCAT is above a predetermined temperature TCATor in the case where a temperature difference &#x394;T obtained by subtracting the catalyst temperature TCAT from the exhaust vent temperature TEND is above a predetermined temperature difference &#x394;Tsets the flag value of a flooding determination flag F_INUN to '1', and sets the flag value of an idle rotation speed increase flag F_INEUP which indicates that a target engine speed in the idle operating state of the internal combustion engine is increased by a predetermined rotation speed, to '1'.

Control apparatus for automatic starting/stopping internal combustion engine

In a hybrid vehicle, an engine is connected to front wheels through a first motor/generator and a transmission, and a second motor/generator is connected to rear wheels. The first and second motors/generators are connected to a battery so that they are driven or regenerated. During regenerative braking of the vehicle, the distribution ratio of regenerative braking forces to the first and second motors/generators is controlled to become an ideal distribution ratio corresponding to a longitudinal acceleration (deceleration) of the vehicle, whereby the distribution ratio of the braking forces to the front and rear wheels can be always maintained at an optimal value during rapid deceleration as well as during slow deceleration of the vehicle, to improve the braking performance.

When a hybrid vehicle picks up speed, the torque of a first motor is gradually reduced based on a vehicle speed before the vehicle speed reaches a vehicle speed threshold. When the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the vehicle speed threshold, the torque of the first motor is reduced to zero. If the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the vehicle speed threshold, then a third clutch connected to the first motor is disengaged.

Drive control apparatus for hybrid vehicle

There is provided a control system for a front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle which connects and disconnects one pair of respective pairs of front wheels and rear wheels to and from an electric motor for driving the one pair of wheels by a clutch of a type actuated by pressure. The control system is capable of engaging the clutch promptly and reliably, thereby enabling excellent startability of the vehicle and a sufficient total driving force for the vehicle. In the control system, the front wheels are driven by an engine, the rear wheels are driven by the electric motor via the clutch, and the clutch is actuated by accumulator pressure, whereby the rear wheels and the electric motor are connected to and disconnected from each other. The control system increases the accumulator pressure by driving an electric oil pump when the accumulator pressure is equal to or lower than an operating pressure.

Control system for front-and-rear wheel drive vehicle

A drive force distribution apparatus for a hybrid vehicle having an engine for driving a pair of first drive wheels and an electric motor for driving a pair of second drive wheels. The drive force distribution apparatus includes a first clutch, a second clutch, and a battery. The apparatus further includes a first unit for deciding the distribution between a drive for driving the first drive wheels and a drive force for driving the second drive wheels, a second unit for deciding the distribution between a drive force for driving one of the second drive wheels and a drive force for driving the other of the second drive wheels according to a detected vehicle speed, steering angle, and yaw rate, and a clutch control unit for controlling a degree of engagement of each of the first and second clutches according to the distribution decided by the second unit.

Drive force distribution apparatus for hybrid vehicle

A power transmission mechanism for a front and rear-wheel drive vehicle in which the power of an electric motor is transmitted to rear wheels includes an output shaft adapted to rotate together with the electric motor, a middle shaft which is parallel with the output shaft, a drive shaft which is parallel with the output shaft and is adapted to rotate together with the rear wheels, a first pair of reduction gears for reducing the speed of rotation of the middle shaft relative to the output shaft, a second pair of reduction gears for reducing the speed of rotation of the drive shaft relative to the middle shaft and a rear differential disposed closer to an electric motor side than the second pair of reduction gears and coupled to the reduction gear and the drive shaft.

Power transmission mechanism for a front and rear-wheel drive vehicle

There are provided a synchronizing system which synchronizes two relatively rotating rotary bodies with each other by frictional forces generated between friction discs, such that a larger torque can be transmitted between the rotary bodies as an input torque becomes larger, and a transmission torque control device for the synchronizing system. In order to transmit torque between an input shaft and a gear member, the synchronizing system which connects the input shaft and the gear member with each other while synchronizing them urges a blocking ring toward the gear member by using a synchronizing spring, when a sleeve is caused to slide toward the blocking ring by an actuator. This starts synchronization of the input shaft and the gear member via friction discs rotating together with the blocking ring and friction discs rotating together with the gear member, and brings the tooth ends of the splines of the sleeve and the tooth ends of the splines of the blocking ring into abutment with each other, whereby the input shaft and the gear member are mechanically connected to each other.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Hirokatsu Amanuma