US 11,807,104 B2
Vehicle drive device
Kohei Tsuda, Kariya (JP); Keiichirou Kusabe, Kariya (JP); Bumpei Nakaya, Kariya (JP); and Yasuhiro Matsumura, Kariya (JP)
Assigned to AISIN CORPORATION, Aichi (JP)
Appl. No. 17/798,327
Filed by AISIN CORPORATION, Aichi (JP)
PCT Filed May 28, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/020376
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 9, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/241726, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 2, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-094621 (JP), filed on May 29, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0112389 A1, Apr. 13, 2023
Int. Cl. B60W 20/20 (2016.01); B60W 20/40 (2016.01); B60K 6/52 (2007.10); B60K 6/445 (2007.10)
CPC B60K 6/52 (2013.01) [B60K 6/445 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle drive device for driving front wheels and rear wheels of a vehicle, the vehicle drive device comprising:
with either one of the front wheels and the rear wheels being first wheels and an other one being second wheels,
a first drive unit that includes an input member and a first drive power source and drives the first wheels, the input member being drive-coupled to an internal combustion engine included in the vehicle;
a second drive unit that includes a second drive power source and drives the second wheels; and
a controller that controls the first drive unit, the second drive unit, and the internal combustion engine,
wherein
the first drive power source is a rotating electrical machine that gives and receives electric power to/from an electrical storage device,
the first drive unit has a first mode and a second mode as operating modes,
the first mode provides a state in which power transmission between the internal combustion engine and the first wheels is cut off, and a state in which power transmission between the first drive power source and the first wheels is performed,
the second mode provides a state in which power transmission between the internal combustion engine and the first drive power source is performed, and a state in which power transmission between both of the internal combustion engine and the first drive power source and the first wheels is cut off and the first drive power source generates electric power by drive power transmitted from the internal combustion engine, and
when a state of charge of the electrical storage device is less than a defined first threshold value and a speed of the vehicle is less than a defined second threshold value,
the controller performs control such that
when the speed of the vehicle is greater than zero and required drive power is greater than or equal to zero, the operating mode of the first drive unit is set to the second mode to output the required drive power from the second drive unit, the required drive power being drive power required for the vehicle, and
when the speed of the vehicle is greater than zero and the required drive power is less than zero, the operating mode of the first drive unit is set to the first mode to allow the first drive power source to generate electric power by regeneration.