Powertrain and Method for a Kinetic Hybrid Vehicle

Abstract

A kinetic hybrid device and method for a vehicle may include a planetary gear system configured as a continuously variable transmission comprised of three or four ports. The kinetic hybrid device and method may include a flywheel connected to a first port of the system, a final drive connected to a second port of the system, and the variator for the flywheel connected to a third or fourth port of the system. The prime mover and/or other power sources may share a port with the flywheel, but do not share a port with the final drive.

1 . A powertrain for a kinetic hybrid vehicle, comprising:
 i. a planetary gear system configured as a continuously variable transmission comprising a first port, a second port, and a third port;   ii. a flywheel coupled to the first port of the planetary gear system;   iii. a final drive of the vehicle, the final drive being coupled to the second port of the planetary gear system;   iv. an internal combustion engine configured to be coupled to the first port; and   v. a first motor/generator coupled to the third port.   
     
     
         2 . The powertrain of  claim 1 , wherein the flywheel is coupled to the first port of the planetary gear system through an additional gear set. 
     
     
         3 . The powertrain of  claim 1 , further comprising a second motor/generator coupled to one of the first port and the second port of the planetary gear system. 
     
     
         4 . The powertrain of  claim 3 , wherein the internal combustion engine is coupled to the first port of the planetary gear system through a clutch. 
     
     
         5 . The powertrain of  claim 3 , wherein the internal combustion engine is coupled to the first port of the planetary gear system through an additional planetary gear set having three additional ports, wherein one of the ports of the additional planetary gear set is connected to the first port of the planetary gear system, and the remaining two ports are each connected to a respective one of the internal combustion engine and a brake connected to the vehicle chassis. 
     
     
         6 . The powertrain of  claim 4 , wherein the powertrain is configured to operate the internal combustion engine within a peak efficiency range while the engine simultaneously drives the final drive of the vehicle and charges the flywheel using power from the engine that exceeds the power needed to maintain the vehicle at the vehicle speed desired by an operator of the vehicle. 
     
     
         7 . The powertrain of  claim 6 , wherein the clutch at the first port is operable for selectively connecting the engine to and from the planetary gear system at the first port, including for disconnecting the engine from the planetary gear system when the rotational speed of the flywheel has reached an upper limit, and for connecting the engine to the planetary gear system when the rotational speed of the flywheel has dropped to a lower limit. 
     
     
         8 . The powertrain of  claim 5 , wherein the powertrain is configured to operate the internal combustion engine within a peak efficiency range while the engine simultaneously drives the final drive of the vehicle and charges the flywheel using power from the engine that exceeds the power needed to maintain the vehicle at the vehicle speed desired by an operator of the vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . The powertrain of  claim 8 , wherein the brake connected to the additional planetary gear set is operable for selectively connecting the engine to and from the planetary gear system at the first port, including for disconnecting the engine from the planetary gear system by releasing the brake when the rotational speed of the flywheel has reached an upper range, and for connecting the engine to the planetary gear system by applying the brake when the rotational speed of the flywheel has dropped to a lower range. 
     
     
         10 . A method of operating a kinetic hybrid vehicle that includes a flywheel coupled to a first port of a continuously variable transmission, a final drive coupled to a second port of the continuously variable transmission, a variator coupled to a third port of the continuously variable transmission, and a power source coupled to the first port of the continuously variable transmission, the method comprising:
 maintaining the vehicle speed desired by an operator of the kinetic hybrid vehicle within a speed range, by operating the kinetic hybrid vehicle to alternate between a first mode and a second mode,   wherein the first mode comprises simultaneously driving a final drive of the kinetic hybrid vehicle using a power source that is operated within a peak efficiency range, and charging a flywheel of the kinetic hybrid vehicle using the power from the power source that exceeds the power level needed to maintain the desired vehicle speed, and   the second mode comprises driving the final drive using the flywheel with the power source decoupled.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the power source is an internal combustion engine. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the power source is powered by electricity. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the flywheel is connected to the continuously variable transmission through an additional gear set. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising precharging the flywheel when the kinetic hybrid vehicle is stopped. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising simultaneously using the flywheel and the power source to drive the final drive of the kinetic hybrid vehicle to accelerate the vehicle when the accelerative power demand exceeds what the flywheel alone can provide. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the variator on the third port of the continuously variable transmission is a first motor/generator, and the continuously variable transmission further includes a second motor/generator on the first port, the method further comprising using the second motor/generator on the first port to use up the power generated by the first motor/generator on the third port of the continuously variable transmission 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising simultaneously using the flywheel, the engine, the first motor/generator on the third port and the second motor/generator on the first port to drive the vehicle in a configuration for the maximum acceleration. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising decoupling the engine and charging the flywheel during deceleration. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising decoupling the engine and the first motor/generator on the third port, and using the second motor/generator on the first port as a generator to recover energy stored in the flywheel to an electric storage device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising decoupling the engine, using the first motor/generator at the third port as a motor and using the second motor/generator at the first port as a generator to drive the final drive at the second port so that the vehicle drives in reverse.