Method and apparatus for directly entering neutral idle during a garage shift

An automatic multi-speed transmission for a vehicle comprising:

• a plurality of clutches that are selectively actuated to directly enter a neutral idle (NI) mode during a garage shift (GS) event;
• and
• a controller having an algorithm adapted for controlling the transmission, and to allow the transmission to automatically and directly enter the NI mode during a garage shift (GS) event, wherein the GS event is a shift from one of a park (P), a neutral (N), and a reverse (R) setting to a drive (D) setting;
• wherein one of the clutches is actuated as a non-slipping GS clutch during the GS event, and wherein a different one of the clutches is actuated as an NI clutch to thereby directly enter the NI mode after completing the GS event.

A method for directly entering a neutral idle (NI) mode during a garage shift (GS) event from one of a park (P), a neutral (N), and a reverse (R) setting to a drive (D) setting using a multi-speed transmission, the method comprising:

• using a controller to automatically actuate a first clutch of a plurality of clutches to complete the GS event;
• and
• using the controller to automatically actuate a second clutch of the plurality of clutches to thereby directly enter the NI mode after completing the GS event;
• wherein the first clutch is separate from the second clutch.