Engine control apparatus

• US 7,894,964 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2008
• Issued: 02/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Iriyama, Masahiro, Murayama, Masami
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAWARI, REDHWAN K
• Application Number:
  US12/051,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20080255738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 701/51, 701/54, 701/55, 701/64, 701/67, 477/109, 477/113, 477/143, 477/180, 743/33
• US Class Current: 701/54
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0208 Clutch engagement state, e.g. engaged or disengaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/19 Improvement of gear change, e.g. by synchronisation or smoothing gear shift
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/501 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/602 Pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 31/001 Electric control of rotation speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/022 in relation with the clutch status
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0225 in relation with the gear ratio or shift lever position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/023 in relation with the gear ratio shifting conjoint control for improving gear change B60W30/19
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2306/54 Synchronizing engine speed to transmission input speed
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0403 Synchronisation before shifting
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/502 for smoothing gear shifts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19242 Combined gear and clutch

Abstract

An engine control apparatus basically has a clutch release detecting component, a time measuring component and a rotational speed synchronization control component. The clutch release detecting component detects when a clutch arranged between an engine and a manual transmission has been released to prevent rotation from being transferred from the engine to the manual transmission during shifting. The time measuring component measures an amount of time that elapses after the clutch is released. The rotational speed synchronization control component starts rotational speed synchronization control when the clutch is released and a prescribed delay time has elapsed since the clutch was released so that an engine rotational speed matches a predicted input rotational speed of the manual transmission being based on a vehicle speed and a gear position that is occurring after shifting is completed.

Claims

1. An engine control apparatus for a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, the engine control apparatus comprising:

a clutch release detecting component configured to detect when a clutch arranged between an engine and the manual transmission has been released to prevent rotation from being transferred from the engine to the manual transmission when the manual transmission is being shifted;

a time measuring component configured to measure an amount of time that elapses after the clutch is released; and

a rotational speed synchronization control component configured to start rotational speed synchronization control upon the clutch being released and a prescribed delay time having elapsed since the clutch was released,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being configured to perform the rotational speed synchronization control such that

before shifting is completed, an engine rotational speed of the engine matches a predicted input rotational speed of the manual transmission being determined based on a vehicle speed and a gear position that is occurring before shifting is completed, and

after shifting is completed, the engine rotational speed of the engine matches the predicted input rotational speed of the manual transmission being determined based on the vehicle speed and the gear position that is occurring after shifting is completed.

3. The engine control apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

the rotational speed synchronization control component is further configured to selectively change the prescribed delay time depending on whether the vehicle is in a driven state or a coasting state before the manual transmission is shifted.

4. The engine control apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein

the rotational speed synchronization control component is further configured to selectively set the prescribed delay time to be shorter if the vehicle is in the coasting state before the manual transmission is shifted than if the vehicle is in the driven state before the manual transmission is shifted.

5. The engine control apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a deceleration intent detecting component configured to detect a driver deceleration intent,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being further configured to selectively change the prescribed delay time based on the driver deceleration intent detected by the deceleration intent detecting component before the clutch is released.

6. The engine control apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein

the deceleration intent detecting component includes a brake operation detecting component that is configured to detect a brake operation,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being further configured to selectively set the prescribed delay time to be shorter if the brake operation has been detected than if the brake operation has not been detected.

7. The engine control apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising

an acceleration intent detecting component configured to detect a driver acceleration intent,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being further configured to selectively change the prescribed delay time based on the driver acceleration intent detected before the clutch is released.

8. The engine control apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a brake operation detecting component configured to detect a driver braking operation;

and

an accelerator operation detecting component configured to detect a driver accelerator operation,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being further configured to selectively change the prescribed delay time to be shorter if the brake operation occurs before the clutch is released than if the accelerator operation occurs before the clutch is released.

10. The engine control apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a gear position detecting component configured to detect a gear position of the manual transmission,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being configured to start the rotational speed synchronization control before the prescribed delay time has elapsed if the gear position of the manual transmission is a highest gear position of the manual transmission at a point in time when the clutch is released.

2. An engine control apparatus for a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, the engine control apparatus comprising:

a shift operation detecting component configured to detect a manual shift operation;

a clutch release detecting component configured to detect when a clutch arranged between an engine and the manual transmission has been released to prevent rotation from being transferred from the engine to the manual transmission when the manual transmission is being shifted;

a time measuring component configured to measure an amount of time that elapses after the clutch is released; and

a rotational speed synchronization control component control configured to start rotational speed synchronization control upon the clutch being released and a prescribed delay time having elapsed since the clutch was released,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being configured to perform the rotational speed synchronization control such that an engine rotational speed of the engine matches a predicted input rotational speed of the manual transmission being determined based on a vehicle speed and a gear position that is occurring after shifting is completed,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being configured to selectively

start the rotational speed synchronization control upon the clutch being released and the manual shift operation having been detected by the shift operation detecting component, and

start the rotational speed synchronization control after the prescribed delay time has elapsed since the clutch was released and the manual shift operation having not been detected by the shift operation detecting component.

9. An engine control apparatus for a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission, the engine control apparatus comprising:

an accelerator off detecting component configured to detect if an accelerator operation amount is zero;

a clutch release detecting component configured to detect when a clutch arranged between an engine and the manual transmission has been released to prevent rotation from being transferred from the engine to the manual transmission when the manual transmission is being shifted;

a time measuring component configured to measure an amount of time that elapses after the clutch is released the time measuring component including a first determining component configured to determine if a first prescribed amount of time has elapsed since the accelerator operation amount became zero, a second determining component configured to determine if a second prescribed amount of time has elapsed since the clutch was released, with the second prescribed amount of time being shorter than the first prescribed amount of time;

a rotational speed synchronization control component configured to start rotational speed synchronization control upon the clutch being released and a prescribed delay time having elapsed since the clutch was released,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being configured to perform the rotational speed synchronization control such that an engine rotational speed of the engine matches a predicted input rotational speed of the manual transmission being determined based on a vehicle speed and a gear position that is occurring after shifting is completed,

the rotational speed synchronization control component being configured

to start execution of the rotational speed synchronization control upon the first prescribed amount of time having elapsed since the accelerator operation amount become zero and the second prescribed amount of time having elapsed since the clutch was released, and

to change the prescribed delay time depending on whether the vehicle is in a coasting state or a driven state before the manual transmission is shifted.

11. A rotational speed synchronization control method comprising:

detecting when a clutch arranged between an engine and a manual transmission has been released to prevent rotation from being transferred from the engine to the manual transmission when the manual transmission is being shifted;

measuring an amount of time that elapses after the clutch is released; and

conducting rotational speed synchronization control to start upon the clutch being released and a prescribed delay time having elapsed since the clutch was released so that

before shifting is completed, an engine rotational speed of the engine matches a predicted input rotational speed of the manual transmission being based on a vehicle speed and a gear position that is occurring before shifting is completed, and

after shifting is completed, the engine rotational speed of the engine matches the predicted input rotational speed of the manual transmission being determined based on the vehicle speed and the gear position that is occurring after shifting is completed.

12. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is performed by selectively starting the rotational speed synchronization control when the clutch is released and a manual shift operation has been detected, and starting the rotational speed synchronization control after the prescribed delay time has elapsed since the clutch was released and the manual shift operation is not detected.

13. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is further performed by selectively changing the prescribed delay time depending on whether the vehicle is in a driven state or a coasting state before the manual transmission is shifted.

14. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 13, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is further performed by selectively setting the prescribed delay time to be shorter if the vehicle is in the coasting state before the manual transmission is shifted than if the vehicle is in the driven state before the manual transmission is shifted.

15. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is further performed by selectively changing the prescribed delay time based on a driver deceleration intent before the clutch is released.

16. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 15, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is further performed by selectively setting the prescribed delay time to be shorter if a brake operation has been detected than if the brake operation has not been detected.

17. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is further performed by selectively changing the prescribed delay time based on a driver acceleration intent detected before the clutch is released.

18. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is further performed by selectively changing the prescribed delay time to be shorter if a brake operation occurs before the clutch is released than if an accelerator operation occurs before the clutch is released.

19. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is further performed by starting execution of the rotational speed synchronization control when a first prescribed amount of time has elapsed since an accelerator operation amount become zero and a second prescribed amount of time has elapsed since the clutch was released with the second prescribed amount of time being shorter than the first prescribed amount of time, and changing the prescribed delay time depending on whether the vehicle is in a coasting state or a driven state before the manual transmission is shifted.

20. The rotational speed synchronization control method as recited in claim 11, wherein

the conducting of the rotational speed synchronization control is further performed by starting the rotational speed synchronization control before the prescribed delay time has elapsed if a gear position of the manual transmission is a highest gear position of the manual transmission at a point in time when the clutch is released.