CN103307136A - Clutch device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a clutch device, which can prevent the prime mover from being in an excessively rotating state or an extremely low rotational speed state when a plurality of clutches are used to connect/disconnect a plurality of power transmission paths, and can ensure the operating efficiency and The running performance was at a good level. The clutch device has a clutch, a clutch drive unit and an AT/ECU. With one of the clutches being actuated into connected state by one of the clutch actuation units, the AT/ECU calculates the predicted speed NE_END at the return timing (step 3) that causes the other clutch actuation When the piston of the device returns to the disengaged position after being driven to the release position, when the predicted speed NE_END is not within the predetermined speed range (NE_L<NE_END<NE_H), it is forbidden to drive the piston of another clutch driving device to the release position.

Description

clutch device

technical field

The present invention relates to a clutch device having a plurality of clutches connected/disconnected according to hydraulic pressure.

Background technique

Conventionally, a clutch device described in Patent Document 1 has been known. The clutch device is a clutch device for a vehicle, and includes a clutch provided between an engine and a transmission, a clutch drive device for switching the on/off state of the clutch, a control device for controlling the clutch drive device, and the like. The clutch is composed of a clutch disc, a pressure plate and a diaphragm spring.

Moreover, the clutch driving device has an active hydraulic cylinder, a slave hydraulic cylinder connected with the active hydraulic cylinder through an oil circuit, an electric actuator for driving the active piston in the active hydraulic cylinder, etc., and the active hydraulic cylinder, the oil circuit and the slave hydraulic cylinder The dynamic hydraulic cylinder constitutes a closed-circuit hydraulic circuit. In addition, the active hydraulic cylinder is provided with an oil tank for releasing the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit.

The clutch device is configured such that the active piston can be driven by the actuator between a disconnected position, a connected position and a released position, and when the active piston is driven to the disconnected position, the clutch is disengaged. And, when the active piston is driven to the connecting position, the clutch is connected, and when the active piston is driven to the releasing position, the oil tank and the active hydraulic cylinder are communicated, and the working oil in the hydraulic circuit is between the oil tank and the active hydraulic cylinder. In/Out, whereby the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit is released. In this case, the disconnection position is set at the position where the active piston is closest to the clutch, the release position is set at the position at which the active piston is farthest from the clutch, and the connection position is set between the disconnected position and the released position. between.

Furthermore, as for the clutch device, a device described in Patent Document 2 has been known in the past. This clutch device is also a clutch device for a vehicle, and has two clutches provided between the internal combustion engine and the transmission. This clutch device connects/disconnects two power transmission paths using two clutches.

[Prior Art Literature]

【Patent Literature】

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-038176

[Patent Document 2] Japanese International Publication No. 2011/136235 Pamphlet

When the clutch device of Patent Document 1 is applied to a device having two clutches like Patent Document 2, the following problems arise. That is, when one of the two clutches is connected by one of the two clutch driving devices, and the power of the internal combustion engine is transmitted to the drive wheels through one of the two power transmission paths, the Power transmission based on another power transmission path is no longer necessary, so the other clutch is kept in a disengaged state. In this case, in the clutch device of Patent Document 1, as described above, the connected position is set between the disconnected position and the released position, and thus the clutch driving device side that drives the clutch to the connected state performs The action of driving the active piston to the release position in order to release the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit.

In order to change the gear stage when the amount of depression on the accelerator pedal suddenly increases during such a hydraulic release operation, it is necessary to quickly disengage the clutch in the clutch drive device performing the release operation. However, as described above, in the case where the clutch is disengaged with the release position of the active piston located farthest from the disengagement position, it is necessary to drive the active piston from the release position to the disengagement position via the connection position. Therefore, it takes a long time to disengage the clutch, and an excessive rotation state of the internal combustion engine occurs, which may lower fuel efficiency or operating efficiency. And, on the contrary, when the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine drops sharply and a shift operation is required, as described above, it takes a long time to disengage the clutch, so the rotational speed drops to an extremely low rotational speed region, and the operating state of the internal combustion engine Potentially unstable.

Contents of the invention

The present invention is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a clutch device that can prevent the prime mover from being in excessive In a rotating state or an extremely low rotational speed state, it is possible to ensure a good level of operating efficiency and operating performance of the prime mover.

In order to achieve the above object, the clutch device 1 of the first aspect is characterized in that the clutch device 1 has: a plurality of clutches (first and second clutches 10, 20), which are arranged on the prime mover (internal combustion engine 3) and through multiple A plurality of power transmission paths are respectively connected/disconnected between the driven parts (drive wheels DW) to which the power of the prime mover is transmitted; a plurality of clutch drive devices (first and second clutch drive devices 30, 40), which respectively drive multiple clutches to switch between the connected state and the disconnected state; and the control device (AT/ECU2c), which controls the actions of multiple clutches by controlling multiple clutch driving devices, The power of the prime mover is transmitted to the driven part through one of the multiple power transmission paths, and the multiple clutch driving devices respectively have: a closed-circuit hydraulic circuit, which is used to drive each of the multiple clutches; Hydraulic release chambers (oil tanks 34, 44), which are used to release the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit; hydraulic cylinders (active hydraulic cylinders 32, 42), which are set in the hydraulic circuit; pistons, which are set in the hydraulic cylinder, can Sliding freely between the following positions: the connected position (position shown in Fig. 3(a)) where the clutch is connected, and the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit is released to the hydraulic release chamber side by communicating the hydraulic cylinder and the hydraulic release chamber a released position (position shown in FIG. 3(c)), a disengaged position (position shown in FIG. 3(b)) between the released position and the connected position, which disconnects the clutch; and the actuators 31, 41, It is controlled by a control device, whereby the piston is driven between the connected position, the disconnected position and the released position, the control device has: a predicted rotational speed calculation unit (AT/ECU 2c, step 3), which passes through one of the plurality of clutches In the case where one of the plurality of clutch driving devices is driven into a connected state, the predicted rotational speed NE END is calculated as the predicted value of the rotational speed of the prime mover at the return timing, wherein the return timing is passed through the actuator Timing of temporarily driving the piston of the other clutch driving device to the release position and then returning to the disengaged position; and the prohibition unit (AT/ECU2c, steps 5~7, 11), when the calculated predicted speed is not in the predetermined speed range (NE_L <NE_END<NE_H), it is forbidden to drive the piston of another clutch drive to the release position.

According to this clutch device, by using the control device to control the plurality of clutch driving devices, the actions of the plurality of clutches are controlled, so that the power of the prime mover is transmitted to the driven part through one of the plurality of power transmission paths. Clutches other than the clutches that are transmitting power are disengaged. In this case, the disconnected position of the piston of the clutch driver is between the connected position and the released position, so that in the clutch driver that drives the clutch to the disconnected state, the piston can be driven from the disconnected position to the released position , capable of performing a hydraulic release action. That is, when the clutch is in the disengaged state, a hydraulic release operation can be performed.

And, in the case where one of the plurality of clutches is driven into a connected state by one of the plurality of clutch driving devices, the predicted rotation speed is calculated as a predicted value of the rotation speed of the prime mover at the return timing, wherein the The return timing is when the piston of the other clutch driving device is temporarily driven to the release position by the actuator and then returns to the disconnected position. When the calculated predicted rotational speed is not within the predetermined range, it is prohibited to drive the other clutch to the release position. Piston of the drive unit. That is, when the predicted rotation speed is not within the predetermined rotation speed range, the release operation of the hydraulic pressure is prohibited. Therefore, by setting the predetermined rotation speed range to an appropriate rotation speed range other than the excessive rotation speed range or the extremely low rotation speed range of the prime mover, it is possible to prevent the prime mover from being in an excessive rotation state or an extremely low rotation speed state. As a result, when an internal combustion engine is used as a prime mover, fuel efficiency, operating efficiency, and operating performance can be secured at a good level. On the other hand, when an electric motor is used as the prime mover, it is possible to ensure a good level of operation efficiency and power consumption. Thereby, ease of sale can be improved.

The second aspect of the invention is the clutch device 1 according to the first aspect, wherein the prime mover (internal combustion engine 3) and the clutch device 1 are mounted on a vehicle V, and the vehicle V is provided with a speed detection means ( Vehicle speed sensor 6), the predicted rotation speed calculation unit calculates the predicted vehicle speed VCAR_END as the predicted value of the speed of the vehicle V at the return timing based on the vehicle speed VCAR detected by the speed detection unit (step 2), and based on the calculated predicted vehicle speed VCAR_END calculates predicted rotational speed NE_END (step 3).

According to this clutch device, based on the speed of the vehicle detected by the speed detection means, a predicted speed is calculated as a predicted value of the vehicle speed at the return timing, and a predicted rotational speed is calculated from the calculated predicted vehicle speed. In this way, the predicted rotation speed can be calculated using a common speed detection unit in the vehicle without adding a special detection unit, so that the cost increase can be suppressed, and the saleability can be further improved.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a clutch device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a configuration of a powertrain of a vehicle using the clutch device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the outline of the configuration of the first and second clutch driving devices.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an operating state when the active piston of the first clutch driving device is in (a) a connected position, (b) a disconnected position, and (c) a released position.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing release prohibition determination processing.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing hydraulic pressure release control processing.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an example of control results.

Label description

V vehicle; DW driving wheel (driven part); 1 clutch device; 2 cAT/ECU (control device, predicted speed calculation unit, prohibition unit); 3 internal combustion engine; 6 vehicle speed sensor (speed detection unit); 10 first clutch (multiple one of multiple clutches); 20 second clutch (one of multiple clutches); 30 first clutch drive (one of multiple clutch drives); 31 actuator; 32 active hydraulic cylinder (hydraulic cylinder) ;34 Oil tank (hydraulic release chamber); 40 2nd clutch actuator (one of multiple clutch actuators); 41 Actuator; 42 Active hydraulic cylinder (hydraulic cylinder); 44 Oil tank (hydraulic release chamber); NE_END forecast Rotational speed; NE_H upper limit value (the value specifying the upper limit of the predetermined rotating speed area); NE_L lower limit value (the value specifying the lower limit of the predetermined rotating speed area); VCAR vehicle speed; VCAR_END predicted vehicle speed.

Detailed ways

Next, a clutch device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1 , a clutch device 1 according to the present embodiment is a clutch device applied to a drive system of a vehicle V. As shown in FIG. This vehicle V is a hybrid vehicle type vehicle, and has an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as "engine") 3 as a prime mover, an electric motor (hereinafter referred to as "motor") 4, and a pair of drive wheels DW (only one is shown in the figure). , a pair of driven wheels DW (not shown), FI/ECU2a for engine control, MOT/ECU2b for motor control, AT/ECU2c for vehicle speed control (see FIG. 2 ), etc.

The engine 3 is a multi-cylinder gasoline engine type engine, and has a crankshaft 3a for outputting power. In the case of the engine 3, the operating state of the engine 3 is controlled by FI/ECU2a. The motor 4 is a brushless DC motor type motor, and its operating state is controlled by MOTECU2b.

In addition, a clutch device 1, first and second transmission devices 50, 70, and a reverse device 80 are provided in the drive system of the vehicle V, and the operating states of these devices 1, 50, 70, 80 are controlled by the AT/ECU 2c. In addition, in the present embodiment, the AT/ECU 2c corresponds to a control device, predicted rotational speed calculation means, and prohibition means.

The clutch device 1 includes first and second clutches 10 and 20 , and first and second clutch driving devices 30 and 40 (see FIG. 2 ) for connecting and disconnecting these clutches 10 and 20 , respectively. The AT/ECU 2c controls the connection/disconnection states of the first and second clutches 10, 20 by controlling the first and second clutch driving devices 30, 40, respectively.

The first clutch 10 is a dry single-plate clutch, and has a flywheel-type outer clutch plate 11 integrally attached to the crankshaft 3a, and an inner clutch plate 12 integrally attached to one end of a first input shaft 51 to be described later. , and a return spring (not shown) that urges the inner clutch plate 12 away from the outer clutch plate 11 and the like.

In addition, the first clutch driving device 30 includes an actuator 31 , a master cylinder 32 , a slave cylinder 36 , and the like, as shown in FIG. 2 . A slidable active piston 33 is provided in the active hydraulic cylinder 32 , and one end portion of a rod 31 a of the actuator 31 is fixed to the active piston 33 . In addition, an annular groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the active piston 33, an O-ring 33a is installed in the annular groove, and the gap between the active hydraulic cylinder 32 and the active piston 33 is maintained by the O-ring 33a. secret state.

The actuator 31 is composed of a combination of a motor and a gear mechanism (both not shown), and the motor is electrically connected to the AT/ECU 2c. In the case of this actuator 31, the rod 31a is expanded and contracted in the left-right direction of FIG. 2 by controlling a motor based on the control input signal from AT/ECU2c. Thus, the active piston 33 is driven between the connected position shown in FIG. 3( a ), the disconnected position shown in FIG. 3( b ), and the released position shown in FIG. 3( c ).

In addition, the slave hydraulic cylinder 36 is connected to the master hydraulic cylinder 32 through an oil passage 35 , and a slidable slave piston 37 is provided inside it. In addition, an annular groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the driven piston 37, an O-ring 37b is installed in the annular groove, and the gap between the slave hydraulic cylinder 36 and the driven piston 37 is sealed by the O-ring 37b. remain liquid-tight. The above active hydraulic cylinder 32, active piston 33, oil passage 35, slave hydraulic cylinder 36 and slave piston 37 form a closed-circuit hydraulic circuit, and the hydraulic circuit is filled with working oil. In addition, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , hatched portions in the hydraulic circuit represent working oil, and hatching of cross-sectional portions of pistons 33 , 37 and the like is omitted for easy understanding.

On the basis of forming this closed-circuit shadow circuit, the active piston 33 is driven between the aforementioned connection position, disconnection position and release position by utilizing the force of the aforementioned return spring, and then in Fig. 3 (a ) to drive the driven piston 37 between the connected position shown in FIG. 3( b ) and the released position shown in FIG. 3( c ).

In addition, one end portion of the rod 37 a is fixed to the driven piston 37 , and the other end portion of the rod 37 a is connected to the inner clutch plate 12 . According to the above structure, the driven piston 37 presses the inner clutch plate 12 against the outer clutch plate 11 side against the urging force of the return spring when driven to the connected position. Thus, the first clutch 10 is connected. On the other hand, when the driven piston 37 is driven to the disengaged position, the inner clutch plate 12 is pressed by the urging force of the return spring to separate from the outer clutch plate 11 . As a result, the first clutch 10 is disengaged.

On the other hand, an oil tank 34 (a hydraulic pressure release chamber) is provided in the active hydraulic cylinder 32 . This oil tank 34 is used to release the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit, and is configured such that its inside communicates with the atmosphere side. The oil tank 34 is connected to the active hydraulic cylinder 32 through the communication channel 34a, as shown in Figure 3(a) and (b), when the active piston 33 is in the disconnected position or the connected position, the communication channel 34a is blocked by the active piston 33, The inflow/outflow of working oil between the oil tank 34 and the active hydraulic cylinder 32 is prevented. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3(c), when the active piston 33 is driven to the release position, the active hydraulic cylinder 32 and the oil tank 34 are communicated through the communication channel 34a, so that the working oil in the oil tank 34 and the active hydraulic cylinder 32 Between inflow/outflow, so that the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit is released.

Next, the aforementioned second clutch 20 will be described. The second clutch 20, like the first clutch 10, is a dry single-plate clutch, and has an outer clutch plate 21 integrally fixed to the outer clutch plate 11 of the first clutch 10, and a first input shaft which will be described later. The rotatable inner clutch plate 22 on the 51, and the return spring (not shown) etc. that apply force to the inner clutch plate 22 to make it leave the outer clutch plate 21.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the second clutch driving device 40 has the same actuator 41, rod 41a, active hydraulic cylinder 42, O-ring 42a, active piston 43, and oil tank as the first clutch driving device 30 described above. 44 (hydraulic release chamber), connecting channel 44a, oil passage 45, slave hydraulic cylinder 46, slave piston 47, rod 47a and O-ring 47b. These devices and components 41 to 47, 41a, 42a, 44a, 47a, and 47b have the same structure as the corresponding devices and components of the first clutch driving device 30, and their functions and operations are also the same, so description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the aforementioned first transmission device 50 will be described. The first transmission device 50 shifts the input power by one of the first, third, fifth, and seventh speeds, and transmits the power to the drive wheels DW. The gear ratios of these 1st to 7th gears are set so that they are on the higher speed side as the number of gears increases. The first transmission 50 has a first input shaft 51 , a planetary gear unit 52 , a third-speed gear 53 , a fifth-speed gear 54 , and a seventh-speed gear 55 . The first input shaft 51 is rotatably supported by bearings (not shown), and the inner clutch plate 12 of the first clutch 10 is fixed to the end of the first input shaft 51 on the engine 3 side as described above.

The planetary gear device 52 is a single planetary gear device, and has: a sun gear 52a; a ring gear 52b, which is arranged on the outer periphery of the sun gear 52a and can rotate freely, and has more teeth than the sun gear 52a; ) planetary gears 52c (only two are shown) meshing with two gears 52a, 52b; and a rotatable planetary carrier 52d that supports the planetary gears 52c to be rotatable.

The sun gear 52a is attached concentrically to the rotating shaft 4a of the electric motor 4, and the rotating shaft 4a of the electric motor 4 is integrally formed coaxially with the first input shaft 51. According to the above structure, the 1st input shaft 51, the sun gear 52a, and the rotating shaft 4a rotate integrally with each other.

In addition, a synchronous clutch (not shown) for the first speed is provided on the ring gear 52b. The synchronous clutch for the first speed is connected/disconnected by the AT/ECU 2c, and the ring gear 52b is held in a non-rotatable state in the connected state, and is allowed to rotate in the disconnected state. When traveling in the first speed, the AT/ECU 2c engages the synchronous clutch for the first speed. The carrier 52 d is integrally attached to a hollow rotating shaft 56 which is arranged outside the first input shaft 51 and is rotatable relative to the first input shaft 51 .

The 3rd speed gear 53 is integrally attached to the rotating shaft 56, and is rotatable integrally with the rotating shaft 56 and the carrier 52d. Moreover, the 5th speed gear 54 and the 7th speed gear 55 are provided in the 1st input shaft 51, and are rotatable. Synchronous clutches (not shown) for the third speed, the fifth speed, and the seventh speed are provided on the first input shaft 51 . When traveling in any one of the 3rd speed, 5th speed and 7th speed, the AT/ECU 2c selectively drives the synchronous clutch among the synchronous clutches for the 3rd speed, 5th speed and 7th speed. One of the third-speed gear 53 , the fifth-speed gear 54 , and the seventh-speed gear 55 is engaged with the first input shaft 51 to rotate integrally with the first input shaft 51 . In addition, the third-speed gear 53 , the seventh-speed gear 55 , and the fifth-speed gear 54 are arranged in this order between the planetary gear unit 52 and the first clutch 10 .

In addition, the third-speed gear 53, the fifth-speed gear 54, and the seventh-speed gear 55 mesh with the first gear 57, the second gear 58, and the third gear 59, respectively, and these first to third gears 57-59 are integrally attached to the output gear. shaft 60. The output shaft 60 is rotatably supported by bearings (not shown), and is arranged parallel to the first input shaft 51 . Further, a gear 61 is integrally attached to the output shaft 60, and the gear 61 meshes with a gear of a final reduction gear FG having a differential gear. The output shaft 60 is coupled to the drive wheels DW through these gears 61 and the final reduction gear FG.

In the first speed change device 50 of the above structure, the gear stages of the first speed and the third speed are constituted by the planetary gear 52, the third speed gear 53 and the first gear 57, and the five speed gears are constituted by the fifth speed gear 54 and the second gear 58. The gear stage of the speed stage is constituted by the gear stage of the 7th speed stage by the 7th speed gear 55 and the 3rd gear 59 . And, the power input to the first input shaft 51 is shifted by one of the first, third, fifth and seventh speeds, and transmitted through the output shaft 60, the gear 61 and the final reduction gear FG Give the drive wheels DW.

Next, the aforementioned second transmission device 70 will be described. The second transmission device 70 shifts the input power by one of the second speed, the fourth speed, and the sixth speed, and transmits the power to the drive wheels DW. The gear ratios of these 2nd to 6th gears are set so that they are on the higher speed side as the number of gears increases. Specifically, the second transmission device 70 has a second input shaft 71 , an idler gear 72 , an intermediate shaft 73 , a second speed gear 74 , a fourth speed gear 75 , and a sixth speed gear 76 .

The second input shaft 71 is formed in a hollow shape, is arranged outside the first input shaft 51 , and is rotatable relative to the first input shaft 51 . One end portion of the second input shaft 71 is fixed concentrically to the inner clutch plate 22 of the second clutch 20 , and a gear 71 a is integrally attached to the other end portion.

The intermediate shaft 73 is arranged in parallel to the second input shaft 71 and the aforementioned output shaft 60 , and a gear 73 a is integrally attached to one end thereof. The gear 73 a meshes with the idler gear 72 , and the idler gear 72 meshes with the gear 71 a of the second input shaft 71 . The intermediate shaft 73 is coupled to the second input shaft 71 via the gear 73a, the idler gear 72, and the gear 71a.

The 2nd-speed gear 74, the 6th-speed gear 76, and the 4th-speed gear 75 are arranged on the intermediate shaft 73 and can rotate freely, and are arranged in this order, and are connected to the aforementioned first gear 57, third gear 59, and second gear, respectively. 58 meshes. In addition, synchronous clutches (not shown) for the second speed, the fourth speed, and the sixth speed are provided on the intermediate shaft 73 . When traveling in any one of the 2nd speed, 4th speed and 6th speed, the AT/ECU 2c selectively drives one of the synchronous clutches for the 2nd speed, 4th speed and 6th speed. One of the second-speed gear 74 , the fourth-speed gear 75 , and the sixth-speed gear 76 is engaged with the intermediate shaft 73 to rotate integrally with the intermediate shaft 73 .

In the second speed change device 70 of the above structure, the gear stage of the 2nd speed stage is constituted by the 2nd speed gear 74 and the first gear 57, and the gear stage of the 4th speed stage is constituted by the 4th speed gear 75 and the second gear 58. The gear 76 and the third gear 59 constitute a gear stage of the sixth speed stage. And, the power input to the second input shaft 71 is transmitted to the intermediate shaft 73 through the gear 71a, the idler gear 72 and the gear 73a, and the power transmitted to the intermediate shaft 73 is transmitted through these 2nd speed, 4th speed and 6th speed. Any one of the gears is shifted and transmitted to the drive wheels DW through the output shaft 60, the gear 61 and the final reduction gear FG.

As described above, the output shaft 60 for transmitting the shifted power to the drive wheels DW is shared among the first and second transmissions 50 and 70 .

In addition, the above-mentioned reversing device 80 is a device for reversing the vehicle V, and has a reversing shaft 81, a reversing gear 82, a gear 83, and the like. The reverse gear 82 is rotatably provided on the reverse shaft 81 and meshes with a gear 84 coaxially fixed to the first input shaft 51 . Furthermore, the gear 83 is coaxially fixed to the reverse shaft 81 and meshes with the idler gear 72 . In addition, a synchronous clutch (not shown) for reverse is provided on the reverse shaft 81 . When the vehicle V runs in reverse, the AT/ECU 2c drives the synchronous clutch for reverse to engage the reverse gear 82 with the reverse shaft 81 and rotate integrally with the reverse shaft 81 . As a result, the vehicle V can run in reverse.

On the other hand, the aforementioned three ECUs 2a to 2c are all composed of microprocessors (not shown), and transmit various electrical signals to each other. The microprocessors are composed of RAM, ROM, CPU and I/O interfaces. constitute.

In addition, FI/ECU 2 a is connected to crank angle sensor 5 . The crank angle sensor 5 is composed of a magnetic rotor and an MRE pickup, and outputs a CRK signal as a pulse signal to the FI/ECU 2a as the crankshaft 3a rotates. The CRK signal outputs one pulse per predetermined crank angle (for example, 1°), and the FI/ECU 2 a calculates the rotational speed (hereinafter referred to as "engine rotational speed") NE of the engine 3 based on the CRK signal.

In addition, the AT/ECU 2c is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 6 (speed detection means). The vehicle speed sensor 6 detects the rotational speed of the output shaft 60, and outputs a detection signal indicating the rotational speed to the AT/ECU 2c. The AT/ECU 2 c calculates the speed of the vehicle V (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle speed”) VCAR based on the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 6 .

In the vehicle V configured as described above, the operation control of the engine 3 by the FI/ECU2a, the operation control of the electric motor 4 by the MOT/ECU2b, and the control of the two clutch drive devices 30, 40 and the two transmission devices 50 by the AT/ECU2c , 70 and reverse device 80 to switch the running mode of the vehicle V among the engine running mode, the EV running mode, the assist running mode and the charging running mode.

The engine running mode is a running mode in which only the engine 3 is used as a power source. When running forward in this engine running mode, the AT/ECU 2c controls the first and second clutch drives performed by the first and second clutch drive devices 30 and 40 . The connecting/disconnecting operation of the clutches 10 and 20, and the connecting/disconnecting operation of the synchronous clutches for the 1st to 7th speeds. As a result, the power of the engine 3 is transmitted to the drive wheels DW through any one of the 1st to 7th gears, and the vehicle V travels forward.

At this time, when the power of the engine 3 is based on any one of the 4 odd-numbered gears (1, 3, 5, 7 speeds), and is based on 3 even-numbered gears (2, 4, 6 speeds) In any one of the gears, the power of the engine 3 is transmitted to the drive wheels DW through different power transmission paths. Specifically, when the power of the engine 3 is transmitted through the power transmission path of odd-numbered gears, the AT/ECU 2c connects the first clutch 10 and connects any one of the four synchronized clutches for odd-numbered gears.

And, when the power of the engine 3 is transmitted through the power transmission path of an even-numbered gear, the second clutch 20 is connected through the AT/ECU 2c, and the synchronous clutches for the second speed, the fourth speed, and the sixth speed are connected to each other. Either one of the synchronized clutches is connected. Also, when the power transmission path is switched from one of odd-numbered gears and even-numbered gears to the other by upshifting or downshifting shifting operations, pre-shift control is executed by the AT/ECU 2c. In this pre-shift control, for example, when upshifting from the second speed to the third speed, the synchronous clutch for the third speed is preliminarily connected with the first clutch 10 disengaged. Then, by disengaging the second clutch 20 and engaging the first clutch 10 in this state, an upshift from the first gear to the third gear is performed.

In addition, during execution of the shifting operation as described above, the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuits of the first and second clutch driving devices 30 and 40 may increase due to an increase in the temperature of the hydraulic oil or the like. In this case, since the hydraulic circuit is closed circuit and the hydraulic pressure is not naturally released, it is necessary to forcibly release the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit. Therefore, in the clutch device 1 of the present embodiment, the AT/ECU 2c executes hydraulic pressure release control processing as will be described later.

When the hydraulic pressure release control process is executed by the first clutch driving device 30 , the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit is released by driving the active piston 33 to the release position and communicating between the active hydraulic cylinder 32 and the oil tank 34 . In addition, when the hydraulic pressure release control process is executed by the second clutch driving device 40 , the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit is released by driving the active piston 43 to the release position and communicating between the active hydraulic cylinder 42 and the oil tank 44 .

Next, the release prohibition determination process will be described with reference to FIG. 4 . This process is to determine whether the hydraulic release control process should be prohibited based on the prediction result of the engine speed NE after the aforementioned hydraulic pressure release control process is executed, and the AT/ECU 2c executes this process at a predetermined control period ΔT (for example, 10msec).

As shown in the figure, first, in step 1 (abbreviated as "S1" in the figure, the same will be used hereinafter), the vehicle acceleration GCAR is calculated according to the following equation (1).

GCAR＝VCAR－ _VCARZ ...（1）

VCAR _Z in the expression (1) represents the previous value of the vehicle speed VCAR.

Then, go to step 2 and calculate the predicted vehicle speed VCAR_END according to the following formula (2).

VCAR_END=VCAR+GCAR·TCL·K1...(2)

In this formula (2), TCL represents the execution time of the hydraulic pressure release control process (hereinafter referred to as "control execution time"), and is set to a value (fixed value). In addition, K1 in the formula (2) represents a conversion coefficient for converting the value GCAR·TCL into a vehicle speed. Therefore, the second term GCAR·TCL·K1 on the right side of the formula (2) is the amount of change in the vehicle speed VCAR when the time TCL elapses from the current moment. As a result, predicted vehicle speed VCAR_END is calculated as a predicted value of vehicle speed VCAR at the end timing of the hydraulic pressure release control process when the hydraulic pressure release control process is executed at the present time.

In addition, in this case, the control execution time TCL may be calculated by a matching search based on the temperature of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic circuit, the engine speed NE, etc., without setting it as a fixed value.

In step 3 following step 2, the predicted rotational speed NE_END is calculated according to the following equation (3).

$\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; NE</span>}<span\; class="notranslate">\; \_</span>\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; END</span>}<span\; class="notranslate">\; =</span>\frac{\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; VCAR</span>}<span\; class="notranslate">\; \_</span>\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; END</span>}<span\; class="notranslate">\; \&CenterDot;</span>\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; K</span>}\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; 2</span>}}{\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; RAD</span>}<span\; class="notranslate">\; \_</span>\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; TIRE</span>}<span\; class="notranslate">\; \&Center\; Dot;</span>\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; RGEAR</span>}}<span\; class="notranslate">\; .</span><span\; class="notranslate">\; .</span><span\; class="notranslate">\; .</span><span\; class="notranslate">\; .</span><span\; class="notranslate">\; .</span><span\; class="notranslate">\; (</span>\mathrm{<span\; class="notranslate">\; 3</span>}<span\; class="notranslate">\; )</span>$

In the formula (3), RAD_TIRE represents the radius of the tire of the vehicle V, and RGEAR represents the gear ratio of the current gear stage. Also, K2 represents a conversion factor for converting the value (VCAR_END)/(RAD_TIRE·RGEAR) into the engine speed, so the estimated vehicle speed VCAR_END is calculated as the hydraulic release control process when the hydraulic pressure release control process is executed at the present time. The predicted value of the engine speed NE at the end timing of .

Then, it goes to step 4, and it is judged whether the vehicle acceleration GCAR is 0 or less. If the result of this determination is negative and the vehicle V is accelerating, the process proceeds to step 5, where it is determined whether or not the predicted rotation speed NE_END is equal to or greater than a predetermined upper limit value NE_H. The predetermined upper limit value NE_H is a value for preventing the engine 3 from being over-rotated, and is set to a predetermined fixed value having a hysteresis effect. This is because in the case where the calculation result of the predicted rotation speed NE_END deviates around the predetermined upper limit value NE_H due to calculation errors or the like, the determination result will frequently change and cause fluctuations in control, and the upper limit value is used to avoid such fluctuation.

When the determination result of step 5 is yes, if the hydraulic release control process is executed, the engine speed NE may reach the excessive speed region at the end timing, so it is determined that the hydraulic pressure release control process should be prohibited, and the process proceeds to step 7. In this case, the release prohibition flag F_REFING is set to "1", and this process ends.

On the other hand, when the result of determination in step 5 is negative, it is determined that the hydraulic pressure release control process should be permitted, and the process proceeds to step 8, where the release prohibition flag F_REFING is set to "0" to indicate this, and this process ends.

On the other hand, if the determination result of the aforementioned step 4 is YES and the vehicle V is in the cruising state or the deceleration state, the process proceeds to step 6 to determine whether the predicted rotation speed NE_END is equal to or less than the predetermined lower limit value NE_L. The predetermined lower limit value NE_L is a value for preventing the engine speed NE from falling to an extremely low speed range, and is set as a predetermined fixed value with a hysteresis for the same reason as the above-mentioned predetermined upper limit value NE_H.

If the result of determination in step 6 is Yes, if the hydraulic pressure release control process is executed, the engine speed NE may reach the extremely low speed range at the timing of its end, so it is determined that the hydraulic pressure release control process should be prohibited. In step 7, the release prohibition flag F_REFING is set to "1", and this process ends.

On the other hand, when the result of determination in step 6 is negative, it is determined that the hydraulic pressure release control process should be permitted, and as described above, the release prohibition flag F_REFING is set to "0" in step 8, and this process ends.

Next, the hydraulic pressure release control process will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . This hydraulic pressure release control processing is processing for releasing the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuits of the first and second clutch driving devices 30, 40, and is executed by the MOT/ECU 2b at the aforementioned predetermined control cycle ΔT.

As shown in the figure, first at step 10 it is judged whether the execution condition flag F_RELEASE is "1". The execution condition flag F_RELEASE indicates whether or not the execution condition of the hydraulic pressure release control process is satisfied. In the setting process not shown in the figure, the temperature of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic circuit or the elapsed time since the previous execution of the hydraulic pressure release control process is determined. It is set to "1" when the execution condition of the hydraulic pressure release control process is satisfied, and is set to "0" when it is not satisfied.

If the determination result in step 10 is negative and the execution condition of the hydraulic pressure release control process is not satisfied, this process is directly terminated. On the other hand, if the judgment result in step 10 is YES and the execution condition of the hydraulic pressure release control process is satisfied, the process proceeds to step 11 and it is judged whether or not the aforementioned release prohibition flag F_REFING is "1".

When the result of the determination is Yes, it is determined that the hydraulic pressure release control process should be prohibited, and the condition is directly terminated. On the other hand, when the determination result in step 11 is NO, it is determined that the hydraulic pressure release control process should be permitted, and the process proceeds to step 12, where it is determined whether the first clutch 10 is disengaged.

If the result of the determination is YES, the process proceeds to step 13, and the hydraulic pressure release control process of the first clutch driving device 30 is executed. Specifically, as described above, the active hydraulic cylinder 32 is driven from the disconnected position to the released position by the actuator 31, and the released position is maintained until the aforementioned execution time TCL, and then returned to the disconnected position. As a result, the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit of the first clutch driving device 30 is released. As described above, this process ends after step 13 is executed.

On the other hand, if the determination result in step 12 is NO, the process proceeds to step 14, and the hydraulic pressure release control process of the second clutch driving device 40 is executed. Specifically, as described above, the active hydraulic cylinder 42 is driven from the disconnected position to the released position by the actuator 41, and the released position is maintained until the aforementioned execution time TCL, and then returned to the disconnected position. As a result, the hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic circuit of the second clutch driving device 40 is released. As described above, this process ends after step 14 is executed.

Next, an example of a control result when the above hydraulic pressure release control process is executed (hereinafter referred to as “control result example”) will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . The control result example in this figure is an example when the engine speed NE is rising, the first clutch 10 is disengaged, and the second clutch 20 is connected. In the figure, POIL1 and POIL2 represent the hydraulic pressures in the hydraulic circuits of the first clutch driving device 30 and the second clutch driving device 40, respectively. 2 hydraulic POIL2.

As shown in the figure, at the timing when F_RELEASE=1 is established (time t1), NE_END<NE_H is established, so the release prohibition flag F_REFING=0. In this case, the first clutch 10 is in the disengaged state, whereby the master hydraulic cylinder 32 of the first clutch driving device 30 is driven from the disengaged position to the released position. Therefore, the first hydraulic pressure POIL1 is reduced to the pressure in the release state (hereinafter referred to as “release pressure”).

Then, at the timing (time t2) when the aforementioned control execution time TCL has elapsed from time t1, the master hydraulic cylinder 32 of the first clutch driving device 30 is driven from the released position to the disengaged position, whereby the first hydraulic pressure POIL1 is changed from The release pressure rises to the pressure in the disconnected state. In addition, at this timing, it can be seen that the actual engine rotation speed NE has risen to a value substantially equal to the predicted rotation speed NE_END at time t1.

In addition, when NE_END≧NE_H is satisfied (time t3 ), the release prohibition flag F_REFING is set to “1” as time elapses. Thus, execution of the hydraulic pressure release control process is prohibited. Then, at time t4, the connecting operation of the first clutch 10 by the first clutch driving device 30 and the connecting operation of the second clutch 20 by the second clutch driving device 40 are started, whereby the first hydraulic pressure POIL1 starts to rise. Simultaneously, the second hydraulic pressure POIL2 starts to descend.

Also, as time elapses, at time t5, while the second clutch 20 is completely disengaged, the first clutch 10 is engaged, and power transmission at the shift stage on the higher gear side starts, thereby reducing the engine speed NE. And will not exceed the upper limit NE_H. That is, assuming that the hydraulic pressure release control process is not executed during time t1 to t2, even if F_RELEASE=1 is established after time t3, the release prohibition flag F_REFING=1 and the hydraulic pressure release control process is prohibited. 3 over-rotation state.

As described above, according to the clutch device 1 of the present embodiment, when one of the two clutches 10, 20 is in the connected state by the AT/ECU 2c, the other of the clutches 10, 20 is controlled to be in the disconnected state, and at In this control process, the predicted rotation speed NE_END is calculated as a predicted value of the engine rotation speed NE at the end timing of the hydraulic pressure release control process assuming that the hydraulic pressure release control process is executed in the clutch driving device with the clutch in the disengaged state. And, when the predicted rotation speed NE_END is not in the predetermined rotation speed range (NE_L<NE_END<NE_H), the execution of the hydraulic pressure release control process is prohibited, and the shift operation is performed. That is, when NE_END≦NE_L or NE_END≧NE_H is satisfied, the release operation of the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic circuit is prohibited, and the shift operation is performed.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the engine speed NE from rising to an excessive speed region or falling to an extremely low speed region, and it is possible to ensure fuel efficiency, driving efficiency, and driving performance at a good level.

Then, a predicted vehicle speed CVAR_END is calculated from the vehicle speed CVAR as a predicted value of the vehicle speed CVAR at the end timing of the hydraulic release control process, and a predicted rotation speed NE_END is calculated from the predicted vehicle speed VCAR_END. In this case, the vehicle V is usually equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 6, and the estimated rotational speed NE_END can be calculated by using this vehicle speed sensor 6 without adding a special sensor, thereby suppressing an increase in cost and further improving ease of sale. .

In addition, the embodiment is an example in which two clutches 10, 20 and two clutch driving devices 30, 40 are used as a plurality of clutches and a plurality of clutch driving devices, but the number of clutches and clutch driving devices of the present invention is not limited to this, as long as It can be more than one. For example, three or more clutches may be used as a plurality of clutches, and in this case, only the same number of clutch driving devices as the number of clutches may be used.

In addition, the embodiment is an example in which two power transmission paths are used as a plurality of power transmission paths, but the number of power transmission paths in the present invention is not limited thereto, and three or more power transmission paths may be used.

In addition, the embodiment is an example in which the internal combustion engine 3 is used as the prime mover, but the prime mover of the present invention is not limited thereto, and an electric motor may be used as the prime mover, or a combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor may be used.

On the other hand, the embodiment is an example in which the clutch device 1 of the present invention is applied to the vehicle V, but the clutch device of the present invention is not limited thereto, and can of course be applied to ships or other industrial equipment.

In addition, the embodiment is an example in which the driving wheel DW is used as the driven part, but the driven part in the present invention is not limited thereto, and any member may be used as long as it can transmit the power of the prime mover. For example, when the clutch device of the present invention is applied to a ship, a propeller can also be used as a driven part.

In addition, the embodiment is an example of using NE_L<NE_END<NE_H as the predetermined rotational speed region of the predicted rotational speed, but the predetermined rotational speed region of the present invention is not limited thereto, as long as it is a region for prohibiting driving the piston to the release position. For example, NE_END<NE_H may also be used as the predetermined speed range.

Claims (2)

1. a clutch device is characterized in that, this clutch device has:

A plurality of clutches, they are located at prime mover and are passed by a plurality of power transfer path between the driven section of power of this prime mover, should a plurality of power transfer path connect/disconnect respectively;

A plurality of clutch drive apparatus, they drive these a plurality of clutches respectively, so that switch between coupled condition and off state; And

Control gear, it controls the action of described a plurality of clutches by controlling these a plurality of clutch drive apparatus, so that the power of described prime mover passes to described driven section by the some power transfer path in described a plurality of power transfer path,

Described a plurality of clutch drive apparatus has respectively:

The oil hydraulic circuit of closed type, it is used for driving each clutch of described a plurality of clutches;

The hydraulic pressure release room, it is used for discharging the hydraulic pressure in this oil hydraulic circuit;

Oil hydraulic cylinder, it is located in the described oil hydraulic circuit;

Piston, it is located in this oil hydraulic cylinder, can between following position, be free to slide: the link position that described clutch is coupled together, by described oil hydraulic cylinder and described hydraulic pressure release room are communicated with the described hydraulic pressure in the described oil hydraulic circuit is discharged into the release position of described hydraulic pressure release room side, between this release position and described link position, disconnect the off position of described clutch; And

Actuator, it is controlled by described control gear, drives thus described piston between described link position, described off position and described release position,

Described control gear has:

Prediction rotating speed computing unit, its clutch in described a plurality of clutches is driven in the situation of coupled condition by a clutch drive apparatus in described a plurality of clutch drive apparatus, calculate the prediction rotating speed as the predicted value of the rotating speed of the described prime mover at answer place on opportunity, wherein, this answer is the opportunity that is returned to described off position after by described actuator the described piston of another clutch drive apparatus being driven into described release position for the time being opportunity; And

Forbid the unit, when prediction rotating speed that this calculates is not in the desired speed zone, forbid driving to described release position the described piston of described another clutch drive apparatus.

2. clutch device according to claim 1, it is characterized in that, described prime mover and described clutch device are equipped on vehicle, in this vehicle, be provided with the speed detection unit of the speed that detects this vehicle, described prediction rotating speed computing unit is according to the speed of the vehicle that is detected by this speed detection unit, calculate the prediction speed of a motor vehicle as the predicted value of the speed of the described vehicle at described answer place on opportunity, and calculate described prediction rotating speed according to the prediction speed of a motor vehicle that this calculates.

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