A vehicle driving apparatus includes: an engine; a fluid transmission device; first and second rotary electric machines; an output shaft for receiving a power transmitted through a first power transmission path and outputting the power to one of a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels; and a control device for controlling an engine operation point by adjusting an electrical path amount between the first and second rotary electric machines. The second rotary electric machine outputs the power to the other of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, through a second power transmission path. The control device obtains a target electrical path amount enabling the engine operation point to become a target operation point, and causes a speed change device provided in the second power transmission path to establish a gear ratio enabling the target electrical path amount to be attainable.

A driving apparatus includes: a first power source; a fluid transmission device; a first output shaft for receiving a power transmitted from the fluid transmission device through a first power transmission path and outputting the power to drive wheels of a vehicle; a rotary electric machine connected to the first output shaft and/or the drive wheels, through a second power transmission path; and a control device. When the vehicle is stopped or running at an extremely low speed, with a rotary-electric-machine driving mode being established, the control device is configured, upon determination that a drive request amount is larger than a threshold amount value, to place a direct clutch of the fluid transmission device into an engaged state and to place the first power transmission path into a power transmittable state so as to cause the power of the first power source to be outputted to the first output shaft.

A method of controlling traveling of an electric vehicle is provided. The method includes generating a motor torque command using a basic torque command and a virtual gear-shift intervention torque for generating a feeling of real gear shifting, while an electric vehicle travels. A motor is operated for driving the electric vehicle according to the generated motor torque command to generate the feeling thereof. Ingenerating the feeling thereof, during at least a portion of time during which the feeling thereof is generated, boost control of the motor operation is performed such that a motor torque exceeding an allowable torque of the motor is generated, and thus the generation of the feeling thereof and the boost control are performed in conjunction with each other.

A hybrid gearbox has a shift gearbox including at least one fixed ratio gear having a gear ratio both for the internal combustion engine and the electric motor-generator with respect to a power train connection, and speed superposition gearbox which is designed to provide a power-split gear having a variable speed ratio and a fixed torque ratio with respect to the internal combustion engine connection and the power train connection, wherein the variable speed ratio is formed by a modulation of a speed provided by the internal combustion engine on a speed provided by the electric motor-generator. The hybrid gearbox has at least one operating mode in which gear changes are only carried out between the fixed-ratio gear and the power-split gear.

A hybrid gearbox has a shift gearbox including at least one fixed ratio gear having a gear ratio both for the internal combustion engine and the electric motor-generator with respect to a power train connection, and speed superposition gearbox which is designed to provide a power-split gear having a variable speed ratio and a fixed torque ratio with respect to the internal combustion engine connection and the power train connection, wherein the variable speed ratio is formed by a modulation of a speed provided by the internal combustion engine on a speed provided by the electric motor-generator. The hybrid gearbox has at least one operating mode in which gear changes are only carried out between the fixed-ratio gear and the power-split gear.

A vehicle driving apparatus includes: an engine; a first rotary electric machine; first and second output shafts; a power distribution device for distributing a power between the first and second output shafts; and a control device for controlling an electric-power generation torque of a second rotary electric machine such that a power distribution ratio between the first and second output shafts becomes a target distribution ratio, and controlling a total torque of the engine and the first rotary electric machine such that a requested drive torque is obtained. The control device executes an electric-power consuming control to supply at least a part of a generated electric power generated by the second rotary electric machine, to the first rotary electric machine without via a power storage device, and to drive the first rotary electric machine, such that an operation state of the engine is brought close to a fuel-economy optimum state.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling engine operation in response to a request to shift a transmission gear. In one example, a method may include maintaining operating conditions of an engine and redirecting electric power generated via the engine from a traction motor to a battery in response to a request to shift a transmission while the driveline is operating in a series mode. In this way engine efficiency may be improved and a time frame for shifting a transmission gear may be reduced responsive to a gear shift request while the powertrain is operating in series mode.

The object of the invention is to travel backward by an engine alone in a state where an electric motor is disconnected. Thus, external teeth are formed on the outer periphery of a ring gear which meshes with a first sun gear via a first pinion gear and a second pinion gear and to which power input from an electric motor is transmitted; a power transmission mechanism further includes a gear meshing with the external teeth of the ring gear; and a second clutch capable of non-rotatably fixing the ring gear at the time of causing a vehicle to travel backward with power input from an engine is provided between the ring gear and a transmission case.

A method of estimating a load on a vehicle (10), the method comprising: obtaining a first load estimate using a first load estimation technique; obtaining a second load estimate using a second load estimation technique; analysing characteristics of the first load estimate and the second load estimate; and, based on the analysis selecting either the first load estimate or the second load estimate as an output load estimate.

A controller as a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle determines whether or not to perform switching from a first traveling mode in which a hybrid vehicle is caused to travel using torque of a motor without using torque of an engine to a second traveling mode in which the hybrid vehicle is caused to travel using at least the torque of the engine. The controller, when determining that switching is to be performed from the first traveling mode to the second traveling mode, performs control to reduce output torque of the motor by a predetermined amount. After this control, the controller shifts a first clutch from a released state to an engaged state so that the torque of the motor is transmitted to the engine via the first clutch, and cranks the engine using the motor to start the engine.