The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 04, 2002
Filed:
May. 22, 2001
Hirofumi Kubota, Mishima, JP;
Zenichiro Mashiki, Nisshin, JP;
Isao Takagi, Okazaki, JP;
Hiroya Tanaka, Nishikamo-gun, JP;
Shinichi Mitani, Susono, JP;
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota, JP;
Abstract
A vehicle drive power control apparatus and method control the speed ratio of a transmission based on a speed shift line that is set so that, within a practical region, the speed shift line is in a low revolution speed side of an optimal fuel consumption line determined based on the efficiency of the engine and the efficiency of the transmission. Therefore, the width of increase in revolution speed from the speed occurring at the beginning of the practical region is curbed. Hence, the fuel consumption resulting from inertia torques caused by fluctuations in engine revolution speed, that is, fluctuations in the revolution speed of the input shaft of the transmission and a fluidic power transfer mechanism, is reduced, so that the efficiency as a whole increases and the fuel economy improves in comparison with the case where the optimal fuel consumption line is used as a control basis.