The present invention relates to a manual transmission applied to a vehicle which has an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as power sources, and more particularly to a manual transmission applied to a vehicle which includes a friction clutch disposed between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the manual transmission.
Conventionally, there has been widely known a so-called hybrid vehicle which includes an engine and an electric motor as power sources (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2000-224710). In such a hybrid vehicle, there can be employed a structure in which the output shaft of the electric motor is connected to one of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine, the input shaft of a transmission, and the output shaft of the transmission. In the following description, drive torque from the output shaft of the internal combustion engine will be referred to as “engine drive torque,” and drive torque from the output shaft of the electric motor as “motor drive torque.”
In recent years, there has been developed a power transmission control apparatus applied to a hybrid vehicle which includes a manual transmission and a friction clutch (hereinafter referred to as an “HV-MT vehicle”). The term “manual transmission” used herein refers to a transmission which does not include a torque converter and whose gear stage is selected in accordance with the shift position of a shift lever operated by a driver (the manual transmission is denoted by MT). Also, the term “friction clutch” used herein refers to a clutch which is interposed between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the manual transmission and which is configured such that the engagement state of a friction plate changes in accordance with the operation quantity of a clutch pedal operated by the driver.
A hybrid vehicle can realize a state in which the vehicle travels by utilizing engine drive torque and motor drive torque (hereinafter referred to as “HV travel”). In recent years, there has been developed a hybrid vehicle which can realize not only such HV travel but also a state in which the vehicle travels by utilizing only the motor drive torque, while maintaining the internal combustion engine in a stopped state (a state in which the rotation of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine stops) (hereinafter referred to as “EV travel”).
In order to enable an HV-MT vehicle to realize EV travel in a state in which a driver does not operate a clutch pedal (namely, in a state in which the clutch of the vehicle is engaged), it is necessary to drive the output shaft of the transmission by utilizing motor drive torque while maintaining a state in which the input shaft of the transmission does not rotate. In order to realize this, it is necessary to connect the output shaft of the electric motor to the output shaft of the transmission and to maintain the transmission in a “state in which no power transmission system is established between the input shaft of the transmission and the output shaft of the transmission.”
Here, there is assumed a manual transmission which has an “input shaft to which power is input from an internal combustion engine (through a clutch)” and an “output shaft to which power is input from an electric motor (namely, to which the output shaft of the electric motor is always connected in a power transmissible manner).” In this manual transmission, motor drive torque can be arbitrarily transmitted to the output shaft of the manual transmission (accordingly, to drive wheels) irrespective of whether or not a power transmission system is established between the input shaft and the output shaft.
Accordingly, in order to realize not only HV travel but also the above-mentioned EV travel by utilizing such a manual transmission, the manual transmission must have not only “gear stages in which a power transmission system is established between the input shaft and the output shaft of the transmission” for HV travel (hereinafter referred to as “HV travel gear stages”) but also a “gear stage in which no power transmission system is established between the input shaft and the output shaft of the transmission” for EV travel (gear stage different from the neutral) (hereinafter referred to as an “EV travel gear stage”).
Namely, in this manual transmission, when the shift lever is moved on a shift pattern to one of HV travel shift completion positions corresponding to a plurality of HV travel gear stages, a power transmission system having a “speed reduction ratio” corresponding to the corresponding HV travel gear stage is established between the input shaft and the output shaft, and when the shift lever is moved on the shift pattern to an EV travel shift completion position (different from the neutral position) corresponding to the EV travel gear stage, no power transmission system is established between the input shaft and the output shaft.
Incidentally, the present applicant has already proposed a manual transmission for an HV-MT vehicle of such a type (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-92124). This application discloses a manual transmission which includes only a single EV travel gear stage for forward travel (corresponding to 1-st for forward starting) as an EV travel gear stage on the shift pattern. This configuration allows a driver to perform forward starting while utilizing EV travel. In addition, since a gear pair for 1-st for forward travel (specifically, a combination of a fixed gear for 1-st and an idle gear for 1-st which are always meshed with each other) can be eliminated, the entire transmission can be made compact.
As a result of further consideration and studies, the present applicant developed a manual transmission of such a type which can be made more compact. An object of the present invention is to provide a manual transmission which has “HV travel gear stages” and “EV travel gear stages” and which can be made compact.
The feature of a manual transmission according to the present invention resides in that, in addition to HV travel shift completion positions corresponding to a plurality of “HV travel gear stages” (for forward travel), EV travel shift completion positions corresponding to a plurality of “EV travel gear stages” are provided on a shift pattern, and one or more “EV travel gear stages” for forward travel and one or more “EV travel gear stages” for reverse travel are provided as the plurality of “EV travel gear stages.”
According to this configuration, not only forward starting performed through utilization of EV travel, but also reverse starting performed through utilization of EV travel becomes possible. Further, not only the gear pair for 1-st for forward travel (specifically, a combination of a fixed gear for 1-st and an idle gear for 1-st which are always meshed with each other), but also the gear pair for reverse travel (specifically, a combination of a fixed gear for reverse travel, an idle gear for reverse travel, an idle gear, etc.) is eliminated. Accordingly, the entire transmission can be made more compact.
The manual transmission according to the present invention may employ a so-called “H-type” shift pattern which is composed of a single selection line and a plurality of shift lines intersecting with the selection line. In the case where such an H-type shift pattern is employed, and one “EV travel gear stage” for forward travel and one “EV travel gear stage” for reverse travel are provided as the plurality of “EV travel gear stages,” it is preferred that the shift completion positions of the “EV travel gear stage” for forward travel and the “EV travel gear stage” for reverse travel be disposed at opposite ends of a common (same) shift line on the shift pattern. By virtue of this configuration, the number of required fork shafts can be reduced by one as described in detail later, whereby the entire transmission can be made further compact.
A power transmission control apparatus of a vehicle which includes a manual transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the “present apparatus”) will now be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in
First, the overall structure of the present apparatus will be described. The engine E/G is a well known internal combustion engine, such as a gasoline engine which uses gasoline as fuel, or a diesel engine which uses light oil as fuel.
The manual transmission M/T is a transmission which does not include a torque converter and whose gear stage is selected in accordance with the shift position of a shift lever SL operated by a driver. The manual transmission M/T has an input shaft Ai to which power is input from an output shaft Ae of the engine E/G, and an output shaft Ao to which power is input from the motor generator M/G and from which power is output to drive wheels of the vehicle. The input shaft Ai and the output shaft Ao are disposed parallel with each another. The output shaft Ao may be the output shaft of the motor generator M/G itself or a shaft which is parallel to the output shaft of the motor generator M/G and is always connected to the output shaft of the motor generator M/G in a power transmissible manner through a gear train. The details of the structure of the manual transmission M/T will be described later.
The friction clutch C/T is disposed between the output shaft Ae of the engine E/G and the input shaft Ai of the manual transmission M/T. The friction clutch C/T is a well known clutch configured such that the engagement state of a friction plate (more specifically, the axial position of a friction plate, which rotates together with the input shaft Ai, in relation to a fry-wheel, which rotates together with the output shaft Ae) changes in accordance with an operation quantity (depression amount) of a clutch pedal CP operated by the driver.
The engagement state of the friction clutch C/T (the axial position of the friction plate) may be mechanically adjusted in accordance with the operation quantity of the clutch pedal CP, by making use of a link mechanism or the like which mechanically connects the clutch pedal CP to the friction clutch C/T (the friction plate). Alternatively, the engagement state of the friction clutch C/T may be electrically adjusted by making use of drive force of an actuator which operates in accordance with the result of detection by a sensor (a sensor P1 to be described later) which detects the operation quantity of the clutch pedal CP (by a so-called by-wire scheme).
The motor generator M/G has a well known structure (e.g., an AC synchronous motor), and, for example, its rotor (not illustrated) rotates together with the output shaft Ao. Namely, a power transmission system is always established between the output shaft of the motor generator M/G and the output shaft Ao of the manual transmission M/T. In the following description, drive torque from the output shaft Ae of the engine E/G will be referred to as “EG torque,” and drive torque from the output shaft of the motor generator M/G (output shaft Ao) as “MG torque.”
The present apparatus includes a clutch operation quantity sensor P1 which detects the operation quantity (depression amount, clutch stroke, etc.) of the clutch pedal CP, a brake operation quantity sensor P2 which detects the operation quantity (depression force, presence/absence of operation, etc.) of a brake pedal BP, an accelerator operation quantity sensor P3 which detects the operation quantity (accelerator opening) of an accelerator pedal AP, and a shift position sensor P4 which detects the position of the shift lever SL.
Moreover, the present apparatus includes an electronic control unit (hereinafter simply referred to as the “ECU”). On the basis of information, among others, from the above-mentioned sensors P1 to P4 and other sensors, etc., the ECU controls the EG torque by controlling the fuel injection amount of the engine E/G (opening of its throttle valve) and controls the MG torque by controlling an inverter (not shown).
The structure of the manual transmission M/T will be described specifically with reference to
In the present example, five forward gear stages (EV, 2-nd through 5-th) and a single reverse gear stage (EV-R) are provided as selectable gear stages (shift completion positions). “EV” and “EV-R” are the above-described EV travel gear stages, and “2-nd” through “5-th” are the above-described HV travel gear stages. In the following, in order to facilitate description, a range in which the selection operation can be performed and which includes the “N position,” the “first selection position,” and the “second selection position” will be collectively referred to as a “neutral range.”
The manual transmission M/T includes sleeves S1 and S2. The sleeves S1 and S2 are a sleeve for “2-nd-3-rd” and a sleeve for “4-th-5-th” which are fitted onto corresponding hubs which rotate together with the output shaft Ao such that the sleeves cannot rotate relative to the corresponding hubs but can move in the axial direction relative to the corresponding hubs.
As shown in
In
As shown in
Meanwhile, even when the position of the shift lever SL moves toward the front side or rear side of the vehicle from the “first selection position” as a result of a shift operation; i.e., even when the axial position of the inner lever IL moves toward the front side or the rear side from the reference position corresponding to the “first selection position” of the shift lever SL, no shift head (i.e., fork shaft) engages with the inner lever IL. Accordingly, the fork shafts FS1 and FS2 (i.e., the sleeves S1 and S2) are maintained at their “neutral positions.” Next, the gear stages will be described one by one. Notably, in the following description, the state in which the shift lever SL is located at the shift completion position of a certain gear stage may be expressed by a phrase “that gear stage is selected.”
As shown in
As shown in
Namely, when “EV” is selected, there is realized a state (namely, the above-mentioned “EV travel”) in which the vehicle travels by utilizing the MG torque only while maintaining the engine E/G in a stopped state (a state in which the rotation of the output shaft Ae of the engine E/G stops). Namely, in this vehicle, the driver can start the vehicle in the forward direction by EV travel by selecting “EV.” The MG torque is adjusted to a value for forward travel whose magnitude changes in accordance with the accelerator opening or the like.
As shown in
Namely, when “EV-R” is selected, the “EV travel” is realized. Namely, in this vehicle, the driver can start the vehicle in the reverse direction by EV travel by selecting “EV-R.” The MG torque is adjusted to a value for reverse travel whose magnitude changes in accordance with the accelerator opening or the like.
Notably, distinction of the position of the shift lever SL among the “N position” (neutral range), the “shift completion position for EV,” and the “shift completion position for EV-R” can be made on the basis of, for example, the result of detection by the shift position sensor P4 and the result of detection by a sensor which detects the position of the S&S shaft.
As shown in
In this state, the sleeve S1 engages with an idle gear G2o and fixes the idle gear G2o to the output shaft Ao such that the idle gear G2o cannot rotate relative to the output shaft Ao. Also, the idle gear G2o is always meshed with a fixed gear G2i fixed to the input shaft Ai. As a result, as indicated by a thick continuous line in
As shown in
As described above, in the present example, “EV” and “EV-R” are EV travel gear stages, and “2-nd” through “5-th” are HV travel gear stages. Notably, for the system for transmitting the EG torque, the “ratio of the rotational speed of the input shaft Ai to that of the output shaft Ao” will be referred to as an “MT speed reduction ratio.” The MT speed reduction ratio (the number of teeth of GNo/the number of teeth of GNi) (N: 2 to 5) decreases gradually from “2-nd” toward “5-th.”
Notably, in the above-described example, the axial positions of the sleeves S1 and S2 are mechanically adjusted in accordance with the shift position of the shift lever SL through utilization of a link mechanism (the S&S shaft and the fork shafts) or the like which mechanically connect the shift lever SL and the sleeves S1 and S2. However, the axial positions of the sleeves S1 and S2 may be electrically adjusted by making use of drive force of an actuator which operates on the basis of the result of detection by the shift position sensor P4 (so-called by-wire scheme).
The control of the engine E/G by the present apparatus is generally performed as follows. When the vehicle is stopped or “N,” “EV,” or “EV-R” is selected, the engine E/G is maintained in a stopped state (a state in which fuel injection is not performed). When an HV travel gear stage (any of “2-nd” to “5-th”) is selected in a state in which the engine E/G is stopped, the engine E/G is started (fuel injection is started). In periods during which the engine E/G is operating (fuel injection is being performed), the EG torque is controlled on the basis of the accelerator opening, etc. When “N,” “EV,” or “EV-R” is selected or the vehicle stops in a state the engine E/G is operating, the engine E/G is again maintained in the stopped state.
The control of the motor generator M/G by the present apparatus is generally performed as follows. When the vehicle is stopped or “N” is selected, the motor generator M/G is maintained in a stopped state (the MG torque=0). When “EV” or “EV-R” is selected, the MG torque is adjusted to a value for EV travel on the basis of the accelerator opening, the clutch stroke, etc. (MG torque control for EV travel). Meanwhile, when an HV travel gear stage (any of “2-nd” through “5-th”) is selected, the MG torque is adjusted to a value for HV travel on the basis of the accelerator opening, the clutch stroke, etc. (MG torque control for HV travel). The MG torque control for EV travel and the MG torque control for HV travel differ from each other in terms of the magnitude of the adjusted MG torque. When “N” is selected or the vehicle is stopped, the motor generator M/G is again maintained in a stopped state.
As described above, the manual transmission M/T according to the embodiment of the present invention allows not only forward starting performed through utilization of EV travel but also reverse starting performed through utilization of EV travel. As a result, not only the gear pair for 1-st for forward travel (specifically, a combination of a fixed gear for 1-st and an idle gear for 1-st which are always meshed with each other), but also the gear pair for reverse travel (specifically, a combination of a fixed gear for reverse travel, an idle gear for reverse travel, an idle gear, etc.) is eliminated (see
Also, in the above-described embodiment, on the H-type shift pattern, the “shift completion position for EV” and the “shift completion position for EV-R” are disposed at the opposite ends of a common (same) shift line. In general, fork shafts which are equal in number to the shift lines present on the H-type shift pattern are required. In contrast, according to the above-described configuration, the transmission includes only two fork shafts in spite of employment of an H-type shift pattern having three shift lines (see
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, both of the sleeves S1 and S2 are provided on the input shaft Ai. However, both of the sleeves S1 and S2 may be provided on the output shaft Ao. Alternatively, one of the sleeves S1 and S2 may be provided on the output shaft Ao, and the other sleeve may be provided on the input shaft Ai. Also, the order of arrangement of the plurality of gear pairs disposed on the input shaft Ai and the output shaft Ao may differ from that employed in the above-described embodiment.
In the above-described embodiment, the “shift completion position for EV” and the “shift completion position for EV-R” are disposed at opposite ends of a common (same) shift line. However, the “shift completion position for EV” and the “shift completion position for EV-R” may be disposed at ends of different shift lines.
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a single EV travel gear stage for forward travel and a single EV travel gear stage for reverse travel are provided on the shift pattern as a plurality of EV travel gear stages. However, a plurality of EV travel gear stages for forward travel or a plurality of EV travel gear stages for reverse travel may be provided. In this case, it is preferred that the “ratio of the rotational speed of the output shaft of the motor generator M/G to the rotational speed of the output shaft Ao” (MG speed reduction ratio) differ among the plurality of EV travel gear stages for forward travel or reverse travel.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011-154447 | Jul 2011 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP2012/067730 | 7/11/2012 | WO | 00 | 3/13/2014 |