Vehicle power transmission control device

A power transmission control device for a vehicle, the vehicle including an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as power sources, the power transmission control device comprising:

• a stepped transmission including an input shaft to which power is input from an output shaft of the internal combustion engine, the stepped transmission including an output shaft for outputting power to drive wheels of the vehicle, the stepped transmission having a plurality of predetermined gear positions each having different speed reduction ratios, each of the speed reduction ratios corresponding to a ratio of a rpm (rotations per minute) of the input shaft to a rpm of the output shaft, power being input from an output shaft of the electric motor to the output shaft of the stepped transmission without intermediation of the stepped transmission;
• a clutch interposed between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the input shaft of the stepped transmission, the clutch being capable of adjusting a clutch torque corresponding to a maximum value of a torque which can be transmitted by the clutch;
• and
• a control portion configured to control 1) an internal combustion engine driving torque corresponding to a driving torque of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine, 2) an electric motor driving torque corresponding to a driving torque of the output shaft of the electric motor, 3) the clutch torque of the clutch, and 4) one of the plurality of gear positions of the stepped transmission, wherein the internal combustion engine driving torque, the electric motor driving torque, the clutch torque, and the one of the plurality of gear positions are controlled based on a travel state of the vehicle
• wherein the control portion is configured to decrease the internal combustion engine driving torque and the clutch torque and increase the electric motor driving torque based on satisfaction of a shift-up condition, and wherein the control portion is configured to decrease the internal combustion engine driving torque and the clutch torque and increase the electric motor driving torque in a state in which 1) the clutch torque is adjusted to a value larger than the internal combustion engine driving torque and 2) the vehicle is travelling while the internal combustion engine driving torque is transmitted to the drive wheels,
• wherein after the internal combustion engine driving torque and the clutch torque are decreased and the electric motor driving torque is increased, the control portion is configured to perform, based on a fact that the clutch torque becomes zero, a gear change action for changing the one of the plurality of gear positions of the stepped transmission from a current gear position to a high-speed side gear position while the clutch torque is maintained at zero and a state in which the electric motor driving torque is transmitted to the drive wheels is maintained, wherein the high-speed side gear position has a smaller speed reduction ratio than the current gear position,
• wherein after the gear change action is performed, the control portion is configured to increase the internal combustion engine driving torque and the clutch torque and decrease the electric motor driving torque based on a termination of the gear change action, and
• wherein the control portion is configured to adjust a load torque of a power generator provided to the vehicle to a value larger than a value of the load torque of the power generator measured before the satisfaction of the shift-up condition, during a time period from the satisfaction of the shift-up condition to a time at which the clutch torque becomes zero, and wherein the power generator is rotationally driven by the output shaft of the internal combustion engine.