1. In a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine (10) for propelling the motor vehicle while dissipating waste energy during operation and a driveline (12) for transferring torque between at least one pair of wheels (16a, 16b), the improvement of the driveline (12) comprising:
a self-contained drive axle assembly (35) including:
an electric motor (18) for propelling the motor vehicle mounted coaxial with and sheathing a first portion of the drive axle assembly (35);
a disconnect clutch (20) mounted coaxial with and sheathing a second portion of the drive axle assembly (35) for selectively connecting powered rotation of the electric motor (18); and
a gear box (14) connected to the disconnect clutch (20) and including at least one of a transmission (15) and a power take off unit (40) mounted coaxial with and sheathing a third portion of the drive axle assembly (35) for transferring powered rotation to the at least one pair of wheels (16a, 16b) through the drive axle assembly (35).
2. The improvement of claim 1 further comprising:
a power supply system (22) for recovering waste energy discharged by the internal combustion engine (10), converting the waste energy to electrical energy for rotating the electric motor (18), and storing the electrical energy.
3. The improvement of claim 2 further comprising:
the power supply system (22) having a thermoelectric generator (29) recovering waste exhaust heat energy from an exhaust line (30) of the internal combustion engine (10) and converting the waste exhaust heat energy to electrical energy.
4. The improvement of claim 2 further comprising:
a control system (24) having at least one vehicle sensor (26a, 26b) for detecting operating characteristics of the motor vehicle and an electronic control unit (28) controlling actuation of the electric motor (18), actuation of the disconnect clutch (20), and operation of the power supply system (22) based on a control program stored in memory in response to the vehicle sensors (26a, 26b).
5. The improvement of claim 4, wherein the at least one vehicle sensor (26a, 26b) further comprises:
a vehicle sensor (26a) for detecting a rotary speed of the electric motor (18); and
wherein the electronic control unit (28) disengages the disconnect clutch (20) when the rotary speed detected by the first vehicle sensor (26a) exceeds a threshold speed, the electric motor (18) and the gear box (14) rotatable independently with respect to one another when the disconnect clutch (20) is disengaged.
6. The improvement of claim 2, wherein the power supply system (22) further comprises:
a power store (32) having at least one of a battery pack (32a) and a capacitor (32b).
7. The improvement of claim 6 further comprising:
a switch (42) connecting the electric motor (18) and the at least one of a battery pack (32a) and a capacitor (32b);
a vehicle sensor (26b) in electronic communication with the switch (42); and
a control system (24) having at least one vehicle sensor (26a, 26b) for detecting operating characteristics of the motor vehicle and an electronic control unit (28) controlling actuation of the electric motor (18), actuation of the disconnect clutch (20), and operation of the power supply system (22) based on a control program stored in memory in response to the vehicle sensors (26a, 26b), wherein the electronic control unit (28) switches the switch (42) between a charging position, a discharging position, and an isolation position in response to the vehicle sensor (26b), the charging position defined by the power supply system (22) recovering energy from the electric motor (18), the discharging position defined by the power supply system (22) delivering electrical power to the electric motor (18), and the isolation position defined by the power supply system isolated with respect to the electric motor (18).
8. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle is operable in one of an electric mode, a hybrid mode, and an internal combustion engine mode, the electric mode defined by the electric motor (18) solely propelling the motor vehicle, the hybrid mode defined by a combination of the electric motor (18) and internal combustion engine propelling the motor vehicle, the internal combustion engine mode defined by the internal combustion engine (10) solely propelling the motor vehicle.
9. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle further comprises:
a first driveline (12) driving a first pair of wheels (16a, 16b) and having a first axle assembly (34) connecting the first pair of wheels (16a, 16b);
a second driveline (36) driving a second pair of wheels (38a, 38b) and having a second axle assembly (44) connecting the second pair of wheels (16a, 16b); and
wherein the gear box (14) includes the power take-off unit (40) for transferring rotary power from the first driveline (12) to the second driveline (36) when the motor vehicle is in an all-wheel drive mode.
10. An all-wheel drive motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine (10) for propelling the motor vehicle while dissipating waste energy during operation, the all-wheel drive motor vehicle comprising:
a first driveline (12) for transferring torque between at least one pair of wheels (16a, 16b), the first driveline (12) including a self-contained drive axle assembly (35) including an electric motor (18) for propelling the motor vehicle mounted coaxial with and sheathing a first portion of the drive axle assembly (35), a disconnect clutch (20) mounted coaxial with and sheathing a second portion of the drive axle assembly (35) for selectively connecting powered rotation of the electric motor (18), and a gear box (14) connected to the disconnect clutch (20) and including at least one of a transmission (15) and a power take off unit (40) mounted coaxial with and sheathing a third portion of the drive axle assembly (35), the power take off unit (40) for transferring powered rotation to the at least one pair of wheels (16a, 16b) through the drive axle assembly (35);
a second driveline (36) for transferring torque between a second pair of wheels (38a, 38b), the power take off (40) transferring rotary power from the first driveline (12) to the second driveline (36);
a power supply system (22) for recovering waste energy dissipated by the motor vehicle during normal operation, converting the waste energy to electrical energy for rotating the electric motor (18), and storing the electrical energy; and
a control system (24) having at least a first and second vehicle sensor (26a, 26b) and an electronic control unit (28), the first vehicle sensor (26a) for detecting a rotary speed of the electric motor (18) and the electronic control unit (28) for selectively controlling the disconnect clutch (20) when the rotary speed detected by the first vehicle sensor (26a) exceeds a threshold speed, the second vehicle sensor (26b) detecting operating characteristics of the motor vehicle and the electronic control unit (28) for selectively controlling actuation of the electric motor (18) in response to the second vehicle sensor (26b).
11. The all-wheel drive motor vehicle of claim 10, wherein the all-wheel drive motor vehicle is operable in one of an electric mode, a hybrid mode, and an internal combustion engine mode, the electric mode defined by the electric motor (18) solely propelling the motor vehicle, the hybrid mode defined by a combination of the electric motor (18) and the internal combustion engine propelling the motor vehicle, and the internal combustion engine mode defined by the internal combustion engine (10) solely propelling the motor vehicle.
12. The all-wheel drive motor vehicle of claim 10 further comprising:
the power supply system (22) having a thermoelectric generator (29) recovering waste exhaust heat energy from an exhaust line (30) of the internal combustion engine (10) and converting the heat energy to electrical energy.
13. The all-wheel drive motor vehicle of claim 10, wherein the power supply system (22) further comprises:
at least one of a battery pack (32a) and a capacitor (32b).
14. The all-wheel drive motor vehicle of claim 13 further comprising:
a switch (42) connecting the electric motor (18) and the at least one of a battery pack (32a) and a capacitor (32b);
the second vehicle sensor (26b) in electronic communication with the switch (42); and
the electronic control unit (28) switching the switch (42) between a charging position, a discharging position, and an isolation position in response to the vehicle sensor (26b), the charging position defined by the power supply system (22) recovering energy from the electric motor (18), the discharging position defined by the power supply system (22) delivering electrical power to the electric motor (18), and the isolation position defined by the power supply system isolated with respect to the electric motor (18).
15. A method of assembling a driveline (12) for a motor vehicle comprising:
assembling a self-contained drive axle assembly (35) including:
mounting an electric motor (18) for propelling the motor vehicle mounted coaxial with and sheathing a first portion of the drive axle assembly (35);
connecting a disconnect clutch (20) mounted coaxial with and sheathing a second portion of the drive axle assembly (35) for selectively connecting powered rotation between the electric motor (18) and a gear box (14); and
positioning the gear box (14) including at least one of a transmission (15) and a power take off unit (40) mounted coaxial with and sheathing a third portion of the drive axle assembly (35) for transferring powered rotation to at least one pair of wheels (16a, 16b) through the drive axle assembly (35).
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Computer-based control of a flow of funds with iterative forecasting for a multiplicity of investment opportunities, where
(A) a long-term, averaged forecast for a change in value or price in respect of various investment opportunities is regularly made at relatively long first time intervals, e.g. quarterly or annually or every few years.
(B) a current actual value for a significant variable, such as value or price, in respect of the investment opportunities is regularly recorded at second time intervals, which are short in comparison with the longer first time intervals, e.g. every working day or weekly or monthly, and the long-term forecast and also a prescribed number of the respective most recent actual values for this significant variable are taken into account to ascertain a current change which is to be expected, for example price potential, by which the current actual value will rise or fall within an immediately subsequent third time period, the extent of which is in a mid-range between the longer first time period and the shorter second time period, and
(C) funds distributed for a plurality of investment opportunities for which the current change which is to be expected exceeds prescribed threshold values in the direction of the change which is to be expected are scheduled or remain scheduled for the third time period.
2. Computer-based control according to claim 1, where schedules made are canceled or implemented at the end of the aforementioned third time period or beforehand when the threshold value is reached.
3. Computer-based control according to claim 1, where the long-term forecast is adapted continuously or at relatively short time intervals, with the respective adapted forecast being used for ascertaining the change which is to be expected.
4. Computer-based control according to claim 1, where funds which are to be used are distributed over various investment means which have opposite tendencies from one another to the changes which are to be expected.
5. Computer-based control according to claim 4, where the ratio for the distribution of the funds over the investment opportunities with opposite tendencies from one another to the changes which are to be expected is dependent on long-term and, in particular, fundamental economic activity data which are to be expected.
6. Computer-based control according to claim 1, where all profits realized for schedules are provided in the long term for very safe forms of investment.
7. Computer-based control according to claim 1, where the current change which is to be expected is ascertained using a multiplicity of parameters, particularly including market-psychology parameters, with a prescribable weighting.
8. Computer-based control according to claim 1, where investment opportunities are selected which have high fundamental, technical and psychological attractivities.