JP2005127336A - Change gear controller of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a change gear controller of a vehicle, in which the need for a clutch for change gear is eliminated, a device can be simplified, light-weighted, and reduced in costs, and a reduction gear can be easily disengaged by making a driving system torque be zero with an injection quantity control while leaving a direct-connected clutch as it is in an ON-state. <P>SOLUTION: A torque converter 4 with the direct-connected clutch 3 is installed between an engine 1 and a mechanical transmission 5 in the change gear controller of the vehicle. An electronic controller 10 for change gear is provided to start at the time of starting with the torque converter 4 by leaving the direct-connected clutch 3 as it is in an OFF-state, and to change gear at the time of changing gear with an electronic controller 21 for the engine by increasing or decreasing the engine speed under the ON-state of the direct-connected clutch 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a transmission control device for a vehicle equipped with a mechanical automatic transmission with a fluid coupling such as a torque converter.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of shift control device is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2 (see Patent Document 1).

  This is because a torque converter 104 with a direct coupling clutch 103 and a shift main clutch 105 are interposed in series between an output shaft 100 of an engine (not shown) and an input shaft 102 of a transmission 101, and the input shaft 102. A countershaft brake 108 is attached to one end of a countershaft 107 that is meshed with each other via an input gear 106.

  According to this, when the vehicle starts, the output of the engine is transmitted to the transmission 101 by the fluid function of the torque converter 104 by making the direct coupling clutch 103 OFF while the main clutch 105 is ON, and there is no vibration and smoothness. Start is possible. At the time of shifting, the main clutch 105 is turned off while the direct coupling clutch 103 is turned on, and then the gear stage is switched. Then, the main clutch 105 is turned on, so that a synchronized load at the time of shifting (synchromesh mechanism) (Even in a constant mesh mechanism that does not use).

  Moreover, there exists a thing as shown in FIG. 3 (refer patent document 2). In the constant mesh automatic transmission, the fluid coupling 202 that connects or disconnects the crankshaft 200 and the input shaft 201, and the lockup that connects or disconnects the turbine runner 203 of the fluid coupling 202 and the crankshaft 200. A clutch 204; a countershaft brake 206 that applies a braking force to the countershaft 205 when the countershaft 205 is disposed and actuated; and the turbine runner 203 and the crankshaft 200 that actuate the lockup clutch 204 during a shift. After releasing the connection, the gear is removed, and the rotational speed of the main gears 207a to 207e is synchronized with the rotational speed of the output shaft 208 by controlling the rotational speed of the engine in accordance with the gear to be connected next. The lockup clutch 204 is operated to connect the turbine runner 203 and the crankshaft 200, and the countershaft brake 206 is operated to stop the rotation of the countershaft 205 at the time of shifting when the vehicle is stopped. And a control device for controlling the gears to change after that.

According to this, the speed change operation can be automatically performed, and as a result, troublesome double clutch operation is not required, and light driving performance can be ensured. Further, with the above configuration, the vehicle can be easily started and accelerated easily by an inexpensive device and without any special operation.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-238557 (FIG. 5) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-331025 (FIG. 2)

  However, the apparatus of Patent Document 1 (conventional apparatus 1) as described above is equipped with a shift (wet or dry) main clutch 105, thereby increasing the number of parts and increasing the complexity and weight of the apparatus. In addition to causing an increase in the speed, the ON / OFF control operation of the main clutch 105 is required, resulting in a problem that the shift time becomes long. In addition, when a wet clutch for shifting is equipped, there is a disadvantage that a drag torque at a low temperature start is large.

  Further, in the device of Patent Document 2 (conventional device 2) as described above, the lockup clutch 204 is released when the constant mesh type automatic transmission is equipped with the fluid coupling 202 with a lockup clutch and the countershaft brake 206. Later, it was disclosed that the gears were removed, but there was a problem that the gears could not be removed because the input torque would not be zero.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described situation, and has a function equivalent to that of the conventional device 1 while eliminating the need for a clutch for shifting, thereby simplifying and reducing the weight of the device and reducing the cost. 2 is intended to provide a vehicle speed change control device that can easily disengage the gear by setting the drive system torque to zero by injection amount control while the direct coupling clutch is ON. .

  In order to achieve such an object, a vehicle speed change control device according to the present invention is a vehicle speed change control device in which a fluid coupling with a direct connection clutch is interposed between an engine and a mechanical transmission. The clutch is turned off and started by the fluid coupling, and at the time of shifting, control means is provided for shifting the engine by increasing or decreasing the engine speed with the engine speed increasing / decreasing means while the direct coupling clutch is on. .

  The engine speed increasing / decreasing means is a fuel injection amount control device for controlling the fuel injection amount of the engine.

  The engine speed increasing / decreasing means is an inertia brake mechanism for braking the input shaft side of the mechanical transmission.

  The engine speed increasing / decreasing means is an engine auxiliary brake.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the shift clutch is not required, the device can be simplified, lightened, and the cost can be reduced, and the ON / OFF control operation of the clutch is eliminated, so that the shift time can be shortened. Moreover, since it starts by a fluid coupling as usual, there is no vibration and a smooth start is possible.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vehicle shift control apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings by way of examples.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a transmission control apparatus for a vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an output shaft 2 of a diesel engine (hereinafter simply referred to as an engine) 1 mounted on a vehicle such as a truck or a bus is a torque converter (as a fluid coupling) having a direct coupling clutch (lock-up clutch) 3. 4) is connected to an input shaft 6 of a mechanical automatic transmission (hereinafter simply referred to as a transmission) 5 similar to a manual transmission.

  A counter shaft 8 is engaged with the input shaft 6 via an input gear 7, and a counter shaft brake (engine speed increasing / decreasing means) 9 as an inertia brake mechanism is attached to one end of the counter shaft 8.

  The direct coupling clutch 3 is configured as a hydraulically operated wet multi-plate clutch, and is switched on and off (ON / OFF) by switching hydraulic pressure supply / discharge to / from the cylinder chamber by a solenoid valve interposed in a hydraulic control circuit (not shown). -OFF), and the torque converter 4 can be locked or released. The electromagnetic valve is controlled to be opened and closed by a transmission electronic control unit (ECU) 10 as control means.

  The counter shaft brake 9 includes a plurality of friction plates 11 attached to the counter shaft 8, a plurality of friction disks 12 for braking the plates 11, a diaphragm 13 for pressing the friction disks 12 against the friction plate 11, and a diaphragm. 13 includes a hydraulic device (not shown) for applying a predetermined hydraulic pressure. When the countershaft brake 9 is actuated and the countershaft 8 is braked, the countershaft 8 is always connected to the countershaft 8 via the direct coupling clutch 3 or the torque converter 4. The rotational speed of the engine 1 in a connected state is reduced. The hydraulic device is operated based on a control signal from the ECU 10.

  The transmission 5 is provided with a gear shift unit 15 for switching gear engagement (gear position). The gear shift unit 15 has a plurality of solenoid valves (only one is shown in the figure) 16 and a plurality of power cylinders (not shown) for operating a shift fork (not shown) in the transmission 5. Yes. These power cylinders respond to supply of high-pressure air from an air tank (not shown) by the electromagnetic valve 16 so that the gear position of the transmission 5 is switched according to the selected select range and shift position. The electromagnetic valve 16 is controlled to open and close by the ECU 10.

  The engine 1 is provided with a fuel injection pump (hereinafter simply referred to as an injection pump) 18 for supplying fuel to the engine 1. The injection pump 18 is a device that operates the pump by the output of the engine 1 transmitted via a pump input shaft (not shown) and injects fuel. The injection pump 18 is provided with a control rack (not shown) for adjusting the fuel injection amount, and is further provided with a rack position sensor 19 for detecting the rack position (control rack position) of the control rack. ing. An engine rotation sensor (engine rotation speed detecting means) detects the rotation speed of the pump input shaft in the vicinity of the pump input shaft and detects the rotation speed of the output shaft 2 of the engine 1, that is, the engine rotation speed based on this rotation speed. ) 20 is attached.

  The detection signals of the rack position sensor 19 and the engine rotation sensor 20 are input to the ECU 10 via an engine electronic control unit (ECU) 21 as a fuel injection amount control device (engine speed increasing / decreasing means). The ECU 21 is a device that supplies signals from the ECU 10 according to various information to an electronic governor (not shown) in the injection pump 18, and performs drive control of the engine 1. That is, when a command signal is supplied from the ECU 21 to the electronic governor, the control rack is operated to increase or decrease the fuel, thereby controlling the increase or decrease of the engine speed.

  In addition, a butterfly valve 23 that is opened and closed by a control signal from the ECU 10 is interposed in a collective portion of the exhaust manifold 22 that discharges exhaust gas from the engine 1, and an exhaust brake (engine speed increasing / decreasing means) as an engine auxiliary brake is provided. Is configured. That is, when the butterfly valve 23 is closed, the back pressure of the engine 1 is increased, the engine output is reduced, and a braking force is equivalently generated.

  Like the ECU 21, the ECU 10 includes a microcomputer (CPU), a memory, and an interface as an input / output signal processing circuit. The rack position sensor 19 and the engine rotation sensor 20 are connected to the input side of the ECU 10 via the ECU 21, and a gear stage selection switch provided on a change lever (not shown), a gear provided near the gear shift unit 15, and the like. A position switch, a vehicle speed sensor provided on the output shaft of the transmission 5, an accelerator opening sensor for detecting the opening of an accelerator pedal (not shown), an exhaust brake switch provided at a driver's seat (not shown), and the like are connected.

  When the vehicle starts, the ECU 10 sets the direct clutch 3 in the OFF state to start with the torque converter 4, and at the time of shifting, the ECU 21 increases or decreases the engine speed under the ON state of the direct clutch 3 to change the speed. To do.

  That is, when the ECU 10 detects the start of the vehicle (at the time of N → D operation) from various information such as a gear selection switch and a vehicle speed sensor, the direct coupling clutch 3 is turned off and the counter shaft brake 9 is operated. Then, after the rotation speed on the counter shaft 8 side is reduced, the gear is put in by the power cylinder of the gear shift unit 15. Immediately after the start, the direct clutch 3 is controlled to be ON.

  As a result, the gear on the output shaft in a stopped state of the transmission 5 can be smoothly meshed, and the vehicle can be started by the fluid function of the torque converter 4, so that it can start smoothly without vibration. .

  In the above embodiment, the transmission 5 having the constant mesh mechanism is taken as an example. However, the transmission 5 having the synchromesh mechanism does not require the countershaft brake 9 and is geared as usual. It can be carried out. However, when the accompanying torque of the torque converter 4 is large, it is preferable to mount the countershaft brake 9.

  Further, when the ECU 10 detects a shift-up shift time by various information such as a gear selection switch and a gear position switch, the ECU 21 controls the fuel injection amount to the engine 1 and drives it while the direct clutch 3 is ON. When the system torque becomes zero, the gear is pulled out by the power cylinder of the shift gear unit 15, and then the butterfly valve 23 is closed to perform engine control (exhaust brake) or the counter shaft brake 9 is operated according to the operating state. Then, the number of revolutions of the engine 1 is reduced and the gear is engaged when the number of revolutions of the next stage is reached.

  On the other hand, when the ECU 10 detects a shift-down shift time based on various information such as a gear position selection switch and a gear position switch, the fuel injection amount to the engine 1 by the ECU 21 after the gear is released under the ON state of the direct clutch 3. Is increased to increase the rotational speed of the engine 1, and the gear is engaged when the rotational speed of the next stage is reached.

  In this way, in this embodiment, since the shifting clutch is not required, the apparatus can be simplified, lightened, and the cost can be reduced, and the ON / OFF control operation of the clutch can be eliminated, so that the shift time can be shortened.

  In the above embodiment, another fluid coupling may be used instead of the torque converter 4. The direct coupling clutch 3 may be a dry multi-plate clutch instead of the wet multi-plate clutch. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle shift control device showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the conventional transmission control apparatus of a vehicle. It is a schematic block diagram of the transmission control apparatus of a different conventional vehicle.

Explanation of symbols

  1 diesel engine, 2 output shaft, 3 direct coupling clutch, 4 torque converter, 5 mechanical automatic transmission, 6 input shaft, 7 input gear, 8 counter shaft, 9 counter shaft brake, 10 electronic control device for transmission, 11 friction plate , 12 Friction disk, 13 Diaphragm, 15 Gear shift unit, 16 Solenoid valve, 18 Fuel injection pump, 19 Rack position sensor, 20 Engine rotation sensor, 21 Engine electronic control unit, 22 Exhaust manifold, 23 Butterfly valve

Claims (4)

  A shift control apparatus for a vehicle, in which a fluid coupling with a direct coupling clutch is interposed between an engine and a mechanical transmission, wherein the direct coupling clutch is turned off when starting, and is started by a fluid coupling. A vehicle speed change control device comprising a control means for changing the engine speed by increasing / decreasing the engine speed under the ON state of the engine.   2. The shift control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the engine speed increasing / decreasing means is a fuel injection amount control device for controlling a fuel injection amount of the engine.   2. The shift control apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the engine speed increasing / decreasing means is an inertia brake mechanism for braking the input shaft side of the mechanical transmission.   2. The transmission control apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the engine speed increasing / decreasing means is an engine auxiliary brake.

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