Control apparatus for vehicular drive system

Abstract

A control apparatus for a drive system of a vehicle including (a) an electrically controlled differential portion having (i) a differential mechanism, (ii) a first electric motor operatively connected to a rotary element of the differential mechanism, (iii) a drive power source, an input shaft (14) connected to the drive power source, and (iv) an output shaft, a differential state between rotating speeds of the input and output shafts being controlled by controlling an operating state of the first electric motor, (b) a switching portion operable to switch a power transmitting path between the output shaft and a drive wheel of the vehicle, between a power transmitting state and a power cut-off state, and (c) a second electric motor connected to the power transmitting path, the control apparatus including an excessive speed preventing portion configured to limit a rotating speed of the output shaft or an operating speed of the second electric motor when the power transmitting path is switched by the switching portion from the power transmitting state to the power cut-off state.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.