Torque control of a power-plant for launching a vehicle with a manual transmission

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9670857-B2
Application number	US-201514828007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2015
Priority date	Aug 17, 2015
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

A method of controlling torque output of a power-plant during launch of a vehicle having a transmission with a manually-operated clutch is disclosed. The power-plant torque is varied based on clutch pedal and throttle pedal positions using a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control logic in an electronic fuel control system. The method includes setting power-plant idle speed, detecting clutch engagement without application of the throttle pedal, and raising power-plant torque after clutch engagement is detected. In each PID feedback loop, the method includes detecting actual power-plant speed and a rate of change in actual power-plant speed, and adjusting the raised power-plant torque in response to the determined rate of change in actual power-plant speed. The method additionally includes determining a difference between the set idle speed and the actual power-plant speed, and maintaining constant power-plant torque, if the difference between the set idle and actual power-plant speeds is within an acceptable range.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a power-plant;
a manual transmission coupled to the power-plant via a manually-operated clutch;
a throttle pedal operatively connected to the power-plant;
a clutch pedal configured to selectively release and engage the manually-operated clutch;
an electronic fuel control (EFC) system operatively connected to the throttle pedal; and
a controller in operative communication with the EFC system, programmed with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control logic, and configured to:
set a power-plant idle speed;
detect an engagement of the clutch without application of the throttle pedal;
command the EFC system to raise the power-plant torque output by a first torque value after the engagement of the clutch is detected;
in each successive feedback loop of the PID control logic, detect an actual power-plant speed and a rate of change in the actual power-plant speed and command the EFC system to adjust the raised power-plant torque output in response to the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed;
determine a difference between the set power-plant idle speed and the actual power-plant speed; and
command the EFC system to maintain constant power-plant torque output, if the determined difference between the set power-plant idle speed and the actual power-plant speed is within an acceptable range.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the command to adjust the raised power-plant torque output in response to the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed includes:
commanding the EFC system to reduce the raised power-plant torque output by a second torque value, if the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is positive and numerically greater than or equal to a predetermined value;
commanding the EFC system to reduce the raised power-plant torque output by a third torque value, if the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is positive and numerically smaller than the predetermined value;
commanding the EFC system to increase the raised power-plant torque output by a fourth torque value, if the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is negative and numerically greater than or equal to the predetermined value; and
commanding the EFC system to increase the raised power-plant torque output by a fifth torque value, if the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is negative and numerically smaller than the predetermined value.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the controller is additionally configured to:
detect that the engagement of the clutch was aborted;
in each successive feedback loop of the PID control logic, after the engagement of the clutch was aborted, detect the actual power-plant speed and the rate of change in the actual power-plant speed, and command the EFC system to reduce the raised power-plant torque output in response to the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed; and
command the EFC system to maintain constant power-plant torque output, if the engagement of the clutch was aborted and the determined difference between the set power-plant idle speed and the actual power-plant speed is within the acceptable range.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , further comprising a clutch pedal position sensor in electronic communication with the controller, wherein the controller detects each of the engagement of the clutch and that the engagement of the clutch was aborted via the clutch pedal position sensor.

5. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the command to reduce the raised power-plant torque output in response to the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed in each successive feedback loop of the PID control logic, after the engagement of the clutch was aborted, includes:
commanding the EFC system to reduce the raised power-plant torque output by the second torque value, if the engagement of the clutch was aborted, and the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is positive and numerically greater than or equal to the predetermined value; and
commanding the EFC system to reduce the raised power-plant torque output by the third torque value, if the engagement of the clutch was aborted, and the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is positive and numerically smaller than the predetermined value.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the second torque value is greater than the third torque value.

7. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the fourth torque value is equal to the second torque value.

8. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein the fifth torque value is equal to the third torque value.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is additionally configured to command the EFC system to maintain a constant change in the power-plant torque output if the rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is zero.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the acceptable range for difference between the set power-plant idle speed and the actual power-plant speed is 0-20 RPM.

11. A method of controlling torque output of a power-plant during launch of a vehicle having a manual transmission coupled to the power-plant via a manually-operated clutch, and wherein the power-plant has an actuator operatively connected to a throttle pedal, the method comprising:
setting a power-plant idle speed via a controller in operative communication with the actuator, wherein the controller is programmed with a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control logic;
detecting an engagement of the clutch without application of the throttle pedal;
commanding the actuator to raise the power-plant torque output by a first torque value after the engagement of the clutch is detected;
in each successive PID feedback loop of the PID control logic, detecting an actual power-plant speed and a rate of change in the actual power-plant speed and commanding the actuator to adjust the raised power-plant torque output in response to the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed;
determining via the controller a difference between the set power-plant idle speed and the actual power-plant speed; and
commanding the actuator to maintain constant power-plant torque output, if the determined difference between the set power-plant idle speed and the actual power-plant speed is within an acceptable range.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said commanding the actuator to adjust the raised power-plant torque output in response to the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed includes:
commanding the actuator to reduce the raised power-plant torque output by a second torque value, if the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is positive and numerically greater than or equal to a predetermined value;
commanding the actuator to reduce the raised power-plant torque output by a third torque value, if the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is positive and numerically smaller than the predetermined value;
commanding the actuator to increase the raised power-plant torque output by a fourth torque value, if the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is negative and numerically greater than or equal to the predetermined value; and
commanding the actuator to increase the raised power-plant torque output by a fifth torque value, if the determined rate of change in the actual power-plant speed is negative and numerically smaller than the predetermined value.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
detecting that the engagement of the clutch was aborted;
in each successiv

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Kar Krishnendu
• Cribbins Leon
• Weglarz Thomas

Classifications

• F02D41/1402

  Adaptive control · CPC title

• F02D41/08

  for idling (F02D41/06, F02D41/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• F02D11/105

  characterised by the function converting demand to actuation, e.g. a map indicating relations between an accelerator pedal position and throttle valve opening or target engine torque · CPC title

• F02D11/106

  Detection of demand or actuation · CPC title

• F02D41/022 Primary

  in relation with the clutch status · CPC title