Patent ID: 7146266

Claim:
In a motor vehicle powertrain that includes an engine having a displaceable throttle, and a variable displacement pump/motor driven by fluid from a source of pressurized fluid, the engine and pump/motor being driveably connected to wheels of the vehicle, a method for controlling magnitudes of torque produced by the engine and the pump/motor comprising the steps of: determining a magnitude of desired wheel torque; determining a maximum available engine wheel torque; determining a maximum available pump/motor wheel torque; determining a difference in magnitude between the desired wheel torque and the maximum available pump/motor wheel torque; operating the pump/motor as a motor such that the pump/motor produces a magnitude of wheel torque that is equal to the lesser of the desired wheel torque and the maximum available pump/motor wheel torque; and operating the engine such that the engine produces a magnitude of wheel torque that is equal to the lesser of the maximum available engine wheel torque and said difference in magnitude.