Automotive drive system

Claim 1

In a wheeled vehicle having an engine and a system for selectively storing energy normally lost in braking the vehicle and using said energy to drive the vehicle, a drive transmission and engine-starting system comprising: (a) a mechanical energy storage accumulator for collecting and storing mechanical energy; (b) a power transmission mechanically coupled to at least one wheel of said vehicle for driving and being driven by said wheel; (c) a transmission controller selectively mechanically connecting said power transmission to said energy storage accumulator for causing said power transmission to deliver mechanical energy to said storage accumulator for storage therein in response to the driving of said power transmission by said wheel to brake said vehicle; (d) a transmission controller selectively mechanically connecting said power transmission to said energy storage accumulator for causing said power transmission to receive mechanical energy from said storage accumulator to drive said wheel; (e) said engine being mechanically coupled to said energy storage accumulator for delivering mechanical energy from said engine to said storage accumulator for storage therein; (f) an energy sensor connected to said energy storage accumulator for sensing the amount of mechanical energy stored therein; (g) an engine stop-start controller connected responsively to said energy sensor and connected to said engine for stopping said engine when the amount of energy in said energy storage accumulator exceeds a predetermined maximum and for starting said engine in response to a drop in the energy in said storage accumulator below a predetermined minimum; and (h) means automatically responsive to the starting of said engine for selectively preventing the delivery of mechanical energy from said engine to said storage accumulator during said starting of said engine and permitting said delivery after said starting of said engine.