Patent ID: 7980349

Claim:
A drive system for a vehicle comprising: a motor; an internal combustion engine; a generator; a power distribution mechanism distributing a driving force of the internal combustion engine to driving wheels and the generator; an electronic control unit controlling the motor and the internal combustion engine; and rotation members connected to first driving wheels constituted by one of front wheels and rear wheels and including an output element of the power distribution mechanism; wherein the internal combustion engine driving the first driving wheels via the power distribution mechanism, the motor driving second driving wheels not driven by the internal combustion engine, and the rotation members being driven by the internal combustion engine; and wherein the power distribution mechanism is constituted by a planetary gear mechanism including a sun gear serving as an input element to the generator, a ring gear serving as an output element to the first driving wheels, and a pinion gear moving around the sun gear and rotating on its axis by means of a carrier connected to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine, and the ring gear and a gear arranged between the ring gear and the first driving wheels each serve as a driven gear driven by the internal combustion engine.