Method and apparatus for controlling a motor vehicle clutch
AssigneeLuK Lammellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
InventorsReinhard Stehr, Manfred Homm, Marco Grethel
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Abstract
A method, and apparatus in the form of a hydraulic unit, for triggering at least one clutch in a hydraulic circuit for an axle transmission of a vehicle. The method and apparatus make it possible to simply and very quickly make available an adequate amount of working fluid at the required pressure to at least one clutch, according to the driving situation, in order to close the clutch.
Claims21
A method for actuating at least one clutch of a vehicle in a hydraulic circuit having a pump, a hydraulic pressure storage device, and at least one solenoid valve situated in a hydraulic fluid infeed of the at least one clutch, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing as a hydraulic pressure storage device a low pressure hydraulic reservoir that is operatively connected with a clutch actuator of the at least one clutch and with the pump, wherein the low pressure hydraulic reservoir is pressurized to a pressure of up to about 10 bar;
- supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid from the low pressure hydraulic reservoir to fill the clutch actuator of the at least one clutch prior to clutch operation;
- and
- supplying to the clutch actuator pressurized hydraulic fluid from the pump at a pressure higher than the pressure of the low pressure reservoir for rapidly engaging the at least one clutch by providing the clutch actuator with needed pressurized hydraulic fluid at a requisite operating pressure to actuate the at least one clutch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.