EP1294588A1 - Hybrid vehicle drive system - Google Patents

Hybrid vehicle drive system

Info

Publication number
EP1294588A1
EP1294588A1 EP01943627A EP01943627A EP1294588A1 EP 1294588 A1 EP1294588 A1 EP 1294588A1 EP 01943627 A EP01943627 A EP 01943627A EP 01943627 A EP01943627 A EP 01943627A EP 1294588 A1 EP1294588 A1 EP 1294588A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
vehicle
wheels
electric motors
driving
motors
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
EP01943627A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Steven Michael Prodrive 2000 Limited PRICE
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Prodrive 2000 Ltd
Original Assignee
Prodrive 2000 Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Family has litigation
First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=9894446&utm_source=***_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=EP1294588(A1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Application filed by Prodrive 2000 Ltd filed Critical Prodrive 2000 Ltd
Publication of EP1294588A1 publication Critical patent/EP1294588A1/en
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W10/00—Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function
    • B60W10/04—Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function including control of propulsion units
    • B60W10/08—Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function including control of propulsion units including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K6/00—Arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion, e.g. hybrid propulsion systems comprising electric motors and internal combustion engines ; Control systems therefor, i.e. systems controlling two or more prime movers, or controlling one of these prime movers and any of the transmission, drive or drive units Informative references: mechanical gearings with secondary electric drive F16H3/72; arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with the dynamo-electric machine H02K7/00; machines comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; dynamo-electric machines not otherwise provided for in H02K see H02K99/00
    • B60K6/20—Arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion, e.g. hybrid propulsion systems comprising electric motors and internal combustion engines ; Control systems therefor, i.e. systems controlling two or more prime movers, or controlling one of these prime movers and any of the transmission, drive or drive units Informative references: mechanical gearings with secondary electric drive F16H3/72; arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with the dynamo-electric machine H02K7/00; machines comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; dynamo-electric machines not otherwise provided for in H02K see H02K99/00 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs
    • B60K6/42—Arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion, e.g. hybrid propulsion systems comprising electric motors and internal combustion engines ; Control systems therefor, i.e. systems controlling two or more prime movers, or controlling one of these prime movers and any of the transmission, drive or drive units Informative references: mechanical gearings with secondary electric drive F16H3/72; arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with the dynamo-electric machine H02K7/00; machines comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; dynamo-electric machines not otherwise provided for in H02K see H02K99/00 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs characterised by the architecture of the hybrid electric vehicle
    • B60K6/48—Parallel type
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K6/00—Arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion, e.g. hybrid propulsion systems comprising electric motors and internal combustion engines ; Control systems therefor, i.e. systems controlling two or more prime movers, or controlling one of these prime movers and any of the transmission, drive or drive units Informative references: mechanical gearings with secondary electric drive F16H3/72; arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with the dynamo-electric machine H02K7/00; machines comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; dynamo-electric machines not otherwise provided for in H02K see H02K99/00
    • B60K6/20—Arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion, e.g. hybrid propulsion systems comprising electric motors and internal combustion engines ; Control systems therefor, i.e. systems controlling two or more prime movers, or controlling one of these prime movers and any of the transmission, drive or drive units Informative references: mechanical gearings with secondary electric drive F16H3/72; arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with the dynamo-electric machine H02K7/00; machines comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; dynamo-electric machines not otherwise provided for in H02K see H02K99/00 the prime-movers consisting of electric motors and internal combustion engines, e.g. HEVs
    • B60K6/50—Architecture of the driveline characterised by arrangement or kind of transmission units
    • B60K6/52—Driving a plurality of drive axles, e.g. four-wheel drive
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
    • B60K1/00—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units
    • B60K1/02—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units comprising more than one electric motor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W20/00—Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W2520/00—Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
    • B60W2520/10—Longitudinal speed
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W2520/00—Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
    • B60W2520/10—Longitudinal speed
    • B60W2520/105—Longitudinal acceleration
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W2520/00—Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
    • B60W2520/12—Lateral speed
    • B60W2520/125—Lateral acceleration
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W2520/00—Input parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
    • B60W2520/14—Yaw
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
    • B60W2540/00—Input parameters relating to occupants
    • B60W2540/18—Steering angle
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/60—Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
    • Y02T10/62—Hybrid vehicles

Definitions

  • This invention relates to vehicle drive systems and in particular drive systems for use with vehicles having front wheels and rear wheels, the front wheels being driven to provide a front wheel drive vehicle.
  • Front wheel drive vehicles offer some advantages over rear wheel drive vehicles and rear wheel drive vehicles also offer some advantages over front wheel drive vehicles.
  • In order to combine the benefits of front and rear wheel drive vehicles it has been proposed to provide vehicles in which all wheels are driven. However there is a significant cost penalty with all wheel drive vehicles and some all wheel drive vehicles are arranged so that drive is usually through one set of wheels, usually the front wheels, and only when required are the rear wheels driven. It has further been proposed to provide differentials between the front driven wheels and the rear driven wheels of vehicles in order to be able to improve driving stability but again the provision of such differentials has cost penalties.
  • An object of the invention is to provide a front wheel drive vehicle which is normally driven from the front wheels but which has the facility to improve the driving characteristics of such vehicles.
  • a vehicle drive system for vehicles having front wheels and rear wheels which comprises a prime mover for driving the front wheels, an electric motor for driving each of the rear wheels, sensing means for sensing the operative state of the vehicle, and control means for controlling the operation of the electric motors so that the motors are each operable independently of one another according to the operative state of the vehicle.
  • the electric motors remain inoperative during normal driving conditions of the vehicle, so that the vehicle is driven solely by the prime mover, for example an internal combustion engine, driving the front wheels only.
  • the prime mover for example an internal combustion engine
  • Operation may be to drive only one of the rear wheels, one of the wheels may be driven at a higher drive torque than the other, both wheels may be driven at the same drive torque, or one wheel may be driven in a different direction to the other.
  • the sensing means may sense several parameters which can indicate a requirement for the rear wheels to be driven, and the control means relates the sensed parameters together to establish a need to activate the motors in a particular manner, according to the sensed parameters.
  • Such parameters may include yaw rate, lateral acceleration of the vehicle, the steering angle of the steerable wheels or the steering wheel position, the speed of the wheels and/or the speed of the vehicle over the ground, and the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle.
  • the control means may be arranged to selectively adjust the driving torque to each of the electric motors, each of the drive motors being driveably engageable with the associated wheel. When the motors are not operated they may be drivingly disconnected from the associated wheel.
  • the vehicle will usually be provided with electrical storage means for supplying electrical power to each of the electric motors independently of the usual vehicle battery, and the electrical storage means may be charged from the vehicle alternator or by regeneration during progress of the vehicle.
  • a method of operating a vehicle drive system for vehicles having front wheels and rear wheels wherein each of the rear wheels is driveable by an electric motor, the operative state of the vehicle is sensed and signals are passed to control means and the control means control the operation of the electric motors so that the motors are each operable independently of one another and are operated in accordance with the operative state of the vehicle, the front wheels being driven by a prime mover.
  • a vehicle which is in several respects a conventional front wheel drive vehicle having a pair of front wheels 10 driven by a prime mover 11 in the form of a transversely mounted internal combustion engine driving the front wheels 10 through the usual clutch and gear box arrangement.
  • the front wheels 10 are, in usual manner, the steerable wheels of the vehicle and are moved by a steering wheel 12 through a steering rack 13.
  • the vehicle has a pair of rear wheels 15 located towards the rear of the vehicle which are not driven by the prime mover 11.
  • Each of the wheels 15 driveably engageable by an electric motor 16, driving engagement between the motor 16 and the associated wheel 15 is usually being effected when the associated motor 16 is operated.
  • the motors 16 are supplied with power for their operation by a battery 17 or other energy storage system, usually separate from the usual vehicle battery.
  • the vehicle carries means for sensing various parameters indicating the driving characteristics of the vehicle.
  • a steering sensor 18 which detects the position of the steering wheel 12 in relation to a predetermined datum.
  • an accelerometer 19 which is able to detect the lateral acceleration and the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle during driving.
  • Other sensors may be provided for determining the speed of the vehicle and/or the speed of the wheels 10 and/or 15, and a yaw rate sensor may be provided.
  • the various sensors 18, 19 etc. feed signals according to the parameters sensed to an electric controller 20 which is pre-programmed to collect the signals sensed and to calculate from these signals the operational state of the vehicle.
  • the controller 20 also provides output signals to each of the electric motors 16 to operate the motors at the desired torque, speed and direction.
  • the controller 20 will operate the motors 16 only when the driving characteristics of the vehicle require which is when the parameters sensed indicate that the driving characteristics of the vehicle may be improved by operation of the motors 16.
  • the motor 16 would not be operated and would not be drivingly connected to the associated wheels 15.
  • the driving conditions of a vehicle would be improved by driving the rear wheels 15, for example imparting the same drive torque to the wheels 15, imparting a drive torque to one of the wheels which is greater than the other, or imparting a drive torque to only one of the wheels and not the other. There may even be circumstances in which one of the rear wheels 15 is driven in the opposite direction to the other.
  • the controller 20 is able to initiate drive of the wheels 15 without intervention of the driver and, in effect, the vehicle is arranged to behave in such a way that it aids and enhances the driver's ability to remain in control of the vehicle during certain vehicle manoeuvres. These are usually extreme driving manoeuvres for emergencies or for improved driver control during cornering. Due to each rear wheel being independently driven the torque transmitted through one rear wheel will not be affected by that to the other even if the other wheel cannot transmit power for example, due to loss of grip on the road surface.
  • the invention may also find application in rear wheel drive vehicles, drive from the prime mover being to the rear wheels in this case and the front wheels each being driveable by an electric motor.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Arrangement And Driving Of Transmission Devices (AREA)

Abstract

In order to better control a four wheel vehicle which is normally driven only by the front wheels (10), there is provided an electric motor (16) associated with each of the rear wheels (15). The operative state of the vehicle is sensed and signals are passed to a control arrangement by which the electric motors independently driveable to bring about improved driving characteristics of the vehicle.

Description

HYBRID VEHICLE DRIVE SYSTEM
This invention relates to vehicle drive systems and in particular drive systems for use with vehicles having front wheels and rear wheels, the front wheels being driven to provide a front wheel drive vehicle.
Front wheel drive vehicles offer some advantages over rear wheel drive vehicles and rear wheel drive vehicles also offer some advantages over front wheel drive vehicles. In order to combine the benefits of front and rear wheel drive vehicles it has been proposed to provide vehicles in which all wheels are driven. However there is a significant cost penalty with all wheel drive vehicles and some all wheel drive vehicles are arranged so that drive is usually through one set of wheels, usually the front wheels, and only when required are the rear wheels driven. It has further been proposed to provide differentials between the front driven wheels and the rear driven wheels of vehicles in order to be able to improve driving stability but again the provision of such differentials has cost penalties.
An object of the invention is to provide a front wheel drive vehicle which is normally driven from the front wheels but which has the facility to improve the driving characteristics of such vehicles.
According to the invention, in one aspect there is provided a vehicle drive system for vehicles having front wheels and rear wheels which comprises a prime mover for driving the front wheels, an electric motor for driving each of the rear wheels, sensing means for sensing the operative state of the vehicle, and control means for controlling the operation of the electric motors so that the motors are each operable independently of one another according to the operative state of the vehicle. It is intended that the electric motors remain inoperative during normal driving conditions of the vehicle, so that the vehicle is driven solely by the prime mover, for example an internal combustion engine, driving the front wheels only. When the vehicle is under extreme driving conditions, for example when cornering fast, taking evasive action round obstacles, skidding, or the like, one of the electric motors or both motors are operated. Operation may be to drive only one of the rear wheels, one of the wheels may be driven at a higher drive torque than the other, both wheels may be driven at the same drive torque, or one wheel may be driven in a different direction to the other. The sensing means may sense several parameters which can indicate a requirement for the rear wheels to be driven, and the control means relates the sensed parameters together to establish a need to activate the motors in a particular manner, according to the sensed parameters.
Such parameters may include yaw rate, lateral acceleration of the vehicle, the steering angle of the steerable wheels or the steering wheel position, the speed of the wheels and/or the speed of the vehicle over the ground, and the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle. By suitable programming of the control means a combination of these parameters, or some of them, will define the operational state of the vehicle and will generate signals to provide the required action of the electric motors to bring about improved driving characteristics of the vehicle, for example to control a skid, to improve negotiation of a corner, or to negotiate an obstacle.
The control means may be arranged to selectively adjust the driving torque to each of the electric motors, each of the drive motors being driveably engageable with the associated wheel. When the motors are not operated they may be drivingly disconnected from the associated wheel.
The vehicle will usually be provided with electrical storage means for supplying electrical power to each of the electric motors independently of the usual vehicle battery, and the electrical storage means may be charged from the vehicle alternator or by regeneration during progress of the vehicle.
According to a further aspect there is provided a method of operating a vehicle drive system for vehicles having front wheels and rear wheels wherein each of the rear wheels is driveable by an electric motor, the operative state of the vehicle is sensed and signals are passed to control means and the control means control the operation of the electric motors so that the motors are each operable independently of one another and are operated in accordance with the operative state of the vehicle, the front wheels being driven by a prime mover. Further features of the invention will appear from the following description of an embodiment of the invention given by way of example only and with reference to the drawing which is a schematic plan view of a vehicle.
Referring to the drawing a vehicle is shown which is in several respects a conventional front wheel drive vehicle having a pair of front wheels 10 driven by a prime mover 11 in the form of a transversely mounted internal combustion engine driving the front wheels 10 through the usual clutch and gear box arrangement.
The front wheels 10 are, in usual manner, the steerable wheels of the vehicle and are moved by a steering wheel 12 through a steering rack 13.
The vehicle has a pair of rear wheels 15 located towards the rear of the vehicle which are not driven by the prime mover 11. Each of the wheels 15 driveably engageable by an electric motor 16, driving engagement between the motor 16 and the associated wheel 15 is usually being effected when the associated motor 16 is operated. The motors 16 are supplied with power for their operation by a battery 17 or other energy storage system, usually separate from the usual vehicle battery.
The vehicle carries means for sensing various parameters indicating the driving characteristics of the vehicle. Thus there is a steering sensor 18 which detects the position of the steering wheel 12 in relation to a predetermined datum. In addition there is an accelerometer 19 which is able to detect the lateral acceleration and the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle during driving. Other sensors may be provided for determining the speed of the vehicle and/or the speed of the wheels 10 and/or 15, and a yaw rate sensor may be provided.
The various sensors 18, 19 etc. feed signals according to the parameters sensed to an electric controller 20 which is pre-programmed to collect the signals sensed and to calculate from these signals the operational state of the vehicle. The controller 20 also provides output signals to each of the electric motors 16 to operate the motors at the desired torque, speed and direction.
In practice the controller 20 will operate the motors 16 only when the driving characteristics of the vehicle require which is when the parameters sensed indicate that the driving characteristics of the vehicle may be improved by operation of the motors 16. Under normal driving conditions the motor 16 would not be operated and would not be drivingly connected to the associated wheels 15. Under certain driving conditions the driving conditions of a vehicle would be improved by driving the rear wheels 15, for example imparting the same drive torque to the wheels 15, imparting a drive torque to one of the wheels which is greater than the other, or imparting a drive torque to only one of the wheels and not the other. There may even be circumstances in which one of the rear wheels 15 is driven in the opposite direction to the other. It will be appreciated that the controller 20 is able to initiate drive of the wheels 15 without intervention of the driver and, in effect, the vehicle is arranged to behave in such a way that it aids and enhances the driver's ability to remain in control of the vehicle during certain vehicle manoeuvres. These are usually extreme driving manoeuvres for emergencies or for improved driver control during cornering. Due to each rear wheel being independently driven the torque transmitted through one rear wheel will not be affected by that to the other even if the other wheel cannot transmit power for example, due to loss of grip on the road surface.
The invention may also find application in rear wheel drive vehicles, drive from the prime mover being to the rear wheels in this case and the front wheels each being driveable by an electric motor.

Claims

Claims
1. A vehicle drive system for vehicles having front wheels and rear wheels comprises a prime mover for driving the front wheels, an electric motor for driving each of the rear wheels, sensing means for sensing the operative state of the vehicle, and control means for controlling the operation of the electric motors so that the motors are each operable independently of one another according to the operative state of the vehicle.
2. A vehicle according to Claim 1 wherein the sensing means is arranged to sense operative parameters of the vehicle in use selected from lateral and/or longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, steering angle of the steerable wheels of the vehicle, the steering wheel position, the speed of rotation of the wheels, and the speed of the vehicle over the ground, and the control means calculates the way in which the electric motors are to be driven having regard to the sensed parameters whereby to improve the driving characteristics of the vehicle.
3. A vehicle according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the control means is arranged to drive the electric motors at different or the same driving torque, at the same speed, or at different speeds and/or in different directions or the same direction, according to the driving conditions of the vehicle.
4. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the vehicle includes electrical storage means for supplying electrical power to the electric motors which electrical storage means is independent of the vehicle battery for the prime mover.
5. A vehicle according to Claim 4 wherein the electrical storage means is recharged from the vehicle alternator and/or by energy regeneration means.
6. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the vehicle prime mover is arranged to drive the front wheels of the vehicle only.
7. A vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the electric motors are drivingly disengageable from their associated wheels.
8. A method of operating a vehicle drive system for vehicles having front wheels and rear wheels wherein each of the rear wheels is driveable by an electric motor, the operative state of the vehicle is sensed and signals are passed to control means and the control means control the operation of the electric motors so that the motors are each operable independently of one another and are operated in accordance with the operative state of the vehicle, the front wheels being driven by a prime mover.
EP01943627A 2000-06-28 2001-06-26 Hybrid vehicle drive system Ceased EP1294588A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0015658 2000-06-28
GBGB0015658.8A GB0015658D0 (en) 2000-06-28 2000-06-28 Vehilce drive system
PCT/GB2001/002821 WO2002000462A1 (en) 2000-06-28 2001-06-26 Hybrid vehicle drive system

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1294588A1 true EP1294588A1 (en) 2003-03-26

Family

ID=9894446

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP01943627A Ceased EP1294588A1 (en) 2000-06-28 2001-06-26 Hybrid vehicle drive system

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1294588A1 (en)
AU (1) AU2001266165A1 (en)
GB (1) GB0015658D0 (en)
WO (1) WO2002000462A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102005026874B4 (en) * 2005-06-10 2017-05-11 Volkswagen Ag Device and method for driving a vehicle
DE102009055160A1 (en) * 2009-12-22 2011-06-30 Robert Bosch GmbH, 70469 Method and device for distributing a drive torque to the wheels of an electrically driven axle of a motor vehicle
DE102010015423A1 (en) * 2010-04-19 2011-10-20 Audi Ag Drive device for a four-wheel drive vehicle

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5689174A (en) * 1993-08-13 1997-11-18 Pacheco, Sr.; Angel Luis Electrical power system
DE19540067C2 (en) * 1995-10-27 1998-04-09 Daimler Benz Ag Method for controlling the separate drive of two vehicle wheels
JPH1198603A (en) * 1997-09-18 1999-04-09 Honda Motor Co Ltd Connecting device between right and left wheels of car
JP4473448B2 (en) * 1998-07-21 2010-06-02 株式会社東京アールアンドデー Hybrid vehicle
JP3842904B2 (en) * 1998-08-24 2006-11-08 三菱重工業株式会社 Battery motor travel motor control device
GB2344326A (en) * 1998-12-04 2000-06-07 Rover Group Vehicle steering control

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO0200462A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0015658D0 (en) 2000-08-16
AU2001266165A1 (en) 2002-01-08
WO2002000462A1 (en) 2002-01-03

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7578361B2 (en) Differential steering assist system for utility vehicle
US8825295B2 (en) System and method for determining a steering angle for a vehicle and system and method for controlling a vehicle based on same
JP4513612B2 (en) Vehicle torque distribution control device
US7748488B2 (en) Steering system for an agricultural or industrial utility vehicle and method for operating a steering system
CN102858580A (en) Drive device for an all-wheel drive vehicle and method for distributing the drive moment to a front-axle drive and a rear-axle drive
GB2371341A (en) Trailer control system
KR101646385B1 (en) Electronic active rear wheel steering system and control method thereof
CN110466361B (en) Vehicle control unit of pure electric vehicle driven by two-wheel hub motor and control method
EP2556990B1 (en) A wheel drive architecture for electric vehicles
US20200055408A1 (en) All-wheel system for an electric motor vehicle, and method for operating an all-wheel system of such a vehicle
EP1806256B1 (en) Steering compensated speed override for vehicle drive system
KR101676660B1 (en) Integrated control apparatus and method of ESC and MDPS
JP2984724B2 (en) Electric car
US20220379956A1 (en) System and Method for Controlling Steering Torque of a Steering System of a Vehicle
JPH1118208A (en) Vehicle
US7690471B2 (en) Hydraulic-drive work vehicle
JP4162806B2 (en) Vehicle motion control device
EP1240044B1 (en) Arrangement at a vehicle with a differential lock
EP1294588A1 (en) Hybrid vehicle drive system
JP2006240400A (en) Driving force distribution controlling device for vehicle
JPH11125129A (en) Vehicle
JP2006312424A (en) Controller of hybrid four-wheel drive car
KR101347741B1 (en) Maned and unmaned steering motion control apparatus for electric car with in-wheel motor
JP2725184B2 (en) Anti-spin control system for electric power steering
CN117549886B (en) Turning auxiliary control method and system for vehicle, controller and vehicle

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20021213

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR

Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL LT LV MK RO SI

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 20030826

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION HAS BEEN REFUSED

18R Application refused

Effective date: 20041122