Starting clutch control apparatus

• US 7,255,663 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2005
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jatco Limited (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Jatco Limited (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Uchida, Masaaki, Kawamoto, Yoshinobu, Nakashima, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Marmor; Charles A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KNIGHT, DEREK DOUGLAS
• Application Number:
  US11/189,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20070026993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 477/174
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0275 Clutch torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/105 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/30406 Clutch slip
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/3067 Speed of the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/30807 Estimation of the engaged transmission ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/3144 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/50206 Creep control
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/50224 Drive-off
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/50287 Torque control
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/50684 Torque resume after shifting
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 2500/70605 Adaptive correction; Modifying control system parameters, e.g. gains, constants, look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 48/06 Control by electric or electronic means, e.g. of fluid pressure

Abstract

There is provided a starting clutch control apparatus which is capable of controlling transmission torque of a starting clutch according to changes in accelerator operated amount without preparing a plurality of data maps of torque coefficients in advance. A clutch controller determines a clutch instruction torque based on torque coefficient, engine speed, and engine speed correction amount, and controls the engagement state of the starting clutch according to the clutch instruction torque. Therefore, it is possible to control the engagement state of the starting clutch in response to sudden operation of an accelerator, and to finely control the degree of engine blow-up according to an accelerator operated amount. Only one data map for determining the torque coefficient according to a rotational speed ratio of a clutch input shaft to a clutch output shaft is required to be stored in a data storage section, and hence it is possible to prevent an increase in the amount of data stored in the data storage section.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a starting clutch provided between a driving side and a driven side of a power transmission system of a vehicle, for controlling engagement state of the driving side and the driven side, comprising:

engine speed detecting means for detecting an engine speed;

clutch speed ratio detecting means for detecting a ratio of rotational speeds of the driving side and the driven side of the starting clutch;

accelerator operated amount corresponding value detecting means for detecting a value corresponding to an accelerator operated amount;

torque coefficient determining means for detecting a torque coefficient based on the speed ratio detected by said clutch speed ratio detecting means;

engine speed correction amount determining means for determining an engine speed correction amount based on the detected accelerator operated amount corresponding value;

clutch instruction torque determining means for determining a clutch instruction torque for the starting clutch based on the torque coefficient, the engine speed, and the engine speed correction amount; and

a clutch controller that controls an engagement state of the starting clutch based on the clutch instruction torque determined by said clutch instruction torque determining means.

2. A control apparatus for a starting clutch according to claim 1, wherein said clutch instruction torque determining means determines the clutch instruction torque according to the following expression:

Tc=C×

(Ne−

Neoff)²

where the clutch instruction torque is Tc, the torque coefficient is C, the engine speed is Ne, and the engine speed correction amount is Neoff.

3. A control apparatus for a starting clutch according to claim 1, wherein said engine speed correction amount determining means sets the engine speed correction amount to be small when the accelerator operated amount corresponding value is small, and sets the engine speed correction amount to be large when the accelerator operated amount corresponding value is large.

4. A control apparatus for a starting clutch according to claim 1, comprising:

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed;

second clutch instruction torque determining means for determining a second clutch instruction torque for the starting clutch based on the vehicle speed detected by said vehicle speed detecting means;

wherein said clutch controller controls an engagement state of the starting clutch based on a larger one of the clutch instruction torque determined by said clutch instruction torque determining means and the second clutch instruction torque determined by said second clutch instruction torque determining means.

5. A control apparatus for a starting clutch according to claim 2, wherein said engine speed correction amount determining means sets the engine speed correction amount to be small when the accelerator operated amount corresponding value is small, and sets the engine speed correction amount to be large when the accelerator operated amount corresponding value is large.

6. A control apparatus for a starting clutch according to claim 2, comprising:

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed;

second clutch instruction torque determining means for determining a second clutch instruction torque for the starting clutch based on the vehicle speed detected by said vehicle speed detecting means;

wherein said clutch controller controls an engagement state of the starting clutch based on a larger one of the clutch instruction torque determined by said clutch instruction torque determining means and the second clutch instruction torque determined by said second clutch instruction torque determining means.

7. A control apparatus for a starting clutch according to claim 3, comprising:

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed;

second clutch instruction torque determining means for determining a second clutch instruction torque for the starting clutch based on the vehicle speed detected by said vehicle speed detecting means;

wherein said clutch controller controls an engagement state of the starting clutch based on a larger one of the clutch instruction torque determined by said clutch instruction torque determining means and the second clutch instruction torque determined by said second clutch instruction torque determining means.