Patent ID: 6870336

Claim:
A drive unit for a vehicle that utilizes a generator motor activated by an electric current supplied from a condenser to drive a vehicle and assists an internal combustion engine driving in a vehicle, said drive unit comprising: a temperature detector which detects a temperature of said condenser; a current value detector which detects the current value inputted to and outputted from said condenser; a calculator which computes a permissible current value that can be inputted to and outputted from said condenser, based on a difference between a temperature of said condenser and a predetermined upper limit temperature when the temperature of said condenser exceeds a threshold temperature; a current value determiner which determines whether said current value that is inputted to and outputted from said condenser exceeds said permissible current value; and a command value corrector which lessens a torque command value of said generator motor when said current value determiner determines that said current value inputted to and outputted from said condenser exceeds said permissible current value, wherein said command value corrector includes a coefficient multiplier, which multiply a coefficient by torque command value inputted to said generator motor in order to give a limit to said torque command value; and wherein said coefficient multiplier includes: a restriction adder, which lessens said torque command value by making said coefficient gradually smaller by a predetermined value for every predetermined time when said current value inputted to and outputted from said condenser exceeds said permissible current value; and a restriction reducer, which makes said torque command value gradually larger by making said coefficient larger by predetermined value for every predetermined time when said current value inputted to and outputted from said condenser becomes equal to or below said permissible current value.