Method and apparatus for clutch control in a vehicle having an engine start-stop powertrain and a dual-clutch transmission
First Claim
1. A vehicle comprising:
- an engine adapted to automatically shut down and restart, wherein shutting down and restarting the engine defines an engine autostop/autostart cycle;
a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) having a pair of input clutches, one being selectively engageable to connect the engine to oddly numbered gears of the DCT, and the other being selectively engageable to connect the engine to evenly numbered gears of the DCT; and
a controller having a shift algorithm adapted for shifting the DCT to achieve a predetermined engine load state during the engine autostart/autostop cycle;
wherein the predetermined engine load state is one of an unloaded state and a partially loaded state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle includes an engine that shuts down and restarts at idle, a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) having a controller and two input clutches for connecting the engine to respective evenly and oddly numbered gears of the DCT. The controller has a shift algorithm for shifting the DCT to achieve a predetermined engine load state during an engine autostart/autostop cycle, with the load state being unloaded or partially loaded. A DCT for the vehicle includes the input clutches and controller. A method includes shifting the DCT to the predetermined engine load state while the engine is off and an engine restart is commanded, and restarting the engine in the engine load state. The method may also include maintaining the clutches at a first point relative to a kiss point of the input clutches when the load state is unloaded, and at a second point when the load state is partially loaded.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A vehicle comprising:
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an engine adapted to automatically shut down and restart, wherein shutting down and restarting the engine defines an engine autostop/autostart cycle; a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) having a pair of input clutches, one being selectively engageable to connect the engine to oddly numbered gears of the DCT, and the other being selectively engageable to connect the engine to evenly numbered gears of the DCT; and a controller having a shift algorithm adapted for shifting the DCT to achieve a predetermined engine load state during the engine autostart/autostop cycle; wherein the predetermined engine load state is one of an unloaded state and a partially loaded state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10)
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6. A dual-clutch transmission (DCT) for a vehicle, the vehicle having an engine adapted to automatically shut down and restart, wherein shutting down and restarting the engine defines an engine autostop/autostart cycle, the DCT comprising:
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a pair of input clutches, one being selectively engageable to connect the engine to oddly numbered gears of the DCT, and the other being selectively engageable to connect the engine to evenly numbered gears of the DCT; and a controller having a shift algorithm adapted for shifting the DCT to achieve a predetermined engine load state during the engine autostart/autostop cycle; wherein the predetermined engine load state is one of an unloaded state and a partially loaded state. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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11. A method for shifting a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) having a pair of input clutches in a vehicle having engine autostop/autostart functionality, the method comprising:
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shifting the DCT to a predetermined engine load state while the engine is in an off state and an engine restart is commanded during an engine autostart/autostop cycle, the predetermined engine load state being one of an unloaded state and a partially loaded state; and restarting the engine in the predetermined engine load state. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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Specification