Control device for four wheel drive vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862270-B2
Application number	US-201515312831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2015
Priority date	May 29, 2014
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A control device for a four wheel drive vehicle. Differential limitation is applied to both of right and left rear wheels, with 2WD_d state being maintained, by executing two wheel control for engaging or half-engaging a first clutch and a second clutch. As the two wheel drive control is executed, a moment that suppresses the rotation speed difference between the right and left rear wheels acts on the right and left rear wheels even in the 2WD_d state. When the rotation speed difference occurs between the right and left rear wheels, a braking force is allowed to act on the vehicle wheel on the high rotation side and a driving force is allowed to act on the vehicle wheel on the low rotation side through the execution of the two wheel drive control so that a stable moment acts on the vehicle without a transition to a 4WD state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device for a four wheel drive vehicle, the four wheel drive vehicle including:
a disconnection mechanism configured to connect/disconnect a first power transmission path transmitting a part of power of a driving force source transmitted to main driving wheels to auxiliary driving wheels during four wheel drive of the four wheel drive vehicle;
a first clutch disposed in a second power transmission path between the disconnection mechanism and a left wheel of the auxiliary driving wheels; and
a second clutch disposed in a third power transmission path between the disconnection mechanism and a right wheel of the auxiliary driving wheels,
the control device comprising:
an electronic control unit configured to:
(a) switch an operation state of the disconnection mechanism, the first clutch, and the second clutch in accordance with a traveling state of the four wheel drive vehicle, and
(b) execute a two wheel drive control for engaging or half-engaging the first clutch and the second clutch, based on the traveling state of the four wheel drive vehicle, with a two wheel drive state where the disconnection mechanism is released being maintained.

2. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the traveling state of the four wheel drive vehicle is a traveling state relating to straight traveling stability of the four wheel drive vehicle and the electronic control unit is configured to execute the two wheel drive control in a case where the traveling state relating to the straight traveling stability of the four wheel drive vehicle has become a state subjected to a predetermined disturbance or in a case where the traveling state relating to the straight traveling stability of the four wheel drive vehicle has become a state predicted to be subjected to a predetermined disturbance.

3. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute the two wheel drive control in a case where a driving demand from a driver of the four wheel drive vehicle is within a predetermined range.

4. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute the two wheel drive control by engaging or half-engaging the first clutch and the second clutch at the same time with the two wheel drive state being maintained.

5. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute the two wheel drive control by respectively engaging or half-engaging the first clutch and the second clutch, with the two wheel drive state being maintained, at clutch torques calculated based on the respective rotation speeds of the auxiliary driving wheels.

6. The control device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to execute the two wheel drive control by engaging or half-engaging one of the first clutch and the second clutch prior to the other one of the first clutch and the second clutch, and a rotation speed of the one of the auxiliary driving wheels being higher than a rotation speed of the other of the auxiliary driving wheels.

7. The control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the four wheel drive vehicle further includes a transfer mechanism and a driving force transmission shaft, the transfer mechanism being configured to distribute a part of the power of the driving force source to the auxiliary driving wheels and the driving force transmission shaft being configured to transmit the power from the driving force source distributed by the transfer mechanism to the auxiliary driving wheels,
wherein the disconnection mechanism includes a third clutch and a fourth clutch, the third clutch being disposed on the driving force source side of the driving force transmission shaft and the fourth clutch being disposed on the auxiliary driving wheels side of the driving force transmission shaft, and
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to release the disconnection mechanism by releasing at least one of the third clutch and the fourth clutch.

8. The control device according to claim 7 ,
wherein one of the third clutch and the fourth clutch is a dog clutch,
wherein the other one of the third clutch and the fourth clutch is a dog clutch to which a synchronization mechanism is attached or a friction clutch, and
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to engage the other one of the third clutch and the fourth clutch first in a case where a transition is carried out from a state where the two wheel drive control is executed in the two wheel drive state where both the third clutch and the fourth clutch are released to a four wheel drive state where both the third clutch and the fourth clutch are engaged.

9. The control device according to claim 7 ,
wherein both the third clutch and the fourth clutch are dog clutches, and
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to engage the fourth clutch prior to the initiation of the two wheel drive control in a case where the two wheel drive control is executed in the two wheel drive state where both the third clutch and the fourth clutch are released.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Maeda Yoshinori

Classifications

• B60Y2300/42

  Control of clutches · CPC title

• B60K23/04 Primary

  for differential gearing · CPC title

• B60Y2300/022

  Stability in turns or during cornering · CPC title

• B60K2023/043

  Control means for varying left-right torque distribution, e.g. torque vectoring · CPC title

• B60Y2300/52

  Engine fuel consumption · CPC title