US 5,630,773 AGranted

Method and apparatus for slip mode control of automatic clutch

AssigneeEaton Corporation

InventorsJames M. Slicker, Kwok W. Chan

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Abstract

An automatic clutch controller for a vehicle that reduces the oscillatory response to clutch engagement. The automatic clutch controller receives inputs from a throttle position sensor, an engine speed sensor and a transmission input speed sensor and develops a clutch actuation signal controlling a clutch actuator from disengaged to fully engaged. The clutch engagement signal at least partially engages the friction clutch in a manner to cause the measured transmission input speed to asymptotically approach engine speed employing an approximate inverse model of this oscillatory response. The automatic clutch controller develops a slip reference signal as a function of throttle position and engine speed and compares it to actual slip. The controller includes a PID regulator responsive to the difference of slip and slip reference, a prefilter operating on the resulting PID signal, and a compensator constructed to reduce the need for detailed particularization for individual vehicles or vehicle models by reducing the system closed loop sensitivity to vehicle parameter variations.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An automatic clutch control in a power train including an engine controlled by a throttle, a friction clutch having an input shaft connected to the engine and an output shaft connected to the input of a transmission, a throttle position sensor for producing a throttle signal, an engine speed sensor connected to the engine for generating an engine speed signal, a transmission input speed sensor connected to the output shaft of the friction clutch for generating a transmission input speed signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the output shaft of the friction clutch, a clutch actuator connected to the friction clutch for controlling engagement of the friction clutch from disengaged to fully engaged according to a clutch engagement signal, the control comprising:

a slip reference generator responsive to the throttle signal for producing a slip reference signal which is a function of throttle and engine speed;
a circuit for producing a slip error signal from the input speed, the engine speed, and the slip reference signals;
a PID (proportional-integral-differential) regulator responsive to the slip error signal to regulate the slip error;
and
a control circuit responsive to the regulated slip error for generating a clutch engagement signal to minimize the slip error signal, whereby the slip is controlled according to the slip reference signal.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.