Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9944278-B2
Application number	US-201615234507-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2016
Priority date	Aug 18, 2015
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle includes an engine, a first motor generator, a second motor generator, a transmission, a differential device, and an electronic control unit. The transmission includes an input shaft, an output shaft, and a clutch. The electronic control unit is configured to detect a rotation speed difference between the input shaft and the output shaft when the clutch is controlled so as to be brought into a power transmission shut-off state. The electronic control unit is configured to, when the rotation speed difference detected by the electronic control unit is smaller than a target rotation speed difference between the input shaft and the output shaft that occurs in a case where the power transmission shut-off state of the clutch is established, suppress cranking of the engine by the first motor generator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
an engine;
a first motor generator;
a second motor generator;
a transmission including an input shaft, an output shaft, and a clutch, the input shaft being coupled to the second motor generator, the output shaft being coupled to drive wheels of the vehicle, and the clutch being configured to switch a transmission state of the input shaft to the output shaft between a power transmission state and a power transmission shut-off state;
a differential device including a first rotating element, a second rotating element, and a third rotating element, the first rotating element being coupled to the first motor generator, the second rotating element being coupled to the second motor generator, the third rotating element being coupled to an output shaft of the engine, the differential device being configured such that when rotation speeds of two rotating elements among the first rotating element, the second rotating element, and the third rotating element are determined, a rotation speed of a remaining one of the first, second and third rotating elements is determined; and
an electronic control unit configured to control the first motor generator, the second motor generator, and the clutch, the electronic control unit being configured to (i) detect a rotation speed difference between the input shaft and the output shaft when the clutch is controlled so as to be brought into the power transmission shut-off state, and (ii) when the rotation speed difference detected by the electronic control unit is smaller than a target rotation speed difference between the input shaft and the output shaft that occurs in a case where the power transmission shut-off state of the clutch is established, suppress cranking of the engine by the first motor generator.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to, when the clutch is controlled so as to be brought into the power transmission shut-off state, control the second motor generator so as to generate torque lower than a rolling resistance of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control the second motor generator such that a shaft of the second motor generator is caused to rotate after a time set according to a temperature of hydraulic oil for use in the clutch has elapsed, after the clutch starts to be controlled so as to be brought into the power transmission shut-off state.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to control the second motor generator so as to output torque such that the output shaft of the engine rotates in a positive rotation direction.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the transmission includes a fourth rotating element, a fifth rotating element, and a sixth rotating element, the transmission is configured such that when rotation speeds of two rotating elements among the fourth rotating element, the fifth rotating element, and the sixth rotating element are determined, a rotation speed of a remaining one of the fourth, fifth and sixth rotating elements is determined,
the fourth rotating element is coupled to the second motor generator through the clutch,
the fifth rotating element is coupled to the output shaft of the transmission,
the sixth rotating element is coupled with a brake which is brought into an engagement state to restrict the rotation of the sixth rotating element and a one-way clutch which restricts the rotation direction of the sixth rotating element to a single direction, and
the electronic control unit is configured to, when the clutch is controlled so as to be brought into the power transmission shut-off state, control the brake so as to be brought into the engagement state.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to, when the rotation speed difference detected by the electronic control unit is equal to or greater than the target rotation speed difference, start the engine by controlling the first motor generator to rotate and thereby crank the engine.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to, when starting the engine by controlling the first motor generator to rotate and thereby crank the engine, control the second motor generator to generate a torque as a reaction force to a cranking torque that is generated by the first motor generator.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the torque generated by the second motor generator as the reaction force is greater than a torque generated by the second motor generator when detecting whether the rotation speed difference between the input shaft and the output shaft when the clutch is controlled so as to be brought into the power transmission shut-off state is less than the target rotation speed difference.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kitahata Takeshi
• Matsubara Tooru
• Shiiba Kazuyuki
• Kato Shunya
• Uchida Kenji
• Maeda Mitsuru

Classifications

• F16H3/728

  with means to change ratio in the mechanical gearing · CPC title

• B60W50/0205

  Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models · CPC title

• B60W2710/12

  Differentials · CPC title

• B60W2510/081

  Speed · CPC title

• B60W10/12

  including control of differentials · CPC title