Patent ID: 8311694

Claim:
A control apparatus for a vehicular power transmitting system including an electrically controlled differential portion having a differential mechanism connected to a power transmitting path between an engine and a drive wheel of a vehicle, and a first electric motor operatively connected to said differential mechanism such that a differential state of said differential mechanism is controllable by controlling an operating state of said first electric motor, a second electric motor operatively connected to said drive wheel, and a transmission portion which constitutes a part of said power transmitting path, wherein said electrically controlled differential portion is provided with a differential limiting device configured to disable and enable said differential mechanism to perform a differential action, for thereby switching said vehicular power transmitting system between a step-variable shifting state in which the speed ratio is variable in steps, and a continuously-variable shifting state in which the speed ratio is continuously variable, said control apparatus being characterized by comprising: electric efficiency reducing unit that reduces an electric efficiency of at least one of said first electric motor and said second electric motor, when an input of an electric energy into a chargeable electric-energy storage device is restricted, during an operation of said engine to provide a vehicle drive force and generation of the electric energy by at least one of said first electric motor and said second electric motor, wherein the electric efficiency reducing unit includes differential control unit that places said differential limiting device in a slipping state when a sufficient vehicle drive force cannot be obtained by the reduction of said electric efficiency.