IP Library Granted Patent US 11,548,384
Granted Patent B2
US 11,548,384 · App. 17/189,388 · Granted Jan 10, 2023

Four-wheel-drive vehicle

Inventors: Atsushi Tabata (Okazaki, JP); Koichi Okuda (Toyota, JP); Masato Nakano (Toyota, JP); Yuki Makino (Aichi-gun, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60K17/348B60K6/24B60K6/26B60Y2200/92B60Y2400/80
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,548,384
App. No.
17/189,388
Granted
Jan 10, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

When evacuation travel is performed using only a drive power from one drive power source of an engine and a rotary machine, a drive power distribution device is prohibited from switching to a four-wheel-drive state and thus evacuation travel is performed in a two-wheel-drive state in which a loss in a power transmission device is relatively small. Accordingly, in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, it is possible to increase an evacuation-travelable distance when evacuation travel is performed using only the drive power from one drive power source of the engine and the rotary machine.

Claims (11)

1. A four-wheel-drive vehicle comprising:

a drive power source including an engine and a rotary machine;

a drive power distribution device configured to transmit a drive power from the drive power source to main driving wheels and sub driving wheels and to switch between a two-wheel-drive state in which the drive power is transmitted to only the main driving wheels and a four-wheel-drive state in which the drive power is transmitted to the main driving wheels and the sub driving wheels; and

a control device configured to control the drive power distribution device,

wherein the control device is configured to prohibit switching of the drive power distribution device to the four-wheel-drive state when evacuation travel is performed using only the drive power from one drive power source of the engine and the rotary machine.

2. The four-wheel-drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured not to perform prohibition of the four-wheel-drive state and to switch the drive power distribution device to the four-wheel-drive state when a slip of the main driving wheels has been detected.

3. The four-wheel-drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured not to perform prohibition of the four-wheel-drive state and to switch the drive power distribution device to the four-wheel-drive state when the drive power is not able to be transmitted to the main driving wheels.

4. The four-wheel-drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured not to perform prohibition of the four-wheel-drive state and to prohibit switching of the drive power distribution device from the four-wheel-drive state to the two-wheel-drive state based on the prohibition of the four-wheel-drive state when the four-wheel-drive vehicle is turning.

5. The four-wheel-drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured not to perform prohibition of the four-wheel-drive state and to prohibit switching of the drive power distribution device from the four-wheel-drive state to the two-wheel-drive state based on the prohibition of the four-wheel-drive state when the four-wheel-drive vehicle is braking.

6. The four-wheel-drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured not to perform prohibition of the four-wheel-drive state and to prohibit switching of the drive power distribution device from the four-wheel-drive state to the two-wheel-drive state based on the prohibition of the four-wheel-drive state when it is determined that a control state of the drive power distribution device has not been determined.

7. The four-wheel-drive vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the engine is connected to a differential gear mechanism that is able to control a differential state according to an operating state of a first rotary machine in a power-transmittable manner, and the case in which evacuation travel is performed using only the drive power from one drive power source of the engine and the rotary machine includes a case in which evacuation travel is performed using only the drive power from a second rotary machine which is the rotary machine in a state in which the operating state of the first rotary machine is not able to be controlled.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 2, 2021
From: TABATA, ATSUSHI; OKUDA, KOICHI; NAKANO, MASATO; MAKINO, YUKI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 055454/0353 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2020-042332 · Mar 11, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210284017A1 · Sep 16, 2021