JP2002122163A - Automatic clutch control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase wheel driving torque even at the beginning of a driving stabilizing control (VDC control) from a clutch disconnected state. SOLUTION: In a vehicle having a driving stabilizing control device for controlling an engine or brake separately from a vehicle driving operation system, and controlling driving conditions of the vehicle in a stabilizing direction, an automatic clutch, and a clutch control means to control the automatic clutch to be connected or disconnected are provided. On the clutch control means, a connection control means is provided to set the clutch in a connected state when a wheel driving torque increasing demand is provided from the driving stabilizing control device. When there is the wheel driving torque increasing demand, the clutch is connected to increase the wheel driving torque even where the VDC control is started from the clutch disconnected state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic clutch control device applied to a vehicle capable of executing running stability control.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to increase the running stability of a vehicle, a running stability control device, so-called VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Controller) has been proposed.
ol) has been put to practical use. This is to control the engine or the brake independently of the vehicle driving operation system or away from the driver's operation and to control the running state of the vehicle in a stable direction when a predetermined condition is satisfied while the vehicle is running. .

[0003]

By the way, conventionally, VD
When C and the automatic clutch are combined, control is performed to maintain the clutch position at the current position during VDC control (running stability control) in order to prevent interference with clutch control. That is, when the VDC control is started, if the clutch is engaged, the contact is maintained, and if the clutch is released, the disconnection is maintained.

However, there are cases where it is desired to increase the engine output during the VDC control to increase the wheel drive torque. At this time, there is no problem if the clutch is kept in contact, but if the clutch is kept disconnected, the engine output will not be transmitted to the drive wheels. However, there is a problem that such speed increase control cannot be executed. At the time of the disconnection and holding, only the control of the braking direction by the brake control can be performed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to increase the wheel driving torque even when VDC control is started from a clutch disengaged state.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vehicle having a running stability control device for controlling an engine or a brake independently of a vehicle driving operation system and controlling the running state of the vehicle in a stable direction. Connection control for providing an automatic clutch and clutch control means for controlling connection and disconnection of the automatic clutch, wherein the clutch control means sets the clutch to a connected state when a request for increasing the wheel driving torque is received from the traveling stability control device. Means are provided.

Accordingly, even when the VDC control is started from the clutch disengaged state, when a request for increasing the wheel driving torque is made, the clutch is connected, and the wheel driving torque can be increased.

The automatic clutch includes a friction type clutch, a fluid pressure actuator for connecting / disconnecting the clutch, and supply / discharge of fluid pressure to / from the fluid pressure actuator based on a control signal of the clutch control means. And a fluid pressure supply / discharge means for performing the following.

[0009]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied. This vehicle is equipped with an automatic clutch, and in particular, a so-called selective auto clutch device capable of manual connection and disconnection. The selective auto clutch device is configured such that a normal friction clutch is used for the clutch 1 and the clutch is manually connected / disconnected by the manual connection / disconnection means 2 or automatically connected / disconnected by the automatic connection / disconnection means 3. The figure shows a state in which the clutch 1 is connected and none of the means is operated.

The clutch 1 is stroked in the connecting / disconnecting direction by reciprocating the clutch fork 4 by a slave cylinder 5 (which constitutes the "fluid pressure actuator" of the present invention). A hydraulic pressure (fluid pressure) serving as a clutch operating force is supplied to the slave cylinder 5 from the intermediate cylinder 6. The intermediate cylinder 6 is connected to the master cylinder 7 or the hydraulic pressure source 8
The hydraulic pressure according to the hydraulic pressure supplied from the slave cylinder 5
Send to The master cylinder 7 generates a hydraulic pressure according to the depression amount (operation amount) of the clutch pedal 9 and sends it to the intermediate cylinder 6. The hydraulic power source 8 includes an electric motor 10, a hydraulic pump 11, a check valve 32, solenoid valves 30, 31 and a relief valve 13, and the clutch control unit (referred to as a clutch ECU) 14 controls the driving of the motor 10 and the solenoid valves 30, 31. Supply and discharge hydraulic pressure. Oil as a working fluid is stored in an oil tank 15.

The duty of the solenoid valves 30 and 31 is controlled by the clutch ECU 14. Here, normally closed valves, that is, valves that are closed when OFF and open when ON are used.
Solenoid valves 30, 31 are used for clutch connection.
Each of the solenoid valves 30 and 31 has a different oil discharge port diameter.
Therefore, three types of clutch connection speeds (low speed, medium speed, or high speed) can be selected by changing the combination of ON / OFF of these solenoid valves 30, 31. The relief valve 13 is for fail-safe opening when the oil pressure rises abnormally.
Usually closed.

In this configuration, the manual connection and disconnection of the clutch 1 is performed as follows. First, when the clutch pedal 9 is depressed from the illustrated state, hydraulic pressure is generated in the master cylinder 7. This oil pressure pushes two pistons 16 and 17 inside the intermediate cylinder 6 simultaneously and in the same direction as indicated by the solid line arrow, and the oil pressure corresponding to the pedal depression amount is supplied from the intermediate cylinder 6 to the slave cylinder 5. Then, the internal piston 18 is pushed in the slave cylinder 5, whereby the clutch fork 4 is pushed, and the clutch 1 is operated to the disconnection side by an amount corresponding to the pedal depression amount. When the return operation of the clutch pedal 9 is performed, the oil is returned as indicated by the dashed arrow, and the clutch 1 is operated to the connection side. At this time, the pistons 16 and 17 of the intermediate cylinder 6 are pushed back to the normal position by the return spring 37. Thus, manual connection / disconnection is achieved, and the manual connection / disconnection means 2 is constituted by the clutch pedal 9, the master cylinder 7, the intermediate cylinder 6, and the slave cylinder 5.

The method for automatically connecting and disconnecting the clutch 1 will be described later.

The clutch stroke (clutch position) is constantly detected by the clutch stroke sensor 19. The clutch stroke sensor 19 is a potentiometer operated by the clutch fork 4 via the link 36. The clutch stroke sensor 19 is configured to output a larger voltage as the clutch stroke is more divided. A hydraulic switch 33 is provided at the outlet of the intermediate cylinder 6. This turns on when the outlet pressure of the intermediate cylinder 6 rises to a certain set value. These sensors 19
And the signal of the switch 33 is sent to the clutch ECU 14.

The vehicle is equipped with a normal transmission (manual transmission) 20. The transmission 20
The gear is mechanically connected to the shift lever 23 through a mechanical connecting means 57 such as a link or a wire cable, and the speed is changed in conjunction with the shift lever operation by the driver.

The shift lever 23 is a shift lever device 21.
Part of. That is, the shift lever device 21 includes the shift lever 23, the shift knob 22 forming a gripping portion thereof, and the knob switch 62 built in the shift knob 22. The shift knob 22 can slightly swing (swing) in the shift direction with respect to the shift lever 23, and is normally held at the center position by a built-in spring, but swings when a predetermined shift force is applied, and the knob switch 62 is turned on.

The transmission 20 has a shift stroke sensor 34 for detecting a shift stroke of an internal shifter lever, and a neutral switch 24 for detecting that the shifter lever is at a neutral position.
And a select stroke sensor 35 for detecting a stroke of the shifter lever in the select direction. Based on signals from these sensors and switches, the clutch E
The CU 14 detects the current gear (current gear) of the transmission 20.

Here, a method for automatically connecting and disconnecting the clutch 1 will be described. It is assumed that the driver gives a shift force to the shift knob 22 in an attempt to change gears while traveling at a predetermined gear. Then, the shift knob 22 slightly swings and the knob switch 62 is turned ON,
In response to this, the clutch ECU 14 sends a clutch disconnection command to the automatic disconnecting / connecting means 3, and specifically starts the motor 10. Then, the hydraulic pump 11 is activated to generate hydraulic pressure,
This hydraulic pressure pushes the check valve 32 open as shown by the solid line arrow to reach the intermediate cylinder 6. In the intermediate cylinder 6, the pistons 16 and 17 are pushed in the separating direction. Thereby, the piston 17 on the outlet side further pressurizes the oil on the outlet side,
Supply to slave cylinder 5. When this happens, the piston 18 of the slave cylinder 5 pushes the clutch fork 4 to disconnect the clutch 1.

The clutch ECU 14 stops the motor 10 when the clutch ECU 14 recognizes that the clutch is completely disconnected based on a signal from the clutch stroke sensor 19. Thereafter, the hydraulic pressure is held by the check valve 32, and the clutch 1 is disconnected and held. During this time, the driver continuously operates the shift lever, and the transmission 20 is shifted to the next gear.

The clutch ECU 14 recognizes the gear-in from the signals of the shift stroke sensor 34 and the select stroke sensor 35 and, at the same time, sends a clutch engagement command to the automatic connection / disconnection means 3 to start the connection control of the clutch 1.
Specifically, at least one of the solenoid valves 30 and 31 is turned on.
Then, as shown by a broken line arrow, the hydraulic pressure is discharged from the slave cylinder 5, and the clutch fork 4 is returned to
Connect. At this time, the optimal combination of ON / OFF of the solenoid valves 30 and 31 is selected in consideration of the connection state of the clutch, the degree of depression of the accelerator, and the operation state of the engine and the vehicle, and the duty control for these solenoid valves is performed. Is performed. As a result, the clutch is connected at the optimum speed.

As described above, the clutch 1, the hydraulic pressure source 8, the intermediate cylinder 6, and the slave cylinder 5 constitute the automatic clutch of the present invention, and the clutch ECU 14 forms the clutch control means of the present invention. The slave cylinder 5 constitutes the fluid pressure actuator of the present invention, and the hydraulic pressure source 8 and the intermediate cylinder 6 constitute the fluid pressure supply / discharge means of the present invention.

Switching between manual connection and automatic connection / disconnection is performed by a changeover switch 25 provided in the vehicle interior.
An accelerator opening sensor 39 for detecting the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 38, that is, the accelerator opening, is provided. The accelerator opening sensor 39 is a potentiometer and outputs a voltage signal proportional to the accelerator opening. An accelerator idle switch 40 is provided near the accelerator pedal, and is turned on when the accelerator pedal 38 is in an idle range.
Turns off when depressed beyond the idle area. The outputs of the sensor 39 and the switch 40 are output from the clutch ECU 1
4 The engine 43 is a diesel engine in which a fuel injection pump 44 and an electronic governor 41 are combined,
A fuel injection amount, a fuel injection timing, and the like are electronically controlled based on a control signal of an engine ECU (not shown). Thus, the engine is electronically controlled, but in addition to this example, a common rail type fuel injection device or an electronically controlled gasoline engine can be used. The engine 43 is provided with an engine speed sensor 45 for detecting the engine speed.
The output is sent to the clutch ECU 14.

The transmission 20 is provided with an output shaft rotation sensor 63 for detecting the output shaft rotation speed. The clutch ECU 14 converts the vehicle speed based on the output of the sensor 63.

In this vehicle, running stability control means for controlling the engine or the brake independently of the vehicle driving operation system and controlling the running state of the vehicle in a stable direction is provided. Specifically, the driving stability control control unit (V
A VDC control unit 66 is provided when predetermined conditions are satisfied.
Controls the electronic governor 41 or the brake regardless of the accelerator pedal operation or the brake pedal operation by the driver, and brings the vehicle in a stable direction. The VDC control unit 66 and the clutch ECU 14 can communicate with each other via a bus cable or the like. Although not shown, the brake is naturally configured to be automatically controlled in this manner.

In normal engine control, the fuel injection amount is increased or decreased in accordance with the increase or decrease in the accelerator opening. However, during VDC control, the fuel injection amount is increased or decreased regardless of the accelerator opening. Similarly, the braking force is normally adjusted by the brake pedal operation by the driver, but during VDC control, V
The braking force is controlled by the DC control unit 66.

Next, the contents of the clutch control according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The clutch ECU 14 is controlled by the VDC control unit 66 to constantly control the running stability (VDC
Control). Based on this information, the clutch ECU 14 determines in step 101 whether the VDC control is currently being performed. If it is determined that the VDC control is not being performed, the routine proceeds to step 103, where the clutch is set to the normal control. When it is determined that the VDC control is being performed, the process proceeds to step 102.

In step 102, it is determined whether or not there has been a request from the VDC control unit 66 to increase the wheel driving torque. If there is a request, the routine proceeds to step 104, where the clutch is brought into the connected state. That is, the clutch is automatically connected when the current clutch is disengaged or disengaged, and is maintained when the current clutch is engaged or disengaged. On the other hand, if there is no request, the routine proceeds to step 105, where the transition from the disengagement of the clutch to the engagement is prohibited. That is, the clutch is maintained at the current position regardless of whether the clutch is in the connected or disconnected state, as in the related art.

As described above, according to the above control, the clutch is always connected when there is a request for increasing the wheel driving torque during the VDC control. Therefore, even if the clutch is disengaged at the start of the VDC control, the wheel driving torque is increased. If there is a demand for increase, connect the clutch and increase the engine output to the wheels (drive wheels).
Can be transmitted to Then, in the VDC control, the fuel injection amount is increased, the engine output is increased, and this is transmitted to the wheels to increase the wheel drive torque, so that the desired VDC control or speed-up control can be executed.

As described above, here, the clutch ECU 14
The program for executing steps 101, 102, and 104 stored in the storage section constitutes the connection control means of the present invention.

The present invention can adopt various other embodiments. For example, the clutch may be a wet multi-plate clutch or the like, and the “friction type clutch” of the present invention includes such a clutch. The "fluid pressure actuator" can be modified, and a fluid pressure other than the hydraulic pressure (for example, pneumatic pressure) can be used.

[0032]

In summary, according to the present invention, an excellent effect that the wheel drive torque can be increased even when the VDC control is started from the clutch disengaged state is exhibited.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing control contents of a clutch according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Clutch 5 Slave cylinder 8 Hydraulic source 10 Electric motor 11 Hydraulic pump 14 Clutch control unit 30, 31 Solenoid valve 43 Engine 66 Running stability control control unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Arai 4-1-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa F-term in Transtron (reference) 3J057 AA07 BB03 GA26 GB02 GB12 GB27 GB36 GC10 GC11 GD06 GE08 HH01 JJ01

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle having a running stability control device for controlling an engine or a brake independently of a vehicle driving operation system and controlling a running state of the vehicle in a stable direction. Clutch control means for controlling the connection and disconnection of the clutch, and the clutch control means is provided with connection control means for connecting the clutch when a request for increasing the wheel drive torque is received from the traveling stability control device. An automatic clutch control device for a vehicle. 2. The automatic clutch according to claim 1, further comprising: a friction type clutch; a fluid pressure actuator for connecting / disconnecting the clutch; and supplying / discharging fluid pressure to / from the fluid pressure actuator based on a control signal from the clutch control means. 2. The automatic clutch control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a fluid pressure supply / discharge unit that executes the control.