Hybrid vehicle drive apparatus

A drive apparatus of a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

• an internal combustion engine;
• a first motor-generator;
• a planetary gear mechanism including helical gears and connected to the internal combustion engine and the first motor-generator;
• a first rotor to which a torque output from the planetary gear mechanism is input;
• a second rotor arranged rotatably relative to the first motor and adjacent to the first rotor in an axial direction;
• a clutch mechanism configured to integrally engage or disengage the first rotor and the second rotor;
• a component configured to generate a power transmission path transmitting a torque output from the second rotor to a drive wheel;
• a second motor-generator connected to the power transmission path;
• and
• an electronic control unit including a microprocessor configured to perform selecting a drive mode from among a plurality of drive modes and controlling the internal combustion engine, the first motor-generator, the second motor-generator, and the clutch mechanism in accordance with the drive mode, wherein
• the plurality of drive modes include a first mode in which the internal combustion engine drives the planetary gear mechanism, a second mode in which the internal combustion engine is stopped, and a third mode in which the internal combustion engine is driven through the planetary gear mechanism,
• the first rotor is arranged movably in the axial direction so as to separate from the second rotor by a first load acting through the planetary gear mechanism toward a first direction in the axial direction when the internal combustion engine drives and so as to approach the second rotor by a second load acting through the planetary gear toward a second direction opposite to the first direction when the internal combustion engine is driven, and
• the microprocessor is configured to perform
• the controlling including controlling the first motor-generator and the clutch mechanism so that the first motor-generator generates a regenerative energy when the drive mode is switched from the first mode to the second mode, and then so that the clutch mechanism is engaged and the first motor-generator generates a drive torque when the drive mode is switched to the third mode.