Patent ID: 8591361

Claim:
A vehicle drive device comprising: an input member drivably coupled to an internal combustion engine; an output member drivably coupled to wheels; a first rotary electric machine; a second rotary electric machine; a differential gear device including at least three rotary elements; a control device; and an engagement device, wherein the input member, the output member, and the first rotary electric machine are drivably coupled to different rotary elements of the differential gear device via no other rotary element of the differential gear device, the second rotary electric machine is drivably coupled to one of the rotary elements of the differential gear device other than the rotary element to which the first rotary electric machine is drivably coupled, via no other rotary element of the differential gear device, the engagement device is capable of releasing drivable connection between one of the input member, the output member, and the first rotary electric machine and the corresponding rotary element of the differential gear device, and the control device includes a rotational direction determination section that, when internal combustion engine stop conditions for stopping the internal combustion engine are established in a state in which the drivable connection made by the engagement device is maintained, the internal combustion engine is in operation, and the output member is rotating, determines whether or not a stop condition establishing rotational direction, which is a rotational direction of the first rotary electric machine at the time when the internal combustion engine stop conditions are established, is opposite to a subject rotational direction, which is a rotational direction of the first rotary electric machine at an operation point at which a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine becomes zero, a rotation reducing torque control section that executes rotation reducing torque control in which the first rotary electric machine is caused to output rotation reducing torque in a direction to reduce the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine on condition that it is determined that the stop condition establishing rotational direction is opposite to the subject rotational direction, and a connection release command section that issues a command to release the drivable connection made by the engagement device on condition that the rotational speed of the first rotary electric machine falls within a connection release rotational speed range set so as to include zero.