Jtekt Corporation

Kenta Taniguchi

Akira Kodama

Tomoaki Kato

Tomohiro Nozu

Tsutomu Matsumoto

Masaki Mita

Akiyoshi Kakita

A drive force transmission apparatus is mountable on a four-wheel drive vehicle switchable between a four-wheel drive mode that transmits a drive force of an engine to front wheels and rear wheels, and a two-wheel drive mode that transmits the drive force to only the front wheels. The drive force transmission apparatus allows adjustment of the drive force to the rear wheels, and includes a multi-plate clutch, a piston for axially pressing the multi-plate clutch, an actuator for axially moving the piston, and a control unit for controlling the actuator. Upon satisfaction of a predetermined condition that indicates a high probability of the vehicle needing to be switched from the two-wheel drive mode to the four-wheel drive mode, the control unit causes the actuator to displace the piston by a predetermined amount with respect to an initial position of the piston toward the multi-plate clutch.

Drive force transmission apparatus

A driving force transmission controller includes: a normal turning control unit that computes command values such that driving force transmitted to an outer wheel in a turning direction is larger than that transmitted to an inner wheel during normal turning; a counter-steering control unit that computes the command values such that the driving force transmitted to the outer wheel is larger than that transmitted to the inner wheel during counter-steering; a counter-steering return control unit that corrects the command values such that a rate of change in each of the driving forces transmitted to the right and left rear wheels is lower than a rate of change in a steered angle of front wheels when a steering velocity is equal to or higher than a prescribed value during the counter-steering; and a driving force transmission control unit that controls a driving force transmission device based on the command values.

Driving force transmission controller and vehicle control method

A driving force transmission control apparatus includes a multiple disc clutch including a plurality of outer clutch plates, and a plurality of inner clutch plates; a pressing mechanism that presses the multiple disc clutch; and a control portion that controls the pressing mechanism. The outer clutch plates and inner clutch plates are engaged with an intermediate shaft and an inner shaft respectively. The control portion makes a determination as to whether the multiple disc clutch is in a first operating condition in which the multiple disc clutch is pressed with a relative rotation speed between the intermediate and the inner shafts being equal to or higher than a predetermined value, or in a second operating condition in which the multiple disc clutch is pressed with the relative rotation speed being lower than the predetermined value, and the control portion controls the pressing mechanism based on a result of the determination.

Driving force transmission control apparatus

A four-wheel-drive vehicle includes a clutch that is able to allow and interrupt transmission of driving force to a propeller shaft, and a traction control unit that controls at least one of the driving force generated by an engine and braking force applied to right and left front wheels to suppress a slip of the right and left front wheels. When the drive mode is switched from a two-wheel-drive mode to a four-wheel-drive mode, if the relative rotational speed between a first rotary member and a second rotary member constituting a clutch is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, an ECU outputs a control command signal for suppressing the slip of the right and left front wheels to the traction control unit.

Growing community of inventors

Anjo, Japan

Kenta Taniguchi