Electric vehicles
By lubricating the starting clutch with an oil pump when a rotational difference exceeds a threshold during scavenging, the vehicle mitigates wear on the clutch, improving its durability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-09
AI Technical Summary
The rotational speed difference between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission during scavenging operations leads to wear on the starting clutch, reducing its durability.
The electric vehicle is equipped with an oil pump to lubricate the starting clutch when the rotational difference exceeds a threshold, followed by a scavenging operation to remove moisture from the combustion chamber, thereby reducing wear.
The lubrication process effectively suppresses wear on the starting clutch, enhancing its durability by addressing the rotational speed difference issue.
Smart Images

Figure 2026093493000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric vehicle.
Background Art
[0002] An electric vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle is equipped with an internal combustion engine, a motor, a starting clutch, an automatic transmission, and a control device. The motor is capable of rotating the output shaft of the internal combustion engine. The starting clutch is disposed between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission. The control device controls the internal combustion engine, the motor, the starting clutch, and the automatic transmission, and performs a scavenging operation to remove moisture from the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine when there is a stop request for the independent operation of the internal combustion engine. The scavenging operation of the internal combustion engine is usually performed in a state where the rotational transmission between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission is disconnected by releasing the starting clutch.
[0003] If the engine rotation is stopped immediately after the independent operation of the internal combustion engine is stopped during cold conditions, the moisture remaining in the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine may adhere to the spark plug, which may deteriorate the starting performance of the internal combustion engine during the next start. However, by performing the above-described scavenging operation when there is a stop request for the independent operation of the internal combustion engine, the moisture remaining in the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine is discharged. As a result, deterioration of the starting performance during the next start of the internal combustion engine stopped based on the stop request for the independent operation is suppressed.
[0004] Furthermore, as a scavenging operation, it is conceivable to employ a motoring type, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example, in which the internal combustion engine is rotated by a motor after the engine's autonomous operation has been stopped. In this case, as the internal combustion engine rotates due to the motor, moisture in the combustion chamber is discharged. This removes moisture from the combustion chamber. In addition to this motoring type, a combustion type may also be employed as a scavenging operation, in which the internal combustion engine is operated by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber. In this case, as the internal combustion engine operates, moisture in the combustion chamber evaporates and is discharged as water vapor. This removes moisture from the combustion chamber. Moreover, it is also conceivable to employ a combination type of scavenging operation that combines the motoring type and the combustion type. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-39347 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0006] Incidentally, when a request is made to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine while the electric vehicle is decelerating, the starting clutch is released and scavenging is performed. At this time, the rotational speed of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission are as follows: The rotational speed of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine increases with the start of scavenging, while the rotational speed of the input shaft of the automatic transmission, which receives rotation from the drive wheels, does not increase. As a result, when the starting clutch is released, a difference in rotation occurs between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission. This difference in rotation causes wear on the starting clutch, reducing its durability against wear. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The following describes the means and effects of solving the above problems. The electric vehicle that solves the above problems is equipped with an internal combustion engine, a motor, a starting clutch, an automatic transmission, and a control device. The motor is capable of rotating the output shaft of the internal combustion engine. The starting clutch is positioned between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission. The control device controls the internal combustion engine, motor, starting clutch, and automatic transmission, and performs a scavenging operation to remove moisture from the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine when there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine. The electric vehicle is equipped with an oil pump capable of supplying lubricating oil to the starting clutch. When there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine and the conditions for performing a scavenging operation are met, the control device performs a lubrication process to lubricate the starting clutch with lubricating oil, and then performs a scavenging operation. The above lubrication process involves supplying lubricating oil to the starting clutch by the oil pump when the difference in rotation between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission exceeds a threshold when the starting clutch is released during the scavenging operation.
[0008] According to the above configuration, when there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine and the conditions for performing scavenging operation are met, if the difference in rotation between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission when the starting clutch is released during scavenging operation is greater than or equal to a threshold, the starting clutch is lubricated. Specifically, the starting clutch is lubricated by supplying lubricating oil to the starting clutch by an oil pump. This suppresses wear of the starting clutch due to the difference in rotation. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the durability of the starting clutch against wear. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a hybrid vehicle. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows the HV driving range and EV driving range of a hybrid vehicle. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows the procedure for performing scavenging on the internal combustion engine installed in the hybrid vehicle shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0010] An embodiment of an electric vehicle will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 3. As shown in Figure 1, the hybrid vehicle 11, which is an electric vehicle, is equipped with an internal combustion engine 12, a starting clutch 13, an automatic transmission 14, a first motor generator 15, a second motor generator 16, and a control device 17. For example, the internal combustion engine 12 uses hydrogen as fuel. The first motor generator 15 is connected to the crankshaft 18, which is the output shaft of the internal combustion engine 12.
[0011] The first motor generator 15 functions as a generator that generates electricity using engine output, and also functions as a starting starter that rotates the crankshaft 18, i.e., cranks, when starting the internal combustion engine 12. This first motor generator 15 is an electric motor that motorizes the internal combustion engine 12 by applying torque to the crankshaft 18.
[0012] The starting clutch 13 is positioned between the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 and the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14. The starting clutch 13 either opens or closes the connection between the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 and the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14. The hybrid vehicle 11 is equipped with an electric oil pump 31 capable of supplying lubricating oil to the starting clutch 13.
[0013] The automatic transmission 14 transmits torque input from the internal combustion engine 12 and the first motor generator 15 to the drive wheels 20 of the hybrid vehicle 11, and is capable of changing the ratio of the input rotational speed to the output rotational speed. The automatic transmission 14 can also disconnect rotational transmission between the automatic transmission 14 and the drive wheels 20 by releasing the lock-up clutch and switching to the neutral position. The automatic transmission 14 is equipped with a mechanical oil pump 32. The mechanical oil pump 32 is driven by the rotation of the automatic transmission 14, enabling it to supply lubricating oil to the starting clutch 13.
[0014] The second motor generator 16 is connected to the power transmission path 21 between the automatic transmission 14 and the drive wheels 20 via a reduction gear 22. The reduction gear 22 is a reduction mechanism using a planetary gear mechanism. The carrier 23 of the reduction gear 22 is connected to the power transmission path 21. The second motor generator 16 is connected to the sun gear 24 of the reduction gear 22. The second motor generator 16 functions as an electric motor that generates driving force for the drive wheels 20, and also functions as a generator that generates electricity by regeneration when the hybrid vehicle 11 is decelerating.
[0015] The first motor generator 15 and the second motor generator 16 exchange power with the battery 26 via the PCU (Power Control Unit) 25. The battery 26 is charged using the output of the internal combustion engine 12 and also supplies power to the first motor generator 15 and the second motor generator 16. The PCU 25 includes a converter that boosts the DC voltage input from the battery 26 and outputs it, and an inverter that converts the DC voltage boosted by the converter into AC voltage and outputs it to the first motor generator 15 and the second motor generator 16.
[0016] <Regarding control device 17> The control device 17 controls the internal combustion engine 12, the starting clutch 13, the automatic transmission 14, the first motor generator 15, the second motor generator 16, and the electric oil pump 31. Specifically, the control device 17 controls the output and exhaust characteristics of the internal combustion engine 12 by controlling the intake air volume, fuel injection volume, and ignition timing. The control device 17 also operates the inverter via the PCU 25 to control the torque of the first motor generator 15. Furthermore, the control device 17 operates the inverter via the PCU 25 to control the torque of the second motor generator 16. The control device 17 is equipped with a processing circuit 27. The processing circuit 27 is equipped with a CPU that executes various processes according to a program and a ROM in which various programs are stored.
[0017] The control device 17 refers to the detection values of various sensors. For example, the control device 17 refers to the detection value of the air flow meter 33, which detects the intake air volume GA of the internal combustion engine 12. The control device 17 refers to the detection signal Scr of the crank angle sensor 34, which detects the rotation angle of the crankshaft 18. The control device 17 refers to the detection value of the water temperature sensor 35, which detects the coolant temperature THW of the internal combustion engine 12. The control device 17 refers to the detection value of the intake air temperature sensor 36, which detects the intake air temperature THA of the internal combustion engine 12. The control device 17 refers to the detection signal of the accelerator position sensor 37, which detects the accelerator operation amount ACCP, which is the amount of accelerator pedal operation performed by the driver of the hybrid vehicle 11. The control device 17 refers to the detection signal of the speed sensor 38, which detects the vehicle speed SP of the hybrid vehicle 11. The control device 17 refers to the operation signal IG of the ignition switch 39, which is operated by the driver. The control device 17 refers to the charge level SOC of the battery 26 calculated by the PCU 25.
[0018] The control device 17 calculates the engine rotational speed NE based on the detection signal Scr of the crank angle sensor 34. Further, the control device 17 calculates the engine load factor KL based on the engine rotational speed NE and the intake air amount GA. The engine load factor KL represents the ratio of the current cylinder intake air amount to the cylinder intake air amount when the internal combustion engine 12 is in steady operation at the full load state at the current engine rotational speed NE. The cylinder intake air amount is the amount of air flowing into each cylinder during the intake stroke.
[0019] The control device 17 calculates the required drive torque Tr necessary for the running of the hybrid vehicle 11 based on the accelerator operation amount ACCP and the vehicle speed SP. Then, the control device 17 controls the torque of the internal combustion engine 12 and the torques of the first motor generator 15 and the second motor generator 16 so as to satisfy the required drive torque Tr.
[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, in the operation region where the operating point indicated by the required drive torque Tr and the vehicle speed SP is above the boundary line indicated by the solid line L1, HV running is performed in which the vehicle runs using the torque of the internal combustion engine 12, the torque of the first motor generator 15, and the torque of the second motor generator 16. On the other hand, in the operation region where the operating point indicated by the required drive torque Tr and the vehicle speed SP is below the boundary line indicated by the solid line L1, running by only the motor is performed. That is, EV running is performed in which the vehicle runs using only the torque of the second motor generator 16. During this EV running, the combustion in the internal combustion engine 12 is stopped, so that the self-sustained operation of the internal combustion engine 12 is stopped.
[0021] When the torque of the internal combustion engine 12 is transmitted to the drive wheels 20, the control device 17 controls the engagement state of the starting clutch 13 so as to continuously change the transmission torque capacity of the starting clutch 13. Thereby, smooth power transmission from the internal combustion engine 12 to the drive wheels 20 and smooth starting of the hybrid vehicle 11 can be achieved.
[0022] Further, when the torque of the internal combustion engine 12 is transmitted to the drive wheels 20, the control device 17 can smoothly start the hybrid vehicle 11 without using the starting clutch 13 or smoothly transmit power to the drive wheels 20 through the control of the first motor generator 15. This is achieved by increasing or decreasing the output torque of the crankshaft 18 in the internal combustion engine 12 through the control of the first motor generator 15.
[0023] <Regarding scavenging operation> If the engine rotation stops immediately after the independent operation of the internal combustion engine 12 stops during cold operation, the moisture remaining in the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine 12 may adhere to the spark plug, which may deteriorate the starting performance in the next engine start. Therefore, when there is a request to stop the independent operation of the internal combustion engine 12, the control device 17 performs a scavenging operation to remove moisture from the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine 12. The scavenging operation of the internal combustion engine 12 is performed in a state where the rotational transmission between the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 and the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14 is disconnected by releasing the starting clutch 13.
[0024] As the above scavenging operation, a motoring type that rotates the internal combustion engine 12 with the first motor generator 15 after stopping the independent operation of the internal combustion engine 12 can be considered. In this case, the moisture in the combustion chamber is discharged as the internal combustion engine 12 rotates by the first motor generator 15. Thereby, moisture is removed from the combustion chamber. Further, as a scavenging operation other than such a motoring type, a combustion type that operates the internal combustion engine 12 by the combustion of fuel in the combustion chamber may be adopted. In this case, the moisture in the combustion chamber evaporates and is discharged as water vapor as the internal combustion engine 12 operates. Thereby, moisture is removed from the combustion chamber. Furthermore, as a scavenging operation, a combined type that combines a motoring type and a combustion type can also be considered.
[0025] As described above, by performing the scavenging operation when there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12, any moisture remaining in the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine 12 is discharged. This suppresses deterioration in starting performance when the internal combustion engine 12, which has been stopped based on the request to stop autonomous operation, is started again.
[0026] Incidentally, when the internal combustion engine 12 is requested to stop autonomous operation while the hybrid vehicle 11 is decelerating, the starting clutch 13 is released and scavenging is performed, and the following occurs. That is, the rotational speed of the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 increases, while the rotational speed of the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14, to which the rotation from the drive wheels 20 is transmitted, does not increase. As a result, when the starting clutch 13 is released, a difference in rotation occurs between the crankshaft 18 and the input shaft 19. This difference in rotation causes wear on the starting clutch 13, reducing its durability against wear.
[0027] To address these issues, the control device 17, upon receiving a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12 and when the conditions for performing scavenging are met, performs a lubrication process to lubricate the starting clutch 13 with lubricating oil, and then performs the scavenging operation. The lubrication process here involves supplying lubricating oil to the starting clutch 13 when the difference in rotation between the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 and the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14 exceeds a threshold value when the starting clutch 13 is released during scavenging.
[0028] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure for performing the above lubrication process. The processing circuit 27 of the control device 17 determines whether or not there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12 as step 101 (S101) of the series of processes shown in Figure 3. Whether or not there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12 is determined based on whether or not either of the following conditions (A1) and (A2) is met.
[0029] (A1) The ignition switch 39 was turned off. (A2) The hybrid vehicle 11 can switch from HV driving to MV driving. If neither of the above conditions (A1) nor (A2) is met, S101 determines that there is no request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12. If it is determined that there is no request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12, the processing circuit 27 terminates this series of processes. On the other hand, if either of the above conditions (A1) or (A2) is met in S101, S101 determines that there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12. If it is determined that there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12, the process proceeds to S102.
[0030] The processing circuit 27 determines, as part of the process in S102, whether or not the conditions for executing the scavenging operation are met. Whether or not the conditions for executing the scavenging operation are met is determined based on whether or not both of the following (B1) and (B2) are met.
[0031] (B1) The internal combustion engine 12 can be stopped from operating autonomously, for example, when the accelerator pedal input amount ACCP is "0" and the vehicle speed SP is below a predetermined value. (B2) The amount of moisture accumulated in the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine 12 is equal to or greater than the specified value. The amount of moisture here can be detected using a moisture sensor, for example, or an estimated value obtained through simulation. Such simulations are performed using the air-fuel ratio, combustion temperature, fuel injection amount, fuel temperature, and intake manifold temperature of the internal combustion engine 12.
[0032] If, in S102, it is determined that the conditions for performing scavenging are not met based on the fact that at least one of (B1) and (B2) above is not met, the processing circuit 27 terminates this series of processes. On the other hand, if, in S102, it is determined that the conditions for performing scavenging are met based on the fact that both (B1) and (B2) above are met, the process proceeds to S103. Of the processes from S103 onward, the processes from S103 to S109 correspond to the lubrication process for lubricating the starting clutch 13 with lubricating oil.
[0033] As the process in S103, the processing circuit 27 selects the method of scavenging to be performed from the motoring type, combustion type, and combination type described above. Then, it proceeds to S104. S104 is for determining whether or not lubricating oil is being supplied from the mechanical oil pump 32. As the process in S104, the processing circuit 27 determines whether or not the automatic transmission 14 is in a driven state due to rotational transmission from the drive wheels 20. In this state, since the mechanical oil pump 32 is driven based on the rotation of the automatic transmission 14, lubricating oil is supplied from the mechanical oil pump 32 to the starting clutch 13.
[0034] If, in S104, it is determined that the automatic transmission 14 is in a driven state due to rotational transmission from the drive wheels 20, in other words, if lubricating oil is being supplied to the starting clutch 13 from the mechanical oil pump 32, the process proceeds to S109. The processing circuit 27 releases the starting clutch 13 as the process in S109. The processing circuit 27 then starts a scavenging operation as the process in S110. This scavenging operation is performed according to the method selected in S103. The scavenging operation continues until an operating time determined according to the amount of moisture in the combustion chamber has elapsed. After executing the process in S110, the processing circuit 27 terminates this series of processes.
[0035] If, in S104, it is determined that the automatic transmission 14 is not in a driven state due to rotational transmission from the drive wheels 20, in other words, if lubricating oil is not being supplied from the mechanical oil pump 32 to the starting clutch 13, the process proceeds to S105. As the process for S105, the processing circuit 27 determines whether the difference in rotation between the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 and the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14 exceeds a threshold when the starting clutch 13 is released in the scavenging operation selected in S103. The difference in rotation can be calculated, for example, based on the rotational speed of the crankshaft 18 and the rotational speed of the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14, or estimated based on the vehicle speed SP. Furthermore, the threshold can be a value determined in advance through experiments or other means as the difference in rotation value at which wear of the starting clutch 13 becomes significant.
[0036] If it is determined in S105 that the difference in rotation is below the threshold, the processes from S109 onwards described above are executed in order. On the other hand, if it is determined in S105 that the difference in rotation is above the threshold, the process proceeds to S106. As the process in S106, the processing circuit 27 determines whether or not the electric oil pump 31 is operational. Whether or not the electric oil pump 31 is operational is determined, for example, based on whether or not the continuous operating time of the electric oil pump 31 is below the allowable value.
[0037] If the continuous operating time of the electric oil pump 31 is less than the allowable value, the process proceeds to S107 after it is determined in S106 that the electric oil pump 31 is operational. The processing circuit 27 operates the electric oil pump 31 as part of the process in S107, and then executes the processes from S109 onwards as described above. On the other hand, if it is determined in S106 that the electric oil pump 31 is inoperable based on the fact that the continuous operating time of the electric oil pump 31 is greater than or equal to the allowable value, the process proceeds to S108. The processing circuit 27 disconnects the rotational transmission between the automatic transmission 14 and the drive wheels 20 as part of the process in S108, and then executes the processes from S110 onwards as described above.
[0038] In this case, rotational transmission between the automatic transmission 14 and the drive wheels 20 is disconnected, and scavenging is performed while the starting clutch 13 remains engaged. As a result, the rotation of the internal combustion engine 12 and the first motor generator 15 associated with the scavenging is input to the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14, causing the automatic transmission 14 to rotate, and thus the mechanical oil pump 32 supplies oil to the starting clutch 13. The starting clutch 13 is lubricated by the lubricating oil from this mechanical oil pump 32.
[0039] Next, the effects and advantages of the electric vehicle, i.e., the hybrid vehicle 11, of this embodiment will be described. (1) When a request is made to stop the independent operation of the internal combustion engine 12 and the conditions for performing scavenging operation are met, the starting clutch 13 is lubricated as follows.
[0040] In other words, when the automatic transmission 14 is driven by rotational transmission from the drive wheels 20, lubricating oil is supplied to the starting clutch 13 by the mechanical oil pump 32. Then, the starting clutch 13, which has been lubricated by the lubricating oil from the mechanical oil pump 32, is released, and the internal combustion engine 12 performs a scavenging operation. Therefore, even if a difference in rotation occurs between the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 and the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14 when the starting clutch 13 is released during the scavenging operation, wear of the starting clutch 13 due to this difference in rotation is suppressed.
[0041] On the other hand, when the automatic transmission 14 is not driven by rotational transmission from the drive wheels 20, the electric oil pump 31 supplies lubricating oil to the starting clutch 13. Specifically, if the difference in rotation between the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 and the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14 is greater than or equal to a threshold when the starting clutch 13 is released during scavenging, the electric oil pump 31 is activated. As a result, lubricating oil is supplied to the starting clutch 13 from the electric oil pump 31, and the starting clutch 13 is lubricated by this lubricating oil. Consequently, even if a difference in rotation occurs between the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 and the input shaft 19 of the automatic transmission 14 when the starting clutch 13 is released during scavenging, wear of the starting clutch 13 due to the difference in rotation is suppressed.
[0042] Thus, when there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine 12 and the conditions for performing scavenging are met, the starting clutch 13 can be effectively lubricated using the electric oil pump 31 and the mechanical oil pump 32. Therefore, the reduction in the durability of the starting clutch 13 against wear can be effectively suppressed.
[0043] (2) When the electric oil pump 31 supplies lubricating oil to the starting clutch 13 in conjunction with the scavenging operation, in other words, when the above-mentioned differential rotation exceeds a threshold, the continuous operating time of the electric oil pump 31 may exceed the allowable value. In this case, the rotational transmission between the automatic transmission 14 and the drive wheels 20 is disconnected while the starting clutch 13 remains engaged. As a result, the rotation of the crankshaft 18 of the internal combustion engine 12 in conjunction with the scavenging operation is transmitted to the automatic transmission 14, and the rotation of the automatic transmission 14 causes the mechanical oil pump 32 to supply lubricating oil to the starting clutch 13. As a result, the electric oil pump 31 can be stopped. Thus, when the continuous operating time of the electric oil pump 31 exceeds the allowable value, the electric oil pump 31 can be stopped and the starting clutch 13 can be lubricated using the mechanical oil pump 32.
[0044] The above embodiment can also be modified as follows, for example. The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically. If the electric oil pump 31 is of a type that can be operated regardless of the continuous operating time, then processes S106 and S108 in the series of processes shown in Figure 3 may be omitted.
[0045] • By omitting the process in S104 in the series of processes shown in Figure 3, the process may proceed to S105 after executing the process in S103. The internal combustion engine 12 does not necessarily have to use hydrogen as fuel; it may use other fuels such as gasoline.
[0046] Although a hybrid vehicle 11 was given as an example of an electric vehicle, the present invention may also be applied to an electric vehicle that, for example, is equipped with an internal combustion engine solely for power generation and is driven only by an electric motor. [Explanation of symbols]
[0047] 11...Hybrid vehicle, 12...Internal combustion engine, 13...Starting clutch, 14...Automatic transmission, 15...First motor generator, 16...Second motor generator, 17...Control device, 18...Crankshaft, 19...Input shaft, 20...Drive wheel, 21...Power transmission path, 22...Reduction gear, 23...Carrier, 24...Sun gear, 25...PCU, 26...Battery, 31...Electric oil pump, 32...Mechanical oil pump, 27...Processing circuit, 33...Air flow meter, 34...Crank angle sensor, 35...Water temperature sensor, 36...Intake air temperature sensor, 37...Accelerator position sensor, 38...Speed sensor, 39...Ignition switch.
Claims
1. It is equipped with an internal combustion engine, motor, starting clutch, automatic transmission, and control device. The motor is capable of rotating the output shaft of the internal combustion engine. The starting clutch is positioned between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission. The control device controls the internal combustion engine, the motor, the starting clutch, and the automatic transmission, and in an electric vehicle, when there is a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine, it releases the starting clutch and performs a scavenging operation to remove moisture from the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, The system is equipped with an oil pump capable of supplying lubricating oil to the aforementioned starting clutch. The control device, upon receiving a request to stop the autonomous operation of the internal combustion engine and when the conditions for performing the scavenging operation are met, performs a lubrication process to lubricate the starting clutch with the lubricating oil, and then performs the scavenging operation. The aforementioned lubrication treatment is an electric vehicle in which, when the starting clutch is released during the scavenging operation, the difference in rotation between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission exceeds a threshold value, the oil pump supplies lubricating oil to the starting clutch.
2. The oil pumps include electric oil pumps and mechanical oil pumps. The aforementioned mechanical oil pump is driven by the rotation of the automatic transmission, The electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the lubrication treatment is performed such that when the automatic transmission is in a driven state due to rotational transmission from the drive wheels, the mechanical oil pump supplies lubricating oil to the starting clutch regardless of whether the difference in rotation between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission when the starting clutch is released during the scavenging operation exceeds a threshold, while when the automatic transmission is not in a driven state due to rotational transmission from the drive wheels, the electric oil pump supplies lubrication to the starting clutch based on whether the difference in rotation between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the automatic transmission when the starting clutch is released during the scavenging operation exceeds a threshold.
3. The electric vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the lubrication treatment is provided by supplying lubricating oil to the starting clutch using the electric oil pump, provided that the continuous operating time of the electric oil pump is less than an allowable value, and when the continuous operating time is greater than or equal to an allowable value, the rotational transmission between the automatic transmission and the drive wheels is disconnected while maintaining the starting clutch in an engaged state.