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US 5,632,706 AGranted
Motor vehicle with electronic clutch management system
AssigneeLuK Getriebe-Systeme GmbH
InventorsBurkard Kremmling, Michael Salecker, Martin Zimmermann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A motor vehicle has a clutch which is controlled by an electronic clutch management system. When the vehicle is in gear with the engine running and is stationary or almost stationary with no gas being given, the system causes the clutch to become engaged just enough to make the vehicle creep.
Claims81
A powered vehicle comprising:
- an engine;
- means for regulating the speed of said engine by an operator of said vehicle, said regulating means having a plurality of positions including a rest position in which said engine is at idling speed and an operative position in which said engine is above idling speed;
- a transmission for transferring torque to wheels of said vehicle;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission, said clutch being movable in a first direction to engage said transmission and in a second direction to disengage from said transmission, said clutch having a predetermined position in which said clutch engages said transmission at least with a relatively small force such that said vehicle begins to creep;
- and means for automatically controlling said clutch, said controlling means including means for invariably moving said clutch to said predetermined position under predetermined conditions in which said vehicle is in gear and at least almost at a standstill, said engine in running and said regulating means is in said rest position.
2 more elements
The vehicle of 18, further comprising means for calculating slip, when said vehicle is in a predetermined gear, from the speed of said engine and the speed of said transmission, taking into account the gear ratio of said predetermined gear.
A powered vehicle, comprising:
- an engine;
- a transmission;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission, said clutch having a predetermined position of initial engagement with said transmission;
- and means for automatically controlling said clutch, said controlling means including means for placing said clutch in a second position of disengagement from said transmission in response to starting of said engine while said vehicle is in neutral, and said controlling means also including means for displacing said clutch to a standby position between said predetermined and second positions when shifting of said vehicle from neutral into low gear is initiated.
1 more element
A powered vehicle, comprising an engine;
- a manual transmission;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transission;
- and means for automatically controlling said clutch, said controlling means including means for moving said clutch from a disengaged position into engagement with said transmission, or from one position of engagement into another, without direct determination of the input speed of said transmission.
A powered vehicle, comprising an engine;
- a manual transmission;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission;
- and means for automatically controlling said clutch, said controlling means including means for moving said clutch to a predetermined position in which said clutch engages said transmission with a predetermined force such that said vehicle begins to creep, and said predetermned position at least approximating the position of initial engagement of said clutch with said transmission.
A powered vehicle, comprising an engine;
- a manual transmission;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission;
- and means for automatically controlling said clutch, said controlling means including means for releasing said clutch, and said releasing means comprising an element remote from said clutch which includes means for measuring the displacement of said clutch.
A powered vehicle, comprising an engine;
- a manual transmission;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission means for automatically controlling said clutch;
- and means for determining the position of initial engagement of said clutch with said transmission without direct determination of the input speed of said transmission.
A powered vehicle, comprising an engine;
- a manual transmission;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission;
- means for automatically controlling said clutch;
- a vehicle motion brake;
- and means for determining the position of initial engagement of said clutch with said transmission when said vehicle motion brake is activated and said vehicle is in gear and at least almost at a standstill.
2 more elements
A method of operating a vehicle having an engine, a manual transmission and a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission, comprising the steps of idling said engine while said vehicle is in gear and at least almost at a stanstill;
- and automatically engaging said clutch with said transmission in such a manner that said vehicle begins to creep.
A powered vehicle, comprising:
- an engine;
- a transmission in a power flow from said engine;
- an automated clutch in said power flow, said clutch being engageable and disengageable to respectively transmit and interrupt the transmission of torque between said engine and said transmission;
- means for disengaging said clutch;
- and at least one means for controlling said clutch, including means for determining the position of initial engagement of said clutch with said transmission by more than one method.
2 more elements
A powered vehicle, comprising:
- an engine;
- a brake;
- means for regulating the speed of said engine, said regulating means having a plurality of positions including a rest position;
- a transmission in a power flow from said engine;
- an automated engageable and disengageable clutch in said power flow between said engine and said transmission;
- and at least one means for controlling said clutch, including means for moving said clutch to a first position under first conditions in which said vehicle is creeping, said means for operating is in said rest position and said transmission is in gear to transmit a first torque, and a waiting position under second conditions under which said clutch is in a disengaged waiting position in response to the application of said brake while said vehicle is creeping so that said transmission transmits a lesser second torque.
3 more elements
A powered vehicle comprising:
- an engine;
- means for regulating the speed of said engine by an operator of said vehicle, said regulating means having a plurality of positions including a rest position in which said engine is at idling speed and an operative position in which said engine is above idling speed;
- a transmission for transmitting torque to wheels of said vehicle;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission, said clutch being movable in a first direction to engage said transmission and in a second direction to disengage from said transmission, said clutch having a predetermined position in which said clutch engages said transmission at least with a relatively small force such that said vehicle begins to creeps and means for automatically controlling said clutch, said controlling means including means for invariably moving said clutch in said first direction to engage said transmission under predetermined conditions in which said vehicle is in gear and at least almost at a standstill, said engine is running and said regulating means is in said rest position.
1 more element
A powered vehicle comprising an engine, said engine being operable at a plurality of speeds including an idling speed at which the vehicle is at rest and a plurality of speeds higher than said idling speed;
- a transmission for transmitting torque to wheels of said vehicles a clutch for selectively coupling said engine with and uncoupling said engine from said transmission, sad clutch being operable in a first direction to engage said engine with said transmission and in a second direction to disengage said engine from said transmission, said clutch having a predetermined condition in which said engine is engaged with said transmission at least with a relatively small force such that said vehicle begins to creep and means for automatically operating said clutch including means for invariably operating said clutch in said first direction at least to said predetermined condition under predetermined circumstances in which said vehicle is in gear and at least almost at a standstill and said engine is running.
A powered vehicle comprising an engine;
- means for regulating the speed of said engine by an operator of said vehicle, said regulating means having a plurality of positions including a rest position in which said engine is at idling speed and an operative position in which said engine is above idling speed;
- a transmission for transmitting torque to wheels of said vehicle;
- a clutch for coupling said engine to said transmission, said clutch being actuatable in a first direction to couple said transmission to said engine and in a second direction to uncouple said transmission from said engine, said clutch having a predetermined position in which said clutch couples said transmission to said engine with a relatively small force so that said vehicle begins to creep;
- and means for automatically controlling said clutch, said controlling means including means for invariably actuating said clutch in said first direction to couple said transmission to said engine so that the vehicle begins to creep and slippage between said engine and said transmission is steadily reduced and the speed at which the vehicle creeps increases constantly.
1 more element
A powered vehicle comprising an engine;
- a transmission for transmitting torque to wheels of the vehicle;
- an automatically engageable and disengageable clutch in a power train between said engine and said transmission;
- and at least one means for controlling said clutch comprising a hydraulic system including a master cylinder, a slave cylinder for actuating said clutch, a hydraulic line between said cylinders, a source of hydraulic fluid connectable with said master cylinder by at least one sealable and unsealable equalizing passage arranged to effect a volume compensation between said source and said master cylinder, and regulating means for effecting a controlled at least temporary volume compensation.
A powered vehicle comprising an engine;
- a transmission for transmitting torque to wheels of the vehicle;
- an automatically engageable ad disengageable clutch in a power train between said engine and said transmission;
- and at least one means for controlling said clutch comprising a hydraulic system including a master cylinder, a slave cylinder for actuating said clutch, a hydraulic line between said cylinders, a source of hydraulic fluid connectable with said master cylinder by at least one sealable and unsealable equalizing passage arranged to effect a volume compensation between said source and said master cylinder, and regulating means for effecting at least temporary controlled engagement of said clutch and a volume compensation by way of said at least one equalizing passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.