Electric torque converter mounted on parallel hybrid vehicle

Abstract

An electric torque converter mounted on a parallel hybrid vehicle employing a parallel hybrid system, using both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor for propulsion, includes an electric motor generator, and a composition-and-distribution mechanism located between the engine and a transmission for mechanically combining torque produced by the engine and torque produced by the motor generator with each other and for mechanically distributing the torque produced by the engine into the motor generator and a transmission input shaft. A converter case of the electric torque converter has a first casing member partitioning the transmission from the electric torque converter, a second casing member located between the engine and the transmission for partitioning the electric torque converter from the exterior, and a third casing member partitioning the motor generator from the composition-and-distribution mechanism. The third casing member has a large-diameter portion fixed to the first casing member, a medium-diameter portion housing therein the composition-and-distribution mechanism and placing therearound a motor generator rotor so that part of the motor generator rotor overlaps with the composition-and-distribution mechanism in a radial direction, and a small-diameter portion whose inner periphery rotatably supports a motor generator rotor support arranged coaxially with the transmission input shaft.