Hybrid Vehicle

Details Hybrid Vehicle Hybrid Vehicle

1999-06-02

2001-05-08

Estremsky, Sherry (Department: 3681)

Interrelated power delivery controls, including engine control

Plural engines

Electric engine

C477S087000, C192S003560, C192S003630

Reexamination Certificate

active

06227997

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor as a power source.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A hybrid vehicle driven by a motor and an engine connected in series via a clutch is disclosed in Tokkai Hei 9-286245 published by the Japanese Patent Office in 1997. In this vehicle, at low engine rotation speed when the engine efficiency is low and the vehicle is starting under low load, the clutch is released and the vehicle is driven only by the motor. When the vehicle speed has risen to some extent, the clutch is engaged and the power source is changed over from the motor to the engine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a hybrid vehicle having such a construction, the vehicle can be reversed if a clutch is released and the rotation of the motor is reversed, so there is no need to provide a transmission with a reverse gear to change over a drive force transmission direction from forward to backwards.
However, if a clutch current control CPU which controls the tightening and release of a clutch performs a faulty operation and the clutch is mistakenly tightened when the vehicle is reversing, the engine interferes with the operation of the motor and the vehicle cannot reverse smoothly.
It is therefore an object of this invention to prevent erroneous tightening of the clutch when reversing.
In order to achieve the above object, this invention provides a hybrid vehicle which is equipped with an engine and a motor as a power source, comprising a transmission connected to the motor, a clutch interposed between the engine and motor, drive wheels connected to the transmission, a selector lever for selecting an operating mode from plural modes of the transmission, the operating modes comprising a forward running mode, a sensor for detecting a position of the selector lever, and a clutch current interrupting circuit for forcibly interrupting a current output to the clutch when the selector lever is in a position corresponding to a mode other than the forward running mode.
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.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4657123 (1987-04-01), Sakakiyama
patent: 4674611 (1987-06-01), Sakakiyama
patent: 4977988 (1990-12-01), Tanaka
patent: 6048289 (2000-04-01), Hattori et al.
patent: 9-286245 (1997-11-01), None

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