Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Shigeru Matsuhashi

Yasutomo Kawabata

Eiji Yamada

Takao Miyatani

Shigetaka Nagamatsu

Akihiko Kanamori

Masanao Shiomi

Nobuyoshi Takagi

Yutaka Taga

Shoichi Sasaki

Hiroaki Urano

Tetsuya Miura

Norihiko Akao

Satoshi Koide

Yoshiaki Taga, Deceased

Ryuji Toh

Ryouji Mizutani

Hidetsugu Hamada

Shigeo Taga, Heir

Shinji Kogure

Kyomi Shimada

Takiko Taga, Heiress

Yoshiaki (deceased) Taga

A power outputting apparatus is provided with an engine, a clutch motor connected to a crank shaft thereof, and an assist motor connected to the crank shaft or a drive shaft by a switch apparatus. At a time of moving a vehicle backward, an operation characteristic of the engine is set to a characteristic on a low torque side in place of a characteristic at a time of moving forward (a characteristic giving priority to an efficiency). In addition, a torque Tm larger than an engine torque Te and in a reverse direction is output from the assist motor. As a result, a high torque is output to the drive shaft while an electric power is regenerated by the clutch motor, whereby the vehicle can be backward moved.

Power transmission apparatus and four wheel drive equipped with the same

In a power output apparatus of the present invention, a control unit sets a WOT (wide open throttle) line L , where the maximum torque of an engine attains, as a boundary between an over drive area and an under drive area in the case where a rotor shaft of an assist motor is set in a state of over drive linkage. The control unit determines a target working point of an outer rotor shaft of a clutch motor, which functions as a drive shaft, based on an externally required output, and selects the WOT line L as a performance line of the engine in the case where the target working point of the outer rotor shaft is present in the under drive area. The control unit then sets a switching instruction flag, in order to change the state of linkage of the rotor shaft of the assist motor from the state of over drive linkage to a state of under drive linkage. This arrangement of the invention reduces the maximum load capacity of the assist motor and decreases the maximum electric current of an inverter circuit for driving the assist motor.

Power output apparatus and method of controlling the same

When power is output from an engine 50 to a crankshaft 56, a multiplying gear unit 57 attached to the crankshaft 56 increases a revolving speed but decreases a torque and transmits the increased revolving speed and the decreased torque to a rotating shaft 57e. A drive shaft 22 of a vehicle that cruises at a constant speed is generally driven at a higher revolving speed and a smaller torque than a driving point at which the engine 50 is driven with a high efficiency. The multiplying gear unit 57 converts the power output from the engine 50 to a power of high revolving speed and low torque. This structure decreases the amount of electrical energy transmitted between a clutch motor 30 and an assist motor 40 in the process of torque conversion by the clutch motor 30 and the assist motor 40 and thereby reduces an energy loss of both the motors 30 and 40. This effectively reduces the required capacities and size of the clutch motor 30 and the assist motor 40.

Power output apparatus

Power transmission apparatus, four-wheel drive vehicle with power

A power output apparatus 20 includes an engine 50, a clutch motor 30 having rotors 31 and 33 respectively linked with a crankshaft 56 and a drive shaft 22, an assist motor 40 attached to a rotor-rotating shaft 38, a first clutch 45 for connecting and disconnecting the rotor-rotating shaft 38 to and from the crankshaft 56, a second clutch 46 for connecting and disconnecting the rotor-rotating shaft 38 to and from the drive shaft 22, and a controller 80 for controlling the motors 30 and 40. The controller 80 operates the clutches 45 and 46 according to the states of the engine 50 and the drive shaft 22 and changes the connection of the rotor-rotating shaft 38, so as to enable power output from the engine 50 to be efficiently converted by the motors 30 and 40 and output to the drive shaft 22.

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Toyota, Japan

Shigeru Matsuhashi