An electric machine is selectively operated as a transformer for AC voltage operation or as a throttle system for DC voltage operation. A transformer core has two limbs. An additional winding with a first additional partial winding is wound around a first limb and a second additional winding is wound around the second limb. A higher-voltage winding with a first higher-voltage partial winding is wound around the first additional partial winding and a second higher-voltage partial winding is wound around the second additional partial winding. A first traction winding is wound around the first higher-voltage partial winding and a second traction winding is wound around the second higher-voltage partial winding. A first DC voltage winding may be wound around the first traction winding and a second DC voltage winding may be wound around the second traction winding.

A ground equipment for a transport system includes a track for a land transport vehicle; an external power supply device including a plurality of power supply segments arranged sequentially along the track, the plurality of power supply segments forming an external power supply zone, at least one end segment being situated in vicinity to one end of the external power supply zone adjacent to a zone with no external power supply, to be traveled with an onboard power supply device, a communication antenna being associated with the or each external power supply segments; and a controller adapted to power on the end segment and adapted to send, using an antenna associated with that end segment, a signal indicating the end of a zone with an external power supply in response to a presence signal of the land transport vehicle received by said antenna.

Embodiments of the invention provide control means for a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) operable to control first and second actuators of a vehicle to deliver motive torque to drive a vehicle, the control means being operable to control a vehicle to transition between a first mode in which a first actuator is substantially disconnected from a driveline of a vehicle and a second actuator delivers motive torque to drive a vehicle and a second mode in which a first actuator is connected to a driveline by means of a releasable torque transmitting means and the control means controls first and second actuators to deliver respective first and second actuator target torque split values to drive a vehicle thereby to provide a driver demanded drive torque, when a transition from the first mode to the second mode is required the control means being configured to control rotation of a first actuator by means of a speed control means towards a target first actuator speed and to control a releasable torque transmitting means to transition between an actuator disconnected condition and an actuator connected condition thereby to connect a first actuator to a driveline, the control means being further configured to ramp an amount of torque delivered by a first actuator towards a first actuator target torque split value, and to ramp an amount of torque delivered by a second actuator towards a second actuator target torque split value while retaining a total drive torque value provided to a vehicle substantially equal to a driver demanded torque, wherein the target first actuator speed is a speed greater than a speed at which a first actuator would rotate with a releasable torque transmitting means in the actuator connected condition.

A method for controlling a creep torque of a motor-driven vehicle includes a gradient calculating step of calculating a gradient of a traveling road, and a time constant calculating step of calculating a time constant of a filter using the gradient, a preset basic creep torque, and a sliding speed limiting value. A variable controlling step substitutes the calculated time constant for the time constant of the filter, inputs the basic creep torque to the filter, and controls the motor using a torque value output from the filter as a demanded torque.

When an engine start command is generated to an engine that is in a stopped state, engine start control for cranking the engine and starting fuel combustion after increasing the engine speed is performed. In the engine start control, one of a first start pattern in which an initial combustion speed is higher than a resonance speed of the engine, and a second start pattern in which the initial combustion speed is lower than the resonance speed of the engine is selected according to the speed ratio (gear position) of a transmission. Cranking torque in the second start pattern is lower than the cranking torque in the first start pattern.

An electronic controller controls a drive of a vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as a driving source. The electronic controller includes a travelling distance calculation portion, a diagnosis portion, and a control portion. The travelling distance calculation portion calculates a travelling distance where the vehicle can travel by using the electric motor as the driving source, based on a power surplus quantity of a battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor. The diagnosis portion diagnoses a diagnosis object included in the internal combustion engine. The control portion controls the internal combustion engine. When a condition that the travelling distance is shorter than or equal to a threshold distance that is predetermined is satisfied, the control portion forcibly drives the diagnosis object and controls the diagnosis portion to execute a malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object.

A freight transportation system includes a first freight transportation apparatus configured to travel in a first section, a second freight transportation apparatus configured to travel in a second section, a power reception apparatus configured to receive regenerative power from the first freight transportation apparatus that is configured to travel in the first section, a power transmission apparatus configured to transmit the regenerative power to the second freight transportation apparatus that is configured to travel in the second section, and a control apparatus. The control apparatus is configured to perform control so that the second freight transportation apparatus starts traveling from a start point of the second section at a timing when the first freight transportation apparatus starts traveling from a start point of the first section.

A freight transportation system includes a first freight transportation apparatus configured to travel in a first section, a second freight transportation apparatus configured to travel in a second section, a power reception apparatus configured to receive regenerative power from the first freight transportation apparatus that is configured to travel in the first section, a power transmission apparatus configured to transmit the regenerative power to the second freight transportation apparatus that is configured to travel in the second section, and a control apparatus. The control apparatus is configured to perform control so that the second freight transportation apparatus starts traveling from a start point of the second section at a timing when the first freight transportation apparatus starts traveling from a start point of the first section.

A startup control device includes a vehicle temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the vehicle, a vehicle startup controller configured to select the second vehicle startup mode in a low temperature state in which the temperature of the vehicle is equal to or smaller than at least a first temperature judgment value when the request of the startup of the vehicle is sensed, and to select the third vehicle startup mode in an extremely low temperature state in which the temperature of the vehicle is equal to or smaller than a second vehicle temperature judgment value which is smaller than the first temperature judgment value when the request of the startup of the vehicle is sensed.

There is provided a hybrid vehicle that suppresses the driver from feeling slow. At the time of a predetermined request that requires fuel injection of an engine in the state of motoring the engine under fuel cutting by a first motor at a rotation speed that is higher than an upper limit rotation speed during fuel injection of the engine, the hybrid vehicle waits until the rotation speed of the engine becomes equal to or lower than the upper limit rotation speed and then starts fuel injection of the engine. At the time of the predetermined request, the hybrid vehicle causes the rotation speed of the engine to be decreased by the first motor until the rotation speed of the engine becomes equal to or lower than the upper limit rotation speed.