DRIVE DEVICE FOR VEHICLE, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE DEVICE, AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE DEVICE

摘要

A drive device for a vehicle miniaturizable or enabling an improvement in fuel consumption, comprising a selector clutch (C0) and a selector brake (B0) as differential state selector devices for selectively switching between a differential state (steplessly variable transmission state) in which a power distribution mechanism (16) can be operated as an electric steplessly variable transmission and a fixed speed state in which the power distribution mechanism can be operated as a transmission with a fixed transmission gear ratio. In the high speed traveling area of the vehicle or in the high rotational speed area of an engine (8), the power distribution mechanism (16) is brought into the fixed speed state, and the output of the engine (8) is transmitted to drive wheels (38) exclusively through a mechanical power transmission route to suppress the loss of conversion between the power and an electric power so as to improve the fuel consumption. Also, in the high output area of the engine (8), the power distribution mechanism (16) is brought into the fixed speed state, and an electric reaction to be assured by a first motor (M1) can be reduced. As a result, the first motor (M) or the drive device (10) for the vehicle including the first motor can be further miniaturized.