JP2012056510A - Drive device of hybrid vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drive device of a hybrid vehicle, capable of improving mountability of each drive source and the drive device in the vehicle while reducing the weight of the vehicle by miniaturizing the overall device.SOLUTION: The drive device 20 of the hybrid vehicle 1 using an internal combustion engine 11 and a rotating electrical machine 12 as a drive source includes: an input shaft 21 connected to the internal combustion engine 11; an output shaft 22 connected to a drive wheel of the hybrid vehicle 1; and a transmission mechanism 23 having speed stages composed of four sets of gear pairs capable of transmitting the rotation of the input shaft 21 to the output shaft 22 while varying the speed. The first gear pair most distant from the internal combustion engine 11 in the direction of the input shaft 21 of the four sets of gear pairs is set to a minimum gear ratio in the transmission mechanism 23, and connected to the rotating electrical machine 12.

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive device for a hybrid vehicle using an internal combustion engine and a rotating electric machine as drive sources.

  The hybrid vehicle uses, for example, a gasoline engine and an electric motor as driving sources, and transmits driving force output from these driving sources to driving wheels via a driving device. 2. Description of the Related Art As a hybrid vehicle drive device, one having a planetary gear mechanism is known as a mechanism for combining drive forces output from different drive sources. In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses a driving device that connects an input shaft to a gasoline engine and connects an electric motor to an output gear supported by an output shaft that is connected to driving wheels. With such a drive device, the hybrid vehicle appropriately controls the drive device to enable traveling using at least one of a gasoline engine and an electric motor as a drive source. Furthermore, the hybrid vehicle enables power generation by an electric motor by utilizing the rotation of drive wheels and the rotation of a gasoline engine during braking.

JP 2004-190497 A

By the way, in the structure which connects an electric motor to a drive device like the drive device of patent document 1, in order to ensure the space which mounts an electric motor, size reduction of a drive device is desired. Here, the drive device for a hybrid vehicle may be composed of six shift stages, for example, forward and reverse as in Patent Document 1, for example. In such a case, the drive device has six sets of gear pairs constituting six speed steps arranged side by side in the axial direction of the drive device. Therefore, a predetermined axial width is required to accommodate these gear pairs, and the mounting position of the driving device may be restricted.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and by reducing the size of the entire apparatus, it is possible to reduce the weight of the vehicle and improve the mountability of each drive source and drive device in the vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a drive device for a possible hybrid vehicle.

In order to solve the above problems, a feature of the invention according to claim 1 is a drive device for a hybrid vehicle using an internal combustion engine and a rotating electrical machine as drive sources,
A gear stage composed of an input shaft connected to the internal combustion engine, an output shaft connected to the drive wheel of the hybrid vehicle, and four sets of gear pairs capable of shifting and transmitting the rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft. A transmission mechanism having
Of the four sets of gear pairs, the first gear pair that is the farthest away from the internal combustion engine in the input shaft direction is set to the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism and is connected to the rotating electrical machine.

In order to solve the above problems, a feature of the invention according to claim 2 is a drive device for a hybrid vehicle using an internal combustion engine and a rotating electric machine as drive sources,
A shift stage comprising an input shaft coupled to the internal combustion engine, an output shaft coupled to a drive wheel of the vehicle, and three sets of gear pairs capable of shifting and transmitting rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft; A transmission mechanism having
Of the three sets of gear pairs, the first gear pair that is the farthest away from the internal combustion engine in the input shaft direction is set to the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism and is connected to the rotating electrical machine.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the reverse gear in the transmission mechanism is countered by any one of the four gear pairs excluding the first gear pair. It is configured with a gear interposed.

  A feature of the invention according to claim 4 is that, in claim 1 or 2, the reverse speed stage in the speed change mechanism is the first gear pair in which the rotating electrical machine is reversely rotated.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the first gear pair includes: an input gear supported by the input shaft; and an input gear that meshes with the input gear. The rotating electrical machine is connected to the output gear.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the drive device is configured so that the output shaft is parallel to the rotational shaft of the rotating electrical machine, and the rotating electrical machine is Is arranged between the internal combustion engine and the first gear pair in the input shaft direction.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the hybrid vehicle drive device includes a speed change mechanism having a gear stage composed of four sets of gear pairs. Of the four gear pairs, the first gear pair that is the farthest from the internal combustion engine in the input shaft direction is set to the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism and is connected to the rotating electrical machine. As a result, the internal combustion engine, which is a relatively large unit in the hybrid vehicle, and the rotating electrical machine are separated from each other, and the mountability of each drive source and drive device in the hybrid vehicle can be improved. Further, since the four sets of gear pairs are arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the drive device, the axial length can be shortened as compared with, for example, a conventional drive device having a transmission mechanism composed of six sets of gear pairs. . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire drive device and reduce the weight of the vehicle on which the drive device is mounted.

  Further, the rotating electrical machine is connected to the first gear pair set to the minimum speed ratio. The speed change mechanism of the drive device mounted on the hybrid vehicle shifts the rotation output from the rotating electrical machine and shifts the rotation input to the rotating electrical machine. In addition, since the rotating electrical machine can output a high driving force even when the rotational speed is reduced as compared with the internal combustion engine, it is useful to perform driving assist of the internal combustion engine particularly at a low rotation speed. In other words, with the above configuration, when the rotating electrical machine is connected to, for example, the gear pair that forms the highest speed stage, which is the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism, the rotation output is output to any of the multiple gear pairs. Therefore, the drive assist of the internal combustion engine can be suitably performed. Here, if the number of gears is reduced as compared with the conventional driving device, the difference in gear ratio for each gear increases, and there is a concern that the driving force is insufficient at a predetermined rotational speed. However, according to the present invention, the drive assist by the rotating electric machine can be performed, so that the number of shift stages can be set to be smaller than that of the conventional drive device. As a result, in addition to downsizing the drive device, it is possible to improve fuel efficiency and reduce the number of shift changes during travel.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the hybrid vehicle drive device includes a speed change mechanism having a gear stage composed of three sets of gear pairs. Of the three gear pairs, the first gear pair that is the farthest away from the internal combustion engine in the input shaft direction is set to the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism and is connected to the rotating electrical machine. As a result, the internal combustion engine, which is a relatively large unit in the hybrid vehicle, and the rotating electrical machine are separated from each other, and the mountability of each drive source and drive device in the hybrid vehicle can be improved. Further, since three sets of gear pairs are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the drive unit, the axial length can be reduced as compared with a conventional drive unit including a speed change mechanism including, for example, six sets of gear pairs. . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire drive device and reduce the weight of the vehicle on which the drive device is mounted.

  Further, the rotating electrical machine is connected to the first gear pair set to the minimum speed ratio. The speed change mechanism of the drive device mounted on the hybrid vehicle shifts the rotation output from the rotating electrical machine and shifts the rotation input to the rotating electrical machine. In addition, since the rotating electrical machine can output a high driving force even when the rotational speed is reduced as compared with the internal combustion engine, it is useful to perform driving assist of the internal combustion engine particularly at a low rotation speed. In other words, with the above configuration, when the rotating electrical machine is connected to, for example, the gear pair that forms the highest speed stage, which is the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism, the rotation output is output to any of the multiple gear pairs. Therefore, the drive assist of the internal combustion engine can be suitably performed. Here, if the number of gears is reduced as compared with the conventional driving device, the difference in gear ratio for each gear increases, and there is a concern that the driving force is insufficient at a predetermined rotational speed. However, according to the present invention, the drive assist by the rotating electric machine can be performed, so that the number of shift stages can be set to be smaller than that of the conventional drive device. As a result, in addition to downsizing the drive device, it is possible to improve fuel efficiency and reduce the number of shift changes during travel.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the reverse speed stage in the speed change mechanism is configured by interposing the counter gear in any one of the gear pairs excluding the first gear pair from the four gear pairs. Thereby, the drive device can be controlled to reverse the vehicle by the drive force output from the internal combustion engine. Therefore, it is possible to reliably move the vehicle backward regardless of the remaining amount of the battery that operates the rotating electrical machine.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the reverse speed stage in the speed change mechanism is a first gear pair in which the rotating electrical machine is reversely rotated. As a result, the first gear pair coupled to the rotating electrical machine can be used as both forward and reverse gears. Therefore, the vehicle can be moved backward without requiring a reverse gear stage in the transmission mechanism. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced as a whole drive device.

  According to the invention according to claim 5, the first gear pair includes the input gear supported by the input shaft and the output gear meshed with the input gear and supported by the output shaft, and the rotating electrical machine is connected to the output gear. It is configured to be connected. As a result, during traveling at the minimum gear ratio, the driving force output from the rotating electrical machine is transmitted to the output shaft with the minimum number of meshes, and the gear efficiency during high-speed cruising can be improved. That is, loss of driving force during high-speed cruising can be reduced, so that driving assistance of the internal combustion engine by the rotating electrical machine can be performed efficiently.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the drive device is positioned between the internal combustion engine and the first gear pair in the input shaft direction so that the output shaft is parallel to the rotating shaft of the rotating electrical machine. It is set as the structure arrange | positioned. In other words, the rotating electrical machine is arranged on the side close to the internal combustion engine in the input shaft direction with respect to the first gear pair to be connected. Thereby, the drive device can reliably shorten the axial length including the rotating electrical machine. Therefore, the mountability of each drive source and drive device in the hybrid vehicle can be improved.

1 is a skeleton diagram showing the overall structure of a drive device 20. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a transmission state of driving force in the driving device 20. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a transmission state of driving force in the driving device 20. 3 is a table showing characteristics of the electric motor 12. 2nd embodiment: It is a skeleton figure which shows the whole structure of the drive device 120. FIG.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a hybrid vehicle drive device according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A vehicle equipped with the drive device of the present invention will be described as a hybrid vehicle using an internal combustion engine and a rotating electric machine as power sources.

<First embodiment>
(Configuration of the driving device 20)
In the present embodiment, a drive device 20 of the hybrid vehicle 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The hybrid vehicle 1 mainly includes an engine 11, an electric motor 12, a control device 13, and a drive device 20. The engine 11 is an internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine that generates driving force by burning fuel. The driving force by the engine 11 is input to the driving device 20 via the crankshaft 11a of the engine 11. Further, the engine 11 is controlled by the control device 13 such as the throttle valve opening, the fuel injection amount, and the ignition timing.

  The electric motor 12 is a rotating electrical machine that is supplied with electric power from a connected battery via an inverter 12b and generates a driving force. The driving force by the electric motor 12 is input to the driving device 20 via the rotating shaft 12 a of the electric motor 12. The state of the electric motor 12 is appropriately switched by an inverter 12b that receives a control signal from the control device 13. In other words, the electric motor 12 is controlled by the control device 13 such as a driving state in which driving force is generated or a regenerative state in which the battery is generated by the rotational force transmitted from the driving wheels of the hybrid vehicle 1 to charge the battery.

  The control device 13 is an electronic control device mainly composed of a microcomputer, and receives vehicle information such as vehicle speed and shift position from various sensors. The control device 13 performs hybrid control by switching the output of the driving force by the engine 11 and the electric motor 12 based on the input vehicle information and the like. Thereby, the traveling state of the hybrid vehicle 1 can be switched between HV traveling in which the engine 11 and the electric motor 12 are driving sources, EG traveling in which only the engine 11 is the driving source, and EV traveling in which only the electric motor 12 is the driving source. . And the control apparatus 13 controls the rotation speed of the engine 11 and the electric motor 12 based on the detected engine rotation speed, motor rotation speed, a driver | operator's accelerator operation, etc.

  Furthermore, the control device 13 performs switching control of the gear position of the drive device 20 according to the vehicle speed, the opening degree of the throttle valve by the accelerator operation, the shift position, and the like. In addition, the control device 13 performs control of a parking device (not shown), ABS control, and the like. The parking device is a device that restricts the rotation of the parking gear 45 fixed to the output shaft 22 and prevents the rotation of the output shaft 22 when the vehicle is parked. The ABS control is an anti-lock brake (ABS) control that prevents the drive wheels from being locked when the hybrid vehicle 1 is braked.

  The driving device 20 is a device that transmits the driving force output by the engine 11 and the electric motor 12 that are power sources to driving wheels based on a control signal from the control device 13 and the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the drive device 20 has an input shaft 21 connected to the engine 11, an output shaft 22 connected to the drive wheels of the hybrid vehicle 1, and the rotation of the input shaft 21 is shifted to the output shaft 22. And a transmission mechanism 23 having a gear stage composed of four pairs of gears that can be transmitted.

  The input shaft 21 is formed in a shaft shape and is rotatably supported by a transmission case (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the input shaft 21 includes input gears 31 to 33 for each shift stage, a reverse input gear 34, and a clutch 35. A first speed input gear 31, a second speed input gear 32, and a reverse input gear 34 are integrally fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the input shaft 21. Furthermore, the input shaft 21 supports the three-speed input gear 33 so as to be free to rotate by a bearing means such as a needle bearing. The input shaft 21 is connected to the crankshaft 11 a of the engine 11 through the clutch 35 and inputs the driving force of the engine 11. The clutch 35 is a device whose engagement state is controlled by the control device 13 and switches engagement / disengagement of the driving force from the engine 11 to the input shaft 21.

  The output shaft 22 is formed in a shaft shape and is rotatably supported by the transmission case. As shown in FIG. 1, the output shaft 22 includes output gears 41 to 43 for each shift stage, a reverse output gear 44, a parking gear 45, and a final output gear 46. The output shaft 22 supports a first-speed output gear 41, a second-speed output gear 42, a third-speed output gear 43, and a reverse output gear 44 by a bearing means such as a needle bearing so as to be free-wheeling. Further, a parking gear 45 and a final output gear 46 are integrally fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the output shaft 22. The parking gear 45 engages with a lock member of the parking device so that the output shaft 22 does not rotate when the vehicle is parked. The final output gear 46 is a final reduction gear that meshes with the ring gear 52 of the differential (differential mechanism) and outputs the reduced rotation to the outside of the transmission mechanism 23.

  The transmission mechanism 23 has four pairs of gears, that is, the input gears 31 to 33 and the output gears 41 to 43 of the respective shift stages described above, and the reverse input gear 34 and the reverse output gear 44. The input gears 31 to 33 always mesh with the corresponding output gears 41 to 43. Here, of the four gear pairs, the gear pair constituted by the third-speed input gear 33 and the third-speed output gear 43 is the axial direction of the input shaft 21 (the left-right direction in FIG. 1), as shown in FIG. , Corresponding to the “input shaft direction” of the present invention). In addition, this gear pair is set to the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism 23 and is the highest speed (third speed). Further, the third-speed output gear 43 of the gear pair is connected to the electric motor 12 via the intermediate gear 51. Thus, the gear pair constituting the third speed is equivalent to the “first gear pair” of the present invention. Further, the speed change mechanism 23 has a configuration in which a counter gear 53 is interposed in a gear pair constituted by the reverse input gear 34 and the reverse output gear 44 among the four gear pairs, and this gear pair is used as a reverse gear stage. is doing.

  Further, the speed change mechanism 23 includes a first sync mechanism 61 disposed on the input shaft 21, a second sync mechanism 62 and a third sync mechanism 63 disposed on the output shaft 22. Each of the synchro mechanisms 61 to 63 is a mechanism that can be coupled by synchronizing the rotational speed of the arranged shaft and the gear supported so as to be free to rotate on the shaft. The first synchronization mechanism 61 includes a connecting gear 61a that is integrally attached to the input shaft 21, and a shift gear 61b that meshes with the connecting gear 61a so as to be shiftable. Such a first sync mechanism 61 is capable of switching between a meshing state and a non-meshing state with the synchro gear portion of the three-speed input gear 33 by shifting the shift gear 61b in the axial direction of the input shaft 21. By switching the first sync mechanism 61, the three-speed input gear 33 can be switched between a connected state and a non-connected state with respect to the input shaft 21.

  Similarly, the second sync mechanism 62 has a connecting gear 62a and a shift gear 62b, and the third sync mechanism 63 has a connecting gear 63a and a shift gear 63b. The second sync mechanism 62 selects the first-speed output gear 41 or the second-speed output gear 42 with respect to the output shaft 22 by shifting the shift gear 62b in the axial direction of the output shaft 22 (left-right direction in FIG. 1). Can be consolidated. Further, the third sync mechanism 63 can selectively connect the third-speed output gear 43 or the reverse output gear 44 to the output shaft 22 by shifting the shift gear 63b in the axial direction of the output shaft 22.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the driving device 20 having such a configuration is disposed such that the output shaft 22 is parallel to the rotating shaft 12a of the electric motor 12. Further, the drive device 20 is arranged such that the electric motor 12 is positioned between the engine 11 and the first gear pair (a gear pair constituting a third gear) in the axial direction of the input shaft 21. That is, the electric motor 12 is arranged on the side close to the engine 11 in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 with respect to the third-speed output gear 43 connected via the intermediate gear 51.

(Operation of the driving device 20)
The operation of the drive device 20 in each traveling state of the hybrid vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the hybrid vehicle 1 travels at the first speed or the second speed by the driving force of the engine 11, the second sync mechanism 62 is controlled by the control device 13, and the shift gear 62b is moved to the left side (first speed side) or the right side (two speeds). Shifted to the speed side). As a result, the first-speed output gear 41 or the second-speed output gear 42 is connected to the output shaft 22. Then, the driving force of the engine 11 transmitted to the input shaft 21 via the clutch 35 is transmitted to the output shaft 22 via a gear pair constituting a first gear or a second gear. Then, the rotational speed of the engine 11 is changed by this gear pair, and the driving force is transmitted from the final output gear 46 of the output shaft 22 to the driving wheels via the ring gear 52.

  Here, in the state where the hybrid vehicle 1 travels using the engine 11 as a drive source, HV travel may be performed using the electric motor 12 as a drive source. In such a case, taking the second speed as an example, as shown in FIG. 2, the third sync mechanism 63 is controlled by the control device 13 and the shift gear 63b is shifted to the right side (third speed side) in FIG. A three-speed output gear 43 is connected to the output shaft 22. At this time, the first synchronization mechanism 61 is controlled by the control device 13 so that the shift gear 61b does not shift to the left side (third speed side) in FIG. 2, and the first speed input gear 31 is not connected to the input shaft 21 and can rotate freely. It is in a state. Then, the driving force of the electric motor 12 is transmitted through the intermediate gear 51 and is combined with the driving force of the engine 11 on the output shaft 22. In this way, the electric motor 12 assists in driving the engine 11 during the HV traveling of the hybrid vehicle 1.

  In the above case, the driving force of the electric motor 12 may be transmitted through another path to assist the driving of the engine 11. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the first sync mechanism 61 is controlled by the control device 13, the shift gear 61 b is shifted to the left side (third speed side) in FIG. 3, and the third speed input gear 33 is moved to the input shaft 21. Connected. At this time, the third sync mechanism 63 is controlled by the control device 13 so that the shift gear 63b does not shift to the right side (third speed side) in FIG. 3, and the third speed output gear 43 is free of rotation without being connected to the output shaft 22. It is in a state. Then, the driving force of the electric motor 12 is transmitted through the intermediate gear 51 and the third-speed output gear 43, and is combined with the driving force of the engine 11 at the input shaft 21. In this way, the electric motor 12 assists in driving the engine 11 during the HV traveling of the hybrid vehicle 1.

  Next, when the hybrid vehicle 1 travels at the third speed by the driving force of the engine 11, the first sync mechanism 61 is controlled by the control device 13 and the shift gear 61b is shifted to the left in FIG. As a result, the three-speed input gear 33 is connected to the input shaft 21. Further, the shift gear 63 b of the third sync mechanism 63 is shifted to the right side in FIG. 1, and the third-speed output gear 43 is connected to the output shaft 22. Then, the driving force of the engine 11 transmitted to the input shaft 21 via the clutch 35 is transmitted to the output shaft 22 via the gear pair that constitutes the third gear. Then, the rotational speed of the engine 11 is changed by this gear pair, and the driving force is transmitted from the final output gear 46 of the output shaft 22 to the driving wheels via the ring gear 52.

  Here, in a state where the hybrid vehicle 1 is traveling at the third speed using the engine 11 as a drive source, the hybrid vehicle 1 may be further HV travel using the electric motor 12 as a drive source. Here, the third-speed output gear 43 connected to the electric motor 12 via the intermediate gear 51 is already connected to the output shaft 22 as the third sync mechanism 63 is controlled by the control device 13. Therefore, by controlling the electric motor 12 to a predetermined rotational speed, the driving force of the electric motor 12 is transmitted and combined with the driving force of the engine 11 on the output shaft 22. In this way, the electric motor 12 assists in driving the engine 11 during the HV traveling of the hybrid vehicle 1.

  Subsequently, when the hybrid vehicle 1 moves backward by the driving force of the engine 11, the third sync mechanism 63 is controlled by the control device 13, and the shift gear 63b is shifted to the left side (reverse side) in FIG. As a result, the reverse output gear 44 is connected to the output shaft 22. Further, as described above, the reverse gear stage is constituted by interposing the counter gear 53 in the gear pair constituted by the reverse input gear 34 and the reverse output gear 44. Thus, the driving force of the engine 11 transmitted to the input shaft 21 via the clutch 35 is transmitted to the output shaft 22 via the reverse gear. Then, the rotational speed of the engine 11 is changed by the gear pair constituting the reverse gear stage, and is reversely rotated by the counter gear 53, and is driven from the final output gear 46 of the output shaft 22 to the driving wheel via the ring gear 52. Power is transmitted.

  Here, in a state where the hybrid vehicle 1 is moving backward using the engine 11 as a drive source, HV traveling may be performed using the electric motor 12 as a drive source. In such a case, the first sync mechanism 61 is controlled by the control device 13, the shift gear 61 b is shifted to the left side in FIG. 1, and the three-speed input gear 33 is connected to the input shaft 21. At this time, since the shift gear 63b of the third sync mechanism 63 connects the reverse output gear 44 to the output shaft 22, the third-speed output gear 43 is free to rotate without being connected to the output shaft 22. . Then, the driving force of the electric motor 12 is transmitted through the intermediate gear 51 and the third-speed output gear 43, and is combined with the driving force of the engine 11 at the input shaft 21. In this way, the electric motor 12 assists in driving the engine 11 during the HV traveling of the hybrid vehicle 1.

  Thus, the hybrid vehicle 1 enables EG traveling using only the engine 11 as a driving source and HV traveling using the electric motor 12 as a driving source. In addition, the hybrid vehicle 1 enables the EV running with the engine 11 in a rest state and only the electric motor 12 as a drive source. Since the operation of each synchro mechanism in the EV traveling is the same as in the above-described HV traveling, the description thereof is omitted. In this EV traveling, the engine 11 that is at rest by disengaging the clutch 35 is not connected to the input shaft 21. Thus, the hybrid vehicle 1 can switch various traveling states by the drive device 20. Further, the driving force of the electric motor 12 can be selectively combined on either the input shaft 21 or the output shaft 22. Further, the electric motor 12 is controlled by the control device 13 and is switched to a driving state in which driving force is generated, a regenerative state in which electric power is generated by the rotational force transmitted from the driving wheels of the hybrid vehicle 1 and the battery is charged.

(Effect by the drive device 20)
The drive device 20 of the hybrid vehicle 1 configured as described above includes a speed change mechanism 23 having a speed stage composed of four sets of gear pairs. Further, in the speed change mechanism 23, the electric motor 12 is connected to a gear pair that constitutes a third speed gear stage that is farthest from the engine 11. Therefore, the engine 11 and the electric motor 12 which are relatively large units in the hybrid vehicle 1 are separated from each other, and the mounting properties of the drive sources and the drive device 20 in the hybrid vehicle 1 can be improved. Further, since four sets of gear pairs are arranged in parallel in the axial direction of the drive device 20, for example, the axial length can be shortened as compared with a conventional drive device having a speed change mechanism comprising six sets of gear pairs. it can. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire drive device 20 and reduce the weight of the hybrid vehicle 1 on which the drive device 20 is mounted.

  Further, the electric motor 12 is connected to a first gear pair (a gear pair constituting a third gear) set to a minimum speed ratio. The speed change mechanism 23 of the drive device 20 mounted on the hybrid vehicle 1 shifts the rotation output from the electric motor 12 and shifts the rotation input to the electric motor 12. In general, since an electric motor can output a high driving force even when the number of rotations is lower than that of an engine, it is particularly useful to assist driving of the engine at a low speed. In other words, with the above configuration, the electric motor 12 is connected to the gear pair constituting the highest speed stage in the speed change mechanism 23, so that the rotation to be output is changed by any one of a plurality of gear pairs, and the engine 11 This driving assist can be suitably performed. Here, if the number of gears is reduced as compared with the conventional driving device, the difference in gear ratio for each gear increases, and there is a concern that the driving force is insufficient at a predetermined rotational speed. However, according to the present invention, the drive assist by the electric motor 12 can be suitably performed, so that the number of shift stages can be set to be smaller than that of the conventional drive device. Thereby, in addition to downsizing of the drive device 23, it is possible to improve fuel efficiency and reduce the number of shift changes during traveling.

  In addition, according to the configuration of the drive device 20 of the present embodiment, it becomes possible to transmit the driving force through a plurality of paths, so that the hybrid vehicle 1 is at first speed or second speed using at least the electric motor 12 as a drive source. In traveling (HV traveling or EV traveling), a configuration in which the driving force of the electric motor 12 is transmitted from the output shaft 22 to the driving wheel without passing through the input shaft 21 and a configuration in which the driving force is transmitted to the driving wheel through the input shaft 21. Was illustrated. In the former case, the number of meshing gears from the electric motor 12 to the final output gear 46 can be reduced as compared with the latter. Thereby, since gear efficiency can be improved, the loss of driving force can be reduced.

  In the latter case, the rotation transmitted to the input shaft 21 can be changed by the gear pair constituting the first speed or the second speed. That is, the speed change mechanism 23 can be operated so as to shift the rotation output by the electric motor 12. Here, as shown by a region R1 in FIG. 4, the electric motor 12 has a driving force cover range that can be output at a predetermined rotational speed. When the drive device 20 of the hybrid vehicle 1 needs to expand the cover range of the driving force, the electric motor 12 may be increased in size because it needs to have high rotation and high output. Therefore, as described above, by operating the speed change mechanism 23 so as to shift the rotation output by the electric motor 12, as shown by the region R2 in FIG. 4, a cover range having a driving force different from that of the region R1 is obtained. It is done. Therefore, the cover range of the driving force can be substantially expanded without increasing the size of the electric motor 12. Therefore, the hybrid vehicle 1 can efficiently drive the engine 11 with the electric motor 12 and can travel while adapting to road conditions.

  Further, the electric motor 12 is connected to the third-speed output gear 43 through the intermediate gear 51 among the gear pairs constituting the third-speed gear stage. As a result, the driving force output from the electric motor 12 is transmitted to the output shaft 22 with the minimum number of meshes when traveling at the third speed, which is the minimum speed ratio, and the gear efficiency during high-speed cruising is improved. Can be improved. That is, loss of driving force during high-speed cruising can be reduced, so that driving assistance of the engine 11 by the electric motor 12 can be performed efficiently.

  The reverse gear stage in the transmission mechanism 23 is configured by interposing a counter gear 53 in a gear pair including a reverse input gear 34 and a reverse output gear 44. Thereby, the drive device 20 can be controlled to reverse the vehicle by the driving force output by the engine 11. Therefore, it is possible to reliably move the vehicle backward regardless of the remaining amount of the battery that operates the electric motor 12.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the driving device 20 having such a configuration is disposed such that the output shaft 22 is parallel to the rotating shaft 12a of the electric motor 12. Further, the drive device 20 is arranged such that the electric motor 12 is positioned between the engine 11 and the first gear pair (a gear pair constituting a third gear) in the axial direction of the input shaft 21. With such a configuration, the driving device 20 can reliably shorten the axial length including the electric motor 12. Therefore, the mountability of each drive source and drive device 20 in the hybrid vehicle 1 can be improved.

<Second embodiment>
(Configuration of the driving device 120)
In the present embodiment, the driving device 120 of the hybrid vehicle 101 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the speed change mechanism 23 of the drive device 20 of the first embodiment is assumed to have a gear stage including four sets of gear pairs. On the other hand, the configuration of the present embodiment is mainly different in that the speed change mechanism 123 of the driving device 120 has a gear stage including three sets of gear pairs. Since other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted. Only the differences will be described below.

  The hybrid vehicle 101 mainly includes an engine 11, an electric motor 12, a control device 13, and a drive device 120. The driving device 120 is a device that transmits the driving force output by the engine 11 and the electric motor 12 that are power sources to driving wheels based on a control signal from the control device 13 and the like. As shown in FIG. 5, the drive device 20 has an input shaft 21 connected to the engine 11, an output shaft 22 connected to the drive wheels of the hybrid vehicle 1, and the rotation of the input shaft 21 is shifted to the output shaft 22. A transmission mechanism 123 having a gear stage composed of three pairs of gears that can be transmitted.

  The input shaft 21 includes input gears 31 to 33 for each shift stage and a clutch 35. A first-speed input gear 31 and a second-speed input gear 32 are integrally fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the input shaft 21. Furthermore, the input shaft 21 supports the three-speed input gear 33 so as to be free to rotate by a bearing means such as a needle bearing. The output shaft 22 includes output gears 41 to 43 for each shift stage, a parking gear 45, and a final output gear 46. The output shaft 22 supports the first-speed output gear 41, the second-speed output gear 42, and the third-speed output gear 43 by a bearing means such as a needle bearing so as to be free to rotate.

  The transmission mechanism 123 includes three sets of gear pairs, that is, the input gears 31 to 33 and the output gears 41 to 43 of the respective shift stages described above. The input gears 31 to 33 always mesh with the corresponding output gears 41 to 43. Here, of the three gear pairs, the gear pair constituted by the third-speed input gear 33 and the third-speed output gear 43 is arranged in the axial direction of the input shaft 21 (left and right direction in FIG. 5) as shown in FIG. It is arranged so as to be farthest from the engine 11. Further, this gear pair is set to the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism 123, and is the highest speed (third speed). Further, the third-speed output gear 43 of the gear pair is connected to the electric motor 12 via the intermediate gear 51. Thus, the gear pair constituting the third speed is equivalent to the “first gear pair” of the present invention. Further, the reverse gear stage of the speed change mechanism 123 is the first gear pair in which the electric motor 12 is rotated in the reverse direction.

  Further, the speed change mechanism 123 includes a first sync mechanism 61 disposed on the input shaft 21, and a second sync mechanism 62 and a third sync mechanism 63 disposed on the output shaft 22. The first sync mechanism 61 includes a connecting gear 61a and a shift gear 61b. By shifting the shift gear 61b in the axial direction of the input shaft 21, the connected state and the disconnected state of the three-speed input gear 33 with respect to the input shaft 21 are switched. It is possible. The second synchronizer mechanism 62 can selectively connect the first-speed output gear 41 or the second-speed output gear 42 to the output shaft 22 by shifting the shift gear 62 b in the axial direction of the output shaft 22. The third sync mechanism 63 is capable of switching between a connected state and a disconnected state of the third-speed output gear 43 with respect to the output shaft 22 by shifting the shift gear 63b in the axial direction of the output shaft 22.

(Operation of the driving device 120)
The operation of the drive device 120 in each traveling state of the hybrid vehicle 101 will be described. However, when the hybrid vehicle 101 travels from the first speed to the third speed, the operation of each synchro mechanism by the control device 13 is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment including the HV traveling, and thus detailed description is omitted. To do.

  In the present embodiment, when the hybrid vehicle 101 moves backward, the electric motor 12 is rotated in the direction opposite to that during forward movement, thereby transmitting the rotation in the reverse direction to the drive wheels. That is, the third sync mechanism 63 is controlled by the control device 13, and the shift gear 63b is shifted to the right side (third speed side) in FIG. As a result, the third-speed output gear 43 is connected to the output shaft 22. At this time, the first sync mechanism 61 is controlled by the control device 13 so that the shift gear 61b does not shift to the left side (first speed side) in FIG. 5, and the third speed input gear 33 can be idled without being connected to the input shaft 21. It is in a state. As described above, the reverse gear is a gear pair including the three-speed output gear 43 in which the electric motor 12 is reversely rotated. As a result, the driving force of the reversely rotating electric motor 12 is transmitted to the output shaft 22 via the intermediate gear 51.

  Further, when the hybrid vehicle 101 moves backward, the driving force of the electric motor 12 may be transmitted through another path and the rotation in the backward direction may be transmitted to the driving wheels. Specifically, control is performed so that the shift gear 63b of the third synchronization mechanism 63 does not shift to the right side in FIG. As a result, the third-speed output gear 43 can be idled without being connected to the output shaft 22. Further, the third speed input gear 33 is connected to the input shaft 21 by the shift gear 61 b of the first sync mechanism 61, and the first speed output gear 41 is connected to the output shaft 22 by the shift gear 62 b of the second sync mechanism 62. At this time, the engine 11 is not connected to the input shaft 21 by disengaging the clutch 35. When the electric motor 12 is reversely rotated in such a state, the driving force is transmitted to the input shaft 21 by the gear pair constituting the intermediate gear 51 and the third gear. Then, the rotational speed of the input shaft 21 is changed by the gear pair constituting the first gear and is transmitted to the output shaft 22. Here, the configuration in which the driving force is transmitted from the input shaft 21 to the output shaft 22 by the gear pair that configures the first-speed gear stage is illustrated, but the configuration may be such that it is transmitted by the gear pair that configures the second-speed gear stage. .

  As described above, in the hybrid vehicle 101, as in the first embodiment, EG traveling using only the engine 11 as a driving source, HV traveling using the electric motor 12 as a driving source, and EV using only the electric motor 12 as a driving source. Driving is possible. Further, the driving device 120 can selectively combine the driving force of the electric motor 12 with respect to the driving force of the engine 11 on either the input shaft 21 or the output shaft 22. Further, the electric motor 12 is controlled by the control device 13 and is switched to a driving state in which driving force is generated, a regenerative state in which electric power is generated by the rotational force transmitted from the driving wheels of the hybrid vehicle 101 and the battery is charged.

(Effects of the driving device 120)
The drive device 120 of the hybrid vehicle 101 configured as described above includes a speed change mechanism 123 having a speed stage composed of three sets of gear pairs. Further, in the speed change mechanism 123, the electric motor 12 is connected to a gear pair that constitutes a third speed gear stage that is farthest from the engine 11. Therefore, the engine 11 and the electric motor 12 which are relatively large units in the hybrid vehicle 1 are separated from each other, and the mountability of each drive source and the drive device 120 in the hybrid vehicle 101 can be improved. In addition, since three sets of gear pairs are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the drive device 120, for example, the axial length can be shortened as compared with a conventional drive device having a speed change mechanism comprising six sets of gear pairs. it can. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire drive device 120 and reduce the weight of the hybrid vehicle 101 on which the drive device 120 is mounted.

  Similarly to the drive device 20 of the first embodiment, the drive device 120 of the present embodiment includes a first gear pair (a gear pair constituting a third speed gear stage) in which the electric motor 12 is set to a minimum speed ratio. ). Thereby, since the electric motor 12 is connected to the gear pair constituting the highest speed stage in the speed change mechanism 23, the rotation to be output is changed by one of a plurality of gear pairs, and the drive assist of the engine 11 is suitably performed. It can be carried out. Therefore, in addition to downsizing of the drive device 23, it is possible to improve fuel efficiency and reduce the number of shift changes during traveling.

  In addition, according to the configuration of the driving device 120 of the present embodiment, it is possible to transmit the driving force through a plurality of paths, so that the electric motor 12 that is reversely rotated so that the hybrid vehicle 101 moves backward is driven. A configuration in which force is transmitted from the output shaft 22 to the driving wheel without passing through the input shaft 21 and a configuration in which the force is transmitted to the driving wheel through the input shaft 21 are exemplified. In the former case, the number of meshing gears from the electric motor 12 to the final output gear 46 can be reduced as compared with the latter. Thereby, since gear efficiency can be improved, the loss of driving force can be reduced. In the latter case, the rotation transmitted to the input shaft 21 can be changed by the gear pair constituting the first speed or the second speed. Thereby, the hybrid vehicle 101 can substantially expand the cover range of the driving force of the electric motor 12. Therefore, the hybrid vehicle 101 can efficiently drive the engine 11 with the electric motor 12, and can travel in conformity with the road surface condition.

  Further, the electric motor 12 is connected to the third-speed output gear 43 through the intermediate gear 51 among the gear pairs constituting the third-speed gear stage. As a result, the driving force output from the electric motor 12 is transmitted to the output shaft 22 with the minimum number of meshes when traveling at the third speed, which is the minimum speed ratio, and the gear efficiency during high-speed cruising is improved. Can be improved. That is, loss of driving force during high-speed cruising can be reduced, so that driving assistance of the engine 11 by the electric motor 12 can be performed efficiently.

  The speed change mechanism 123 is configured to reversely rotate the electric motor 12 so that the gear pair (first gear pair) constituting the third gear is used as the reverse gear. As a result, the first gear pair coupled to the electric motor 12 can be used as both a forward gear and a reverse gear. Therefore, the vehicle can be moved backward without requiring the speed change mechanism 23 for the reverse speed. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced as the entire drive device 20.

<Others>
The present invention has been described above as the driving devices 20 and 120 of the hybrid vehicle 1 and 101. In the driving devices 20 and 120, the electric motor 12 is connected to the third-speed output gear 43 of the transmission mechanisms 23 and 123 via the intermediate gear 51. That is, the electric motor 12 is configured to be connected to the third speed output gear 43 supported by the output shaft 22 among the gear pairs constituting the third speed gear. On the other hand, the electric motor 12 may be configured to be connected to a third-speed input gear 33 supported by the input shaft 21 among the gear pairs constituting the third-speed gear stage. Thereby, even when the hybrid vehicles 1 and 101 travel at the third speed, the transmission mechanisms 23 and 123 can be operated so as to shift the rotation output by the electric motor 12. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the meshing number of the gears from the electric motor 12 to the final output gear 46 and improving the gear efficiency at the time of traveling at the third speed, the method of connecting the electric motor 12 to the third speed output gear 43 is preferred. Is preferred.

In the driving devices 20 and 120 of the hybrid vehicles 1 and 101, the electric motor 12 is positioned between the engine 11 and the first gear pair (the gear pair constituting the third gear) in the axial direction of the input shaft 21. It was set as the structure arrange | positioned. On the other hand, the drive devices 20 and 120 may be configured such that the electric motor 12 is disposed on the side away from the engine 11 in the axial direction of the input shaft 21. Even if it arrange | positions in this way, the same effect can be acquired by operation | movement of the drive devices 20 and 120. FIG. However, from the viewpoint of shortening the axial length including the electric motor 12, the configurations exemplified in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are suitable.
In addition, the hybrid vehicles 1 and 101 may further include a second electric motor in addition to the engine 11 and the electric motor 12 as a drive source. In such a case, for example, the driving devices 20 and 120 may generate electric power with the electric motor 12 by the rotation of the engine 11 and supply the electric power to the second electric motor via a battery or the like. Thus, the drive devices 20 and 120 can be applied to a vehicle capable of so-called series-type HV traveling.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101: Hybrid vehicle 11: Engine (internal combustion engine), 11a: Crankshaft 12: Electric motor (rotary electric machine), 12a: Rotating shaft, 12b: Inverter 13: Control device 20,120: Drive device, 21: Input shaft 22: output shaft 23, 123: speed change mechanism 31: first speed input gear 32: second speed input gear 33: third speed input gear 34: reverse input gear 35: clutch 41: first speed output gear 42: Second speed output gear, 43: Third speed output gear, 44: Reverse output gear, 45: Parking gear, 46: Final output gear, 51: Intermediate gear, 52: Ring gear, 53: Counter gear, 61: First sync mechanism, 61a: Connection Gear 61b: Shift gear 62: Second synchro mechanism 62a: Connecting gear 62b: Shift gear 63: Third synchro mechanism 63a: Connecting tooth Car, 63b: Shift gear

Claims (6)

A drive device for a hybrid vehicle using an internal combustion engine and a rotating electric machine as drive sources,
An input shaft coupled to the internal combustion engine;
An output shaft coupled to drive wheels of the hybrid vehicle;
A speed change mechanism having a speed stage composed of four pairs of gears capable of shifting and transmitting the rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft;
With
Of the four sets of gear pairs, the first gear pair that is the furthest away from the internal combustion engine in the input shaft direction is set to the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism and is connected to the rotating electrical machine. To drive a hybrid vehicle. A drive device for a hybrid vehicle using an internal combustion engine and a rotating electric machine as drive sources,
An input shaft coupled to the internal combustion engine;
An output shaft coupled to the drive wheels of the vehicle;
A transmission mechanism having a gear stage composed of three pairs of gears capable of shifting and transmitting rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft;
With
Of the three sets of gear pairs, the first gear pair that is the farthest away from the internal combustion engine in the input shaft direction is set to the minimum speed ratio in the speed change mechanism and is connected to the rotating electrical machine. To drive a hybrid vehicle. In claim 1,
The reverse speed stage in the speed change mechanism is configured such that a counter gear is interposed in any one gear pair obtained by removing the first gear pair from the four gear pairs. Drive device. In claim 1 or 2,
The hybrid vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein the reverse gear stage in the transmission mechanism is the first gear pair in which the rotating electrical machine is reversely rotated. In any one of Claims 1-4,
The first gear pair includes an input gear supported by the input shaft and an output gear meshed with the input gear and supported by the output shaft, and the rotating electrical machine is connected to the output gear. A hybrid vehicle drive device. In any one of Claims 1-5,
The drive device is configured such that the output shaft is parallel to the rotation shaft of the rotating electrical machine, and the rotating electrical machine is positioned between the internal combustion engine and the first gear pair in the input shaft direction. A drive device for a hybrid vehicle, wherein

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