Clutch Controller Torque Feedback for Vehicle Comfort
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional semi-automatic vehicles face issues with maintaining appropriate torque transmission through the clutch, leading to impaired riding comfort due to excessive torque spikes or prolonged deceleration, as existing control methods fail to manage the degree of clutch engagement effectively.
Innovation Solution
A clutch controller system that includes an actuator, actual torque and target torque obtaining sections, and a control unit to adjust the clutch engagement based on the difference between actual and target torque, with a determining section to correct the target torque based on the rate of rotational speed difference between the drive-side and driven-side members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If clutch engagement is controlled based on rotational speed difference, then clutch engagement time is reduced, but torque transmission becomes inappropriate causing riding comfort deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The control method transitions from using only rotational speed difference as the control parameter to using torque difference (between actual and target torque) as the primary control parameter. This parameter change enables appropriate torque transmission during clutch engagement while maintaining efficient engagement timing, thereby resolving the contradiction between reduced engagement time and improved riding comfort.
2Productivity
If clutch engagement is controlled to reduce rotational speed difference, then engagement operation completes faster, but torque spikes occur impairing riding comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously monitors the actual torque during clutch engagement and compares it with the target torque, using this feedback to adjust the clutch engagement control. This feedback mechanism prevents torque spikes by ensuring the actual torque follows the target torque trajectory, while still achieving fast engagement operation through efficient torque control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the control parameter from rotational speed difference to torque difference. By controlling based on torque feedback rather than speed feedback, the system can achieve rapid engagement while preventing harmful torque spikes, as torque is the direct measure of the harmful effect rather than an indirect correlate.
3Stability of the object's composition
If half-clutch state is maintained until rotational speed difference is zero, then smooth engagement is achieved, but torque transmission is excessively low causing perceived deceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The control criterion changes from rotational speed difference (speed parameter) to torque difference (torque parameter). This allows the half-clutch state to be maintained appropriately while ensuring sufficient torque transmission, as the control now directly manages torque levels rather than indirectly managing them through speed control.
Solution Approach 2:
By using torque feedback to control clutch engagement, the system can maintain the half-clutch state long enough to ensure smooth engagement while simultaneously ensuring that sufficient torque is transmitted. The feedback loop adjusts engagement to match target torque requirements rather than solely focusing on speed synchronization.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle having an engine and a clutch provided in a torque transmission path, said clutch controller comprising: an actuator for changing the degree of engagement between a drive-side member and a driven-side member of the clutch; an actual torque obtaining section for obtaining torque transmitted from the drive-side member to a downstream mechanism of the torque transmission path as actual transmission torque, the downstream mechanism including the driven-side member; a target torque obtaining section for obtaining torque that is supposed to be transmitted from the drive-side member to the downstream mechanism as target transmission torque; and a control unit, said control unit being configured to control the degree of engagement of the clutch by actuating the actuator based on a difference between the actual transmission torque and the target transmission torque.