Control apparatus for 4WD vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9376015-B2
Application number	US-201514708612-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	May 16, 2014
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A control apparatus for a 4WD vehicle is provided. The control apparatus includes a driving force source, main driving wheels, auxiliary driving wheels, a driving force transmission shaft, a first disconnection mechanism, a second disconnection mechanism, and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to: (i) control one of the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism to be engaged and then engage the other one of the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism when a disconnect state is canceled; and (ii) set, when the disconnect state is canceled, an increasing gradient of a rotation speed of the driving force transmission shaft in accordance with a condition that the electronic control unit determines to cancel the disconnect state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A four wheel drive vehicle comprising:
main driving wheels;
auxiliary driving wheels;
a driving force source that outputs a power to the main driving wheels;
a driving force transmission shaft having a driving force source end operatively connected to the driving force source and an opposite auxiliary driving wheels end operatively connected to the auxiliary driving wheels, the driving force transmission shaft configured to transmit a part of the power that the driving force source transmits to the main driving wheels to the auxiliary driving wheels during four wheel drive traveling, the driving force transmission shaft is part of a power transmission path between the driving force source and the auxiliary driving wheels;
a first disconnection mechanism disposed on the driving force source end of the driving force transmission shaft;
a second disconnection mechanism disposed on the auxiliary driving wheels end of the driving force transmission shaft, the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism being configured to move between an engaged position and a released position, in the engaged position the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism connect the power transmission path between the driving force source and the auxiliary driving wheels and in the released position the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism disconnect the power transmission path between the driving force source and the auxiliary driving wheels; and
an electronic control unit configured to:
(i) control one of the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism to be in the engaged position and then control the other one of the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism to be in the engaged position when a disconnect state is canceled, the disconnect state being a state where both the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism are in the released position; and
(ii) set, when the disconnect state is canceled, an increasing gradient of a rotation speed of the driving force transmission shaft in accordance with a condition that the electronic control unit determines to cancel the disconnect state.

2. The four wheel drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control the other one of the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism to be in the engaged position after the rotation speed of the driving force transmission shaft reaches a predetermined rotation speed.

3. The four wheel drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the increasing gradient includes a first increasing gradient and a second increasing gradient which is larger than the first increasing gradient, the electronic control unit is configured to set, when traveling is performed in the disconnect state during two wheel drive traveling, the increasing gradient to the first increasing gradient (i) when the electronic control unit predicts that a predetermined vehicle wheel speed difference occurs between the main driving wheels and the auxiliary driving wheels as the condition or (ii) when the electronic control unit predicts that any one of an understeer state and an oversteer state occurs as the condition.

4. The four wheel drive vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to predict whether or not the predetermined vehicle wheel speed difference occurs or predict whether or not any one of the understeer state and the oversteer state occurs based on at least one of a low μ road, an uphill road, or a state of steering.

5. The four wheel drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the increasing gradient includes a first increasing gradient and a second increasing gradient which is larger than the first increasing gradient, the electronic control unit is configured to set, when traveling is performed in the disconnect state during two wheel drive traveling, the increasing gradient to the second increasing gradient (i) when a predetermined vehicle wheel speed difference occurs between the main driving wheels and the auxiliary driving wheels as the condition or (ii) when any one of an understeer state and an oversteer state occurs as the condition.

6. The four wheel drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the increasing gradient includes a first increasing gradient and a second increasing gradient which is larger than the first increasing gradient, the electronic control unit is configured to switch the increasing gradient from the first increasing gradient to the second increasing gradient when a condition in which the second increasing gradient is required is satisfied while one of the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism is in the engaged position such that the increasing gradient is at the first increasing gradient.

7. The four wheel drive vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an automatic transmission disposed in a power transmission path between the driving force source and the main driving wheels,
wherein the increasing gradient includes a first increasing gradient and a second increasing gradient which is larger than the first increasing gradient, the electronic control unit is configured to set, when traveling is performed in the disconnect state during two wheel drive traveling, the increasing gradient to the first increasing gradient (i) when a manual transmission device for manual shift of the automatic transmission is operated by a driver or (ii) when a mode selection device, having a snow mode and a normal mode, is operated by the driver such that the snow mode is selected, wherein, in the snow mode, a gear ratio on a high vehicle speed side of the automatic transmission is selected as compared to the normal mode.

8. The four wheel drive vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to switch the increasing gradient from the first increasing gradient to the second increasing gradient when a condition in which a shift of the automatic transmission is initiated while one of the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism is in the engaged position such that the increasing gradient is the first increasing gradient.

9. A control apparatus for a four wheel drive vehicle, the four wheel drive vehicle including:
main driving wheels;
auxiliary driving wheels;
a driving force source that outputs a power to the main driving wheels;
a driving force transmission shaft having a driving force source end operatively connected to the driving force source and an opposite auxiliary driving wheels end operatively connected to the auxiliary driving wheels, the driving force transmission shaft configured to transmit a part of the power that the driving force source transmits to the main driving wheels to the auxiliary driving wheels during four wheel drive traveling, the driving force transmission shaft is part of a power transmission path between the driving force source and the auxiliary driving wheels;
a first disconnection mechanism disposed on the driving force source end of the driving force transmission shaft; and
a second disconnection mechanism disposed on the auxiliary driving wheels end of the driving force transmission shaft, the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism being configured to move between an engaged position and a released position, in the engaged position the first disconnection mechanism and the second disconnection mechanism connect the power transmission path between the driving force source and the auxiliary driving wheels and in the released position the first discon

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takaira Koji
• Iwatsuki Kunihiro
• Ishii Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B60K2023/0858

  with electric means, e.g. electro-hydraulic means · CPC title

• B60K17/354

  having separate mechanical assemblies for transmitting drive to the front or to the rear wheels or set of wheels · CPC title

• B60Y2400/82

  Four wheel drive systems · CPC title

• B60K23/08 Primary

  for changing number of driven wheels {, for switching from driving one axle to driving two or more axles (B60K17/3515 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60Y2300/74

  Reducing shift shocks · CPC title