Patent ID: 7222686

Claim:
A drive train for a hybrid vehicle including a driving wheel; said drive train comprising: an internal combustion engine having a driving shaft; an electric motor having a driving shaft connected to the driving wheel of the vehicle; an electric generator having a rotor; a rotational speed increasing gear arrangement having a high speed portion connected to said rotor of said generator and a low speed portion; a switching mechanism including a movable portion so mounted to said driving shaft of said internal combustion engine; as to be movable between a first position where the movable portion interconnects said driving shaft of said engine to said low speed portion of said gear arrangement and a second position where the movable portion interconnects said driving shaft of said engine to both said rotor of said generator and to said driving shaft of said electric motor; wherein, a) when said switching mechanism is in said first position, the hybrid vehicle is in a series mode where said generator is operated at nominal rotation speed while said engine operates at low speed and b) when said switching mechanism is in said second position, the hybrid vehicle is in a parallel mode where said generator is operated at a rotation speed of said engine.