JPH01115746A - Automatic clutch control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent release of a creep operation state during control of a brake in a short time, by a method wherein, when a gear position is except a range N and during non-step on of an accel, a clutch is changed in an engaging direction togetherwith a time during non-operation of a brake and is changed in a disengaging direction togetherwith a time during operation of a brake. CONSTITUTION:An electronic control device 10 to input output signals from various detecting means regulates the opening of a throttle valve through drive of a throttle actuator 52 according to a step-on amount of an accel by computing processing. Through drive and control of a clutch actuator 5, the degree of engagement of a clutch 2 is regulated. In this case, the electronic control device 10 is formed so as to perform control such that a clutch position is changed in a direction extending from disengagement to engagement within a given limit togetherwith a time during non-operation of a brake and the clutch position is changed in a direction extending from engagement to disengagement togetherwith a time during operation of a brake when the gear position of a speed change gear 21 is except a range N and during non-step on of an accel.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to an automatic clutch control device that automatically operates a vehicle friction clutch or the like using an electronic control device.

[Conventional technology]

In addition to conventional automatic clutches that use torque converters, there are also automatic clutches that use electronic control devices to automate the operation of friction clutches and magnetic particle electromagnetic clutches, eliminating the need for complicated operations of clutch pedals. In automatic clutches that use friction clutches or magnetic particle electromagnetic clutches, in order to prevent the friction material from generating heat or wearing out or the electromagnetic particles from deteriorating due to unnecessary slipping of the latch, the transmission is When the engine is in a position other than neutral, the clutch is kept in the disengaged state. Then, only when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal, a half-clutch position is determined according to the amount of pedal depression and the vehicle condition at that time, and the clutch is controlled so that it is engaged in that half-clutch position. Fig. 5 shows a specific configuration diagram of a conventional automatic clutch control device using a diaphragm type dry single-plate friction clutch. Gear, 1b is flywheel, 2 is clutch, 2a is pressure plate, 2b
is the clutch disc, 2C is the release bearing, 3 is the release lever, 14 is the piston rod, 5 is the clutch actuator, 6 is the oil tank, 7 is the transmission.
actuator, 8 gear position sensor, 9 interface, 10 electronic control unit, 11 ROM, 1
2 is a CPU, 13 is a select lever, 14 is a select position sensor, 15 is an accelerator sensor, 16 is an accelerator pedal, 19 is a vehicle speed sensor, 20 is a propeller shaft, 21
is a transmission, 22 is a gear for detecting the input shaft rotation speed, 23 is an input shaft rotation speed sensor,
24 is an engine rotation speed sensor, 50 is an engine, 51 is a throttle valve, and 52 is a throttle actuator. Although the transmission 21 used in combination with the clutch 2 is electronically controlled by the electronic control device 10, it may be a manual transmission. The amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 16 is determined by the accelerator sensor 15
and is input to the interface 9 of the electronic control device 10. The electronic control device 10 drives the throttle actuator 52 according to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal through arithmetic processing, and adjusts the opening degree of the throttle valve 51. The output of the engine 50 is thereby controlled, and the output torque is transmitted from the crankshaft 1 to the clutch 2. The output torque is determined by the engagement of the clutch (
The transmission is transmitted to the transmission 21 according to the degree of "contact" (that is, the degree to which the pressure plate za presses the clutch disc 2b against the flywheel 1b). After the gear is changed by the transmission 21, the torque is transmitted to the drive wheels via the propeller shaft 20. The pressing force of the pressure plate 2a is determined by the sliding position of the release bearing 2C, and this position is controlled by the clutch actuator 5 in response to a command from the electronic control device 10. That is, when the clutch actuator 5 operates, the piston rod 4 advances or retreats, and the position of the release bearing 2c is controlled via the release lever 3. FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the clutch actuator. 6th
In the figure, 4 is a piston rod, 5 is a clutch actuator, 6 is an oil tank, 31 is a pump, 32 to 35 are electromagnetic valves, 36 is a piston stroke sensor, 3
7 is a piston, 38 is a sensor loft, 39.40 is an oil chamber, and 41 is a single-rod, single-acting hydraulic cylinder. The clutch actuator is controlled by controlling the electromagnetic valves 32 to 35 in response to signals from the electronic control device 10. To disengage the clutch (disengage), use the solenoid valve 32.3.
3 and close the solenoid valves 34 and 35. At this time, pump 31 → solenoid valve 32 → solenoid valve 33 → oil chamber 3
Oil is supplied to the piston 9 and applies a pressing force to push the piston 37 to the right. The piston rod 4 is provided with a diaphragm spring (not shown) of the pressure plate 2a.
Although the force is moving to the left, the force due to the hydraulic pressure applied by the pump 31 is larger, so the piston 37 is pushed to the right. Therefore, the oil chamber 40
The oil flows into the oil tank 6. The piston rod 4 moves to the right (that is, moves backward), and the clutch is brought into "engagement". To connect the clutch (make it "on"), conversely, close the solenoid valves 32.33, open the solenoid valves 34.35, and open the oil chamber 39.
The oil inside is released from the pressure exerted by the pump 31 and no longer presses the piston 37 to the right. Since a leftward force is applied to the piston rod 4 by the diaphragm spring (not shown), the oil in the oil chamber 39 is pushed by the piston 37 and flows out into the oil tank 6. Oil flows into the oil chamber 40 as the piston 37 moves to the left. In this way, the piston rod 4 moves to the left, and the clutch is brought into "engagement". To set the clutch to half, use the piston stroke sensor 3.
6, the position of the piston 37 is detected, and all solenoid valves are closed when the piston 37 reaches the desired half-clutch position. Then,
The piston 37 does not move from that position and the clutch is "disengaged"
remains in the desired half-clutch position between and ``engaged.'' FIG. 7 shows a control flow from a stopped state to a starting state in a conventional automatic clutch control device. Note that input/output processing is omitted. FIG. 8 shows data tables 1 to 3 used to calculate the half-clutch position at the time of starting. These data tables are stored in R in the electronic control unit 10.
Store it in OMLL. Hereinafter, ``■'' to ``0'' in the explanation of FIG. 7 correspond to processes ``■'' to ``■'' in FIG. Block A in FIG. 7 is a section for checking the vehicle condition, and block B is a section for calculating the half-clutch position when the accelerator is depressed. ■ Check if a gear change is in progress. If the gear is being changed, it is of course necessary to disengage the clutch, so proceed to step ①, clutch disengagement.If the clutch was originally disengaged, it is sufficient to maintain that state. ■ Check if gear position is neutral. If the clutch is in neutral, the process proceeds to step (3) and the clutch is brought into "engaged" position, but this process takes into consideration the case where a diaphragm type dry friction clutch is used as the clutch. That is,
This is because if the clutch is not kept in the "engaged" position at this time, the pressing portion of the release bearing 2C will be worn out unnecessarily. ■ Check if the gear position is other than neutral and the accelerator is depressed. If the accelerator is depressed, it means that there is an intention to start the vehicle, so the process proceeds to block B where the half-clutch position when the accelerator is depressed is calculated. [Yes] If the accelerator is not pressed, check whether the vehicle speed is higher than the set vehicle speed. If the vehicle speed is above the set vehicle speed, the process proceeds to process ``■'' where the clutch is engaged in order to apply engine braking; if it is less than the set speed, the process proceeds to process ``■'' where the clutch is disengaged to prevent engine stall and vehicle body vibration. The set vehicle speed is approximately 10 to 20 km/h (although there is a
The law shall be determined as appropriate depending on the purpose of the vehicle, type of engine, gear ratio, etc. ■ Send a command from the electronic control unit 10 to the clutch actuator 5 to disengage the clutch. ■ Send a command from the electronic control unit 10 to the clutch actuator 5 to engage the clutch. (2) Detect the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal by the accelerator sensor 15, and obtain data a from the data table 1 in FIG. 8(a). Data a is used to calculate the appropriate half-clutch position (see process [phase]), al
The larger the value of , the closer to "engaged" the clutch can be determined. When the amount of accelerator depression is large, it is more appropriate to use a half-clutch that is close to the clutch ``engaged'' than a half-clutch that is close to the clutch ``disengaged''. It is designed so that the larger the value of al, the larger the value of al. ■ The engine speed is detected by the engine speed sensor 24, and data a is obtained from the data table 2 in Figure 8 (b).
Find 2. This is also used to calculate the appropriate half-clutch position. When the engine speed is high, the clutch is more ``engaged''.
Conversely, when the engine speed drops and the engine is about to stall, it is necessary to move the clutch closer to the "disengaged" side. Therefore, data table 2 is created so that when the engine speed is high, at becomes large, and when the engine speed is small, at is small. ■ The input shaft rotation speed of the transmission 21 is detected by the input shaft rotation speed sensor 23, and the input shaft rotation speed of the transmission 21 is detected.
Obtain data a from data table 3 in c). This is also used to calculate the appropriate half-clutch position. Similarly to the engine rotation speed, the data table 3 is created so that when the input shaft rotation speed is large, a becomes large, and when it is small, a becomes small. [Phase] Add data al + at + a3 to calculate half-thalasso 1,000 position a. (2) By controlling the clutch position according to the calculated half-clutch position a, it is possible to set the clutch half-clutch appropriately according to the driver's intention to accelerate, engine condition, vehicle speed, etc. FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a conventional automatic clutch control device, showing a shift state detection means 29 (gear position sensor 8, select position sensor 14). Accelerator sensor 15. Vehicle speed sensor 19. Engine speed sensor 24. Based on the information from the input shaft rotation speed sensor 23, etc., it is determined whether the clutch should be "disconnected" or "engaged".
The electronic control unit IO determines whether the clutch should be left in the
Judgment shall be made. A command is sent to the clutch actuator 5 to control the clutch 2.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

(Problems) The conventional technology described above has the following problems. The first problem is that there is a delay in response between when the accelerator pedal is depressed and when the vehicle starts moving. be. The second problem is that operations for extremely low-speed driving or short-distance movement required when parking the vehicle or the like are complicated. (Description of Problem) First, the first problem will be explained. Cars that use a torque converter (hereinafter referred to as ``torque converter cars'') have a creep phenomenon, so the car starts moving just by taking your foot off the brake pedal. However, in a car equipped with an automatic clutch like the one described above that does not use a torque converter, the process shown in Fig. 7 ■,
As you can see from ■ and ■, when stopped or at extremely low speed (
In other words, below the set vehicle speed. Process ■) When the accelerator is released (Process ■), the clutch is set to be "disengaged," and the clutch starts to engage only when the accelerator is depressed to start (Block B, Process 0). As a result, there was a feeling that there was some delay in response before the vehicle actually took off. Next, the second problem will be explained. When entering a small garage or when you only want to move the door by a few tens of centimeters,
With a torque converter vehicle, you only need to operate one brake pedal, whereas with the automatic clutch described above, you have to operate both the accelerator and the brake alternately, making driving difficult. (Note that some proposals have been made to add creep action to automatic clutches that do not use a torque converter (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 132424/1982 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 157443/1989), but these However, since the clutch disengages as soon as the brake is pressed, it is difficult to delicately control the speed and stopping position by adjusting the amount of pressure on the brake pedal, and the present invention is not yet satisfactory. The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, provide creep operation, and prevent the creep operation state from being released by short-term brake operation.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, the automatic clutch control device of the present invention includes at least a brake state B detection means and a clutch position control means, and when the gear position is other than neutral and the accelerator is not depressed, the automatic clutch control device of the present invention When the brake is not applied, the clutch position is changed over time from disengaged to engaged within a predetermined limit, and when the brake is applied, the clutch position is changed over time from engaged to disengaged.

[For production]

The purpose of the present invention is to produce an effect similar to the creep phenomenon of a torque converter, but the creep phenomenon causes the vehicle to move slowly even if the accelerator is not pressed when the gear position is other than neutral (therefore, This is a phenomenon that does not need to occur when the vehicle speed is high. Since the creep operation is required to be controlled by operating the brake, it is necessary to control the creep operation in consideration of the operating state of the brake. The brake state detection means detects whether or not the brake is in use. The clutch position control means controls the clutch to a commanded position between a "disengaged" position and an "engaged" position. When performing the creep operation, the clutch position is set to half-clutch, and the half-clutch position is initially set to the clutch "disengaged" position.
Set it to a half-clutch position close to . If the brake is not used, the brake is gradually changed within a predetermined limit from the "off" side to the "on" side. This provides a smooth leaping motion. If you suddenly shift the clutch to a half-engaged position, there is a risk that the vehicle will suddenly start or stall, but if you do the above, there is no such risk, and the clutch will not engage beyond a certain limit. Since the clutch does not approach this position, the clutch will not fully engage and the vehicle will accelerate regardless of the driver's will. On the other hand, if the brake is used, the "disconnection" occurs from the "contact" side.
gradually towards the sides within predetermined limits. This way, even if you try to finely adjust the vehicle speed by stepping on the brake when the vehicle speed is too high due to creep, the clutch will not suddenly disengage and the adjustment will be easy, and the rotation speed will be reduced by the brake. This means that the clutch is switched to a half clutch, which is less of a burden on the engine, and the engine speed will not drop significantly or the engine will stall in some cases. Furthermore, if the brake is used for a long period of time, as a result of the above changes, the clutch will eventually become "disengaged", thereby preventing wear on the clutch plate.

【Example】

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration of an automatic clutch control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 5 refer to the same parts as in FIG. 5. Further, 25 is a hand brake sensor, 26 is a hand brake, 17 is a foot brake sensor, and 18 is a fund brake. The operation of this automatic clutch control device is
This will be explained with reference to FIG. 3 and 4 show the control flow from the stopped state to the starting state in the automatic clutch control device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the input/output processing is omitted. The first feature of the control in the present invention is that by setting a time integral term I and determining the half-clutch position according to the value of I, the half-clutch position gradually changes as time passes. be. This provides a smooth leaping motion. In addition, since the initial stage of the creep operation is at a half-clutch position close to the clutch "disengaged" position, there is no risk of the vehicle suddenly starting to move or giving a large load shock to the engine. There is such a danger if the car is left in the half-clutch position. The second feature is that the integration direction (addition direction or subtraction direction) of the time integral term I is changed depending on the state of use of the brake. As a result, the half-clutch position is changed toward the clutch "disengaged" position in proportion to the time the brake is used, thereby preventing an extreme drop in engine speed and engine stalling. The third feature is that the half-clutch position does not approach the clutch "engaged" position more than a predetermined limit. This prevents the clutch from fully engaging and accelerating the vehicle regardless of the driver's will. What the driver requires in creep driving is slow driving with the clutch partially engaged. In the following explanation, Φ~[phase] corresponds to the processes ■~@ in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the control flow, block A is a part that checks the vehicle condition, block B is a part that calculates the half-clutch position when the accelerator is depressed, and block C is a part that calculates the half-clutch position when the accelerator is pressed down. It is a part. (2) to (2) These processes are the same as those of (1) to (4) in FIG. 7, so their explanation will be omitted. In addition, V. is the first set vehicle speed, and corresponds to the "set vehicle speed" in FIG. 7 (■). ■、■ Check whether the brake is activated. When the brake is not operating, the value of the time integral term I, which will be described later, is increased, and when it is operating, it is decreased, which is done in the subsequent processing ■ and @. This is the turning point in deciding whether to proceed. ① From here to processing @ forms block C for calculating the half-clutch position when the accelerator rises. Here, the time integral term ■ is the upper limit ■. Check whether the above is true or not. The reason for setting the upper limit value r0 is as follows. As described in Processing ■, the value of ■ during creep operation gradually increases, so if an upper limit is not set, the value will eventually reach the value corresponding to the clutch being “engaged” and the clutch will not be fully engaged. However, what the driver needs in the creep operation is a half-clutch state, and if the clutch is fully engaged and accelerates as described above, it will go against the driver's intention. Therefore, it was decided that an upper limit value was set for (2) to keep the vehicle in a half-clutch state where the vehicle's movement would not deviate from the creep operation. ■ Add a constant α to the time integral term ■. The value of α can be determined as appropriate. Since the control flows shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are executed at regular time intervals in the electronic control device 10, the value of ■ is added by α each time the control flow comes around, and 2α,
It increases to 3α, 4α, and so on. Therefore, when the time period 10 times the time interval in which the control flow is flown has elapsed from the time when the vehicle state progresses from process ① to NO (i.e., the state where creep operation is required), ■
The value of is 10α. The reason why the time integral term ■ was provided is that when performing a creep operation, the half-clutch position is initially close to the clutch ``disengaged'' position, and then gradually moved to a position close to the clutch ``engaged'' to make the creep operation smooth. This is for the purpose of ■ When the brake is used, check whether the value of ■ is less than or equal to 0. If it is greater than 0, the process proceeds to process 0 to reduce the power; if it is less than 0, the process proceeds to process 0 through process 2 to set the clutch to be "disconnected". 0 Decrease the value of I by β. In the same way as in process ■,
It is decremented by β each time the control flow is passed. This corresponds to moving the half-clutch position toward clutch "disengagement." If the brake is used for a long time, the value of ■ becomes smaller than O. If the clutch position corresponding to the value of ■ that is smaller than 0 is set to "disengaged," the brake will be used for a long time. (For example, if the vehicle is stopped for a long time), the clutch can be set to "disengage". This prevents unnecessary wear on the clutch plates. 0 Check again whether the value of time integral term I is less than or equal to 0. Here, it is determined whether the clutch should be "disengaged" or half-clutched. ■ Multiply the time integral term ■ by a constant δ to determine the half-clutch position a to be maintained. That is, the half-clutch position a is calculated. As is clear from the calculation of "I x δ", δ is the rate of change of the half-clutch position. The value of δ is appropriately determined depending on the specifications of the vehicle in which the automatic clutch control device is installed, the performance of the engine, and the like. 0 A signal is sent from the electronic control unit 10 to the clutch actuator 5, and the position of the clutch 2 is set to the half-clutch position a determined in process 0. [Phase] Open the engine throttle valve (or fuel injection pump) to a preset opening degree. As can be seen from process (2), this process is performed when the accelerator is released, but when the accelerator is released, the engine is normally in an idling state. At this time, if the clutch becomes half-engaged and a load is applied to the engine, engine stalling may occur. This is to prevent that. ■ At this stage, if the vehicle speed is higher than the first setting single series v1,
The clutch is turned on to apply engine braking, but before doing so, the value of the time integral term I is reset (
0), the reason for doing so is to prevent unexpected vehicle ejection accidents. Once half-clutch control is performed for creep operation, there will be an increased value of I due to the time integral operation in process (2), but this will remain when other clutch operations (
For example, ``connection.'' If the creep operation is performed again after the clutch is "disengaged", the clutch suddenly enters the half-clutch position corresponding to the remaining large value I. As a result, the vehicle suddenly jumps out. To prevent this, the value of the time integral term I is reset in advance when performing clutch operations other than half-clutch control for creep operation. Processing O
(See 9@). [Phase] A command is sent from the electronic control unit IO to the clutch actuator 5 to connect the clutch. ■ Before disengaging the clutch, set the time integral I to 0.
Reset it to . [Phase] The electronic control device 10 sends a command to the clutch actuator 5 to disengage the clutch. [Phase] Unlike the process [Phase], the throttle valve is opened and closed according to the amount of accelerator depression. This is because at this stage, no load is applied to the idling engine as with a half-clutch. [Phase] Prior to half-clutch control when starting by depressing the accelerator pedal, the time integral term I is reset to O. [Phase] to [Phase] These processes are the same as the processes ① to 0 in FIG. 7, so the explanation will be omitted. A block diagram of the automatic clutch control device according to the present invention described above is shown in FIG. 1. The difference from the conventional automatic clutch control device shown in FIG.
The point is that an accelerator riser half clutch position calculating section 10-2 including a time integrating section 10-3 is provided.

【Effect of the invention】

According to the present invention described above, the following effects can be obtained. ■Even if you take your foot off the accelerator with the gear in a position other than neutral, the clutch will always be in the half-clutch position unless the brake is activated for a long time. Therefore, the vehicle may exhibit creep behavior. In addition, when starting from this state by pressing the accelerator pedal, the clutch is already in a half-engaged state, so there is less delay in response when starting, compared to conventional systems where the clutch only starts to engage when the accelerator pedal is depressed. I don't feel it. 2. Since creep operation is now possible, it is now possible to move the vehicle slightly or drive at extremely low speeds by operating only the brake pedal. 3. When the brake is operated for a long time, the clutch is placed in the disengaged position, and the clutch is not kept in a half-clutch state where it is slipping for a long time, reducing wear on the clutch (
You can. 4. When determining the half-clutch position when the accelerator rises, first set the half-clutch position close to the clutch "disengaged" and gradually change to the half-clutch position close to the clutch "engaged" as time passes. Since this value is set, a smooth leaping motion can be obtained without causing the vehicle to jump suddenly or giving a large shock to the engine. In addition, we set an upper limit on the half-clutch position at this time, so that the clutch does not approach the "engaged" position beyond a certain point.
There is no danger of the clutch engaging and accelerating regardless of the driver's will.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1: Block configuration diagram of an automatic clutch control device according to the present invention. Fig. 2: Specific configuration diagram of an automatic clutch control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 3 and 4... FIG. 5 shows a control flow from a stopped state to a starting state in an automatic clutch control device according to an embodiment of the present invention...A concrete configuration diagram of a conventional automatic clutch control device FIG. 6...Clutch actuator While showing the configuration, Fig. 7: A diagram showing the control flow from a stopped state to a starting state in a conventional automatic clutch control device. Fig. 8: A data table used to calculate the half-clutch position when the accelerator is depressed. Fig. 9...Block configuration diagram of a conventional automatic clutch control device In the diagram, 1 is a crankshaft, 1a is a protrusion, 1b
is a flywheel, 2 is a clutch, 2a is a pressure plate, 2b is a clutch disc, 2c is a release bearing, 3 is a release lever, 14 is a piston rod, 5 is a clutch actuator, 6 is an oil tank, 7 is a transmission actuator, 8 is a gear position sensor, 9 is an interface, 1o is an electronic control device, 1
1 is ROM, 12 is CPU, 13 is select lever, 1
4 is a select position sensor, 15 is an accelerator sensor, 16
is the accelerator pedal, 17 is the foot brake sensor, 18
is a foot brake, 19 is a vehicle speed sensor, 20 is a propeller shaft, 21 is a transmission, 22 is a gear, 23 is an input shaft rotation speed sensor, 24 is an engine rotation speed sensor, 25 is a hand brake sensor, 26 is a hand brake, 31 is a pump, 32 to 35 are electromagnetic valves, 36 is a piston stroke sensor, 37 is a piston, 38 is a sensor rod, 39.40 is an oil chamber, 41 is a single rod single acting hydraulic cylinder, 5o is an engine, 51 is a throttle valve ,
52 is a throttle actuator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The apparatus includes at least a brake state detection means and a clutch position control means, and when the gear position is other than neutral and the accelerator is not depressed, the clutch position is changed over time from disengaged to engaged direction by a predetermined limit when the brake is not applied. This automatic clutch control device is characterized in that it changes over time from the applied direction to the disengaged direction when the brake is applied.