Patent ID: 6176807
Filing Date: 2001-01-23
Classification: B60K,B60W,Y02T,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
A drive control system for a hybrid vehicle in which an internal combustion engine is selectively coupled through a clutch mechanism to a power transmission line coupled to an electric motor, comprising:motoring means for controlling said clutch mechanism in an applied state to couple said internal combustion engine to said power transmission line at one of time when a vehicle speed reached a predetermined reference level and when a speed of said electric motor reached a predetermined reference level after said hybrid vehicle had been started by the output of said electric motor;speed detecting means for detecting that a speed of said internal combustion engine has reached a predetermined reference level;ignition means for starting the combustion of a fuel in said internal combustion engine when it is detected by said speed detecting means that the speed of said internal combustion engine has reached said reference level; andrelease means for releasing the coupling between said internal combustion engine and said power transmission line by said clutch mechanism after the combustion of the fuel in said internal combustion engine continuously started.