TORQUE CONVERTER CONTROL DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090312925A1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jatco Limited (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.), Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Jatco Limited (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Oue, Tomoko, Yamawaki, Morimasa, Sawano, Kouichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,340,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/58
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/145 for controlling slip, e.g. approaching target slip value
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/146 for smoothing gear shift shock
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/143 using electric control means

Abstract

When an upshift is performed while a traveling condition of a vehicle corresponds to a driving condition or a downshift is performed while the traveling condition of the vehicle corresponds to a coasting condition, a second target slip amount is set as a target slip amount for a period extending from the start of gear ratio variation following issuance of a gear position change start command to completion of the gear ratio change, and when a downshift is performed in the driving condition or an upshift is performed in the coasting condition, a first target slip amount is set as the target slip amount for a period extending from issuance of the shift command to completion of the shift.

Claims

1. A torque converter control device for controlling a torque converter that is interposed between an engine and an automatic transmission and includes a lockup clutch, comprising:

a traveling condition determining unit that determines whether a traveling condition of a vehicle corresponds to a driving condition or a coasting condition;

a shift command determining unit that determines whether or not a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

a first target slip amount calculating unit that calculates a first target slip amount having a larger absolute value than an absolute value of a target slip amount of the torque converter immediately before a shift command is issued when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

a first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value calculating unit that calculates, on the basis of an operating condition of the vehicle, a first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value, which is a regulation value of a variation amount in an engine rotation speed per unit time, when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

a second target slip amount calculating unit that calculates a second target slip amount on the basis of the first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

a first final target slip amount setting unit that sets the first target slip amount or the second target slip amount as a final target slip amount when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission; and

a control unit that controls an engagement condition of the lockup clutch on the basis of the final target slip amount,

wherein, when a gear position is changed to a High side in the driving condition and when the gear position is changed to a Low side in the coasting condition, the first final target slip amount setting unit sets the second target slip amount as the final target slip amount for a period extending from the start of gear ratio variation following issuance of a gear position change start command to the automatic transmission to completion of the gear position change, and

when the gear position is changed to the Low side in the driving condition and when the gear position is changed to the High side in the coasting condition, the first final target slip amount setting unit sets the first target slip amount as the final target slip amount for a period extending from issuance of a change command to the automatic transmission to completion of the change.

2. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 1, wherein, when the gear position is changed to the High side in the driving condition and when the gear position is changed to the Low side in the coasting condition, the first final target slip amount setting unit sets whichever of the first target slip amount and the second target slip amount has a larger absolute value as the final target slip amount.

3. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a first engine rotation speed variation amount calculating unit that calculates a first variation amount, which is a variation amount in the engine rotation speed per unit time, on the basis of the first target slip amount,

wherein the second target slip amount calculating unit calculates the second target slip amount on the basis of whichever of the first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value and the first variation amount has a smaller absolute value.

4. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a third target slip amount calculating unit that calculates a third target slip amount from the operating condition of the vehicle when a shift is not underway in the automatic transmission;

a second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value calculating unit that calculates, on the basis of the operating condition of the vehicle, a second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value, which is a regulation value of the variation amount of the engine rotation speed per unit time, when a shift is not underway in the automatic transmission;

a fourth target slip amount calculating unit that calculates a fourth target slip amount on the basis of the second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value when a shift is not underway in the automatic transmission; and

a second final target slip amount setting unit that sets whichever of the third target slip amount and the fourth target slip amount has a larger absolute value as the final target slip amount when a shift is not underway in the automatic transmission.

5. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 4, further comprising a second engine rotation speed variation amount calculating unit that calculates a second variation amount, which is a variation amount in the engine rotation speed per unit time, on the basis of the third target slip amount,

wherein the fourth target slip amount calculating unit calculates the fourth target slip amount on the basis of whichever of the second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value and the second variation amount has a smaller absolute value.

6. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 4, wherein the third target slip amount calculating unit calculates the third target slip amount such that when the traveling condition corresponds to the driving condition, the third target slip amount increases as an engine torque increases or as a turbine rotation speed decreases.

7. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 4, wherein the second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value calculating unit calculates the second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value such that when the traveling condition corresponds to the driving condition, the absolute value of the second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value decreases as the engine torque increases or as the gear position becomes the Low side.

8. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 4, wherein the second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value calculating unit calculates the second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value such that when the traveling condition corresponds to the coasting condition, the absolute value of the second engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value decreases as the gear position becomes the Low side.

9. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first target slip amount calculating unit calculates the first target slip amount such that when the traveling condition corresponds to the driving condition, the first target slip amount increases as the engine torque increases.

10. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value calculating unit calculates the first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value such that the absolute value of the first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value increases as an absolute value of the variation amount in the engine rotation speed increases in accordance with the gear position change.

11. The torque converter control device as defined in claim 1, wherein the first target slip amount calculating unit calculates the first target slip amount such that when the traveling condition corresponds to the driving condition and the gear position is changed to the Low side, the first target slip amount increases as the engine torque increases.

12. A control method for controlling a torque converter that is interposed between an engine and an automatic transmission and includes a lockup clutch, comprising:

determining whether a traveling condition of a vehicle corresponds to a driving condition or a coasting condition;

determining whether or not a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

calculating a first target slip amount having a larger absolute value than an absolute value of a target slip amount of the torque converter immediately before a shift command is issued when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

calculating, on the basis of an operating condition of the vehicle, a first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value, which is a regulation value of a variation amount in an engine rotation speed per unit time, when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

calculating a second target slip amount on the basis of the first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

setting the first target slip amount or the second target slip amount as a final target slip amount when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission; and

controlling an engagement condition of the lockup clutch on the basis of the final target slip amount,

wherein, when a gear position is changed to a High side in the driving condition and when the gear position is changed to a Low side in the coasting condition, the second target slip amount is set as the final target slip amount for a period extending from the start of gear ratio variation following issuance of a gear position change start command to the automatic transmission to completion of the gear position change, and

when the gear position is changed to the Low side in the driving condition and when the gear position is changed to the High side in the coasting condition, the first target slip amount is set as the final target slip amount for a period extending from issuance of a change command to the automatic transmission to completion of the change.

13. A torque converter control device for controlling a torque converter that is interposed between an engine and an automatic transmission and includes a lockup clutch, comprising:

traveling condition determining means for determining whether a traveling condition of a vehicle corresponds to a driving condition or a coasting condition;

shift command determining means for determining whether or not a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

first target slip amount calculating means for calculating a first target slip amount having a larger absolute value than an absolute value of a target slip amount of the torque converter immediately before a shift command is issued when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value calculating means for calculating, on the basis of an operating condition of the vehicle, a first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value, which is a regulation value of a variation amount in an engine rotation speed per unit time, when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

second target slip amount calculating means for calculating a second target slip amount on the basis of the first engine rotation speed variation rate regulation value when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission;

first final target slip amount setting means for setting the first target slip amount or the second target slip amount as a final target slip amount when a shift is underway in the automatic transmission; and

control means for controlling an engagement condition of the lockup clutch on the basis of the final target slip amount,

wherein, when a gear position is changed to a High side in the driving condition and when the gear position is changed to a Low side in the coasting condition, the first final target slip amount setting means sets the second target slip amount as the final target slip amount for a period extending from the start of gear ratio variation following issuance of a gear position change start command to the automatic transmission to completion of the gear position change, and

when the gear position is changed to the Low side in the driving condition and when the gear position is changed to the High side in the coasting condition, the first final target slip amount setting means sets the first target slip amount as the final target slip amount for a period extending from issuance of a change command to the automatic transmission to completion of the change.