Patent ID: 6889125

Claim:
A vehicle driving apparatus, which is installed in a vehicle that has an engine connected to a drive shaft, power from the engine being transferred by the drive shaft through a torque converter and an automatic transmission to an output shaft of the vehicle driving apparatus, the torque converter being connected to the drive shaft at an output end thereof, the automatic transmission being arranged at an output shaft side of the vehicle driving apparatus, wherein the apparatus automatically stops the engine if a predetermined condition for stopping the engine is satisfied and automatically starts the engine if a predetermined condition for starting the engine is satisfied, wherein the vehicle includes an auxiliary device that is connected to the drive shaft and is arranged at an outer periphery of the engine to a side of the drive shaft and on a side opposite to the output shaft side of the vehicle driving apparatus, and the apparatus comprises: a motor generator located at an outer periphery of the engine to a side of the drive shaft and on a side opposite to the output shaft side, wherein the motor generator is selectively connected to the engine separately from the drive shaft; a connecting mechanism, wherein the connecting mechanism connects the motor generator to the auxiliary device, and the connecting mechanism selectively connects the motor generator to the engine; an auxiliary device driving means, wherein the auxiliary device driving means enables the connecting mechanism to disconnect the motor generator from the engine and drives the auxiliary device through the motor generator in response to a request to drive the auxiliary device when the engine is maintained in an automatically stopped state; a vibration suppressing means, wherein the vibration suppressing means controls rotation of the drive shaft of the engine in the stopped state through the motor generator for suppressing vibration caused by stopping of the engine when the engine stopping condition is satisfied; a vehicle starting means, wherein the vehicle starting means controls the rotation of the drive shaft of the engine with the motor generator for generating force to move the vehicle when the engine starting condition is satisfied; an engine starting means, wherein the engine starting means starts the engine through the rotation of the drive shaft of the engine controlled by the vehicle starting means when the engine starting condition is satisfied; a traveling-mode power generating means, wherein the traveling-mode power generating means enables the motor generator to generate power through the rotation of the drive shaft of the engine when the vehicle is traveling.