JPH10339333A - Automatic clutch control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic clutch control device whereby shift down operation such as generating over revolution of an engine can be previously prevented. SOLUTION: In a control device disengaging a clutch between an engine and a transmission when an operation start of a shift lever is detected, thereafter engaging the clutch when the shift lever is detected to be placed in any shift position, when the shift lever is detected to be placed in any shift position, this shift position is decided for whether it is in an improper shift position or not where an engine speed exceeds a predetermined maximum value when the clutch is completely engaged (S210 to S230), when the shift position is improper (S230:YES), an alarm is output to a driver (S250), an engaging start of the clutch is delayed by only for a fixed time (S260). As a result, in accordance with the alarm, the shift lever can be easily reshifted by the driver.

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 for automatically releasing and engaging a clutch provided between an engine of a vehicle and a transmission in response to an operation of a shift lever.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a clutch interposed between an output shaft of an engine and an input shaft of a manual transmission (manual transmission) having no torque converter has been used.
There has been proposed an automatic clutch control device in which an actuator automatically switches (disengages and engages) in response to an operation of a shift lever for changing a gear of a transmission. Specifically, when the start of the operation of the shift lever by the driver is detected, the clutch is released, and thereafter, the shift lever is put into any of the shift positions (that is, the shift operation is completed, and the transmission side , The clutch is engaged.

Here, even in a vehicle equipped with this type of automatic clutch control device, if a significant downshift operation such as the fifth speed to the second speed is performed during high-speed running, the engine will over-rev (engine). Rotation speed of
Exceeding the maximum allowable rotational speed in the design).

For this reason, conventionally, for example, “twing”
o Basic data: Renault public corporation, issued in 1994, the engine speed is monitored when the clutch is engaged, and the engine speed exceeds a predetermined maximum allowable speed. A technique has been put to practical use in which the clutch is maintained in a half-clutch state so as to prevent the clutch from being in a half-clutch state.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, the engine is protected by setting the clutch to a half-clutch state after a shift-down operation that causes the engine to overrev is performed. However, the use of this technique alone increases the amount of wear of the clutch and shortens the life of the clutch.

Further, when the clutch is in a half-clutch state due to an inappropriate downshift operation, a strong torque is applied to the transmission gear of the transmission by the powerful engine brake, so that the driver shifts the shift lever to the current shift position. A large force is required to remove from the position, and the shift position cannot be easily changed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and prevents an inappropriate downshift operation such as an overrev of an engine, thereby preventing excessive rotation of the engine without accelerating clutch wear. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic clutch control device capable of preventing the automatic clutch control.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, in the automatic clutch control device according to the present invention, the shift operation detecting means includes a shift operation for changing a gear of the transmission. The operation start of the lever by the driver and the shift position of the shift lever are detected.
When the shift operation detecting means detects the start of operation of the shift lever, the control means controls the driving means to release the clutch interposed between the output shaft of the engine and the input shaft of the transmission. Thereafter, when it is detected that the shift lever has been shifted to any one of the shift positions based on the detection result of the shift operation detecting means, the driving means is controlled to engage the clutch.

Here, in the automatic clutch control device according to the first aspect, when the control means detects that the shift lever has been shifted to any one of the shift positions, the shift operation detection means detects the shift lever. Whether or not the shift position of the shift lever is a shift position at which the engine speed exceeds a predetermined maximum speed when the clutch is completely engaged (hereinafter referred to as a “shift position causing overspeed”). Is determined by the shift position determining means.

If the shift position determining means makes an affirmative determination (that is, if the shift position of the shift lever detected by the shift operation detecting means is determined to be a shift position causing overspeed), The over-rotation prevention means issues a warning to the driver and delays the control means from starting the engagement of the clutch by a predetermined time.

That is, in the automatic clutch control device according to the first aspect, when the shift lever is put into any of the shift positions, the current shift position is first set to the overspeed before the engagement of the clutch is started. Is determined (shift position where the engine speed exceeds a predetermined maximum speed when the clutch is completely engaged). When it is determined that the shift position causes an overspeed, the driver is alerted to the possibility that the engine speed may exceed the maximum speed, and the clutch engagement start is started. It is delayed by a predetermined time.

According to this automatic clutch control device, the driver can know by a warning that a shift operation has been performed such that the engine speed exceeds a predetermined maximum speed. Then, when the warning is issued, the start of engagement of the clutch is delayed by a predetermined time, so that the driver can easily shift the shift lever to another shift position. In other words, at the time when the alarm is issued, the clutch is still in the released state, so no torque is applied to the transmission gear of the transmission by the engine brake, and the shift lever can be released from the current shift position with a small force. Because you can.

Therefore, according to the automatic clutch control device of the first aspect, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate downshift operation such that the engine is over-revved, and to prevent the engine from being excessively worn without accelerating the wear of the clutch. Rotation can be prevented. By the way, for example, before the shift lever is put into any of the shift positions, the shift position determination means determines in advance the number of rotations of the power transmission system from the transmission to the wheels and the transmissions corresponding to each shift position. Based on the gear ratio, a shift position that causes overspeed is determined, and when the control means detects that the shift lever has been shifted to any of the shift positions, the shift operation detected by the shift operation detecting means is performed. It can be configured such that it is determined whether or not the shift position of the lever is the shift position determined above.

However, in the case of such a configuration, the shift position at which the over-rotation occurs is predicted in advance, and the real-time property is lacking. Therefore, in order to increase the determination accuracy of the shift position determination means, the configuration may be made as described in claim 2.

That is, in the automatic clutch control device according to the second aspect, the shift position determining means detects a rotation number of a power transmission system from the transmission to the wheels, a rotation number calculating means, A rotational speed determination means. Then, when the control means detects that the shift lever has been shifted to any one of the shift positions, the rotational speed calculating means sets the speed of the transmission corresponding to the shift position of the shift lever detected by the shift operation detecting means. Based on the gear ratio and the number of rotations of the power transmission system detected by the number of rotations detection means, the number of rotations of the engine when the clutch is completely engaged is calculated. It is determined whether the rotation speed calculated by the calculation means exceeds the maximum rotation speed.

Further, the shift position judging means determines that the rotation speed is judged to be affirmative by the rotation speed judging means (that is, the shift position judgment means judges that the rotation speed calculated by the rotation speed calculating means exceeds the maximum rotation speed). Then, it is determined that the shift position of the shift lever detected by the shift operation detecting means is a shift position that causes overspeed.

That is, in the automatic clutch control device according to the second aspect, when the shift lever is shifted to any one of the shift positions, the gear ratio of the transmission corresponding to the shift position and the transmission from the transmission to the wheels. The rotational speed of the engine when the clutch is completely engaged is calculated based on the rotational speed of the power transmission system, and if the rotational speed exceeds a predetermined maximum rotational speed, the shift operation detecting means The shift position of the shift lever detected as described above is determined to be a shift position that causes overspeed.

Therefore, according to the automatic clutch control device of the second aspect, it is more accurately determined whether or not the shift position of the shift lever operated by the driver is a shift position that causes overspeed. be able to. Next, in the automatic clutch control device according to claim 3 which has been made to achieve the above object, similarly to the automatic clutch control device according to claim 1 or 2, the shift operation detecting means includes a shift operation detecting means. The operation start by the driver of the lever and the shift position of the shift lever are detected, and when the shift operation detecting means detects the start of operation of the shift lever, the control means controls the driving means to release the clutch, Thereafter, when it is detected that the shift lever has been shifted to any one of the shift positions based on the detection result of the shift operation detecting means, the driving means is controlled to engage the clutch.

In the automatic clutch control device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the shift position estimating means may be configured to determine whether the shift operation has been started by the shift operation detecting means. A shift position (the next shift position of the shift lever) at which the shift lever is next shifted is predicted.

When the next shift position of the shift lever is predicted by the shift position predicting means, the predicted shift position becomes a predetermined maximum rotational speed of the engine when the clutch is completely engaged. It is determined by the shift position determining means whether or not the shift position exceeds the number (a shift position that causes excessive rotation).

Further, when an affirmative judgment is made by the shift position judging means (that is, when the shift position predicted by the shift position estimating means is judged to be a shift position causing overspeed), the alarm output means is turned on. Alert the driver. In other words, in the automatic clutch control device according to the third aspect, the shift position to be engaged next after the operation of the shift lever is started is predicted in advance, and the predicted shift position is the shift position at which overspeed occurs. It is determined whether or not the shift position is such that the engine speed exceeds a predetermined maximum speed when the clutch is completely engaged. If it is determined that the shift position causes an overspeed, the driver is informed by a warning that the engine speed may exceed the maximum speed.

According to the automatic clutch control device of the third aspect, when the shift lever is about to be moved to a shift position where the engine speed exceeds a predetermined maximum speed, A warning is issued to the driver. Therefore, even with this automatic clutch control device, it is possible to prevent an inappropriate downshift operation such as an overrev of the engine, and to prevent an excessive rotation of the engine without accelerating the wear of the clutch. Become.

In the automatic clutch control apparatus according to the third aspect, the shift position determining means transmits the power from the transmission to the wheels when the shift operation detecting means detects the start of the operation of the shift lever. Based on the number of rotations of the system and the gear ratio of the transmission corresponding to each shift position, a shift position that causes overspeed is determined in advance, and the shift position prediction means predicts the next shift position of the shift lever. It is possible to determine whether or not the predicted shift position is the shift position determined above.

However, in the case of such a configuration, there is a problem that the real-time property is lacking and the accuracy of judging whether or not the shift position causes an excessive rotation is inferior. Therefore, in order to increase the determination accuracy of the shift position determination means, the configuration may be made as described in claim 4.

That is, in the automatic clutch control device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic clutch control device according to the third aspect, the shift position determining means detects the number of rotations of the power transmission system from the transmission to the wheels. The engine includes a rotation speed detection unit, a rotation speed calculation unit, and a rotation speed determination unit.

When the shift position predicting means predicts the next shift position of the shift lever, the rotational speed calculating means determines the gear ratio of the transmission corresponding to the predicted shift position and the rotational speed detecting means. Based on the detected rotational speed of the power transmission system, the rotational speed of the engine when the shift lever is put into the predicted shift position and the clutch is fully engaged is calculated, and the rotational speed determining means Determines whether or not the rotation speed calculated by the rotation speed calculation means exceeds the maximum rotation speed.

Further, the shift position judging means judges that the rotational speed judging means makes an affirmative judgment (ie, judges that the rotational speed calculated by the rotational speed calculating means exceeds the maximum rotational speed). Then, it is determined that the predicted shift position is a shift position that causes overspeed.

That is, in the automatic clutch control device according to the fourth aspect, when the next shift position of the shift lever is predicted by the shift position predicting means, the gear ratio of the transmission corresponding to the shift position and the speed change Based on the rotation speed of the power transmission system from the machine to the wheels, calculate the rotation speed of the engine when the clutch is completely engaged, and if the rotation speed exceeds a predetermined maximum rotation speed, The shift position predicted by the shift position prediction means is determined to be a shift position that causes overspeed.

Therefore, according to the automatic clutch control device of the fourth aspect, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the predicted next shift position is a shift position that causes overspeed. On the other hand, in the automatic clutch control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the warning issued to the driver is, for example, a display (for example, a method of displaying a message on a display device or turning on a warning lamp). ) May be used, but if the warning is given by a sound such as a buzzer sound or a chime sound, the driver is assured that the engine speed may exceed the maximum speed. I can let you know.

In the automatic clutch control device according to the second or fourth aspect, the rotational speed detecting means may directly detect the rotational speed of the power transmission system from the transmission to the wheels. The rotational speed of the power transmission system may be indirectly detected from the rotational speed of the wheels, the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle, or the like.

The maximum rotation speed may be a maximum allowable rotation speed in engine design, but may be lower than the maximum allowable rotation speed in consideration of a margin.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and can take various forms as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire configuration of an automatic clutch control device according to a first embodiment. The automatic clutch control device according to the present embodiment includes an engine 2, a five-speed manual transmission 4 capable of mechanically switching gears in response to an operation of a shift lever SL, and an output shaft 2a of the engine 2. A vehicle provided with a flywheel 6a on the output shaft 2a side of the engine 2 and a well-known clutch 6 including a friction plate 6b on the input shaft 4a side of the transmission 4 is provided between the input shaft 4a of the transmission 4 and the vehicle. Applicable. Although not shown, in the vehicle, wheels (from a transmission 4) via a propeller shaft connected to an output shaft of the transmission 4, a differential gear (differential device), and a drive axle. The power of the output shaft 2a of the engine 2 is transmitted to the drive wheels.

As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic clutch control device according to the present embodiment includes a clutch actuator 8 for operating the clutch 6 in accordance with an operation command Sc, a clutch stroke of the clutch 6 (ie, a flywheel 6a side of the friction plate 6b). And the number of rotations of the output shaft 2a of the engine 2 (ie,
A rotation sensor 12 for detecting the engine speed (Ne), a rotation sensor 14 for detecting the rotation speed (hereinafter referred to as an intermediate shaft rotation speed) Nc of the input shaft 4a of the transmission 4, and a vehicle speed V based on the rotation speed of the driven wheels. The vehicle is provided with a vehicle speed sensor 16 for detecting, and an accelerator sensor 18 for detecting an operation amount (hereinafter referred to as an accelerator operation amount) T of an accelerator pedal AP operated for adjusting the output of the engine 2.

Further, in the automatic clutch control device according to the present embodiment, the shift lever SL is in any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position (R: reverse), or
A lever sensor 20 that outputs a shift operation detection signal Ps indicating whether the lever is in a neutral position (N: neutral) that is not any of them, and a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like are mainly configured. An operation command Sc to the clutch actuator 8 based on the shift operation detection signal Ps from the ECU 20 and the accelerator operation amount T, clutch stroke C, engine speed Ne, intermediate shaft speed Nc, vehicle speed V, etc. detected by each of the above sensors. An electronic device (hereinafter, referred to as an automatic clutch ECU) 22 that outputs and controls the release and engagement of the clutch 6.

The vehicle has an automatic clutch ECU 22.
Similarly, a well-known microcomputer is mainly used, and the accelerator operation amount T, the engine speed Ne, the vehicle speed V, the automatic clutch ECU
An electronic device (engine ECU) 24 that generates various control signals Se based on the control information from the engine 2 and controls the fuel injection amount, ignition timing, and the like of the engine 2 is provided.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the lever sensor 20 determines whether the shift lever SL is in the first to fifth speeds in the shift gate SG forming the movable region of the shift lever SL.
And six detection switches 20-1 to 20-5, 20 which are turned on when the vehicle is in each of the reverse (R) shift positions.
-R, and each of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-
5, 20-R is turned on when the shift lever SL is located within a region (hatched region in FIG. 2) from the end of each shift position in the shift gate SG to a predetermined detection threshold, and the shift lever is shifted from that region. It turns off when SL comes out. Each of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-20
An on / off signal of −5, 20-R is output to the automatic clutch ECU 22 as a shift operation detection signal Ps.

The detection threshold is determined by the shift lever S
Shift gear (shift gear) inside the transmission 4 with the operation of L
Is set immediately before the position where the gear shifts out (in other words, immediately after the position where the transmission gear is engaged). Therefore, as shown by an arrow in FIG. 2, for example, when the shift lever SL is operated from the fifth gear shift position to the second gear shift position, that is, the driver shifts the transmission 4 from the fifth gear to the second gear ( To shift down, the detection switch 20-5 provided at the fifth-gear shift position first changes from the on state to the off state, and then the detection switch 20-g provided at the second-gear shift position.
2 changes from the off state to the on state.

Therefore, when any one of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-5 and 20-R changes from the on state to the off state, the automatic clutch ECU 22 starts operating the shift lever SL. It is determined that the driver intends to change gears, and thereafter, each of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-2 is determined.
When any one of 0-5 and 20-R changes from the off state to the on state, the shift lever SL is shifted to any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position, and the transmission 4
By determining that the shift has been completed, and by determining the detection switch that has been turned on, it is determined which shift position the shift lever SL has been shifted to (ie, what speed the transmission 4 has been shifted to). I have.

FIG. 3 is a hydraulic circuit diagram showing the structure of the clutch actuator 8. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the clutch actuator 8 includes a drain tank 30 for storing clutch oil, a pair of pumps 32 for pumping the clutch oil in the drain tank 30, a motor 34 for driving the pair of pumps 32, and a pump. A clutch release cylinder (hereinafter simply referred to as a cylinder) 36 operated by pressure oil supplied from the pump 32;
And a pressure-reducing control valve 40 provided on a hydraulic path from the cylinder 36 to the drain tank 30.

The hydraulic paths on the input and output sides of each pump 32 are provided with check valves 42 for preventing the backflow of clutch oil.
Are further provided between the input side of the pressure increasing control valve 38 (hereinafter, referred to as a pressure increasing path) and the output side of the pressure reducing control valve 40 (hereinafter, referred to as a pressure decreasing path). When the oil pressure in the pressure passage rises above the set value, the clutch oil in the pressure increase passage is released to the drain tank 30 via the pressure reduction passage, thereby preventing the oil pressure in the pressure increase passage from rising above the set value. Is provided.

In the clutch actuator 8, the push rod 36a of the cylinder 36 operates a clutch release fork (not shown) for separating the friction plate 6b of the clutch 6 from the flywheel 6a. . Each of the control valves 38 and 40 is a two-position valve including a communication position through which the clutch oil passes and a holding position where the passage of the clutch oil is shut off, and is controlled in response to an operation command Sc from the automatic clutch ECU 22. The position of the valve switches.

In the clutch actuator 8 configured as described above, the automatic clutch ECU 22 drives the motor 34 to operate the pump 32, and further sets the control valve 38 for increasing pressure to the communicating position, and sets the control valve 38 for reducing pressure as well. Control valve 40
Is set to the holding position, the clutch oil is supplied to the cylinder 36, and the push rod 36a operates the clutch release fork.
b operates in the direction away from the flywheel 6a (release direction), and the amount of engagement of the clutch 6 decreases. Conversely,
When the automatic clutch ECU 22 sets the pressure-increasing control valve 38 to the holding position and sets the pressure-decreasing control valve 40 to the communicating position, the clutch oil is returned from the cylinder 36 to the drain tank 30, thereby causing the clutch 6 Operates in the direction (engagement direction) in which the friction plate 6b approaches the flywheel 6a, and the engagement amount of the clutch 6 increases.

Next, the automatic clutch control performed by the automatic clutch ECU 22 will be described. First, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a main process executed by the automatic clutch ECU 22 to control the clutch 6. This main process is performed when an ignition key (not shown) is operated and the power is supplied to the automatic clutch ECU 22. Be executed.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the main processing, first, in step (hereinafter simply referred to as “S”) 110, based on the shift operation detection signal Ps from the lever sensor 20,
It is determined whether or not the operation of the shift lever SL has been started,
The operation waits until the operation of the shift lever SL is started.
The operation of the shift lever SL is started as described above,
Detection switches 20-1 and 20-2 constituting lever sensor 20
The determination is made based on whether any of 0-5 and 20-R has changed from the on state to the off state.

Then, at S110, shift lever SL
Is determined to have started, the process proceeds to S120, in which the clutch actuator 8 outputs an operation command Sc for releasing the clutch 6, and the clutch 6 is completely released ( That is, the friction plate 6
b is completely separated from the flywheel 6a).

Next, the routine proceeds to S130, where the lever sensor 2
Based on the shift operation detection signal Ps from 0, it is determined whether or not the shift lever SL has been shifted to any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position. Wait until it is put in. Incidentally, the fact that the shift lever SL has been shifted to any one of the shift positions means that, as described above, any of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-5, 20-R constituting the lever sensor 20 is switched from the off state. The determination is made based on whether the state has changed to the ON state.

Then, at S130, shift lever SL
If it is determined that the vehicle has been shifted to any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position, the routine proceeds to S140, in which a clutch engagement process for engaging the clutch 6 is executed, and thereafter, It returns to S110 mentioned above.

Next, the clutch engagement process executed in S140 of the main process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, when the execution of the clutch engagement process is started, first, the current vehicle speed V is read from the vehicle speed sensor 16 in S210.

At S220, the current shift position of the shift lever SL is determined by determining which of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-5 and 20-R is ON. Then, based on the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to the determined shift position and the vehicle speed V read in S210, the engine speed Nx when the clutch 6 is completely engaged is calculated.

More specifically, the rotational speed of the propeller shaft (= the rotational speed of the output shaft of the transmission 4), which is a power transmission system from the transmission 4 to the drive wheels, is reduced to the vehicle speed V by final deceleration by a differential gear. The clutch 6 is completely engaged from the calculated rotational speed of the propeller shaft and the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to the current shift position of the shift lever SL, taking into account the ratio and the circumference of the wheel. The engine speed Nx when it is assumed that the engine speeds are combined is calculated.

Next, in subsequent S230, the engine speed Nx calculated in S220 exceeds a predetermined maximum speed (in this embodiment, the maximum allowable engine speed of the engine 2) Nemax. It is determined whether or not the rotation speed is greater than the maximum rotation speed Nemax.

In step S240, an operation command Sc for engaging the clutch 6 is output to the clutch actuator 8, and the clutch 6 is completely engaged. S of processing (FIG. 4)
Return to 110. In S240, the engagement speed (the speed at which the friction plate 6b approaches the flywheel 6a) at which the clutch 6 is engaged is determined by the actual engine speed Ne and the intermediate shaft speed Nc detected by the rotation sensors 12 and 14. , And the shift position of the shift lever SL (that is, the gear position of the transmission 4) is set to suppress the shock caused by the engagement of the clutch 6. Specifically, if the intermediate shaft rotation speed Nc and the engine rotation speed Ne are substantially equal, the clutch 6 is engaged at a stretch, and both rotation speeds N
If c and Ne are largely different, the clutch 6 is slowly engaged.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S230 that the engine speed Nx calculated in S220 exceeds the maximum speed Nemax, the current shift position of the shift lever SL completely engages the clutch 6. If the engine speed Ne exceeds the maximum engine speed Nemax, it is determined that the shift position is a shift position at which the engine speed Ne exceeds the maximum engine speed Nemax (i.e., a shift position that causes overspeed), and the process proceeds to S250.

In step S250, a warning is output by a buzzer sound or a chime sound to notify the driver that the engine speed Ne may exceed the maximum speed Nemax. After waiting for a given time (for example, 0.1 second) td, the process proceeds to S270.

At S270, an operation command Sc for engaging the clutch 6 is output to the clutch actuator 8, and the clutch 6 is engaged. Then, the clutch engagement process is terminated, and the main process ( S110 in FIG. 4)
Return to When the clutch 6 is engaged in S270, unlike the case of S240 described above, the rotation sensor 1
In the case where the engine speed Ne detected by (2) is likely to exceed the maximum speed Nemax, the clutch 6 is maintained in a half-clutch state so that the actual engine speed Ne does not exceed the maximum speed Nemax. ing.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, after it is determined in S130 of the main process (FIG. 4) that the shift lever SL has been shifted to any of the shift positions, the process proceeds to S240 or S270 of the clutch engagement process (FIG. 5). If the driver shifts the shift lever SL to another shift position before the clutch 6 is started to be engaged, the execution of the process immediately shifts to S210 of the clutch engagement process, and The determination in S230 is performed for the shift position thus set.

Further, after the clutch 6 is started to be engaged in S240 or S270 of the clutch engagement process and before the execution of the clutch engagement process is completed, the driver shifts the shift lever SL to another shift position. If the shift position is changed, the execution of the process immediately shifts to S120 of the main process so that the clutch 6 is released, and the clutch engagement process of FIG. Has become.

As described in detail above, when the automatic clutch ECU 22 of the first embodiment detects that the operation of the shift lever SL has been started (S110: YES), the clutch 6 is released by the clutch actuator 8 (S110: YES). S120) Then, the shift lever SL is shifted from the first gear to the fifth gear.
When it is detected that the vehicle has been shifted to any of the speed and reverse positions (S130: YES), the clutch 6 is engaged by the clutch actuator 8 (S140 (S240, S270)).

In particular, when it is detected that the shift lever SL has been shifted to any of the shift positions (S13
0: YES), the shift position of the shift lever SL determined by the shift operation detection signal Ps from the lever sensor 20 reaches the engine speed N when the clutch 6 is completely engaged.
It is determined whether or not e is a shift position at which the rotational speed e exceeds the maximum rotational speed Nemax (a shift position at which excessive rotation occurs) (S2).
If it is not the shift position that causes overspeed (S230: NO), the clutch 6 is completely engaged (S240), but if it is determined that the shift position causes overspeed (S230: S230). As shown in FIG. 6, a warning is issued to the driver (S250), and after waiting for a predetermined time td (S260), the clutch 6 is driven so that the engine speed Ne does not exceed the maximum speed Nemax. Are engaged in a half-clutch state (S2
70).

That is, the automatic clutch ECU of this embodiment
At 22, when the shift lever SL is moved to any of the shift positions, first, before the engagement of the clutch 6 is started,
It is determined whether or not the current shift position is a shift position that causes overspeed, and if the current shift position is a shift position that causes overspeed,
The driver is notified by a warning that the engine speed Ne may exceed the maximum speed Nemax, and the engagement start of the clutch 6 is delayed by a certain time td.

[0062] For this reason, the driver needs to determine the engine speed Ne.
That the shift operation has exceeded the maximum rotation speed Nemax can be known by an alarm. When the warning is issued, the start of the engagement of the clutch 6 is delayed by the fixed time td, so that the driver can shift the shift lever S
L can be easily replaced in another shift position. That is, at the time when the alarm is issued, the clutch 6 is still in the released state, so that the torque by the engine brake is not applied to the transmission gear of the transmission 4 and the shift lever SL
Can be removed from the current shift position with a small force.

Accordingly, the automatic clutch E of the first embodiment is
According to the CU 22, an inappropriate downshift operation such as an overrev of the engine 2 is prevented beforehand, and the clutch 6 is controlled to the half-clutch state by the process of S270 in the clutch engagement process (FIG. 5). Opportunities can be reduced, and as a result, excessive rotation of the engine 2 can be prevented without accelerating wear of the clutch 6.

In addition, the automatic clutch E of the first embodiment
When the CU 22 detects that the shift lever SL has been shifted to any of the shift positions (S130: YE
S), based on the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to the current shift position of the shift lever SL and the rotation speed of the propeller shaft obtained from the vehicle speed V (that is, the rotation speed of the output shaft of the transmission 4)
Engine speed N when clutch 6 is completely engaged
x is calculated (S210, S220), and it is determined whether or not the calculated engine speed Nx exceeds the maximum speed Nemax (S230), so that the current shift position is a shift position that causes overspeed. Is determined.

For this reason, according to the automatic clutch ECU 22 of the first embodiment, it is accurately determined whether or not the shift position of the shift lever SL operated by the driver is a shift position that causes excessive rotation. be able to. That is, before it is detected that the shift lever SL has been shifted to any of the shift positions, the shift that causes overspeed is performed based on the rotation speed of the propeller shaft and the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to each shift position. The position is determined in advance, and when it is detected that the shift lever SL has been shifted to any of the shift positions, it is determined whether the shift position of the shift lever SL is the determined shift position. However, in such a case, the shift position at which the over-rotation occurs is predicted in advance, and the real-time property is lacking, so that the determination accuracy is poor. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, when the shift lever SL is shifted to any one of the shift positions, the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to the shift position and the current rotational speed of the propeller shaft are set. Based on the above, it is verified whether or not the shift position is a shift position that causes excessive rotation, so that a more accurate determination can be made.

In the first embodiment, the clutch actuator 8 corresponds to the driving means, and the lever sensor 20 (detection switches 20-1 to 20-5, 20-R) and S in FIG.
110 corresponds to the shift operation detecting means, and corresponds to S1 in FIG.
20 and S130 and S240 and S270 in FIG. 5 correspond to control means. Then, the vehicle speed sensor 16 and S210 to S230 in FIG. 5 correspond to the shift position determining means according to claims 1 and 2, and S250 and S260 in FIG.
This corresponds to an excessive rotation preventing means. The vehicle speed sensor 16
The process of calculating the rotation speed of the propeller shaft as a power transmission system from the vehicle speed V in S220 of FIG. 5 corresponds to the rotation speed detecting means according to claim 2, and the process of calculating the rotation speed of the propeller shaft in S220 of FIG. The process of calculating the engine speed Nx from the speed and the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponds to the speed calculating means according to claim 2, and S230 in FIG. Corresponds to the means.

[Second Embodiment] Next, the automatic clutch control device of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the automatic clutch ECU 22 executes a main process for controlling the clutch 6; The lever sensor 20 is different.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the lever sensor 20 of the second embodiment is different from the lever sensor 2 of the first embodiment.
Six detection switches 20-1 to 20-5, 20 same as 0
In addition to -R, six prediction detection switches 20-1a corresponding to the first to fifth speed and reverse shift positions, respectively.
To 20-5a and 20-Ra.

Then, each prediction detection switch 20-1
a to 20-5a and 20-Ra are from the predicted detection threshold value set near the beginning of the path for guiding the shift lever SL to each shift position in the shift gate SG to the end of each shift position in the shift gate SG. It is turned on when the shift lever SL is present in the area, and is turned off when the shift lever SL comes out of the area.

Further, in the second embodiment, in addition to the on / off signals of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-5 and 20-R, the prediction detection switches 20-1a to 20-1
The on / off signals of -5a and 20-Ra are output to the automatic clutch ECU 22 as the shift operation detection signal Ps.

Therefore, for example, as shown by the arrow in FIG.
When the shift lever SL is operated from the fifth-gear shift position to the second-gear shift position, first, the detection switch 20-5 provided at the fifth-gear shift position changes from the on state to the off state, and then The prediction detection switch 20-5a provided at the fifth gear shift position changes from the on state to the off state. Then, the prediction detection switch 20-2a provided at the second gear shift position changes from the off state to the on state, and thereafter, the detection switch 20-2 provided at the second gear shift position changes from the off state. It will change to the ON state.

For this reason, the automatic clutch ECU 22 changes the state of any of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-5 and 20-R from the on state to the off state, and shifts the shift lever S
When it is determined that the operation of L has been started, if any of the prediction detection switches 20-1a to 20-5a and 20-Ra changes from the off state to the on state, the prediction detection switch that has been turned on is determined. , The shift position in which the shift lever SL will be shifted next.

Next, the automatic clutch EC according to the second embodiment will be described.
U <b> 22 executes a main process shown in FIG. 8 to control the clutch 6. This main process is also executed when the ignition key (not shown) is operated to turn on the power to the automatic clutch ECU 22, as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the main process, first, in S310, it is determined based on the shift operation detection signal Ps from the lever sensor 20 whether or not the operation of the shift lever SL has been started. Wait until the operation starts. The operation of the shift lever SL starts,
As in the first embodiment, any one of the detection switches 20-1 to 20-5 and 20-R constituting the lever sensor 20 is
The determination is made based on whether or not the on state has changed to the off state.

Then, at S310, shift lever SL
Is determined to have been started, it is determined that the driver has a will to shift, and the process proceeds to S320, where the clutch actuator 8 outputs an operation command Sc for releasing the clutch 6, and the clutch 6 is completely released.

Next, the routine proceeds to S330, where the lever sensor 2
Based on the shift operation detection signal Ps from 0, it is determined whether or not the shift lever SL is likely to enter any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position, and waits until an affirmative determination is made. Incidentally, the fact that the shift lever SL is about to enter any of the shift positions means that one of the prediction detection switches 20-1a to 20-5a and 20-Ra constituting the lever sensor 20 is changed from the OFF state to the ON state. It is determined based on whether or not it has changed.

Then, in S330, the shift lever SL
Is determined to be in any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position (that is, one of the prediction detection switches 20-1a to 20-5a and 20-Ra is turned on from the off state). When it is determined that the state has changed to the state), the prediction detection switch which has been turned on this time among the prediction detection switches 20-1a to 20-5a and 20-Ra is determined,
Predict the next shift position in which the shift lever SL will be put.

Next, the routine proceeds to S340, where the vehicle speed sensor 16
, The current vehicle speed V is read from the ECU 3. At S350, based on the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to the next shift position predicted at 330, and the vehicle speed V read at S340, the shift lever SL The engine speed Ny in the case where the clutch 6 is completely engaged with the shift position shifted to the shifted position is calculated.

Specifically, as in the first embodiment, the rotation speed of the propeller shaft, which is the power transmission system from the transmission 4 to the drive wheels (= the rotation speed of the output shaft of the transmission 4), , Calculated by taking into account the final reduction ratio of the differential gear and the circumference of the wheels to the vehicle speed V, the calculated rotation speed of the propeller shaft, and the gear of the transmission 4 corresponding to the next shift position predicted in S330. From the ratio, the engine speed Ny is calculated assuming that the shift lever SL is brought into the predicted shift position and the clutch 6 is completely engaged.

Then, in subsequent S360, the above S350
The engine speed Ny calculated in the step (1) is equal to a predetermined maximum engine speed (maximum design engine engine speed) Nema
x, and if it exceeds the maximum rotational speed Nemax, the process proceeds to S370, in which a warning is sounded by a buzzer sound or a chime sound, so that the driver is notified of the engine rotational speed Ne. May exceed the maximum rotational speed Nemax.

If an alarm is output in S370, or if it is determined in S360 that the engine speed Ny does not exceed the maximum speed Nemax, the program proceeds to S38.
0, and determines whether or not the shift lever SL has been shifted to any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position based on the shift operation detection signal Ps from the lever sensor 20. It waits until the lever SL is moved to any of the shift positions. Incidentally, the fact that the shift lever SL has been shifted to any of the shift positions means that the detection switch 20-1 that constitutes the lever sensor 20 as in the first embodiment.
The determination is made based on whether or not any of 20-5 and 20-R has changed from the off state to the on state.

Then, at S380, shift lever SL
Is determined to have been shifted to any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position, the process proceeds to S390, and the operation command Sc for engaging the clutch 6 with the clutch actuator 8 is performed.
Is output to cause the clutch 6 to be engaged, and thereafter, the clutch engagement processing ends.

When the clutch 6 is engaged in S390, unless the engine speed Ne detected by the rotation sensor 12 exceeds the maximum speed Nemax, the clutch 6 is completely engaged, and If the engine speed Ne detected by the sensor 12 is likely to exceed the maximum speed Nemax, the clutch 6 is maintained in a half-clutch state so that the engine speed Ne does not exceed the maximum speed Nemax. .

As described above, also in the automatic clutch ECU 22 of the second embodiment, when the start of operation of the shift lever SL is detected (S310: YES), the clutch 6 is released (S320), and thereafter, the shift lever SL is released. When it is detected that the shift position has been shifted to any one of the first to fifth speeds and the reverse position (S380: YES), the clutch 6 is engaged (S390).
Predicting the movement of the shift lever SL after detecting the start of operation of the shift lever SL Predictive detection switches 20-1a to 20-2
0-5a, 20-Ra, and predicts the next shift position where the shift lever SL will be put in based on the movement status (S330).

Then, it is determined whether or not the predicted shift position is a shift position at which the engine speed Ne exceeds the maximum speed Nemax when the clutch 6 is completely engaged (a shift position causing an overspeed). Judgment (S340-S
360), if it is determined that the shift position causes an overspeed (S360: YES), the driver is notified by a warning that the engine speed Ne may exceed the maximum speed Nemax (S360: YES). S370).

The automatic clutch E of the second embodiment as described above
According to the CU 22, the engine speed Ne is equal to the maximum speed N
When the shift lever SL is about to be shifted to a shift position that exceeds emax, a warning is issued to the driver. Therefore, the automatic clutch ECU 22 can also prevent an inappropriate downshift operation such as an overrev of the engine 2 and prevent the engine 2 from rotating excessively without accelerating the wear of the clutch 6. Become like

In addition, the automatic clutch E of the second embodiment
When the CU 22 predicts the next shift position of the shift lever SL (S330: YES), based on the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to the shift position and the rotation speed of the propeller shaft obtained from the vehicle speed V, The engine speed Ny when the shift lever SL is shifted to the predicted shift position and the clutch 6 is completely engaged is calculated (S350).
The calculated engine speed Ny is equal to the maximum engine speed Nemax.
(S36)
0), it is determined whether or not the predicted next shift position is a shift position that causes overspeed.

Therefore, according to the automatic clutch ECU 22 of the second embodiment, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the predicted next shift position is a shift position that causes overspeed. That is, at the time point when the operation start of the shift lever SL is detected, the shift position causing the overspeed is determined based on the rotation speed of the propeller shaft and the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to each shift position. When the next shift position of the lever SL is predicted, it may be configured to determine whether or not the predicted shift position is the shift position obtained as described above. Is disadvantageous in that it lacks the real-time property of determination and cannot perform more accurate determination. On the other hand,
In the embodiment, at the time when the next shift position is predicted, the shift position is determined to be an excessive rotation based on the gear ratio of the transmission 4 corresponding to the shift position and the current rotational speed of the propeller shaft. Since it is verified whether or not there is, it is possible to make a more accurate determination.

In the second embodiment, the lever sensor 2
0 prediction detection switches 20-1a to 20-5a, 20-
Ra and S330 in FIG. 8 correspond to shift position prediction means, and the vehicle speed sensor 16 and S340 to S360 in FIG.
8 corresponds to the shift position determining means, and S370 in FIG. 8 corresponds to the alarm output means. Also,
The process of calculating the rotation speed of the propeller shaft as a power transmission system from the vehicle speed V in the vehicle speed sensor 16 and S350 in FIG.
S3 in FIG. 8 corresponds to the rotation speed detecting means according to claim 4.
The process of calculating the engine speed Ny from the number of revolutions of the propeller shaft and the gear ratio of the transmission 4 at 50 corresponds to the number of revolutions calculating means according to claim 4, and S360 in FIG. Corresponds to the rotation speed determination means.

[Others] In the first and second embodiments, the rotation speed of the propeller shaft (the transmission 4
Is obtained from the vehicle speed V, but the rotation speed of the propeller shaft may be directly detected by a rotation sensor or the like.

In the first and second embodiments, a warning is issued to the driver by sound. However, a warning is displayed by displaying a message on a display device or turning on a warning lamp. You may put it out. However, it is more reliable to employ a sound alarm as in the above-described embodiments.

On the other hand, in the first and second embodiments, the maximum rotation speed Nemax is set to the maximum allowable rotation speed in the design of the engine 2. May be set.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an automatic clutch control device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a lever sensor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a hydraulic circuit diagram illustrating a configuration of a clutch actuator.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a main process of the automatic clutch control according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a clutch engagement process executed during the main process of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the clutch engagement process in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a lever sensor according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating main processing of automatic clutch control according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Engine 4 ... Transmission 6 ... Clutch SL
... Shift lever 8 ... Clutch actuator 10 ... Clutch stroke sensor 12,14 ... Rotation sensor 16 ... Vehicle speed sensor AP
... accelerator pedal 18 ... accelerator sensor 20 ... lever sensor 20-1 to 20-5, 20-R ... detection switch 22
... Automatic clutch ECUs 20-1a to 20-5a, 20-Ra ... Prediction detection switch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A drive means for operating a clutch interposed between an output shaft of an engine mounted on a vehicle and an input shaft of a transmission for transmitting power of the output shaft to wheels, and a gear of the transmission. A driver's operation start for changing the shift lever, and a shift operation detecting means for detecting a shift position of the shift lever; and when the shift operation detecting means detects the start of the shift lever operation, the driving is performed. Means for releasing the clutch, and thereafter, when it is detected that the shift lever has been put into any of the shift positions based on the detection result of the shift operation detecting means, the drive means is controlled to control the clutch. And an automatic clutch control device comprising: a control unit for engaging the shift lever in any one of the shift positions. When the shift operation is detected, the shift position of the shift lever detected by the shift operation detecting means is such that when the clutch is completely engaged, the engine speed exceeds a predetermined maximum speed. Shift position determining means for determining whether the vehicle is in a position, and if the shift position determining means makes a positive determination, an alarm is issued to the driver and the control means starts engagement of the clutch. An automatic clutch control device, comprising: an excessive rotation preventing means for delaying the rotation by a predetermined time. 2. The automatic clutch control device according to claim 1, wherein the shift position determining unit detects a rotational speed of a power transmission system from the transmission to the wheels, and the shift lever. When the control means detects that the shift lever has been shifted to any one of the shift positions, the gear ratio of the transmission corresponding to the shift position of the shift lever detected by the shift operation detection means, and the rotation A rotational speed calculating means for calculating a rotational speed of the engine when the clutch is completely engaged, based on a rotational speed of the power transmission system detected by a rotational speed detecting means; Rotation speed determining means for determining whether or not the calculated rotation speed exceeds the maximum rotation speed.If the rotation speed determination device makes a positive determination, the shift is performed. The shift position of the shift lever detected by the operation detecting means is determined to be a shift position at which the engine speed exceeds the maximum speed when the clutch is completely engaged. An automatic clutch control device. 3. Drive means for operating a clutch interposed between an output shaft of an engine mounted on a vehicle and an input shaft of a transmission for transmitting power of the output shaft to wheels, and a gear of the transmission. A driver's operation start for changing the shift lever, and a shift operation detecting means for detecting a shift position of the shift lever; and when the shift operation detecting means detects the start of the shift lever operation, the driving is performed. Means for releasing the clutch, and thereafter, when it is detected that the shift lever has been put into any of the shift positions based on the detection result of the shift operation detecting means, the drive means is controlled to control the clutch. And an automatic clutch control device comprising: a shift operation detecting unit that detects the start of operation of the shift lever. A shift position predicting means for predicting a shift position at which the shift lever is to be shifted next, based on a moving state of the shift lever, and a next shift position of the shift lever is predicted by the shift position predicting means. The predicted shift position is
Shift position determining means for determining whether or not the engine rotational speed exceeds a predetermined maximum rotational speed when the clutch is completely engaged; and a positive determination by the shift position determining means. And an alarm output means for issuing an alarm to the driver when the automatic clutch control is performed. 4. The automatic clutch control device according to claim 3, wherein the shift position determination unit includes: a rotation number detection unit configured to detect a rotation number of a power transmission system from the transmission to the wheels; and the shift position. When the next shift position of the shift lever is predicted by the prediction unit, the gear ratio of the transmission corresponding to the predicted shift position and the rotation of the power transmission system detected by the rotation speed detection unit. A rotational speed calculating means for calculating a rotational speed of the engine when the shift lever is put into the predicted shift position and the clutch is completely engaged, based on the rotational speed, Rotation speed determining means for determining whether or not the calculated rotation speed exceeds the maximum rotation speed.When the rotation speed determining device makes an affirmative determination, the Shift position, the rotational speed between the fully engaged the clutch the engine is configured to determine that the to cause the shift position exceeds the maximum rotational speed, the automatic clutch control apparatus according to claim. 5. The automatic clutch control device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm is a sound alarm.