JP7505233B2 - Clutch control device and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a clutch control device and a clutch control method for controlling a clutch device.

In recent years, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, vehicle control devices equipped with automatic clutch devices that connect and disconnect between the prime mover and the transmission have been researched and developed. Such automatic clutch devices can stop the prime mover, such as an engine, from transmitting driving force to the drive wheels while the vehicle is running, or can stop the prime mover or put it into an idle state for coasting (inertial running), which is advantageous in terms of saving energy and improving fuel efficiency.

JP 2019-89372 A

However, in vehicles such as those described above, the clutch needs to be automatically connected and disconnected, so a clutch-by-wire (by-wire clutch, e-clutch) system is required, in which the connection between the clutch pedal and the clutch device is electrical rather than mechanical. When starting, stopping, shifting gears, etc., the clutch device needs to properly connect and disconnect between the prime mover and the transmission, so it is desirable for the clutch-by-wire system to incorporate a so-called fail safe.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a clutch control device and a clutch control method that can operate the clutch device more reliably.

After much consideration, the inventor has found that the above object can be achieved by the present invention described below. That is, a clutch control device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a depression amount detection unit that detects the amount of depression of a clutch pedal, an operation detection unit that detects whether the clutch pedal is depressed, an abnormality determination unit that determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the depression amount detection unit, a storage unit that stores control pattern information that indicates the correspondence between the elapsed time and the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel when the clutch device is transitioned from a disengaged state to an engaged state, and a control unit that controls the clutch device based on the control pattern information stored in the storage unit from the time when the operation detection unit detects the depression of the clutch pedal when the abnormality determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the depression amount detection unit.

Even if it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the depression amount detection unit, when the operation detection unit detects depression of the clutch pedal, this type of clutch control device controls the clutch device based on the control pattern information, so the depression amount detection unit is backed up by the operation detection unit, allowing the clutch device to be operated more reliably.

The clutch control device further includes a shift position input unit for inputting a shift position, the storage unit stores a plurality of control pattern information associated with the shift position, and the control unit controls the clutch device based on the control pattern information corresponding to the shift position input to the shift position input unit. Preferably, in the clutch control device described above, the shift position input unit is a shift lever or a button-type shift switch.

Such a clutch control device stores multiple pieces of control pattern information associated with the shift position, allowing the clutch device to be appropriately controlled according to the shift position.

In the above-mentioned clutch control device, the control pattern information represents a correspondence relationship between the elapsed time and the distance when the clutch device is transitioned from a released state to an engaged state via a half-clutch state. In the above-mentioned clutch control device, the control pattern information includes first control pattern information for a first gear, second control pattern information for a second gear and a third gear, and third control pattern information for a fourth gear or higher , and in the first to third control pattern information, the distance is constant over time in the half-clutch state, a third duration of the half-clutch state in the third control pattern information is shorter than a second duration of the half-clutch state in the second control pattern information, the second duration is shorter than a first duration of the half-clutch state in the first control pattern information , a third control time from a start of engagement to an end of engagement completion in the third control pattern information is shorter than a second control time from a start of engagement to an end of engagement completion in the second control pattern information, and the second control time is shorter than a first control time from a start of engagement to an end of engagement completion in the first control pattern information .

This type of clutch control device is equipped with multiple control pattern information in which the duration of the half-clutch state is shorter for higher gear shift positions, allowing the clutch device to smoothly transition from a disengaged state to an engaged state.

In another aspect, in the above-mentioned clutch control device, the operation detection unit is a switch that is attached to the clutch pedal and turns on or off when the clutch pedal is depressed, and turns off or on when the clutch pedal is released.

This type of clutch control device can directly detect whether the clutch pedal is being depressed using the switch.

In another aspect, in the above-mentioned clutch control device, the depression amount detection unit includes first and second depression amount detection units that detect the depression amount of the clutch pedal.

This type of clutch control device has a dual system (dual) for detecting the amount of depression, which allows the clutch device to be operated even more reliably.

A clutch control method according to another aspect of the present invention includes an operation detection step of detecting whether or not a clutch pedal is depressed, a shift position input step of inputting a shift position , an abnormality determination step of determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in a depression amount detection unit that detects an amount of depression of the clutch pedal, and, when it is determined by the abnormality determination step that an abnormality has occurred in the depression amount detection unit, inputting a shift position corresponding to the shift position inputted by the shift position input step among a plurality of control pattern information associated with the shift position , the control pattern information representing a correspondence relationship between an elapsed time from a point in time when depression of the clutch pedal is detected by the operation detection step and a distance between a clutch plate and a flywheel when a clutch device is transitioned from a released state to an engaged state. and a control process for controlling the clutch device based on control pattern information corresponding to the elapsed time, wherein the plurality of control pattern information each represent a correspondence relationship between the elapsed time and the distance when the clutch device is transitioned from a disengaged state via a half-clutch state to an engaged state, the plurality of control pattern information including first control pattern information for first gear, second control pattern information for second and third gears, and third control pattern information for fourth gear or higher, wherein in the first to third control pattern information, the distance is constant over time in the half-clutch state, the duration of the half-clutch state is shorter for a higher gear shift position, and the control time from the start of engagement to the end of engagement is shorter for a higher gear shift position .

This type of clutch control method allows the clutch device to be operated more reliably because, even if it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the depression amount detection unit, when depression of the clutch pedal is detected by the operation detection process, the clutch device is controlled based on the control pattern information.

The clutch control device and clutch control method of the present invention allow the clutch device to be operated more reliably.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a clutch control device according to an embodiment; 4 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between a sensor stroke (amount of depression of a clutch pedal) and an output voltage in a pedal stroke sensor as an example of a clutch depression amount detection unit of the clutch control device. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining control pattern information stored in and used by the clutch control device. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation of the clutch control device with respect to abnormality determination of a clutch depression amount detection unit. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the clutch control device with respect to the selection of a clutch control mode and the control of the clutch device. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation of the clutch control device in a second fail-safe clutch control mode.

One or more embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. In addition, components with the same reference numerals in each drawing are the same components, and their description will be omitted as appropriate. In this specification, when referring to a general term, a reference numeral without a subscript is used, and when referring to an individual component, a reference numeral with a subscript is used.

The clutch control device in the embodiment is a device that is mounted on a clutch-by-wire (by-wire clutch, e-clutch) vehicle, has a fail-safe function for clutch pedal operation, and controls a clutch device that connects and disconnects (disconnects) between a prime mover and a transmission. This clutch control device includes a depression amount detection unit that detects the amount of depression of the clutch pedal, an operation detection unit that detects whether the clutch pedal is depressed, an abnormality determination unit that determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the depression amount detection unit, a storage unit that stores control pattern information that indicates the correspondence between the elapsed time and the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel when the clutch device is transitioned from a disengaged state to an engaged state, and a control unit that controls the clutch device based on the control pattern information stored in the storage unit from the time when the operation detection unit detects the depression of the clutch pedal when the abnormality determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the depression amount detection unit. Such a clutch control device will be described in more detail below.

Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a clutch control device in an embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the sensor stroke (amount of depression of the clutch pedal) and the output voltage in a pedal stroke sensor as an example of a clutch depression amount detection unit of the clutch control device. The horizontal axis of Figure 2 is the sensor stroke (amount of depression of the clutch pedal), and the vertical axis is the output voltage. Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the control pattern information stored and used in the clutch control device. The horizontal axis of Figure 3 is the elapsed time, and the vertical axis is the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel.

As shown in FIG. 1, the clutch control device D in the embodiment includes a clutch depression amount detection unit 11, an operation detection unit 12, a shift position input unit 13, a clutch state detection unit 14, a control processing unit 21, a memory unit 22, a prime mover 31, a clutch device 32, and an output unit 33.

The clutch depression amount detection unit 11 is connected to the control processing unit 21 and is a device that detects the depression amount of the clutch pedal CP (clutch pedal stroke amount) according to the control of the control processing unit 21. In this embodiment, in order to achieve dual systemization (dualization), the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 is provided with two first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 that detect the depression amount of the clutch pedal CP. The first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 are configured similarly to each other, and are each attached to the clutch pedal CP for inputting an instruction for connection/disconnection between the prime mover 31 and the transmission by the clutch device 32, and are each configured with a pedal stroke sensor or the like that detects the pedal depression amount by detecting the pedal movable angle of the clutch pedal using, for example, a potentiometer or a Hall element. The first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 each output the detected clutch pedal depression amount to the control processing unit 21. The pedal stroke sensor expresses the amount of depression of the clutch pedal as a voltage value of the output voltage. In the pedal stroke sensor, the output voltage is proportional to the sensor stroke corresponding to the amount of depression of the clutch pedal as shown in FIG. 2, and in this embodiment, as an example, a range from 0.5 [V] to 4.5 [V] is used as the operating range of the pedal stroke sensor.

The operation detection unit 12 is connected to the control processing unit 21 and is a device that detects whether or not the clutch pedal is depressed according to the control of the control processing unit 21. In this embodiment, the operation detection unit 12 is, for example, attached to the clutch pedal CP and is configured with a switch that turns on (or off) when the clutch pedal CP is depressed and turns off (or on) when the clutch pedal CP is released. The operation detection unit 12 outputs the detected presence or absence of depression of the clutch pedal CP to the control processing unit 21. The operation detection unit 12 may be newly provided, but since there is no need to provide a new one, it is preferable to use an existing switch such as a so-called clutch cut switch. The clutch cut switch is a switch that detects whether or not the clutch pedal is depressed, and is a safety device that performs an interlock function that does not rotate the cell (does not operate the prime mover 31) unless the clutch pedal is depressed.

The shift position input unit 13 is connected to the control processing unit 21 and is a device for inputting a shift position. The shift position input unit 13 is configured with, for example, a shift lever or the like, including, for example, neutral and 1st to 6th gears as the shift positions. Alternatively, for example, the shift position input unit 16 is configured with, for example, a plurality of button-type shift switches or the like, including, for example, neutral and 1st to 6th gears as the shift positions. The shift position input unit 13 outputs the input shift position to the control processing unit 21. Note that, in the above example, the shift position input unit 13 is capable of inputting 1st to 6th gears, but is not limited thereto, and may be capable of inputting 4th gear or less, or 7th gear or more.

The clutch state detection unit 14 is connected to the control processing unit 21 and detects the connection/disconnection state of the clutch plate and the flywheel in the clutch device 32 according to the control of the control processing unit 21. The clutch state detection unit 14 is, for example, attached to the clutch device 32 and configured with a stroke sensor or the like that detects the stroke amount of the clutch plate (for example, the movement amount of the rod of the release cylinder that converts the hydraulic pressure generated in the master cylinder into a release stroke), and detects the connection/disconnection state of the clutch plate and the flywheel by detecting the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel based on the stroke amount of the clutch plate. Alternatively, for example, the clutch state detection unit 14 is configured with a hydraulic sensor that detects hydraulic pressure (for example, hydraulic pressure of the release cylinder) that is provided in the hydraulic system of the clutch device 32, and detects the stroke amount of the clutch plate based on the hydraulic pressure detected by the hydraulic sensor to detect the connection/disconnection state of the clutch plate and the flywheel. The clutch state detection unit 14 outputs the detected clutch connection/disconnection state to the control processing unit 21.

The prime mover 31 is connected to the control processing unit 21 and is a device that generates driving force for running the vehicle according to the control of the control processing unit 21. The prime mover 31 includes, for example, at least one of an engine and an electric motor, and transmits the driving force to the drive wheels via a clutch device 32, a transmission, etc.

The clutch device 32 is connected to the control processing unit 21 and is a device that connects and disconnects the prime mover 31 and the transmission according to the control of the control processing unit 21. The clutch device 32 is configured to include, for example, a clutch mechanism that includes a clutch plate and a flywheel that are configured to be connectable and disconnectable, and a drive unit (actuator) that disconnects the clutch plate and the flywheel by moving the clutch plate relative to the flywheel.

The output unit 33 is connected to the control processing unit 21 and is a device that outputs the presence or absence of an abnormality in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 according to the control of the control processing unit 21. The output unit 33 is configured, for example, with an indicator lamp or the like arranged on the instrument panel, and indicates that the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 is abnormal by turning on the indicator lamp, and indicates that the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 is not abnormal by turning off the indicator lamp. In this embodiment, since the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 has two first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2, the output unit 33 has a first indicator lamp for the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 and a second indicator lamp for the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2. Alternatively, for example, the output unit 33 includes a single indicator lamp that can be lit in multiple colors, and indicates that the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 is abnormal by lighting up a first color, indicates that the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is abnormal by lighting up a second color different from the first color, indicates that both the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 are abnormal by lighting up a third color different from the first and second colors, and indicates that neither the first nor second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 are abnormal by turning off the indicator lamp. Alternatively, for example, the output unit 33 includes a display device or the like disposed on the instrument panel, and displays a message on the display device indicating the presence or absence of an abnormality in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11. For example, a message indicating that the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 is abnormal is displayed on the display device.

The storage unit 22 is connected to the control processing unit 21 and is a circuit that stores various predetermined programs and various predetermined data according to the control of the control processing unit 21. The various predetermined programs include, for example, a control processing program, which includes, for example, a control program that controls each of the units 11-14, 22, 31-33 of the clutch control device D according to the function of each unit, an abnormality determination program that determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11, and a clutch control program that controls the clutch device 32 based on control pattern information described below from the time when the operation detection unit 12 detects the depression operation of the clutch pedal CP when the abnormality determination program determines that an abnormality has occurred in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11. The various predetermined data include data necessary for executing each of these programs, such as a threshold value (determination threshold value) for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11, and control pattern information. Such a storage unit 22 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) which is a non-volatile storage element, and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) which is a rewritable non-volatile storage element. The storage unit 22 also includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) which serves as a working memory for the control processing unit 21 and stores data generated during execution of the predetermined program. The storage unit 22 functionally includes a control pattern information storage unit 221.

The control pattern information storage unit 221 stores the control pattern information. The control pattern information is information that represents the correspondence between the elapsed time and the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel when the clutch device 32 is shifted from a disengaged state to an engaged state. In this embodiment, the control pattern information storage unit 221 stores a plurality of control pattern information associated with the shift position. There may be a plurality of control pattern information associated with each of a plurality of shift positions, but in this embodiment, there are three pieces of control pattern information for low speed, medium speed, and high speed. These three pieces of control pattern information each represent the correspondence between the elapsed time and the distance when the clutch device 32 is shifted from a disengaged state to an engaged state via a half-clutch state. An example of such three pieces of control pattern information is shown in FIG. 3. The curve α is the first control pattern information for the first gear (gear) for the low speed, the curve β is the second control pattern information for the second and third gears for the medium speed, and the curve γ is the third control pattern information for the fourth gear or higher for the high speed. The first to third control pattern information α, β, and γ show the distances between the clutch plate and the flywheel at each time point from the start of the engagement to the end of the engagement when the clutch device 32 is shifted from the disengaged state to the engaged state. The distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel is, of course, the longest at the start of the engagement, and gradually shortens over time except in the half-clutch state, and becomes 0 at the end of the engagement. In the half-clutch state, the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel is approximately constant over time. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the duration tk of the half-clutch state is shorter for a higher gear shift position (k=α, β, γ). That is, the third duration tγ of the half-clutch state in the third control pattern information γ is shorter than the second duration tβ of the half-clutch state in the second control pattern information β (tγ<tβ), and the second duration tβ of the half-clutch state in the second control pattern information β is shorter than the first duration tα of the half-clutch state in the first control pattern information α (tβ<tα). The control time Tk from the start of the connection to the end of the connection is also shorter for higher gear shift positions. That is, the third control time Tγ in the third control pattern information γ is shorter than the second control time Tβ in the second control pattern information β (Tγ<Tβ), and the second control time Tβ in the second control pattern information β is shorter than the first control time Tα in the first control pattern information α (Tβ<Tα). Each of such control pattern information α, β, and γ is designed appropriately in advance. For example, the control pattern information storage unit 221 may store each function expression representing each of such control pattern information (each curve) α, β, and γ, which represents the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel with respect to elapsed time, or, for example, for each of such control pattern information α, β, and γ, each distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel associated with each time point from the start of the connection to the end of the connection may be stored in a table format.

The control processing unit 21 is a circuit for controlling each of the units 11-14, 22, 31-33 of the clutch control device D according to the function of each unit, and for controlling the clutch device 32 to connect/disconnect (connect, release and connect) the prime mover 31 and the transmission. The control processing unit 21 is configured, for example, with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits. In the control processing unit 21, an abnormality determination unit 211 and a clutch control unit 212 are functionally configured by executing the control processing program.

The abnormality determination unit 211 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11. More specifically, the abnormality determination unit 211 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in each of the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 based on the detection results of the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2. In this embodiment, two pedal stroke sensors are used as an example of the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1, 11-2, and each pedal stroke sensor is used within a predetermined operating range (a range from 0.5 V to 4.5 V in the above example). Therefore, the abnormality determination unit 211 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the first CP stroke sensor depending on whether or not the voltage value (first voltage value) of the output voltage from the stroke sensor (first CP stroke sensor) serving as the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 deviates from the operating range, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the second CP stroke sensor depending on whether or not the voltage value (second voltage value) of the output voltage from the stroke sensor (second CP stroke sensor) serving as the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 deviates from the operating range. More specifically, the first voltage value is compared with the upper limit (judgment threshold (upper limit judgment threshold), 4.5 [V] in the above example) and lower limit (judgment threshold (lower limit judgment threshold), 0.5 [V] in the above example) of the operating range, and if the first voltage value deviates from the operating range (if the first voltage value is outside the operating range, if the first voltage value is above the upper limit judgment threshold, or if the first voltage value is below the lower limit judgment threshold), it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the first CP stroke sensor, and the second voltage value is compared with the upper limit and lower limit of the operating range, and if the second voltage value deviates from the operating range, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the second CP stroke sensor.

The clutch control unit 212 controls the clutch device 32 to connect and disconnect (connect, release and connect) the prime mover 31 and the transmission. When the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11, the clutch control unit 212 controls the clutch device 32 based on the control pattern information stored in the control pattern information storage unit 221 of the storage unit 22 from the point in time when the operation detection unit 12 detects the depression operation of the clutch pedal CP.

More specifically, the clutch control unit 212 selects a clutch control mode according to the determination result of the abnormality determination unit 211, and controls the clutch device 32 according to the selected clutch control mode. In this embodiment, the clutch control modes include a normal clutch control mode used when no abnormality occurs in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11, and a fail-safe clutch control mode used when an abnormality occurs in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11. Since the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 includes first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2, the fail-safe clutch control modes include a first fail-safe clutch control mode used when an abnormality occurs in either one of the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2, and a second fail-safe clutch control mode used when an abnormality occurs in both the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2.

In the normal clutch control mode, the clutch control unit 212 controls the clutch device 32 so that the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel corresponds to the amount of depression of the clutch pedal CP. More specifically, the clutch control unit 212 controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14 so that the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel corresponds to the amount of clutch depression detected by the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 (either the first or second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, 11-2).

In the first fail-safe clutch control mode, the clutch control unit 212 outputs from the output unit 33 a signal indicating that the first or second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, 11-2 is abnormal, and controls the clutch device 32 using the first or second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, 11-2 that is not determined to be abnormal, so that the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel is a distance corresponding to the depression amount of the clutch pedal CP, as in the normal clutch control mode. More specifically, the clutch control unit 212 controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14, so that the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel is a distance corresponding to the clutch depression amount detected by the first or second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, 11-2 that is not determined to be abnormal.

In the second fail-safe clutch control mode, the clutch control unit 212 outputs from the output unit 33 a notice that the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 are abnormal, and controls the clutch device 32 based on the control pattern information corresponding to the shift position input to the shift position input unit 13. More specifically, when first gear is input to the shift position input unit 13, the clutch control unit 212 controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14 so as to follow the first control pattern information for first gear. When second or third gear is input to the shift position input unit 13, the clutch control unit 212 controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14 so as to follow the second control pattern information for second and third gear. When a fourth gear or higher is input to the shift position input unit 13, the clutch control unit 212 controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14 so as to follow the third control pattern information for fourth gear or higher.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the clutch control device with respect to abnormality determination of the clutch depression amount detection unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the clutch control device with respect to selection of the clutch control mode and control of the clutch device. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the clutch control device in the second fail-safe clutch control mode.

When the vehicle starts to operate, the clutch control device D initializes the necessary parts and starts its operation. By executing the control processing program, the control processing unit 21 is functionally configured with an abnormality determination unit 211 and a clutch control unit 212.

First, we will explain the operation of the clutch control device D with respect to abnormality determination of the clutch depression amount detection unit 11.

In FIG. 4, the clutch control device D acquires first and second clutch depression amount detection values as detection results from the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 by the control processing unit 21 (S11). In this embodiment, first and second voltage values are acquired as the first and second depression amount detection values from the first and second CP stroke sensors.

Next, in order to determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, the clutch control device D determines whether or not the first depression amount detection value (first voltage value of the first CP stroke sensor) of the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 is below the lower limit value 0.5 [V] of the operating range by the abnormality determination unit 211 of the control processing unit 21 (S12). If the result of this determination is below the lower limit value 0.5 [V] (Yes), the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, and then stores the occurrence of an abnormality in the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 in the storage unit 22 as an abnormality determination result (S18), and ends this process. As the abnormality determination result, for example, a first abnormality flag indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 is set (for example, the first abnormality flag is set to 1). The initial value of the first abnormality flag is 0. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the voltage is not below the lower limit of 0.5 [V] (No), the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 at the lower limit, and then executes process S13.

In this process S13, the clutch control device D further determines whether the first clutch depression amount detection value (first voltage value of the first CP stroke sensor) of the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 exceeds the upper limit value 4.5 [V] of the operating range in order to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 by the abnormality determination unit 211. If the result of this determination shows that the first clutch depression amount detection value exceeds the upper limit value 4.5 [V] (Yes), the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, and then executes the process S18, and then ends this process. On the other hand, if the result of the determination shows that the first clutch depression amount detection value does not exceed the upper limit value 4.5 [V] (No), the abnormality determination unit 211 next executes process S14.

In this process S14, in order to determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2, the clutch control device D determines whether or not the second depression amount detection value (second voltage value of the second CP stroke sensor) of the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is below the lower limit value 0.5 [V] of the operating range by the abnormality determination unit 211. If the result of this determination is below the lower limit value 0.5 [V] (Yes), the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2, and then stores the occurrence of an abnormality in the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 in the storage unit 22 as an abnormality determination result (S19), and ends this process. As the abnormality determination result, for example, a second abnormality flag indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is set (for example, the second abnormality flag is set to 1). The initial value of the second abnormality flag is 0. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the voltage is not below the lower limit of 0.5 [V] (No), the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that no abnormality has occurred in the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 at the lower limit, and then executes process S15.

In this process S15, the clutch control device D further determines whether the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2's second depression amount detection value (second voltage value of the second CP stroke sensor) exceeds the upper limit value 4.5 [V] of the operating range in order to determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 by the abnormality determination unit 211. If the result of this determination is that the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 exceeds the upper limit value 4.5 [V] (Yes), the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, and then executes the process S19, and then ends this process. On the other hand, if the result of the determination is that the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 does not exceed the upper limit value 4.5 [V] (No), the abnormality determination unit 211 next executes process S16.

In this process S16, in order to determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in both the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1, 11-2, the clutch control device D determines whether or not the first depression amount detection value (first voltage value of the first CP stroke sensor) of the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 and the second depression amount detection value (second voltage value of the second CP stroke sensor) of the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 are equal, using the abnormality determination unit 211. If the result of this determination is that both depression amount detection values are equal (Yes), the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that no abnormality has occurred in both the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1, 11-2, and ends this process. On the other hand, if the result of the above determination is that the two depression amount detection values are not equal (No), the abnormality determination unit 211 determines that an abnormality has occurred in both the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1, 11-2, and then stores the abnormality determination result that an abnormality has occurred in both the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1, 11-2 in the memory unit 22, for example, by setting the first and second abnormality flags (S17), and ends this process.

The clutch control device D operates as follows with regard to abnormality determination of the clutch depression amount detection unit 11.

Next, we will explain the operation of the clutch control device D with regard to the selection of the clutch control mode and the control of the clutch device 32.

In FIG. 5, first, the clutch control device D reads the abnormality determination result from the memory unit 22 by the clutch control unit 212 of the control processing unit 21 (S21). For example, the first and second abnormality flags are read.

Next, the clutch control device D determines whether or not both the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 are determined to be abnormal based on the abnormality determination result by the clutch control unit 212 (S22). If both are determined to be abnormal (Yes, in the above example, the first abnormality flag = 1 and the second abnormality flag = 1), the clutch control unit 212 selects the second fail-safe clutch control mode as the clutch control mode, controls the clutch device 32 in the selected second fail-safe clutch control mode (S28), and ends this process. In the second fail-safe clutch control mode, the clutch control unit 212 outputs from the output unit 33 that the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 are abnormal, and controls the clutch device 32 based on the control pattern information corresponding to the shift position input to the shift position input unit 13. The control of the clutch device 32 in this second fail-safe clutch control mode will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6. On the other hand, if the result of the above determination is that neither is determined to be abnormal (No, in the above example, neither the first abnormality flag = 1 nor the second abnormality flag = 1), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S23.

In this process S23, the clutch control device D determines whether or not the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 is determined to be abnormal by the clutch control unit 212 based on the abnormality determination result. If the result of this determination is that the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 is determined to be abnormal (Yes, in the above example, the first abnormality flag = 1), then process S24 is executed. On the other hand, if the result of the above determination is that the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 is not determined to be abnormal (No, in the above example, the first abnormality flag = 1 is not), then the clutch control unit 212 executes process S25.

In this process S24, the clutch control device D determines whether the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is determined to be abnormal by the clutch control unit 212 based on the abnormality determination result. If the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is determined to be abnormal (Yes, in the above example, the second abnormality flag = 1), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S28 and ends this process. On the other hand, if the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is not determined to be abnormal (No, in the above example, the second abnormality flag = 1), the clutch control unit 212 next selects the first fail-safe clutch control mode as the clutch control mode, controls the clutch device 32 in the selected first fail-safe clutch control mode (S27), and ends this process. In this case, in step S27, the clutch control unit 212 controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14 so that the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel corresponds to the clutch depression amount detected by the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2.

In the process S25, the clutch control device D determines whether the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is determined to be abnormal by the clutch control unit 212 based on the abnormality determination result. If the result of this determination is that the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is determined to be abnormal (Yes, in the above example, the second abnormality flag = 1), then executes process S27 and ends this process. In this case, in process S27, the clutch control unit 212 controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14 so that the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel corresponds to the clutch depression amount detected by the first clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1. On the other hand, if the second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 is not determined to be abnormal (No, in the above example, the second abnormality flag is not 1), the clutch control unit 212 next selects the normal clutch control mode as the clutch control mode, controls the clutch device 32 in the selected normal clutch control mode (S26), and ends this process. In the normal clutch control mode, the clutch control unit 212 controls the stroke amount of the clutch plate by controlling the drive unit of the clutch device 32 while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14 so that the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel corresponds to the clutch depression amount detected by the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 (either the first or second clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1, 11-2).

The clutch control device D operates in this manner with respect to the selection of the clutch control mode and the control of the clutch device 32.

Next, we will explain the operation of the clutch control device D in the second fail-safe clutch control mode.

In FIG. 6, the clutch control device D acquires the detection result of the operation detection unit 12 by the clutch control unit 212 of the control processing unit 21 (S21).

Next, the clutch control device D determines whether the clutch pedal CP is depressed based on the detection result of the operation detection unit 12 by the clutch control unit 212 (S22). If the result of this determination is that the clutch pedal CP is depressed (Yes), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S23. On the other hand, if the result of the above determination is that the clutch pedal CP is not depressed (No), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S31.

In this process S23, the clutch control device D obtains the shift position from the shift position input unit 13 via the clutch control unit 212.

After the process S23, the clutch control device D determines whether the shift position is neutral or not by the clutch control unit 212 (S24). If the result of this determination is that the shift position is neutral (Yes), the clutch control unit 212 returns the process to process S21 (RETURN). On the other hand, if the shift position is not neutral (No), the clutch control unit 212 next sets the clutch flag to 1 (clutch flag←1) (S25), and then the clutch control unit 212 returns the process to process S21 (RETURN). The clutch flag is a flag that indicates whether the clutch pedal CP is depressed. For example, a clutch flag of "1" indicates that the clutch pedal CP is depressed, and a clutch flag of "0" indicates that the clutch pedal CP is not depressed. The initial value of the clutch flag is 0.

Meanwhile, in the process S31, the clutch control device D determines whether or not the clutch flag is 1 by the clutch control unit 212. If the result of this determination is that the clutch flag is 1 (Yes), the clutch pedal CP has been depressed and then released, so the clutch control unit 212 next executes process S32. On the other hand, if the clutch flag is not 1 (No), the clutch pedal CP has not been depressed, so the clutch control unit 212 returns the process to process S21 (RETURN).

In this process S32, the clutch control device D obtains the shift position from the shift position input unit 13 via the clutch control unit 212.

After step S32, the clutch control device D determines whether the shift position is neutral or not (S24) by the clutch control unit 212. If the result of this determination is that the shift position is neutral (Yes), the clutch control unit 212 returns the process to step S21 (RETURN). On the other hand, if the shift position is not neutral (No), the clutch control unit 212 next executes step S34.

In this process S34, the clutch control device D determines whether or not the shift position is first gear by the clutch control unit 212. If the result of this determination is that the shift position is first gear (Yes), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S41. On the other hand, if the shift position is not first gear (No), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S35.

In this process S41, the clutch control device D controls the clutch device 32 with the first control pattern information for 1st gear by the clutch control unit 212. More specifically, the clutch control unit 212 extracts (reads) the first control pattern information stored in the control pattern information storage unit 221 of the storage unit 22, and controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate in accordance with the extracted first control pattern information while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14.

On the other hand, in the process S35, the clutch control unit 212 determines whether the shift position is second gear. If the result of this determination is that the shift position is second gear (Yes), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S42. On the other hand, if the shift position is not second gear (No), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S36.

In this process S42, the clutch control device D controls the clutch device 32 with the second control pattern information for second and third gears by the clutch control unit 212. More specifically, the clutch control unit 212 extracts (reads) the second control pattern information stored in the control pattern information storage unit 221 of the storage unit 22, and controls the drive unit of the clutch device 32 to control the stroke amount of the clutch plate in accordance with the extracted second control pattern information while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14.

Meanwhile, in the process S36, the clutch control device D determines whether or not the shift position is third gear by the clutch control unit 212. If the result of this determination is that the shift position is third gear (Yes), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S42 to control the clutch device 32 with the second control pattern information. On the other hand, if the shift position is not third gear (No), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S37.

In this process S37, the clutch control unit 212 determines whether the shift position is fourth gear. If the result of this determination is that the shift position is fourth gear (Yes), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S39. On the other hand, if the shift position is not fourth gear (No), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S38.

In this process S39, the clutch control device D controls the clutch device 32 with the third control pattern information for 4th gear or higher by the clutch control unit 212. More specifically, the clutch control unit 212 extracts (reads) the third control pattern information stored in the control pattern information storage unit 221 of the storage unit 22, and controls the stroke amount of the clutch plate by controlling the drive unit of the clutch device 32 while referring to the distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel detected by the clutch state detection unit 14 so as to follow the extracted third control pattern information.

Meanwhile, in the process S38, the clutch control unit 212 determines whether the shift position is fifth gear. If the result of this determination is that the shift position is fifth gear (Yes), the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S39 to control the clutch device 32 with the third control pattern information. On the other hand, if the shift position is not fifth gear (No), the shift position is sixth gear, so the clutch control unit 212 then executes process S39 to control the clutch device 32 with the third control pattern information.

After this process S39, the control of the clutch device 32 ends, so the clutch control device D initializes the clutch flag by setting it to 0 via the clutch control unit 212 (S40), and ends this process.

The clutch control device D operates as follows with respect to control of the clutch device 32 in the second fail-safe clutch control mode.

In such a clutch control device D, when the occupant depresses the clutch pedal CP, the execution of each of the above-mentioned processes S11 to S19 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1, 11-2 in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11, and the abnormality determination result is stored in the memory unit 22. Then, the execution of each of the above-mentioned processes S21 to S28 selects a clutch control mode based on the abnormality determination result stored in the memory unit 22, and the clutch device 32 is controlled according to the selected clutch control mode.

In the second fail-safe clutch control mode, the occupant depresses the clutch pedal CP as described above by executing the above-mentioned processes S21 and S22, so that the process S23 is executed after the above-mentioned process S22. Here, if the occupant inputs, for example, 4th gear from the shift position input unit 13 after depressing the clutch pedal CP, the above-mentioned processes S23, S24, and S25 are executed, the clutch flag is set to 1, and the process is returned to process S21. Here, if the occupant stops depressing the clutch pedal CP after inputting the 4th gear, the above-mentioned processes S21 and S22 are executed, so that the process S31 is executed after this process S22, and since the clutch flag is 1, the process S32 is executed after this process S31. Subsequently, the above-mentioned processes S33 to S37 are executed, and since the shift position is 4th gear, the process S39 is executed after this process S37. In this process S39, the clutch device 32 is controlled using the third control pattern information, and when the control of the clutch device 32 ends, process S40 is executed and the process ends.

As described above, in the clutch control device D of the embodiment and the clutch control method implemented therein, even if it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the clutch depression amount detection unit 11, when the operation detection unit 12 detects the depression operation of the clutch pedal CP, the clutch device 32 is controlled based on the first to third control pattern information α, β, γ. Therefore, the clutch depression amount detection unit 11 is backed up by the operation detection unit 12, and the clutch device 32 can be operated more reliably.

The above-mentioned clutch control device D and clutch control method store a plurality of first to third control pattern information α, β, and γ associated with the shift position, and therefore can appropriately control the clutch device 32 according to the shift position.

The above-mentioned clutch control device D and clutch control method are provided with a plurality of first to third control pattern information α, β, and γ, which have a shorter duration of the half-clutch state for higher gear shift positions, so that the clutch device 32 can be smoothly transitioned from a disengaged state to an engaged state.

The above-mentioned clutch control device D and clutch control method can directly detect whether or not the clutch pedal CP is being depressed by the switch, which is an example of the operation detection unit 12.

The above-mentioned clutch control device D and clutch control method have a dual clutch depression amount detection unit 11 with first and second clutch depression amount detection units 11-1 and 11-2 (dual system), so that the clutch device 32 can be operated even more reliably.

In the above embodiment, the operation detection unit 12 is configured with the switch, but since the presence or absence of depression of the clutch pedal CP can also be detected by a stroke sensor of the clutch plate, the operation detection unit 12 may be the stroke sensor attached to the clutch device 32 that detects the amount of movement of the clutch plate. Such a clutch control device D can indirectly detect the presence or absence of depression of the clutch pedal CP by the stroke sensor.

In order to express the present invention, the present invention has been described adequately and sufficiently through the embodiments with reference to the drawings in the above, but it should be recognized that a person skilled in the art can easily modify and/or improve the above-mentioned embodiments. Therefore, unless the modification or improvement implemented by a person skilled in the art is at a level that deviates from the scope of the claims described in the claims, the modification or improvement is interpreted as being included in the scope of the claims.

D Clutch control device 11 Clutch depression amount detection unit 11-1 First clutch depression amount detection unit 11-2 Second clutch depression amount detection unit 12 Operation detection unit 13 Shift position input unit 14 Clutch state detection unit 21 Control processing unit 22 Storage unit 31 Prime mover 32 Clutch device 33 Output unit 211 Abnormality determination unit 212 Clutch control unit 221 Control pattern information storage unit

Claims (4)

a depression amount detection unit that detects a depression amount of a clutch pedal;
an operation detection unit that detects whether or not the clutch pedal is depressed;
an abnormality determination unit that determines whether an abnormality occurs in the depression amount detection unit;
a shift position input unit for inputting a shift position;
a storage unit that stores a plurality of control pattern information items that correspond to the shift position and indicate a correspondence relationship between an elapsed time and a distance between the clutch plate and the flywheel when the clutch device is transitioned from a disengaged state to an engaged state;
a control unit that controls the clutch device based on control pattern information stored in the storage unit from a point in time when the operation detection unit detects a depression operation of the clutch pedal when the abnormality determination unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the depression amount detection unit,
the control unit controls the clutch device based on control pattern information corresponding to the shift position input to the shift position input unit, among the plurality of control pattern information;
each of the plurality of control pattern information represents a correspondence relationship between the elapsed time and the distance when the clutch device is transitioned from a released state to an engaged state via a half-clutch state,
The plurality of control pattern information include first control pattern information for a first gear, second control pattern information for a second gear and a third gear, and third control pattern information for a fourth gear or higher,
In the first to third control pattern information, the distance is constant over time in the half-clutch state,
a third duration of the half-clutch state in the third control pattern information is shorter than a second duration of the half-clutch state in the second control pattern information, and the second duration is shorter than a first duration of the half-clutch state in the first control pattern information;
A third control time from the start of the transition start to the end of the engagement completion in the third control pattern information is shorter than a second control time from the start of the transition start to the end of the engagement completion in the second control pattern information, and the second control time is shorter than a first control time from the start of the transition start to the end of the engagement completion in the first control pattern information.
Clutch control device. the operation detection unit is a switch that is attached to the clutch pedal, turns on or off when the clutch pedal is depressed, and turns off or on when the depression of the clutch pedal is released,
The clutch control device according to claim 1. The depression amount detection unit includes first and second depression amount detection units that detect the depression amount of the clutch pedal.
The clutch control device according to claim 1 or 2 . an operation detection step of detecting whether or not a clutch pedal is depressed;
a shift position input step for inputting a shift position;
an abnormality determination step of determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in a depression amount detection unit that detects a depression amount of the clutch pedal;
a control step of controlling the clutch device based on control pattern information corresponding to the shift position inputted in the shift position input step among a plurality of control pattern information corresponding to the shift position, the control pattern information representing a correspondence relationship between an elapsed time from a point in time when the depression operation of the clutch pedal is detected in the operation detection step in the case where the clutch device is shifted from a released state to an engaged state and a distance between the clutch plate and a flywheel, the control pattern information corresponding to the shift position inputted in the shift position input step,
each of the plurality of control pattern information represents a correspondence relationship between the elapsed time and the distance when the clutch device is transitioned from a released state to an engaged state via a half-clutch state,
the plurality of control pattern information includes first control pattern information for a first gear, second control pattern information for a second gear and a third gear, and third control pattern information for a fourth gear or higher;
In the first to third control pattern information, the distance is constant over time in the half-clutch state,
a third duration of the half-clutch state in the third control pattern information is shorter than a second duration of the half-clutch state in the second control pattern information, and the second duration is shorter than a first duration of the half-clutch state in the first control pattern information;
A third control time from the start of the transition start to the end of the engagement completion in the third control pattern information is shorter than a second control time from the start of the transition start to the end of the engagement completion in the second control pattern information, and the second control time is shorter than a first control time from the start of the transition start to the end of the engagement completion in the first control pattern information.
Clutch control method.