Hydromechanical vehicle transmission with regenerative braking - has hydraulic and mechanical drive on flywheel and differential

摘要

The vehicle engine (1) is coupled to a hydraulic transmission (2) and a mechanical system (3), with the latter driving a flywheel (5) via a hydraulic motor (4). The drive wheels (11) are coupled to the mechanical and to the hydraulic transmission, with the total torque derived from both. The hydraulic transmission acts as a regenerative brake to store energy in the flywheel, while the flywheel provides additional torque for starting etc. The system enables a relatively small engine to be used, while catering for short peaks in the torque demand. The engine runs at a constant speed for optimum efficiency.