A system and method of accurately evaluating the performance of a vehicle device having a friction component, including a brake disc, a clutch disc, or the like, may be achieved by predicting the accurate friction coefficient of the friction component in consideration of changes in the temperature, rotation speed, and hydraulic pressure of the friction component, and determining the operating torque of the vehicle device or system having the friction component through reflecting the predicted friction coefficient, during the performance evaluation simulation process of the vehicle device including the friction component.

A degradation estimation device includes a storage device and an execution device. The storage device is configured to store mapping data that defines a map that outputs an output variable indicating a degree of degradation of a seal member when an input variable is input. The map includes a thermal history variable and a load history variable as the input variable. The thermal history variable is a variable indicating a period during which the seal member has been exposed to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range. The load history variable is a variable indicating the number of times a load has acted on the seal member. The execution device is configured to perform an acquisition process of acquiring the input variable and a calculation process of outputting a value of the output variable by inputting the input variable acquired in the acquisition process to the map.

A storage device stores a mapping data entry that specifies a mapping and includes data learned through machine learning. A detection value of an oil temperature sensor is an oil temperature detection value. When oil temperature relation data, which is data corresponding to time series data of the oil temperature detection value, is input to the mapping as an input variable, the mapping outputs an output variable that determines whether a frictional engagement element has an anomaly. Processing circuitry executes an obtainment process that obtains the input variable and an anomaly determination process that determines whether the frictional engagement element has an anomaly based on the output variable that is output from the mapping as a result of inputting the input variable obtained in the obtainment process into the mapping.

A storage device stores a mapping data entry that specifies a mapping and includes data learned through machine learning. A detection value of an oil temperature sensor is an oil temperature detection value. When oil temperature relation data, which is data corresponding to time series data of the oil temperature detection value, is input to the mapping as an input variable, the mapping outputs an output variable that determines whether a frictional engagement element has an anomaly. Processing circuitry executes an obtainment process that obtains the input variable and an anomaly determination process that determines whether the frictional engagement element has an anomaly based on the output variable that is output from the mapping as a result of inputting the input variable obtained in the obtainment process into the mapping.

Related are a method and an apparatus for protecting a clutch in a vehicle driving process. The method comprises: acquiring a current oil temperature of a space where the clutch is located and judging whether the current oil temperature is within a set temperature interval or not; in a case where the current oil temperature is within the set temperature interval, detecting whether a current wheel speed difference between front shaft and rear shaft reaches to a set wheel speed difference threshold or not; and in a case where the current wheel speed difference between the front shaft and rear shaft reaches to the set wheel speed difference threshold, triggering a first protective mode that is preset to protect the clutch; and in a case where the current oil temperature is higher than the set temperature interval, triggering a second protective mode that is preset to protect the clutch.

A braking control apparatus comprises at least one torque source. At least one magnetorheological (MR) fluid clutch apparatus having an input coupled to the at least one torque source to receive torque from the torque source, the MR fluid clutch apparatus controllable to transmit a variable amount of torque via an output thereof. A modulation interface couples the output of the at least one MR fluid clutch apparatus to a braking power transmission of a brake system. At least one sensor provides information indicative of a braking state of the load. A processing unit receives the information indicative of the braking state of the load and for outputting a signal to control the at least one MR fluid clutch apparatus in exerting a desired force on the braking power transmission to assist in braking the load. A method for assisting a manually-actuated braking of a vehicle is also provided.

Related are a method and an apparatus for protecting a clutch in a vehicle driving process. The method comprises: acquiring a current oil temperature of a space where the clutch is located and judging whether the current oil temperature is within a set temperature interval or not; in a case where the current oil temperature is within the set temperature interval, detecting whether a current wheel speed difference between front shaft and rear shaft reaches to a set wheel speed difference threshold or not; and in a case where the current wheel speed difference between the front shaft and rear shaft reaches to the set wheel speed difference threshold, triggering a first protective mode that is preset to protect the clutch; and in a case where the current oil temperature is higher than the set temperature interval, triggering, a second protective mode that is preset to protect the clutch.

A degradation estimation device includes a storage device and an execution device. The storage device is configured to store mapping data that defines a map that outputs an output variable indicating a degree of degradation of a seal member when an input variable is input. The map includes a thermal history variable and a load history variable as the input variable. The thermal history variable is a variable indicating a period during which the seal member has been exposed to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range. The load history variable is a variable indicating the number of times a load has acted on the seal member. The execution device is configured to perform an acquisition process of acquiring the input variable and a calculation process of outputting a value of the output variable by inputting the input variable acquired in the acquisition process to the map.

A system and method of accurately evaluating the performance of a vehicle device having a friction component, including a brake disc, a clutch disc, or the like, may be achieved by predicting the accurate friction coefficient of the friction component in consideration of changes in the temperature, rotation speed, and hydraulic pressure of the friction component, and determining the operating torque of the vehicle device or system having the friction component through reflecting the predicted friction coefficient, during the performance evaluation simulation process of the vehicle device including the friction component.

The present disclosure provides a method for measuring clutch durability of an all wheel drive vehicle. The method includes: a damage degree securing step of accumulating and acquiring a damage degree of a clutch based on a clutch slip amount and clutch transfer torque when the clutch slips by a difference in rotary speed between a front wheel and a rear wheel; and a durability predicting step of predicting current durability of the clutch based on the difference between the accumulated and acquired damage degree and a reference damage degree of the corresponding clutch, an input shaft RPM of rotating the clutch, and a reference durability RPM of the clutch.