Motor vehicles – Power – Electric
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-31
2001-12-11
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Motor vehicles
Power
Electric
C180S065230, C180S065510, C477S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328122
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hybrid vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as power source.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A hybrid vehicle is known in the art comprising an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor as the power source in order to reduce the exhaust emissions of a vehicle.
Such a hybrid vehicle is disclosed for example by Japanese Patent Application Tokkai Hei 9-103001 published by the Japanese Patent Office in 1997. In this prior art, an ICE and an electric motor are both mechanically connected to wheels, and the wheels are driven by both the ICE and the electric motor. Therefore, the wheels can be driven by the ICE even if the electric motor breaks down.
However, there is also a series type of hybrid vehicle wherein all the output from the ICE is converted into power by a generator and the wheels are driven only by the electric motor. In such a series type hybrid vehicle, as the wheels are not connected to the ICE mechanically, the ICE cannot transmit its output to the wheels when the electric motor breaks down even if there is no fault in the ICE, so the vehicle therefore cannot run at all.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to enable a series type hybrid vehicle to run even when its motor breaks down.
In order to achieve the above object, this invention provides a series type hybrid vehicle comprising a generator driven by an internal combustion engine, a battery charged by the generator, an electric motor driven by the generator and the battery, and a drive system for transmitting the output of the electric motor to wheels. The hybrid vehicle further comprises emergency drive indicator means, and a power transmitting mechanism which directly transmits the output of the internal combustion engine to the drive system only when there is a command from the emergency drive indicator means.
According to an aspect of this invention, the hybrid vehicle further comprises a controller which holds the generator in a power generation stop state or a power generation minimum state and holds the electric motor in a neutral state when the output of the internal combustion engine is transmitted to the drive system via the power transmitting mechanism.
According to yet another aspect of this invention, the power transmitting mechanism comprises a torque converter and a clutch arranged in series with each other.
According to yet another aspect of this invention, the power transmitting mechanism comprises a torque converter and two clutches respectively provided on the input side and output side of the torque converter.
According to yet another aspect of this invention, the power transmitting mechanism further comprises direction change-over means, and a reversing mechanism which reverses the output rotation from the internal combustion engine and transmits it to the drive system when there is a command from the direction change-over means.
The details as well as other features and advantages of this invention are set forth in the remainder of the specification and are shown in the accompanying drawings.
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Ienaka Hiroshi
Yamada Jun
Yamada Yoshiaki
Mai Lanna
Nissan Diesel Motor Co., LTD
Phan Hau
Rabin & Berdo P.C.
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