Patent ID: 7886852

Claim:
A method of electronically controlling the hydraulic liquid feed rate of first and second driving hydraulic pumps that feed respective wheel drives of a hybrid vehicle, said hybrid vehicle of the type comprising a vehicle body carrying said first and second driving hydraulic pumps and a motor carried by said vehicle body that powers said first and second driving hydraulic pumps, said hybrid vehicle defining a track mode in which said hybrid vehicle body is equipped with a track kit comprising a pair of ground-engaging tracks on opposite sides of said vehicle body that are independently driven by respective said wheel drives when said track kit is installed, and a wheel mode in which said vehicle body is equipped with a wheel kit instead of said track kit, said wheel kit comprising ground-engaging wheels on said opposite sides of said hybrid vehicle body that are driven by said wheel drives, said hybrid vehicle further of the type comprising an electronic circuit capable of processing data, storing data and capable of data input and output, said method comprising the steps of: calculating in said electronic circuit speed data on the basis of a speed signal acquired by a speed sensor connected to a speed device; receiving in said electronic circuit a driving mode signal from a mode selector device and determining whether said driving mode signal corresponds to said track mode or said wheel mode; if said driving mode signal corresponds to said track mode: acquiring, in said electronic circuit track steering data from a track steering sensor connected to a steering device; calculating in said electronic circuit driving hydraulic rate data from said track steering data and said speed data; and administering a driving hydraulic rate to each said driving servo-pump which is representative of said hydraulic rate data for propelling and steering said hybrid vehicle; if said driving mode signal corresponds to said wheel mode calculating said driving hydraulic pumps hydraulic rate data from said speed data; administering a driving hydraulic rate which is representative of said hydraulic rate data to said driving hydraulic pumps for propelling said hybrid vehicle; and steering said hybrid vehicle with a wheel mode directional system.