US 10,830,345 B1Granted

Brake-dependent clutch holding pressure while transmission is in neutral

AssigneeFca US LLC

InventorsJacob Liberatore, Nathan J Saliga, Jeffrey E Ross

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing a garage shift of an automatic transmission of a vehicle comprise maintaining a clutch at a first holding pressure while the transmission is in a neutral gear and a brake input signal satisfies a threshold and maintaining the clutch at a lower second holding pressure while the transmission is in the neutral gear and the brake input signal satisfies the threshold to mitigate or eliminate causing drive torque to be transferred from a torque generating system of the vehicle to its driveline via the transmission. When the brake input signal satisfies the threshold and a shift from the neutral gear to a non-neutral gear is requested, the garage shift is then executed.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A control system for an automatic transmission of a vehicle, the control system comprising:

a brake pedal sensor configured to generate a brake input signal indicative of an input provided by a driver of the vehicle via a brake pedal;
a gear selector sensor configured to monitor a gear selected by the driver of the vehicle via a gear selector;
and
a controller configured to:
detect when the transmission is in a neutral gear;
when the transmission is in the neutral gear and the brake input signal satisfies a brake threshold, command the transmission to hold a clutch at a first holding pressure to prepare for a garage shift from the neutral gear into a non-neutral gear;
when the transmission is in the neutral gear and the brake input signal does not satisfy the brake threshold, command the transmission to hold the clutch at a second holding pressure that is less than the first holding pressure, wherein the second holding pressure is configured to mitigate or eliminate causing drive torque to be transferred from a torque generating system of the vehicle to a driveline of the vehicle via the transmission when the transmission is in the neutral gear and the brake input signal does not satisfy the brake threshold;
and
in response to a selection of the non-neutral gear by the driver of the vehicle, command the transmission to execute the garage shift from the neutral gear into the non-neutral gear.

6 more elements

A method of controlling a garage shift of an automatic transmission of a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by a controller and from a brake pedal sensor, a brake input signal indicative of an input provided by a driver of the vehicle via a brake pedal;
receiving, by the controller and from a gear selector sensor, a gear selected by the driver of the vehicle via a gear selector;
detecting, by the controller, when the transmission is in a neutral gear;
when the transmission is in the neutral gear and the brake input signal satisfies a brake threshold, commanding, by the controller, the transmission to hold a clutch at a first holding pressure to prepare for a garage shift from the neutral gear into a non-neutral gear;
when the transmission is in the neutral gear and the brake input signal does not satisfy the brake threshold, commanding, by the controller, the transmission to hold the clutch at a second holding pressure that is less than the first holding pressure, wherein the second holding pressure is configured to mitigate or eliminate causing drive torque to be transferred from a torque generating system of the vehicle to a driveline of the vehicle via the transmission when the transmission is in the neutral gear and the brake input signal does not satisfy the brake threshold;
and
in response to a selection of the non-neutral gear by the driver of the vehicle, commanding, by the controller, the transmission to execute the garage shift from the neutral gear into the non-neutral gear.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/385,710Filed 16 Apr 2019
Published: US 2020/0332888 A122 Oct 2020
Granted: 10 Nov 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

F16H 61/0437
Smoothing ratio shift: by using electrical signals
F16H 61/20
Control functions within control units of change-speed- or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion ; Control of exclusively fluid…
F16H 3/663
Composed of a number of gear trains without drive passing from one train to another: with conveying rotary motion between axially spaced orbital…
F16H 59/54
Inputs being a function of the status of the machine, e.g. position of doors or safety belts: dependent on signals from the brakes, e.g. parking…