US 5,056,639 AGranted

Device and method for the control of an automatic vehicle clutch

AssigneeZahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen AG

InventorsRainer Petzold, Norbert Wiencek

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Abstract

A device for the control of an automatic motor vehicle clutch is arrayed between an engine and a geaar box and acts primarily as a start-up clutch. A control device receives an electric signal coming from an electronic control device and transforms it into a control quantity for an actuator which engages and disengages the clutch. The engagement of the clutch at start-up occurs with a basic clutch-in speed dependent upon the positioning of the gas pedal and initiated by this positioning and is determined as an electric signal by an electronic control device. For this purpose, a characteristic curve which was determined specifically for the engine is stored in the memory of the electronic control device so that in dependence on the displacement angle of the gas pedal the basic clutch-in speed can be determined very quickly and in a simple manner. It is possible to further improve the quality of the clutch-in process by means of correction factors which are multipliers for the basic clutch-in speed. The highest requirements of a clutch are satisfied when, shortly before reaching the point of synchronization, the clutch is displaced once more in direction of disengagement, whereby the moment of disengagement as well as the disengagement speed are likewise determined by characteristic curves.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A control system for control of a clutch of a motor vehicle connected between an engine and a transmission, the control system comprising the combination with said engine, said clutch and said transmission of:

a clutch actuator connected to said clutch for opening and closing said clutch and imparting a clutch-in movement to said clutch during closing of said clutch;
a transducing control element connected to said clutch actuator and transforming an electrical signal received by said transducing control element into a control signal for operating said actuator;
an electronic control device connected to said transducing control element and having means for storing a predetermined relationship between an accelerator-pedal position and a basic clutch-in speed V.sub.KG for generating and applying said electrical signal to said transducing control element;
an accelerator pedal connected to said engine for controlling the acceleration thereof;
means coupled to said accelerator pedal and operatively connected to said electronic control device for supplying to said electronic control device a signal representing the instantaneous position of said accelerator pedal over an entire duration of a clutch-in process during which said clutch-in movement is applied to said clutch at least during startup of said vehicle, whereby said electrical signal represents a clutch-in speed determined by said position of said gas pedal in accordance with said relationship during said entire duration of the clutch-in process for said startup of said vehicle;
and
means for correcting the clutch-in speed determined by said position of said accelerator pedal and determining said electrical signal in accordance with the speed of said engine during said entire clutch-in process.

4 more elements

A method of controlling a clutch of a motor vehicle connected between an engine and a transmission by means of a control system comprising the combination with the engine, the clutch and the transmission of:

a clutch actuator connected to the clutch for opening and closing the clutch and imparting a clutch-in movement to the clutch during closing of the clutch;
a transducing control element connected to the clutch actuator and transforming an electrical signal received by the transducing control element into a control signal for operating the actuator;
an electronic control device connected to the transducing control element and having means for storing a predetermined relationship between an accelerator-pedal position and a basic clutch-in speed V.sub.KG for generating and applying the electrical signal to the transducing control element;
an accelerator pedal connected to the engine for controlling the acceleration thereof;
the method comprising the steps of:
supplying to the electronic control device a signal representing the instantaneous position of the accelerator pedal over an entire duration of a clutch-in process during which the clutch-in movement is applied to the clutch at least during startup of the vehicle, whereby the electrical signal represents a clutch-in speed determined by the position of the gas pedal in accordance with the relationship during the entire duration of the clutch-in process for the startup of the vehicle;
and
correcting the clutch-in speed determined by the position of the accelerator pedal and determining the electrical signal in accordance with the speed of the engine during the entire clutch-in process.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.