Hybrid Vehicle Locking Gear for Low-Loss Engine Torque Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hybrid vehicles experience mechanical loss and increased fuel consumption due to slippage between gears during the delivery of engine torque to drive wheels, as described in JP-A-2013-035506.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid vehicle configuration featuring a locking gear that reciprocates between a locking position and a disengagement position to engage or disengage with the flywheel, allowing for selective delivery of torque from either the motor or the engine, thereby reducing power loss and allowing for a downsized locking gear due to reduced load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the dog clutch is used to connect the flywheel and damper for delivering engine torque, then the hybrid vehicle can be propelled by engine torque, but mechanical loss occurs due to slippage between gears increasing fuel consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic dog clutch mechanism from the torque delivery path and replaces it with a locking gear mechanism. The locking gear directly locks to the flywheel teeth, eliminating the intermediate gear slippage that causes mechanical loss. This extraction of the faulty component and replacement with a direct-locking solution resolves the contradiction between power delivery and energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking gear acts as an intermediary between the flywheel and the torque delivery system. Instead of using the dog clutch with its inherent slippage, the locking gear provides a direct mechanical connection that mediates the torque transfer without energy loss. The actuator then serves as a secondary intermediary to control the locking gear's engagement and disengagement, enabling mode switching without power loss.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the locking gear is engaged with the flywheel to enable motor-driven propulsion, then the hybrid vehicle can operate in first mode, but the locking gear experiences increased load requiring larger size
Solution Approach 1:
The locking gear system is designed to be dynamic rather than static. The actuator enables the locking gear to switch between engaged and disengaged states based on operating conditions. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to different propulsion modes (motor-driven vs. engine-driven) while the locking gear only bears full load during motor-driven mode, reducing the required size compared to a continuously loaded design.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking gear is designed with teeth that locally engage with the flywheel teeth only when needed for motor-driven propulsion. The actuator controls this local engagement, allowing the locking gear to be smaller because it doesn't need to continuously withstand engine torque loads. The local quality of engagement rather than continuous contact reduces the overall size requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid vehicle configured to reduce a power loss resulting from delivery of an engine torque to drive wheels. In the hybrid vehicle, a locking gear is reciprocated by an actuator between a locking position to be engaged with a flywheel gear and a disengagement position to be disengaged from the flywheel gear. An operating mode of the hybrid vehicle includes: a first mode in which the hybrid vehicle is propelled while engaging the locking gear with the flywheel gear; and a second mode in which the hybrid vehicle is propelled while disengaging the locking gear from the flywheel gear.