Modeling and Control for Launch and Shift of Dual-Clutch Transmission Vehicles

Abstract

This paper presents an analytical model for the simulation, analysis and control of dual clutch automatic transmissions (DCT). The research work is concentrated on the vehicle launch and shift processes. A gearshift is affected by load transfer from one clutch to the other, without traction interruption since both gears are engaged during the entire shifting process. The timing of engagement and disengagement of the twin-clutch is extremely critical to achieve a smooth shift without loss of traction. Matlab/Simulink is used as a simulation platform to develop the dynamic model and control logic for the integrated vehicle powertrain model. The simulation model is used to study the variation in output torque in response to different clutch pressure profiles. An optimized clutch pressure profile is created to achieve the best possible shift quality. As a numerical example, the model is used for a vehicle equipped with a dual clutch transmission to simulate the wide-open throttle performance. Vehicle launch and shift process are also simulated to assess transmission shift quality and validate the effectiveness of the transmission control strategy.© 2005 ASME