1895 results about "Four-wheel drive" patented technology

A four-wheel pool cleaner (20) motivated by water flow to move along a pool surface, and having: a body (24); the four wheels rotatably mounted thereon and including two sets of two wheels (22) each, one wheel of each set on each side; a drive mechanism (36) in position to be moved by water flow and having a rotatable drive member (76); a drive train extending to the first wheel set (22a, b) and to the second wheel set (22c, d), to drive all four wheels. Preferred embodiments include: wheel-to-wheel drive links (88) along the side; a turbine (36) as drive mechanism; a pair of spaced wheelgears (32, 34), preferably integrally formed with the wheel, facilitating drive linkages and steering; a pair of end-to-end drive shafts (80, 82) joined by a coupler (84c), one shaft end (80a) being a ball joint allowing fore-and-aft movement of a drive-shaft distal end; a spring (102) and cam (100) for alternately moving that distal end between a driving position engaging one of the spaced wheelgears (32), and a steering position engaging the other of the spaced wheelgears (34); wheel treads (108) with radial fingers (110), some (110a-c) of longer length; and a segmented articulated skirt (56) to help enclose a plenum beneath the pool cleaner.

A control system (18) and method for controlling an automotive vehicle (10) includes a number of sensors that are used to generate a potential rollover signal. In response to the potential rollover, active differentials (112, 114, 116) may be used alone or in addition to braking to prevent the vehicle from rolling over.

The invention discloses a control method of an electric four-wheel drive hybrid vehicle. Under the conventional mode, the power allocation and the shift selection of the whole hybrid system in a finished vehicle controller can be determined according to the current vehicle speed, a throttle, an SOC (State Of Charge) and other signals, so that the total efficiency of the whole hybrid system is optimized rather than the efficiency of a single power source is optimized, thereby more effectively improving the economy of a finished vehicle of an E4WD hybrid vehicle and further achieving the aim of improving the economy of the vehicle fuel. In the concrete implementation process, the power allocation and the shift selection are realized by checking up VP, the power which can be actually provided by a battery and an engine in the running process of the vehicle is considered, the calculation speed of a hybrid control unit (HCU) is improved and the practicability of the control method is enhanced.

An apparatus, method, system and/or image editing process for presenting visual displays to the driver of a motor vehicle regarding the real time operating condition of the vehicle systems and components. These include the anti-lock braking system, the stability of the vehicle as to proximity to rolling over, the power consumed by vehicle components such as the heating system and lights and/or, for four-wheel drive vehicles, the torque and/or braking forces delivered to the wheels. The information is acquired from sensors and/or from signals generated by the vehicle and it processed by the vehicle CPU or, in another embodiment, by a display CPU, the information being presented in black and white or in color using an LED, LCD, vacuum fluorescent means, numerical display, gauge, meter or PDA.

A three-wheeled vehicle having two parts that can be tilted around a longitudinal axis. A rear part has a chassis for two-track wheels and the front part, which can be tilted relative to the rear part, accommodates a driver seat. Connected to a front end of the front part is a tiltable front wheel suspension to which a front wheel and an engine and gears for the front-wheel drive are attached. The two vehicle parts that can be tilted relative to each other each support or form a body which can also be designed for the front part as a monocoque and forms a closed and heatable driver cabin.

The invention discloses a power system of a mixed power automobile and a control method thereof. The power system comprises a rear electric motor drive system, an integrated type starting generator drive system, a power supply system and a control system; the rear electric motor drive system comprises a rear electric motor, a speed reducer, a differential and a rear electric motor controller and separately drives rear wheels; the integrated starting generator drive system comprises an engine, a front electric motor, a gear box, a front differential and a front electric motor controller; as the nose cabin power assembly, the power system can work under the integrated starting generator drive mode, the pure electric drive mode, the regenerative braking mode or the four-wheel drive mode. The invention omits the middle drive device in a traditional four-wheel drive vehicle, has higher drive flexibility, can reduce the automobile weight, not only can meet the requirements of a SUV vehicle for the complete-vehicle power performance, trafficability characteristic and the like, but also can achieve the purposes of energy saving and emission reduction.

The vehicle drive device comprises a motor for driving wheels, an inverter for driving the motor, a rotational position sensor for detecting rotation of the motor, a gear mechanism for transmitting an output of the motor to wheels, an oil pump for circulating oil, and cases housing the motor, inverter, rotational position sensor, gear mechanism, and oil pump. The motor, inverter, rotational position sensor gear mechanism oil pump and cases are formed as an integral structure.

In this vehicular chassis system, the vehicle's passenger compartment and wheels incline toward the turning center side in such a manner, that the wheels can be tilted independently from steering. This vehicle has a steering apparatus controlling the steering, and a separate apparatus controlling the lateral leaning. The lean is controlled mechanically using a pendulum, and forced lateral leaned using a control unit, or manually with the transfer of body weight using several pinions with a set ratio to control the passenger compartment lateral lean in conjunction with the wheel lateral lean. An electric DC servo gear motor can be used to control the lateral lean, that intern moves a pinion, which moves a rack and lateral movable cross member, while controlling the lateral leaning wheels and pulling the tilt support bar pivotally attached to a passenger compartment in the same leaning direction.

Described is a battery powered, four-wheel, all-terrain vehicle, with independently operable, variable speed, bi-directional electric motors, one of which may selectively used to drive the front wheels of the vehicle, the other of which may be selectively used to drive the rear wheels of the vehicle. A front differential drive mechanism allows the front wheels to operate at different speeds. Front wheels of the vehicle are steerable through universal joints disposed between the front differential mechanism and each front wheel. A rear differential drive mechanism allow the rear wheels to rotate at different speeds. By selectively choosing whether to engage front and rear wheels and the direction they rotate, the vehicle may be operated as a four-wheel drive vehicle, a front-wheel drive vehicle, a rear wheel drive vehicle, with all four wheels disengaged, or even with front and rear wheels rotating in opposite directions.

A LSG four wheel drive hybrid vehicle drive mechanism with its front wheel drive adopts engine and crankshaft installed disk generator, automatic clutch and manual transmission MT or directly using AMT automatic transmission to form the drive system, with the ISG generator installed on the engine and the automatic clutch or AMT automatic transmission, with the rear wheel drive using rear wheel drive generator, rear wheel drive decelerator and differential formed electric rear axle. The overall drive scheme is simple, effective, low in cost, easy for realization, with relatively ideal vehicle matching and control effect.

An articulated vehicle with a working device has a first frame having a prime mover mounted thereon and supporting a first transaxle apparatus. The first transaxle apparatus includes an input shalt receiving power from the prime mover, a pair of first axles, and a hydrostatic transmission. The hydrostatic transmission comprises a variable hydraulic pump, a first hydraulic motor fluidly connected to the hydraulic pump via a fluid passage, and a housing with a port fluidly connected to the fluid passage. The second transaxle apparatus includes a pair of second axles having different lengths and a second hydraulic motor. The second hydraulic motor is fluidly connected to the port. Proximal ends of the first and second frames with respect to the vehicle are coupled to each other so that the first and second flames are rotatable around a vertical axis relative to each other when steered.

The invention provides a four-wheel driven hybrid vehicle driving system capable of meeting the needs of a motor vehicle for torque during running in an urban area and reducing oil consumption and tail gas emission and a driving management method thereof. The driving system comprises an engine driving front wheels, an ISG motor coaxially arranged with the engine and a driving motor driving rear wheels, wherein the engine is connected with an engine management unit; the ISG motor is connected with an ISG motor control unit; the driving motor is connected with the motor control unit; and the ISG motor and the driving motor are connected with a high voltage battery through an inversion unit. The key point is that the driving system also comprises a vehicle control unit and a high voltage management unit connected with the high voltage battery. The vehicle control unit, the high voltage management unit, the engine management unit, the ISG motor control unit and the motor control unit are connected through CAN buses; and the vehicle control unit is also connected with an accelerator pedal position sensor and a vehicle speed sensor.

A vehicle with primary and secondary drivelines and a power take-off unit (PTU). The primary driveline has a first differential that is configured to distribute power to a first set of wheels. The PTU has a PTU input, a PTU output and a synchronizer for selectively de-coupling the PTU output from the PTU input. The secondary driveline is configured to distribute power to a second set of wheels and has a propshaft, a second differential, a pair of half-shafts and at least one torque transfer device (TTD). The propshaft transmits rotary power between the PTU output and an input of the second differential. The half-shafts are rotatably coupled to an output of the second differential and are configured to transmit rotary power to the second set of wheels. The at least one TTD is configured to selectively inhibit torque transmission through the second differential to the second set of wheels.

Front left and right wheel units (FL, FR) are driven by an engine (ENG) and a motor generator (MG2). Rear left and right wheel units (RL, RR) are independently driven by in-wheel motor type motor generators (MGR, MGL). The motor generator (MG2) and the motor generator (MGR, MGL) are configured to have different rated outputs, respectively, and be subjected to different speed reduction ratios, respectively, between the motor generators and their respectively associated drive wheel units, and thus have characteristics, respectively, in efficiency with respect to torque and vehicular speed, that exhibit high efficiency in mutually different output ranges, respectively. When a mileage oriented mode is selected as a traveling mode, an ECU (30) determines how a drive torque should be allocated between the motor generators (MG2, MGR, MGL), as based on the motors' required drive torque and vehicular speed and on each motor generator's characteristic in efficiency, to maximize the motor generators' total efficiency.

An auxiliary electric drive assembly includes an alternating current induction motor, planetary speed reduction gearing and a differential. The differential may be either active or passive. The auxiliary drive system is utilized as the front axle in a rear wheel drive vehicle and the rear axle in a front wheel drive vehicle. Elimination of many of the components in a conventional four wheel drive system such as the transfer case and hybrid gears improves the overall efficiency and fuel economy of a vehicle so equipped.

A hybrid drive system for a four-wheel drive system arranged to supply motive power to a first output shaft of a transfer case from an internal combustion engine and to a second output shaft from an electric motor/generator. The transfer case includes a reduction gearset driven by the electric motor/generator, a power take-off unit driven by the reduction gearset, and a disconnect clutch operable for selectively coupling the reduction gearset to the second output shaft. This hybrid drive arrangement permits installation of a modified transfer case in place of a conventional transfer case for use in a traditional four-wheel drive driveline arrangement.

The invention aims to provide a driving system and a control method thereof for a four-wheel-drive hybrid vehicle which has high horsepower and higher fuel economical efficiency. The driving system comprises a power battery, a front driving unit, a rear driving unit and an entire vehicle controller for controlling the front driving unit and the rear driving unit to work, wherein the key points are that the front driving unit comprises an engine arranged on a front driving axle and a front axle ISG motor and a front speed reducer connected with the engine through a driving device, the rear driving unit comprises a rear axle ISG motor arranged on a rear driving axle and a rear speed reducer connected with the rear axle ISG motor through the driving device, the front axle ISG motor and the rear axle ISG motor are electrically connected with the power battery through an inverter respectively, and the ratio of the peak power of the front axle ISG motor to the rated power of the engine is over 40 percent. The driving system has a simple mechanical structure and less power loss, can improve the fuel economical efficiency of the vehicle while ensuring the dynamic property, and accord with the modern energy saving and environmental protection trend.

The invention discloses an integrated control method for distributed control of an electric automobile. The integrated control method comprises the following steps of according to automobile speed, a steering wheel rotating angle and a steering wheel rotating angular speed, obtaining an expected yaw angular speed and an expected mass center sideslip angle by a signal processing layer by referring to a module; in an integrated control layer, according to the actual value of the yaw angular speed and the expected yaw angular speed, deciding a rear wheel additional yaw torque required for realizing control of the stability of the automobile; according to the actual valve of the mass center sideslip angle and the expected mass center sideslip angle, deciding the front wheel additional rotating angle required for realizing control of the stability of the automobile; in a control distribution layer, according to a target driving torque of a driver and the rear wheel additional yaw torque, reasonably distributing four-wheel driving force, and according to a target front wheel rotating angle of the driver and the front wheel additional rotating angle, correcting the front wheel rotating angle; and controlling the yaw stability by an executing layer through a hub motor. The integrated control method disclosed by the invention has the characteristics that the handling safety stability of the automobile is high, and the steering comfortability of the driver is improved.

A four wheel drive system for bilaterally symmetric vehicles has separate controlled drive speed and direction for each wheel. Each drive system is operable to independently drive each wheel. The rear wheels of the vehicle are steering wheels which are connected with the vehicle frame for independent rotation about a vertical axis. Steering and driving of the wheels is controlled by a controller. The combination of controlled steering for the rear wheels through many degrees about their vertical axes and individual power to all four wheels provides the vehicle with a zero turning radius for improved mobility as well as improved traction on unstable surfaces.

An articulate vehicle comprises a first frame disposed at one of front and rear portions of the vehicle and a second frame disposed at the other of front and rear portions of the vehicle. The first frame supports a first transaxle apparatus supporting a first axle. The second frame supports a second transaxle apparatus supporting a second axle. Proximal ends of the frames with respect to the vehicle are coupled to each other through a coupling part so that the first and second frames are rotatable relative to each other around a vertical axis according to steering operation. An engine is mounted on the first frame. A first hydraulic motor is integrally assembled in the first transaxle apparatus so as to drive the first axle. A working vehicle is equipped at a distal side of the second frame with respect to the vehicle. A second hydraulic motor is integrally assembled in the second transaxle apparatus so as to drive the second axle. A hydraulic pump is mounted on either the first or second frame, drivingly connected to the engine, and fluidly connected to both the first and second hydraulic motors.