Motor vehicles – Power – Electric
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-18
2001-05-01
Mar, Michael (Department: 3611)
Motor vehicles
Power
Electric
C180S065510, C477S006000, C701S068000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223842
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hybrid vehicle using a generator, a motor and an electric energy storage means to realize a low fuel consumption drive by an engine.
As a drive system which can attain a low fuel consumption of an engine for driving a vehicle, there is known a hybrid type which utilizes a driving force of a motor. The hybrid type is classified into a series hybrid type wherein a vehicle is driven by a motor using a generated output of a generator driven by an engine and a parallel hybrid type wherein a driving force generated by an engine and a driving force generated by a motor are combined together mechanically to drive a vehicle. Also known is a series-parallel type as a combination of both such series hybrid type and parallel hybrid type.
For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 8-98322 there is disclosed a series-parallel hybrid type wherein, in a low-speed vehicular running, the clutch is released, or turned off, whereby the driving mode becomes a series hybrid mode. In the series hybrid mode, an engine can be operated in a high efficiency to generate electric power by increasing the engine speed. While the vehicle is running at a high speed, a parallel hybrid mode is selected by engaging the clutch, or turning on the clutch, thereby permitting a highly efficient operation by the engine. Further, in this conventional type, for preventing a frequent, intermittent on-off operation of the clutch, there is adopted a method wherein a mode switching vehicle speed is given hysteresis.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In such a conventional type, if stop or acceleration or deceleration is performed frequently when the vehicle is running in a city for example, the vehicle speed repeats increase and decrease more frequently in the vicinity of a medium speed and therefore the number of intermittent clutch switching operations increases even if the mode switching vehicle speed is given hysteresis.
As the clutch repeats its intermittent switching operation, a friction disc thereof wears more and more, so that the coupling force thereof decreases. Once the coupling force of the clutch decreases, it becomes no longer possible to transmit driving and braking forces generated by an engine to wheels effectively and hence no longer possible to obtain an accelerating or decelerating force required by the driver of the vehicle, thus giving rise to the problem that the driving characteristics are deteriorated.
It is an object of the present invention to prevent the driving characteristics from being deteriorated by some trouble of the clutch.
According to the present invention, there is provided a hybrid vehicle including an engine for generating a driving energy for the vehicle, a clutch for making and breaking the transfer of a mechanical driving force between the engine and wheels, a generator which is driven by the engine to generate electric power, an electric energy storage means for storing a generated output of the generator, a motor which generates mechanical driving and braking forces for the wheels through input and output of energy in the electric energy storage means, a controller for controlling these components of the vehicle, and a clutch trouble detecting means for detecting a trouble of the clutch, the controller making control so as to lighten the load of a mechanical driving force transfer imposed on the clutch when the clutch trouble detecting means has detected a trouble of the clutch.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5343970 (1994-09-01), Severinsky
patent: 5786640 (1998-07-01), Sadai et al.
patent: 5909094 (1999-06-01), Yamada et al.
patent: 5964675 (1999-10-01), Shimada et al.
patent: 5993350 (1999-11-01), Lawrie et al.
patent: 6003626 (1999-12-01), Ibaraki et al.
patent: 6035984 (2000-03-01), Kosik et al.
patent: 6041877 (2000-03-01), Yamada et al.
patent: 8-98322 (1996-04-01), None
patent: 9-74609 (1997-03-01), None
Evenson, McKeown, Edwards & Lenahan P.L.L.C.
Hitachi , Ltd.
Mar Michael
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