Coupling rotating wheel with engine to restart engine

Abstract

The application relates to coupling a rotating wheel with an engine to restart the engine, and particularly discloses a computer system comprising processing circuitry (10) configured to: receive an engine (3) restart request for restarting an engine (3) of a vehicle (1) while the vehicle (1) is moving; receiving directly from the engine (3) a signal encoding a real-time rotational speed of the engine (3); and controlling the actuator (17) to gradually engage a clutch (15) of a transmission (7) coupled to a rotating wheel (5) of the vehicle (1) such that a rate of change of the real-time rotational speed of the engine (3) is maintained below a predefined threshold rate of change.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to transmission control. In a particular aspect, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for coupling rotating wheels of a vehicle to an engine of the vehicle to restart the vehicle using torque provided by the rotating wheels. The present disclosure may be applicable to heavy vehicles such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment, among other vehicle types. Although the present disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular vehicle. Background Art

[0002] In order to save fuel in a vehicle including an internal combustion engine, it is desirable to reduce the time that the engine is running and consuming fuel. One method of achieving such a reduction in running time is to shut down the engine when torque from the engine is not needed when the vehicle is moving (e.g., on a slight downhill slope).

[0003] When the engine is again needed to provide torque to move the vehicle at the desired speed, the engine needs to be restarted.

[0004] It is desirable to provide a safe, comfortable and energy-efficient engine restart. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a computer system is provided, comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: receive an engine restart request for restarting an engine of a vehicle while the vehicle is moving; receive a signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine directly from the engine; and control an actuator to gradually engage a clutch of a transmission coupled to a rotating wheel of the vehicle so that the rate of change of the real-time speed of the engine remains below a predefined threshold rate of change. The first aspect of the present disclosure can seek to substantially eliminate or at least reduce the delay between sensing the real-time speed of the engine and receiving the signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine by the processing circuit, wherein the task of the processing circuit is to control the coupling between the transmission (and thus the rotating wheel) and the engine. Technical benefits may include the ability to use the moment of inertia of the rotating wheel to restart the engine instead of using an electric starter motor, which provides improved energy efficiency. Further technical benefits may include: real-time information about the real-time speed of the engine can be used to control the coupling between the rotating wheel and the drive shaft of the engine so that the rate of change of the real-time speed of the engine remains below a predefined threshold rate of change. This in turn reduces the risk of shuddering and wheel slippage during engine restart, which provides improved comfort and / or safety.

[0006] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine can be a pulse train, wherein the time between adjacent pulses in the pulse train indicates the real-time speed of the engine. Technical benefits can include that such a pulse train can be a "raw" sensing signal without any signal processing, which reduces delay and thereby improves control of the actuator to gradually engage the clutch.

[0007] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the computer system can be configured to receive a signal encoding the real-time rotational speed of the engine directly from a rotation sensor arranged to measure the real-time rotational speed of the drive shaft of the engine. Technical benefits can include further reducing the delay of the signal encoding the real-time rotational speed of the drive shaft, which in turn improves the control of the actuator to gradually engage the clutch.

[0008] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the rotation sensor can be arranged to measure the real-time rotation speed of a flywheel of the engine, the flywheel being coupled to a drive shaft of the engine. Technical benefits can include providing convenient rotation sensing, which is easier to do on a flywheel than directly on a drive shaft.

[0009] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the computer system can be configured to: in response to the real-time speed of the engine increasing to a predefined first threshold speed, control the actuator to disengage the clutch. Technical benefits can include providing that when the real-time speed of the drive shaft of the engine is sufficient to start injecting fuel into at least one combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, the engine is immediately disconnected from the rotating wheels. This can in turn make the vehicle operation smoother and reduce wear on the clutch and / or other parts of the drive train (including the transmission). In some examples, once the processing circuit of the computer system determines that the engine can be operated continuously, the processing circuit can control the actuator to gradually engage the clutch again so that torque can be transmitted from the engine to the wheels.

[0010] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the computer system can be configured to: in response to the real-time speed of the engine decreasing to a predefined second threshold speed below the first threshold speed, control the actuator to engage the clutch. Technical benefits can include: if the engine speed has decreased to an insufficient speed before the engine is started, for example due to delayed fuel injection, the engine can be smoothly accelerated to a sufficient speed to restart combustion operation.

[0011] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the computer system may be included in a transmission control unit included in a transmission of the vehicle, and the processing circuit may be configured to: receive an engine restart request for restarting the engine of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving and the engine is turned off; receive a signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine directly from the engine by directly connecting a signal source included in the engine and a signal line of the transmission control unit, the signal being a pulse train, and the time between adjacent pulses in the pulse train indicating the real-time speed of the engine; control an actuator to gradually engage a clutch of a transmission coupled to a rotating wheel of the vehicle so that the rate of change of the real-time speed of the engine remains below a predefined threshold rate of change; control the actuator to disengage the clutch in response to the real-time speed of the engine increasing to a predefined first threshold speed; and control the actuator to engage the clutch in response to the real-time speed of the engine decreasing from a first threshold speed to a predefined second threshold speed below the first threshold speed.

[0012] A computer system according to various examples or combinations of examples may be advantageously included in a vehicle.

[0013] In some examples, including at least one preferred example, the vehicle may also include an engine, wheels, and a transmission coupled between the engine and the wheels, the transmission having a clutch controllable by a computer system to gradually engage the engine to gradually change the torque transfer between the engine and the wheels.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method is provided, comprising: receiving an engine restart request by a processing circuit of a computer system for restarting an engine of a vehicle while the vehicle is moving; receiving a signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine directly from the engine by the processing circuit; and controlling an actuator by the processing circuit to gradually engage a clutch of a transmission coupled to a rotating wheel of the vehicle so that the rate of change of the real-time speed of the engine remains below a predefined threshold rate of change. The second aspect of the present disclosure can seek to substantially eliminate or at least reduce the delay between sensing the real-time speed of the engine and receiving the signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine by the processing circuit, wherein the task of the processing circuit is to control the coupling between the transmission (and thus the rotating wheel) and the engine. Technical benefits may include the ability to use the moment of inertia of the rotating wheel to restart the engine instead of using an electric starter motor, which provides improved energy efficiency. Further technical benefits may include: real-time information about the real-time speed of the engine can be used to control the coupling between the rotating wheel and the drive shaft of the engine so that the rate of change of the real-time speed of the engine remains below a predefined threshold rate of change. This in turn reduces the risk of shuddering and wheel slippage during engine restart, which provides improved comfort and / or safety.

[0015] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the method may include controlling the actuator to disengage the clutch in response to the real-time speed of the engine increasing to a predefined first threshold speed by the processing circuit. Technical benefits may include providing that when the real-time speed of the drive shaft of the engine is sufficient to start injecting fuel into at least one combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, the engine is immediately disconnected from the rotating wheels. This in turn can make the vehicle operation smoother and reduce wear on the clutch and / or other parts of the drive train (including the transmission). Once it is determined that the engine can operate continuously, the actuator can be controlled to gradually engage the clutch again so that torque can be transmitted from the engine to the wheels.

[0016] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the method may include controlling the actuator to engage the clutch in response to the real-time speed of the engine decreasing to a predefined second threshold speed below the first threshold speed by the processing circuit. Technical benefits may include: if the engine speed has decreased to an insufficient speed before the engine is started, for example due to delayed fuel injection, the engine can be smoothly accelerated to a sufficient speed to restart combustion operation.

[0017] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the method may include: receiving an engine restart request through a processing circuit for restarting the engine of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving and the engine is turned off; receiving a signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine directly from the engine through a signal line directly connecting a signal source included in the engine and a transmission control unit through the processing circuit, the signal being a pulse train, and the time between adjacent pulses in the pulse train indicating the real-time speed of the engine; controlling an actuator through the processing circuit to gradually engage a clutch of a transmission coupled to a rotating wheel of the vehicle so that the rate of change of the real-time speed of the engine remains below a predefined threshold rate of change; controlling the actuator to disengage the clutch through the processing circuit in response to the real-time speed of the engine increasing to a predefined first threshold speed; and controlling the actuator to engage the clutch through the processing circuit in response to the real-time speed of the engine decreasing from a first threshold speed to a predefined second threshold speed below the first threshold speed.

[0018] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosed aspects, examples (including any preferred examples), and / or the accompanying claims may be appropriately combined with each other. Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the following description, claims, and drawings, and in part will be apparent to those skilled in the art or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein.

[0019] Also disclosed herein are computer systems, control units, code modules, computer-implemented methods, computer-readable media, and computer program products associated with the technical benefits discussed above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Examples are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Figure 1 is an exemplary vehicle according to an example.

[0022] Figure 2 is an exemplary powertrain arrangement according to an example.

[0023] Figure 3 is an exemplary method according to an example.

[0024] Figure 4 is an exemplary method according to an example.

[0025] Figure 5A-Figure 5C is a diagram illustrating exemplary control of an actuator in a method according to an example.

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing the examples disclosed herein, according to an example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The detailed description set forth below provides information and examples of the disclosed technology in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure.

[0028] Figure 1 is an exemplary vehicle 1 according to an example. Figure 1 , an exemplary vehicle 1 comprises a powertrain device 2 including an internal combustion engine 3 , wheels 5 , a transmission 7 , a transmission control unit 9 and an engine control unit 11 . Figure 1 The operation of the exemplary vehicle 1 (including the powertrain device 2 ) is controlled by a vehicle control unit 13 .

[0029] Figure 2 is an exemplary transmission system device 2 according to an example. Figure 2 , the exemplary powertrain device 2 includes an internal combustion engine (ICE) 3, a transmission 7, at least one wheel 5, a transmission control unit 9 for controlling the operation of the transmission 7, and an engine control unit 11 for controlling the engine 3. Figure 2 As schematically shown in FIG. 1 , the transmission control unit 9 and the engine control unit 11 may be connected to the vehicle control unit 13 via a communication bus 14 (such as a CAN bus). Figure 2As shown schematically, the transmission 7 may include a clutch 15 and an actuator 17 operatively coupled to the clutch 15. The engine 3 may include a drive shaft 19 and a flywheel 21 operatively coupled to the drive shaft 19. The real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 may be measured, for example, by an internal rotation sensor 23 that directly senses the rotation of the drive shaft 19 or a flywheel rotation sensor 25 that senses the rotation of the flywheel. The transmission control unit 9 includes a processing circuit 10 that is coupled to the actuator 17 and is configured to control the actuator 17 to engage the clutch 15 of the transmission 7, so that the drive shaft 19 of the engine 3 is coupled to the wheels 5 via the transmission 7.

[0030] During normal operation of the vehicle 1, the transmission control unit 9, the engine control unit 11 and other control units of the vehicle 1 may be controlled by the vehicle control unit 13 through commands communicated via the communication bus 14. Although such communication via the communication bus 14 may generally be sufficient to satisfactorily control the operation of the vehicle 1, the inventors have found that if the communication bus 14 is used to transmit real-time speed information of the engine 3 to the transmission control unit 9, the delay introduced by the communication via the communication bus 14 may cause jitter and / or wheel slip and / or excessive component wear.

[0031] The present inventors have recognised that such jitter and / or wheel slip and / or excessive component wear may be mitigated by providing a signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine 3 directly from the engine 3 to a processing circuit 10 included in the transmission control unit 9, and then using the directly received signal to control an actuator 17 to gradually engage a clutch 15 of a transmission 7 coupled to rotating wheels 5 of the vehicle 1 such that the rate of change of the real-time speed of the engine 3 is maintained below a predefined threshold rate of change. Figure 2 Direct provision of a signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 is shown by two example configurations, which are represented by dashed lines 27 and 29, respectively, where the dashed line 27 directly connects the internal rotation sensor 23 to the transmission control unit 9 via the engine control unit 11, and the dashed line 29 directly connects the flywheel rotation sensor 25 to the transmission control unit 9. The direct connection between the sensor and the processing circuit 10 of the transmission control unit 9 can advantageously be provided by a direct signal line (such as a wire), so that the signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 can be received almost without delay.

[0032] Figure 3is an exemplary computer-implemented method. The method comprises receiving 100 an engine restart request by a processing circuit 10 of a computer system for restarting an engine 3 of a vehicle 1 while the vehicle is moving. The engine restart request may be caused by a torque demand and may be provided to the computer system (here in the form of a transmission control unit 9) from a vehicle control unit 13 via a communication bus 14. The engine restart request may also be provided to the engine control unit 11. The method further comprises receiving 101 a signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 directly from the engine 3 by the processing circuit 10. As described above, the signal may advantageously be provided by a direct signal line (such as a wire) so that the processing circuit 10 may receive the signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 with almost no delay. The method further comprises controlling 102 an actuator 17 by the processing circuit 10 to gradually engage a clutch 15 of a transmission 7 coupled to a rotating wheel 5 of the vehicle 1 such that the rate of change of the real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 remains below a predefined threshold rate of change. If the rate of change of the real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 is too high, a jerk of the vehicle 1 may be felt and / or the wheels 5 may slip, which may result in an unnecessary degradation of the vehicle's motion. Furthermore, a high rate of change in the real speed of the engine may indicate excessive wear on components of the transmission, such as the clutch 15. It should be noted that such control may not be possible when based on the "real" speed of the engine 3 obtained via the communication bus 14, since the "real" speed is actually a delayed version of the real speed of the engine 3.

[0033] Figure 4 is an exemplary computer-implemented method. The method includes receiving 200 a command to disengage the clutch 15 to disconnect the wheels 5 from the engine 3 by the processing circuit 10 of the computer system. When disengaged, the engine control unit 11 shuts down 201 the engine 3. When the vehicle control unit 13 determines that torque should be supplied to the wheels 5 by the engine 3, the vehicle control unit 13 provides an engine restart request, which is received 202 by the transmission control unit 9 and the engine control unit 11. The processing circuit 10 of the transmission control unit 9 directly receives 203 a signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 from the engine 3 via a signal line directly connecting a signal source included in the engine 3 and the transmission control unit 9. As described above with reference to Figure 2 As described, the signal source may be, for example, an internal rotation sensor 23 or a flywheel rotation sensor 25, and the signal line may be routed through the engine control unit 11, such as Figure 2 or directly from the rotation sensor, as indicated by the dashed line 27 in FIG. Figure 2 The transmission control unit 9 may continuously receive and evaluate a signal encoding the current rotational speed of the engine 3, or may trigger the provision and / or evaluation of a signal by an engine restart request.

[0034] Reference now Figure 5A-Figure 5C, which is a diagram showing an exemplary control of the actuator 17 of the transmission 7, Figure 5A-Figure 5C At time t0 in FIG. 1 , an engine restart request has been received and a signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine 3 is being received. Figure 5A An example of the real-time rotation speed v of the engine 3 as a function of time is shown. Figure 5B An example of the rate of change dv / dt of the real-time rotational speed of the engine 3 as a function of time is shown. Figure 5C An example of clutch position as a function of time is shown. Figure 5C In the figure, clutch position '0' indicates that the clutch 15 is fully disengaged, and clutch position '1' indicates that the clutch 15 is fully engaged. Between these clutch positions, the clutch is partially engaged, and there is a speed difference between the drive shaft of the engine 3 and the clutch member coupled to the transmission 7.

[0035] Then, while continuously receiving the signal encoding the real-time speed of the engine 3, the processing circuit 10 of the transmission control unit 9 controls 204 the actuator 17 to gradually engage the clutch 15 so that the rate of change of the real-time speed of the engine 3 remains below the predefined threshold rate of change TH. By gradually engaging the clutch 15 in this manner, the engine 3 can be accelerated using the rotation of the wheels 5 without substantially jerking and / or wheel slipping. Figure 5A-Figure 5C In FIG. 1 , this gradual engagement of the clutch 15 is schematically represented by the time period between t0 and t1. During this time period, the clutch 15 is engaged from Figure 5C The indicated clutch position '0' begins to engage gradually. As a result, the real-time speed v of the engine 3 increases, as Figure 5A As indicated, the clutch position is adjusted to keep the rate of change of rotational speed dv / dt below a predefined threshold TH. This threshold may be a static or dynamic threshold and may be related to the expected occurrence of jerk and / or wheel spin. Figure 5B The rate of change dv / dt is schematically shown.

[0036] The clutch 15 continues to be gradually engaged as long as the real-time speed v of the engine 3 has not reached a predefined first threshold speed vTH1, which is sufficient for the engine to operate independently through fuel combustion. When it is determined 205 (yes) that the real-time speed v of the engine has reached the first threshold speed vTH1, the processing circuit 10 of the transmission control unit 9 controls the actuator 17 to disengage 206 the clutch 15. If the fuel injection has not yet started, or the fuel has not yet reached the combustion chamber of the engine 3, this causes the speed v of the engine 3 to gradually decrease, such as Figure 5A Indicated schematically in FIG.

[0037] When determining 207 (yes) that the real-time speed v of the engine has dropped to a second threshold speed vTH2 below the first threshold speed vTH1, the processing circuit 10 of the transmission control unit 9 controls the actuator 17 to engage 208 the clutch 15 at time t2. The process returns to evaluating 205 whether the speed of the engine has reached the first threshold speed vTH1.

[0038] When the speed v of the engine 3 reaches the first threshold speed vTH1 again, at time t3, the processing circuit 10 controls the actuator 17 again to disengage the clutch 15. Figure 5A-Figure 5C In the illustrated process, fuel injection has begun and the engine 3 begins to run independently. In response to a signal indicating this situation or after an appropriate timeout, the method ends 209.

[0039] Figure 6 600 is a schematic diagram of a computer system 600 for implementing the examples disclosed herein. The computer system 600 is suitable for executing instructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and / or any functions or processes described herein. The computer system 600 can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. Although only a single device is shown, the computer system 600 may include any device collection that executes a set (or multiple sets) of instructions individually or jointly to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Therefore, any reference to a computer system, a computing system, a computer device, a computing device, a control system, a control unit, an electronic control unit (ECU), a processor device, a processing circuit, etc. in the present disclosure and / or claims includes a reference to one or more such devices to execute an instruction set (or multiple instruction sets) individually or jointly to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. For example, the control system may include a single control unit or multiple control units connected to each other or otherwise communicatively coupled, so that any executed function can be distributed between the control units as needed. In addition, such devices can communicate with each other or with other devices through various system architectures (such as directly or via a controller area network (CAN) bus, etc.).

[0040] The computer system 600 may include at least one computing device or electronic device that can include firmware, hardware and / or execute software instructions to implement the functionality described herein. The computer system 600 may include a processing circuit system 602 (e.g., a processing circuit system including one or more processor devices or control units), a memory 604, and a system bus 606. The computer system 600 may include at least one computing device with a processing circuit 602. The system bus 606 provides an interface for system components (including but not limited to the memory 604 and the processing circuit 602). The processing circuit 602 may include any number of hardware components for performing data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in the memory 604. The processing circuit system 602 may include, for example, a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a circuit containing a processing component, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic devices designed to perform the functions described herein, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The processing circuit system 602 may also include computer executable code that controls the operation of the programmable device.

[0041] The system bus 606 can be any of several types of bus structures, which can be further interconnected to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and / or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 604 can be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code to complete or facilitate the methods described herein. The memory 604 can include a database component, an object code component, a script component, or other types of information structures for supporting various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device can be used with the systems and methods of the present specification. The memory 604 can be communicatively connected to the processing circuit 602 (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and can include computer code for performing one or more processes described herein. The memory 604 may include nonvolatile memory 608 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.) and volatile memory 610 (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer or other machine having the processing circuit 602. A basic input / output system (BIOS) 612 may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 608 and may include the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 600.

[0042] The computer system 600 may also include or be coupled to non-transitory computer-readable storage media such as storage device 614, which may include, for example, an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD) (e.g., enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)), a HDD for storage (e.g., EIDE or SATA), flash memory, etc. The storage device 614 and other drives associated with computer-readable and computer-usable media may provide non-volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, etc.

[0043] The hard-coded or soft-coded computer code may be provided in the form of one or more modules. The module may be implemented as software and / or hard-coded in the circuit to implement the functions described herein in whole or in part. The module may be stored in a storage device 614 and / or a volatile memory 610 that may include an operating system 616 and / or one or more program modules 618. All or part of the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program 620 stored on a temporary or non-temporary computer-available or computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a single medium or multiple media) such as a storage device 614, which includes complex programming instructions (e.g., complex computer-readable program code) that cause the processing circuit 602 to perform the actions described herein. Therefore, the computer-readable program code of the computer program 620 may include software instructions for implementing the functions of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuit 602. In some examples, storage device 614 may be a computer program product (e.g., a readable storage medium) having computer program 620 stored thereon, wherein at least a portion of computer program 620 may be loadable (e.g., loaded into a processor) for implementing functionality of the examples described herein when executed by processing circuitry 602. Processing circuitry 602 may serve as a controller or control system of computer system 600 for implementing the functionality described herein.

[0044] The computer system 600 may include an input device interface 622 configured to receive input and selections to be transmitted to the computer system 600 when executing instructions, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc. Such input devices may be connected to the processor circuit 602 via an input device interface 622 coupled to the system bus 606, but may be connected via other interfaces such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 serial port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an IR interface, etc. The computer system 600 may include an output device interface 624 configured to forward output to a display, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 600 may include a communication interface 626 suitable for communicating with a network as appropriate or as needed.

[0045] The operational actions described in any exemplary aspect of this article are described to provide examples and discussions. These actions can be performed by hardware components, can be embodied in machine executable instructions so that a processor performs these actions, or can be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a specific order of method actions can be shown or described, the order of actions can be different. In addition, two or more actions can be performed simultaneously or partially simultaneously.

[0046] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific aspects and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a" and "the" are intended to include plural forms as well. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It should also be understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprising" when used herein indicate the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their groups.

[0047] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. can be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the first element can be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element can be referred to as the first element.

[0048] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element to another element, as shown in the figures. It should be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to cover different device orientations in addition to the orientations depicted in the figures. It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, the element may be directly connected or directly coupled to the other element, or there may be intervening elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements.

[0049] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It should also be understood that, unless otherwise clearly defined herein, the terms used herein should be interpreted as meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of this specification and the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.

[0050] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described above and shown in the accompanying drawings; rather, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. In the drawings and description, various aspects have been disclosed for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting purposes, and the scope of the present disclosure is set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising a processing circuit (10), wherein the processing circuit is configured to: receiving an engine (3) restart request for restarting the engine (3) of the vehicle (1) when the vehicle (1) is moving; receiving directly from the engine (3) a signal encoding the real-time rotational speed of the engine (3); and A control actuator (17) gradually engages a clutch (15) of a transmission (7) coupled to rotating wheels (5) of the vehicle (1) such that the rate of change of the real-time rotational speed of the engine (3) remains below a predefined threshold rate of change.

2. A computer system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal encoding the real-time rotational speed of the engine (3) is a pulse train, and the time between adjacent pulses in the pulse train indicates the real-time rotational speed of the engine (3).

3. A computer system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the computer system is configured to receive the signal encoding the real-time rotational speed of the engine (3) directly from a rotation sensor arranged to measure the real-time rotational speed of the drive shaft of the engine (3).

4. A computer system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rotation sensor is arranged to measure the real-time rotation speed of a flywheel of the engine (3), the flywheel being coupled to the drive shaft of the engine (3).

5. The computer system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the computer system is configured to: In response to the real-time speed of the engine (3) increasing to a predefined first threshold speed, the actuator (17) is controlled to disengage the clutch (15).

6. The computer system of claim 5, wherein the computer system is configured to: In response to the real-time speed of the engine (3) decreasing to a predefined second threshold speed below the first threshold speed, the actuator (17) is controlled to engage the clutch (15).

7. The computer system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the computer system is included in a transmission control unit (9) included in a transmission (7) of a vehicle (1), and the processing circuit (10) is configured to: receiving an engine (3) restart request for restarting the engine (3) of the vehicle (1) when the vehicle (1) is moving and the engine (3) is turned off; Directly receiving a signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine (3) from the engine (3) via a signal line directly connecting a signal source included in the engine (3) and a control unit of the transmission (7), wherein the signal is a pulse train, and the time between adjacent pulses in the pulse train indicates the real-time rotation speed of the engine (3); controlling an actuator (17) to gradually engage a clutch (15) of a transmission (7) coupled to a rotating wheel (5) of the vehicle (1) so that a rate of change of the real-time rotation speed of the engine (3) remains below a predefined threshold rate of change; In response to the real-time speed of the engine (3) increasing to a predefined first threshold speed, controlling the actuator (17) to disengage the clutch (15); and In response to the real-time speed of the engine (3) decreasing from the first threshold speed to a predefined second threshold speed lower than the first threshold speed, the actuator (17) is controlled to engage the clutch (15).

8. A vehicle (1) comprising a computer system according to any one of claims 1-7.

9. The vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 8, further comprising: Engine (3); Wheel (5); as well as A transmission (7) coupled between the engine (3) and the wheels (5), the transmission (7) having a clutch (15) controllable by the computer system to gradually engage with the engine (3) to gradually change the torque transmission between the engine (3) and the wheels (5).

10. A computer-implemented method comprising: Receiving an engine (3) restart request via a processing circuit (10) of a computer system to restart the engine (3) of the vehicle (1) while the vehicle (1) is moving; receiving a signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine (3) directly from the engine (3) via the processing circuit (10); and The processing circuit (10) controls an actuator (17) to gradually engage a clutch (15) of a transmission (7) coupled to a rotating wheel (5) of the vehicle (1), so that the rate of change of the real-time rotation speed of the engine (3) remains below a predefined threshold rate of change.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method comprises: In response to the real-time speed of the engine (3) increasing to a predefined first threshold speed, the actuator (17) is controlled by the processing circuit (10) to disengage the clutch (15).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method comprises: The actuator (17) is controlled by the processing circuit (10) to engage the clutch (15) in response to the real-time speed of the engine (3) decreasing to a predefined second threshold speed below the first threshold speed.

13. The method of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the method comprises: Receiving an engine (3) restart request via the processing circuit (10) for restarting the engine (3) of the vehicle (1) when the vehicle (1) is moving and the engine (3) is turned off; Receiving, by the processing circuit (10), a signal encoding the real-time rotation speed of the engine (3) directly from the engine (3) via a signal line directly connecting a signal source included in the engine (3) and a control unit of the transmission (7), wherein the signal is a pulse train, and the time between adjacent pulses in the pulse train indicates the real-time rotation speed of the engine (3); Controlling an actuator (17) by the processing circuit (10) to gradually engage a clutch (15) of a transmission (7) coupled to a rotating wheel (5) of the vehicle (1) so that the rate of change of the real-time rotation speed of the engine (3) remains below a predefined threshold rate of change; Controlling the actuator (17) to disengage the clutch (15) by the processing circuit (10) in response to the real-time speed of the engine (3) increasing to a predefined first threshold speed; and The actuator (17) is controlled by the processing circuit (10) to engage the clutch (15) in response to the real-time speed of the engine (3) decreasing from the first threshold speed to a predefined second threshold speed lower than the first threshold speed.

14. A computer program product comprising program code, which, when executed by a processing circuit (10) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, performs the method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processing circuit (10) according to any one of claims 1-7, cause the processing circuit (10) to perform a method according to any one of claims 10-13.

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