Motor vehicles – Power – Electric
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-28
2001-10-16
Johnson, Brian L. (Department: 3618)
Motor vehicles
Power
Electric
C180S065700, C477S003000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302227
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a hybrid powered vehicle that has an engine and an electric motor.
2. Description of Related Art
A hybrid powered vehicle is known which has both an engine and an electric motor and is selectively driven by the engine and/or the electric motor. Hybrid powered vehicles are roughly classified into series hybrid powered vehicles and parallel hybrid powered vehicles. The series hybrid powered vehicle uses an output of the engine for power generation only, and is driven exclusively by an output of the electric motor. On the other hand, the parallel hybrid powered vehicle can be driven by the output of the engine and/or the electric motor depending on the driving conditions. Thus, the parallel hybrid powered vehicle requires a drive system that is capable of transmitting the output of the engine and the electric-motor to an axle.
FIG. 6
schematically shows the structure of the drive system in the conventional parallel hybrid powered vehicle. As shown in
FIG. 6
, an electric motor
72
is arranged between an engine
70
and a transmission
80
, and a rotor
73
of the electric motor
72
is axially and fixedly integrated with an output shaft
71
of the engine
70
. Reference numeral
74
denotes a stator, which is fixed to a transmission case
81
. Accordingly, the output of the engine and the electric motor is transmitted from the output shaft
71
of the engine
70
to an input shaft
82
. Then, the output of the engine and the electric motor goes through a forward/backward rotation switching mechanism
83
, and is converted by a continuously variable transmission mechanism
84
. The output is finally transmitted to an axle.
In the above-mentioned conventional hybrid powered vehicle, the engine
70
and the electric motor
72
always rotate as one, and it is therefore impossible to use only the electric motor
72
as the drive source for the vehicle with the engine
70
being stopped. It is also impossible to regenerate energy solely by the electric motor
72
without running an engine brake during speed reduction.
To address this problem, it is necessary to provide a clutch mechanism between the engine
70
and the motor
72
so as to stop the transmission of the output between the engine
70
and the input shaft
82
. This increases the full length, weight, cost and the like of the transmission
80
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hybrid powered vehicle that is capable of running forward and backward under various conditions (i.e., the vehicle is driven by either one or both of an electric motor and an engine) and enables the regeneration of energy during speed reduction without increasing the full length, weight, cost and the like of a transmission.
The above object may be accomplished according to a principle of the present invention, which provides a hybrid powered vehicle, which has an engine and a transmission, the hybrid powered vehicle comprising: a forward/backward rotation switching mechanism arranged between the engine and the electric motor; wherein the forward/backward rotation switching mechanism comprises: a planetary gear unit composed of the following three elements: a ring gear, a sun gear and a carrier pivotally supporting a planetary pinion arranged between the ring gear and the sun gear; and a brake for braking a first element that is one of the three elements; connecting means for connecting and disconnecting two elements among the three elements; and wherein an output shaft of the engine is connected to a second element that is one of two elements except the first element, and an output shaft of the electric motor and an input shaft of the transmission are connected to a third element that is the other element of the two elements except the first element.
Therefore, disengaging the brake and the clutch enables the vehicle to be driven solely by the electric motor and makes possible the regeneration of energy during speed reduction. The vehicle is driven forward by disengaging the brake, engaging the clutch and rotating the electric motor and the engine forward. The vehicle is driven backward by engaging the brake, disengaging the clutch, rotating the electric motor backward and rotating the engine forward.
The planetary gear unit is preferably a double pinion gear, which substantially equalizes a reduction gear ratio during the forward driving and the backward driving.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5433282 (1995-07-01), Moroto et al.
patent: 5571058 (1996-11-01), Schmidt
patent: 5806617 (1998-09-01), Yamaguchi
patent: 5846155 (1998-12-01), Taniguchi et al.
patent: 5873426 (1999-02-01), Tabata et al.
patent: 5895333 (1999-04-01), Morisawa et al.
patent: 5934395 (1999-08-01), Koide et al.
patent: 5935035 (1999-08-01), Schmidt
patent: 5982045 (1999-11-01), Tabata et al.
patent: 6048288 (2000-04-01), Tsujii et al.
patent: 6110066 (2000-08-01), Nedungadi et al.
Sawase Kaoru
Takemura Tadashi
Fischmann Bryan
Johnson Brian L.
Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Rossi & Associates
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