JP3358374B2 - Lockup control device for torque converter - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lockup control device for a torque converter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A noise level in a vehicle compartment is detected to prevent the vibration noise in the vehicle compartment from increasing due to the vibration of a torque converter, and when the noise level exceeds a predetermined value, the lock-up clutch is activated. Increase the amount of slip,
A method for reducing the slip amount when the value is less than a predetermined value is known (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 6-193727).

[0003]

On the other hand, the rotational imbalance of the torque converter in the lock-up state changes depending on the relative position where the pump and the turbine are coupled. However, in the device disclosed in the above publication, the noise level in the passenger compartment is reduced. Since the relative positions of the pump and the turbine when locked up due to the reduced slip amount are undefined, it is not always the case that the rotational imbalance of the torque converter is minimized when locked up. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a lock-up control device for a torque converter capable of performing lock-up when a rotational unbalance of the torque converter is minimum and minimizing vibration and noise in a vehicle cabin in a lock-up state. With the goal.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation state detecting means for detecting an operation state of a vehicle, and an operation state wherein the operation state detected by the operation state detection means locks up a torque converter. A lock-up determining means for determining whether or not the engine is in a region; a relative position calculating means for calculating a relative position between the pump and the turbine of the torque converter; A lock-up control device for a torque converter, comprising: clutch control means for engaging a lock-up clutch such that the relative position calculated by the position calculation means matches a predetermined relative position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an operating state detecting means for detecting an operating state of the vehicle, and whether or not the operating state detected by the operating state detecting means is in an operating area for locking up the torque converter. Lock-up determining means for determining, relative position calculating means for calculating a relative position between the pump and the turbine of the torque converter, vibration detecting means for detecting vibration of a predetermined portion, and the vibration detecting means detecting in a lock-up state. A minimum vibration relative position calculating means for calculating a relative position at which the vibration of the predetermined portion is minimized, and a relative position calculated by the relative position calculating means when the lock-up determining means determines that the vehicle is in the lock-up operation area. However, the lock-up clutch is engaged so as to match the relative position where the vibration calculated by the minimum vibration relative position calculating means is minimized. Lock-up control apparatus of the torque converter comprising a clutch control means.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the operating range where the torque converter is locked up, the clutch control means engages the lock-up clutch so that the relative position between the pump and the turbine of the torque converter coincides with a predetermined relative position. Combine.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in an operating region in which the torque converter is locked up, the minimum vibration relative position calculation means calculates a relative position at which the vibration of the predetermined portion is minimized, and matches the relative position. , The clutch control means engages the lock-up clutch.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of the present invention. A torque converter 100 includes an engine 200 and a transmission mechanism 300.
Before the coupling is performed in this manner, the balance of the torque converter 100 is corrected by itself in the assembly process. This balance correction is performed by setting the angle between each tooth of the angle detecting gears 3 and 4 attached to the pump 1 and the turbine 2 to a predetermined value appropriately selected,
For example, the lock-up state is adjusted to zero so that the unbalance mass becomes zero. Therefore, next, when the engine and the transmission are coupled to the torque converter 100 and the engine is put into an actual operation state, if the angle between the angle detecting gears 3 and 4 is zero, the torque converter 100 is locked up. No vibration occurs. The present invention is based on this principle. In addition,
Specifically, the above-mentioned balance correction is performed by adding a balance weight to a part on the side of insufficient mass, or making a hole in a part on the side of excess mass, or the like.

The pump 1 of the torque converter 100 is connected to a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 200 via a front cover 5 and a shaft 6, and the turbine 2 is connected to a shaft 7.
Through an input shaft (not shown) of the transmission 300. A lock-up clutch 8 is attached to the turbine 2. At lock-up, the lock-up clutch 8 is engaged with the front cover 5 and engine output is transmitted to the transmission mechanism 300 without transmitting fluid. Axis 6 and axis 7
In addition to the angle detection gears 3 and 4, rotation speed detection gears 9 and 10 are attached to the motor. Sensors 11 and 12 are provided corresponding to the angle detection gears 3 and 4, and sensors 13 and 14 are provided corresponding to the rotation speed detection gears 9 and 10,
The angle and the number of revolutions are detected, and the signals are sent to the ECU 15.
Send to Also, signals from the throttle opening sensor 16, the intake pressure sensor 17, the intake temperature sensor 18, and the like are sent to the ECU. Since these sensors detect the operating state, they serve as the operating state detecting means of the present invention. Reference numeral 19 denotes a hydraulic pressure switching valve for supplying and discharging hydraulic pressure for connecting and disconnecting the lock-up clutch 8, and switching of supply and discharge of hydraulic pressure is controlled by the ECU. .

The ECU 15 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and an A / D interconnected by a bidirectional bus.
(Analog-to-digital converter), digital computer with I / O (input / output ports), etc.
Since signals of various sensors serving as the above-described operating state detecting means are read to perform basic control such as fuel injection amount control and ignition timing control, it is also determined whether or not the present invention is in an operating region where lock-up is performed in the present invention. The role of the lock-up determining means, the role of the relative position calculating means for calculating the relative position from the angle signal, and the role of the clutch control means for controlling the engagement of the lock-up clutch by controlling the switching of the hydraulic switching valve. Make

Next, the operation of the ECU 15 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The operation of this flowchart is an operation of weakening the engagement force of the lock-up clutch 8 and gradually changing the relative position when the relative position does not match the value at which the predetermined vibration becomes minimum in the lock-up state. The repetition is repeated so that the relative position becomes the relative position at which the predetermined vibration is minimized.

In steps 101 to 104, the signals of various sensors are read to grasp the current operating state, it is determined that the current operating state is in the lock-up region, and in step 105, it is determined that the lock-up clutch 8 is not slipping. In step 106, it is determined whether or not the relative position of the lock-up is proper. This is based on the angle signal of the pump 1 sent from the sensor 11 and the turbine 2 sent from the sensor 13. This is performed by comparing the angle signals of the above to determine whether or not the difference matches the difference at the time of balance correction. In the first embodiment, when the balance is corrected, the difference is set to zero.
Here, it is determined whether the difference is zero. As a result, if the angle difference is zero and the angle of the pump 1 matches the angle of the turbine 2, the process returns to step 102, and conversely, the angle of the pump 1 and the angle of the turbine 2 are not zero but the angle is not zero. If they do not match, the routine proceeds to step 107, where the value of the coefficient K for determining the engagement force of the lock-up clutch 8 is reduced by one step, and the routine returns. If it slips in the next calculation, the value of K is increased again, the slip is stopped, and the relative position is checked again in the next calculation.

If it is determined in step 104 that the current position is outside the lock-up area, the flow jumps to step 109 to execute the K
Of the lock-up clutch 8 is released. If it is determined in step 105 that the lock-up clutch 8 is slipping in spite of being in the lock-up area, the process proceeds to step 108 to increase the value of K by one step so that the slip does not slip. Let it. In addition,
The presence or absence of the slip is determined by determining whether or not the rotation speed Np of the pump 1 sent from the sensor 12 is equal to the rotation speed Nt of the turbine 2 sent from the sensor 14.

As described above, in the first embodiment, if the relative position between the pump 1 and the turbine 2 does not match the relative position when the balance is corrected in the lock-up state, the coupling force is reduced until the lock-up clutch 8 slips. The operation of shifting the relative position and locking up again is repeated until the operation coincides, and eventually coincides with the relative position at the time of balance correction, and the torque converter 100 is locked up at the minimum imbalance. Therefore, for example, the balance correction is performed at an angle difference of zero, and the
Locked up at 0 ° angle difference, 5 ° with one shift
When the balance is corrected, the state is the same as that at the time of balance correction by shifting 36 times.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, a vibration sensor 20 is attached to the transmission, and the relative position at the time of lock-up between the pump 1 and the turbine 2 at which the vibration level detected by the vibration sensor is minimized is determined. Then, the lock-up clutch is engaged. Therefore,
The ECU of the second embodiment calculates a relative position at which vibration at a predetermined location has a minimum value, and thus adds a role of a minimum vibration relative position calculating means. As a result, it is not necessary to correct the balance of the torque converter during assembly. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second embodiment. Steps 201 to 203 are equal to steps 101 to 103 of the first embodiment, steps 206 to 211 are equal to steps 104 to 109 of the first embodiment, Step 2 between step 203 and step 206
04 and 205 are newly inserted portions.

Therefore, only steps 204 and 205 will be described. In step 204, it is determined whether or not the learning area is the lock-up relative position. Learning of the optimum lockup relative position is performed.
Fly to 6. Here, the learning region is defined as a period during which the calculation of the learning of the lockup relative position is performed, and in fact, for approximately one second.
This is an operation region in which each parameter does not change, for example, an operation region in which the vehicle travels on a highway with a relatively high vehicle speed and little torque fluctuation. The determination in step 208 is based on step 1 of the first embodiment.
06, it is not the same as it is, but it is determined whether or not it is the relative position obtained in step 1007 of the lock-up relative position learning routine described later.

Next, a routine for learning the lock-up relative position will be described with reference to FIGS. This lock-up relative position learning routine performs a relative position that can occur when in the lock-up state, that is, 360 ° from zero.
The relative position is shifted little by little so that the relative position can be covered, the level of vibration at each relative position is measured, and the relative position when the vibration level is minimized is found. The number of times the operation is repeated is a value experimentally obtained, a value indicated by Nd in step 1004, and a value larger than a value obtained by dividing 360 ° by a shift amount of one relative position. It is.

In step 1001, an imaginary maximum value max which is an initial set of the minimum value LEVEL of the vibration level and which is larger than an actually possible vibration level is set. If it is determined in steps 1002 to 1004 that the lock-up clutch 8 has slipped and the number of repetitions has been checked and the conditions for performing the lock-up relative position learning operation have been satisfied, the process proceeds to step 1005.
Under this condition, the lockup relative position P and the vibration level L are measured.

In steps 1006 to 1008, the current measurement result in step 1005 is compared with the minimum value of the vibration level. If the current vibration level is smaller, the minimum value LEVEL and the relative position PHASE at that time are determined. If the vibration level is updated and the current vibration level is higher, the value of K is reduced by one step to shift to the next relative position without updating, and the engagement force of the lock-up clutch 8 is reduced.
In steps 1010 to 1012, the input information is read, various controls are performed, and it is determined whether or not the area is the lock-up relative position learning area. If the area is the lock-up relative position learning area, the flow returns to step 1002 to perform the above operation again. If it is out of the lock-up relative position learning area in step 1012, or if the number of repetitions exceeds a predetermined value in step 1004, the process returns to the main routine. If it is determined in step 1002 that the lock-up clutch 8 is slipping, step 1 is executed.
In step 009, the value of K is increased by one step to increase the engagement force of the lock-up clutch 8.

As described above, among the relative positions, the relative position having the smallest vibration is obtained, and the main routine performs the work of adjusting the relative position so as to match the relative position. Therefore, there is no need to perform balance adjustment in advance during assembly.

[0021]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the lock-up clutch can be engaged so that the relative position between the rotation of the pump of the torque converter and the rotation of the turbine coincides with a predetermined relative position. Therefore, a relative position at which vibration and noise are minimized is determined in advance, and if the relative position is matched with the relative position, vibration and noise at lock-up can be minimized. According to the second aspect, the relative position where the imbalance is minimized is found by itself while driving, and the lock-up clutch is engaged in accordance with the relative position, so that the relative position where vibration and noise are minimized is not determined in advance. Vibration and noise during lock-up can be minimized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a control routine according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a control routine according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a lock-up relative position learning routine according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a lock-up relative position learning routine according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pump 2 ... Turbine 3 ... Angle detection gear 4 ... Angle detection gear 5 ... Front cover 6 ... Shaft 7 ... Shaft 8 ... Lock-up clutch 9 ... Rotation speed detection gear 10 ... Rotation speed detection gear 11, 12 , 13, 14: Sensor 15: ECU 19: Hydraulic switching valve 20: Vibration sensor 100: Torque converter 200: Engine 300: Transmission mechanism

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An operating state detecting means for detecting an operating state of a vehicle; a lock-up determining means for determining whether an operating state detected by the operating state detecting means is in an operating area for locking up a torque converter; A relative position calculating means for calculating a relative position between the pump and the turbine of the torque converter; and a relative position calculated by the relative position calculating means when the lockup determining means determines that the torque converter is in the lockup operation region. A lock-up control device for a torque converter, comprising: a clutch control means for engaging a lock-up clutch so as to match the position. 2. An operating state detecting means for detecting an operating state of a vehicle; a lock-up determining means for determining whether an operating state detected by the operating state detecting means is an operating area for locking up a torque converter; A relative position calculating means for calculating a relative position between the pump and the turbine of the torque converter; a vibration detecting means for detecting vibration of a predetermined part; and a vibration of the predetermined part detected by the vibration detecting means in a lock-up state. A minimum vibration relative position calculation means for calculating a minimum relative position; and a relative position calculated by the relative position calculation means when the lock-up determination means determines that the vehicle is in the lock-up operation area. Clutch control means for engaging the lock-up clutch so as to match the relative position where the vibration calculated by the means is minimized Torque converter lock-up control apparatus comprising.