Drive unit, particularly for short-haul vehicles
US4680986A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 31, 1985 |
| Grant date | Jul 21, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 31, 2005 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T74/19153
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A drive unit for a vehicle comprises an engine for driving a gear-shift transmission through an input shaft. The input shaft is also coupled via a gear assembly and a hydrodynamic coupling to a flywheel accumulator. During acceleration of the vehicle, kinetic energy stored in the flywheel flows to the input shaft of the transmission. When braking takes place, energy from the input shaft flows to the flywheel accumulator. The torque transmitted by the hydrodynamic coupling is adjustable. As the coupling slippage approaches a boundary of a slippage region in the coupling, a control device effects a switching of the gear-shift transmission whereby readjustment of the coupling slippage is achieved. Furthermore, the control device controls the gear-shift transmission--on the basis of whether "acceleration" or "braking" is demanded--such that the speed of rotation of a first coupling half in the coupling, as viewed from the direction of energy flow, is greater than the speed of rotation of another coupling half.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.