TMC and Mazda Agree to Hybrid System Technology License

Very, VERY scalable if the design target is an over-powered gas guzzler such as the Lexus RXh, GSh, and most horrible of all, the LSh.

 

No, sorry, "I" was born in Tyronza.

 

1999 Corolla has 4 speed automatic probably like this one. It has 4 clutches and 3 planetary gearsets.

 

Thanks for the post. Great info. I gave you a "thanks" for it.

I had a Prius for a rental car today. I enjoyed shifting it into neutral regularly (like I do in my Corolla). During the first 20 minutes, I didn't shift into neutral. It annoyed the heck out of me that the electric motor was either discharging or charging but wouldn't let the car just coast using only momentum. Once I started shifting into neutral, it was like a breath of fresh air. Anyhow, that's probably for a whole different conversation and thread, but I'm wondering how it get it into neutral if there is no clutch. My Corolla has a clutch inside the automatic transmission, in the form of all bands being loose and no plates/discs are grabbed onto. (each orbit of the planetary gearset is connected to a plate/disc that the bands (yeah, like a band saw) grab onto and either allow to spin freely or hold stationary. In neutral, all bands are loose and the Sun gear spins freely but not the wheels. In this case, your torque converter would spin the Sun gear but your wheels are not coupled to the engine.

Yeah, okay, fine! You win! There is no "clutch" like in manual trans. (but it does the same thing!) hahaha.

I think what you're trying to say though is that the electric motor (MG1/MG2) are coupled to the engine and both must spin. So, EV mode has to crank the engine? Oh, wait - Doesn't it open/close? the valves so that it's not like a compressor?

 

Indeed.
The linear arrangement in the LSh looks sweet for balance and ride.

 

Prius in Neutral let the sun gear (MG1) spin freely up to 42 MPH. At any speed over 42 MPH, the planet carrier (ICE) starts to spin as well to avoid over-spinning the MG1. The ring gear is tie to the output shaft so it always spin when the car is moving.

Why does the ICE spin above 42 MPH? With the ICE stationary, the MG1 would rev at 6,240 RPM. MG1 is rated at maximum 10,000 RPM so in theory, Prius can go up to 67 MPH without starting up the ICE. Toyota restricted it to 42 MPH for reliability (conservative) reasons.

Toyota raised this limit to 45 MPH with Gen3 Prius. Fusion hybrid allows up to 47 MPH without ICE spinning. PHV Prius raised the limit to 62 MPH (probably equipped with electric oil pump).

When the ICE spin above the threshold in neutral, I think it closes the valves like Honda IMA.

 

Grace Hopper was influential in bringing computing to business, basically inventing the idea of a 'high level language'. Much of the 'standards' in Computing derive from her work. [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper]Grace Hopper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

This is my favorite simulation of the Power split device: A simulation of Prius's Planetary Gear

Neutral in a Prius is just when the MGs do not carry electricity, so the ICE has nothing to push against.

 

No, "neutral" in the HSD system is accomplished by having the "SUM" of the inputs to the PSD (summing machine) oppose each other such that the output sum is zero.

The ICE can "spin" at any speed and the MG's can be driven to spin in "opposition", counter too, such that the output of the PSD is ZERO.