A four-wheel drive vehicle includes: (a) main drive wheels and auxiliary drive wheels; (b) a rotating machine as a drive power source; (c) a drive-power distribution clutch configured to allocate a part of a drive power outputted to the main drive wheels from the drive power source, to the auxiliary drive wheels, so as to distribute the drive power to the main drive wheels and the auxiliary drive wheels with a drive-power distribution ratio between the auxiliary drive wheels and the main drive wheels, such that the drive-power distribution ratio is variable with an engaging force of the drive-power distribution clutch being controlled; and (d) a control apparatus configured, when determining that a heat load of the drive-power distribution clutch is large during deceleration running of the vehicle, to limit a regenerative torque of the rotating machine, as compared with when determining that the heat load is small.

A through the road (TTR) hybridization strategy is proposed to facilitate introduction of hybrid electric vehicle technology in a significant portion of current and expected trucking fleets. In some cases, the technologies can be retrofitted onto an existing vehicle (e.g., a trailer, a tractor-trailer configuration, etc.). In some cases, the technologies can be built into new vehicles. In some cases, one vehicle may be built or retrofitted to operate in tandem with another and provide the hybridization benefits contemplated herein. By supplementing motive forces delivered through a primary drivetrain and fuel-fed engine with supplemental torque delivered at one or more electrically-powered drive axles, improvements in overall fuel efficiency and performance may be delivered, typically without significant redesign of existing components and systems that have been proven in the trucking industry.

A method of operating an accessory drive system for a motor vehicle, wherein the accessory drive system includes one or more accessory components, a motor generator of the motor vehicle, and a flexible drive element configured to transmit a torque load between the one or more accessory components and the motor generator, includes determining a maximum permissible flexible drive element torque threshold, detecting an increase in torque demand on the flexible drive element, determining when the torque demand on the flexible drive element will exceed the flexible drive element torque threshold, and reducing the torque demand of one or more of the accessory components so that the flexible drive element torque threshold is not exceeded.

A through the road (TTR) hybridization strategy is proposed to facilitate introduction of hybrid electric vehicle technology in a significant portion of current and expected trucking fleets. In some cases, the technologies can be retrofitted onto an existing vehicle (e.g., a trailer, a tractor-trailer configuration, etc.). In some cases, the technologies can be built into new vehicles. In some cases, one vehicle may be built or retrofitted to operate in tandem with another and provide the hybridization benefits contemplated herein. By supplementing motive forces delivered through a primary drivetrain and fuel-fed engine with supplemental torque delivered at one or more electrically-powered drive axles, improvements in overall fuel efficiency and performance may be delivered, typically without significant redesign of existing components and systems that have been proven in the trucking industry.

A vehicle brake control apparatus includes a vibration detector configured to detect a predetermined vibration state in a frictional brake device, a power regeneration execution determination unit configured to determine, in a case where the predetermined vibration state is detected by the vibration detector, whether to permit execution of power regeneration by a power generating device or to limit the execution, a pressing force controller configured to change, in a case where the execution of the power regeneration is limited by the power regeneration execution determination unit, a pressing force of a friction material in the frictional brake device, and a driving force cooperative controller configured to adjust a driving force of a vehicle to suppress fluctuation in forward acceleration or backward acceleration of the vehicle associated with a change in the pressing force by the pressing force controller.

A through the road (TTR) hybridization strategy is proposed to facilitate introduction of hybrid electric vehicle technology in a significant portion of current and expected trucking fleets. In some cases, the technologies can be retrofitted onto an existing vehicle (e.g., a trailer, a tractor-trailer configuration, etc.). In some cases, the technologies can be built into new vehicles. In some cases, one vehicle may be built or retrofitted to operate in tandem with another and provide the hybridization benefits contemplated herein. By supplementing motive forces delivered through a primary drivetrain and fuel-fed engine with supplemental torque delivered at one or more electrically-powered drive axles, improvements in overall fuel efficiency and performance may be delivered, typically without significant redesign of existing components and systems that have been proven in the trucking industry.

A vehicle includes a motor; a transmission; a battery; a mode input device for receiving a driving mode; a control information input device for receiving regenerative braking control information or gearshift level control information; and a controller configured to control at least one of braking torque of the motor and gearshift level of the transmission to control an amount of regenerative braking during regenerative braking by recognizing a signal received from the control information input device as a signal corresponding to the regenerative braking control information when the driving mode input to the mode input device is a first mode, and control the transmission to control the gearshift level of the transmission by recognizing a signal received from the control information input device as a signal corresponding to the gearshift level control information when the driving mode input to the mode input device is a second mode.

This invention is about a set of common features that will characterize any machine of the new type to be produced within the set of pumps, turbines and blowers. The machines in this new category, as will be here described, will be told apart from those already in use by one main peculiarity. They will feature a stationary (non-rotating) axle for the rotation of the impeller around it but the impeller will be a solid part of the housing which will be the rotating part. Firmly, on or through the hollow core of the axle, ducts will be fitted for the intake and discharge of the powering or pumped fluid. So the housing of the machine will deliver or receive power from the body in which it will be incorporated or connected (that is torque times angular velocity). An implementation of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings. Here the rim of a wheel of an aircraft is the rotating body. Part of the rim will serve as the housing (containing shell) of an air-driven turbine (or pump as the case may be). Accordingly, the normal stationary hub of the (formerly idle) wheel will serve as the axle of rotation for the impeller born by the rotating housing. This turbine within the rim will be powered by compressed air from the fuselage to make torque for prespinning the wheel just before touchdown. During landing, this air may be redirected to the brakes for early cooling. The rim already transformed into an air-driven turbine can be utilized to taxi or pull-out the aircraft without a tractor. In this case the turbine of this invention can be made as a two-stage regenerative machine. Research on the capabilities of the just invented turbine at the phase of development will determine the feasibility of taxiing without the main engines at least partially, using pneumatic power from the Auxiliary Power Unit.

A system for coupling a towing vehicle to a towed vehicle and/or for controlling charging/braking by the towed vehicle. The system may include a coupler coupling to the towing vehicle; and first and second tow bars having first and second ends and a rotational joint situated between the first and second ends, the first and second tow bars coupled to the coupler at the first ends and being non-parallel in at least one plane with the second ends located further apart from each other than the first ends. The rotational joint providing for the first and second tow bars to be positioned in an open and a folded position. The second ends of the first and second tow bars are configured to be coupled to the towed vehicle. For charging, a trip distance and charge of a towed vehicle battery is utilized to determine a charging rate for the trip.

A host vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger in fluid communication with the internal combustion engine, a communication system configured to transmit and receive a traffic-related message, and a controller in communication with the turbocharger and the communication system. The controller is programmed to: receive the traffic-related message via the communication system; and command the internal combustion engine to increase a power output to spool up the turbocharger in response to receiving the traffic-related message. The controller is programmed to determine a number of relevant vehicles. The number of relevant vehicles is a number of vehicles that are in front of the host vehicle and behind a traffic light and affect a movement of the host vehicle toward the traffic light. The traffic-related message is a one of a vehicle message from another vehicle and/or a traffic-light message from the traffic light.