Patent ID: 7296648

Claim:
A power control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle comprising: an internal combustion engine for driving either the front wheels or the rear wheels; a first motor-generator which is connected to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine; a second motor-generator which is connected to the other of the front and rear wheels; an electrical energy storage device which receives energy from and sends energy to the first and second motor-generators; and a control unit which is operatively connected to the internal combustion engine, the first and second motor-generator, and the electrical energy storage device, and which includes: an electrical discharge amount calculation section for calculating the electrical power dischargeable from the electrical energy storage device; an electrical power calculation section for calculating the electrical power being generated by the first motor-generator or for calculating the electrical power being supplied to the first motor-generator; an output power command calculation section for calculating an output power command for a powering operation of the second motor-generator; and an output power limiting section which is adapted to calculate the sum of the electrical power dischargeable from the electrical energy storage device and the electrical power being generated by the first motor-generator or the difference between the electrical power dischargeable from the electrical energy storage device and the electrical power being supplied to the first motor-generator, to compare magnitudes of the sum or the difference and of the output power command for the second motor-generator, and to set the smaller of the sum or the difference and the output power command for the second motor-generator as a new output power command for the second motor-generator.