US 7,566,288 B2
Control apparatus for vehicular drive system
Atsushi Tabata, Okazaki (Japan); Yuji Inoue, Nisshin (Japan); and Atsushi Kamada, Toyota (Japan)
Assigned to Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota-shi (Japan)
Filed on May 26, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/441,114.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-154748 (JP), filed on May 26, 2005; and application No. 2005-184436 (JP), filed on Jun. 24, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2007/0111848 A1, May 17, 2007
Int. Cl. B60W 10/18 (2006.01); B60W 10/08 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 477—4  [477/3; 477/5; 475/5; 475/275; 475/276; 475/280; 475/330; 180/65.2; 180/65.7] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A control apparatus for a vehicular drive system including a continuously-variable transmission portion operable as an electrically controlled continuously variable transmission, the continuously-variable transmission portion having a differential mechanism operable to distribute an output of an engine to a first electric motor and a power transmitting member, and a second electric motor disposed in a power transmitting path between the power transmitting member and a drive wheel of a vehicle, said control apparatus comprising:
a differential-state limiting device provided in the differential mechanism, and operable to limit a differential function of the differential mechanism, for limiting an operation of the continuously-variable transmission portion as the electrically controlled continuously variable transmission; and
a differential-state switching controller operable, when a predetermined condition regarding a vehicle condition is satisfied, for limiting the operation of the continuously-variable transmission portion as the electrically controlled continuously variable transmission by switching the differential mechanism to a differential function limited state in which a differential function is limited, and when acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle is required, for removing the limitation imposed by said differential-state limiting device on the operation of the continuously-variable transmission portion as the electrically controlled continuously variable transmission, by switching the differential mechanism placed in the differential function limited state to a differential state in which the limitation of the differential function is removed.