METHOD FOR OPERATING A TRANSMISSION DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE, AND CORRESPONDING TRANSMISSION DEVICE

Abstract

A method for operating a transmission device for a motor vehicle, wherein the transmission device has an automatic clutch and a manual transmission. During one operation of the transmission device, the clutch is closed before a driving gear is engaged at the manual transmission if, when the clutch is at least partially open, actuation of the manual transmission is identified.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A method for operating a drive device for a motor vehicle, comprising: detecting an actuation of a manual transmission of a transmission device based on at least a partially opened state of an automatic clutch: closing the automatic clutch of the transmission device of the motor vehicle before an engagement or disengagement of a driving gear at the manual transmission; and opening the automatic clutch a predetermined time after detecting the actuation of the manual transmission so that engagement or disengagement of the driving gear is prevented.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the actuation is engagement or disengagement of a driving gear of the manual transmission.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the clutch is closed only when the engagement of a driving gear is detected, which requires a transmission ratio that is greater than a maximum transmission ratio.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the maximum transmission ratio is determined from an output shaft rotational speed and from a maximum input shaft rotational speed of the manual transmission.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the closing of the clutch is carried out only when a rotational speed of as output shaft is greater than a limiting rotational speed.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein an operating mode is a coasting operating mode.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the clutch is closed with an engagement of the operating mode.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein a neutral gear sensor or an all gear sensor is used to detect engagement of the manual transmission.

Description

[0028] FIGUREa schematic illustration of a transmission device for a motor vehicle.

[0029] The FIGURE shows a schematic illustration of a transmission device 1, such as for example a transmission device that is used for a motor vehicle. In this case, the transmission device 1 is preferably provided so that it has an operative connection with at least one drive unit, such as at least one driven axle of the motor vehicle. The transmission device 1 has at least one automatic clutch 2, as well as a manual shift transmission 3. The manual transmission 3 is equipped with an input shaft 4 and with an output shaft 5. A driving gear can he installed at the manual transmission, which can be set to a plurality of driving gears, for example several forward driving gears, as well as one reverse gear. The driving gear corresponds to a transmission ratio between the input shaft 4 and the output shaft 5.

[0030] The input shaft 4 of the manual transmission 3 is operatively directly and rigidly connected with the clutch 2, in particular with a clutch disk 6. On the other hand, it is preferred when the output shaft 5 is rigidly and/or permanently operatively connected with at least one of the driven axles of the motor vehicle and thus also with the wheels of the motor vehicle. This means that the output shaft 5 has a rotational speed that corresponds to the driving speed of the vehicle. The rotational speed of the input shaft 4 and thus also of the clutch disk 6 can be ascertained in this respect from the rotational speed of the output shaft 5, as well as from the transmission ratio set at the manual transmission 3 or the corresponding driving gear. Of course, the manual transmission 3 can be also in the neutral position or idle operation position, in which the operative connection between the input shaft 4 and the output shaft 5 is interrupted.

[0031] On the side that is facing away from the manual transmission 3, the clutch 2 is operationally connected, or can be operationally connected, through a drive shaft 7 with the drive device. The drive shaft 7 is connected through a second clutch disk 8 with the clutch 2. With a corresponding mutual arrangement of the clutch disks 6 and 8, a torque transmission connection can be created between the drive shaft 7 and the input shaft 4 of the manual transmission 3. With a fully opened clutch 2, no torque will be transmitted between the drive clutch 7 and the input shaft 4. Of course, any intermediate positions of the clutch 2 can be also realized, in which the torque will be transmitted only partially. The clutch is in this case opened only partially.

[0032] A driving operation with respect to the activation of the manual transmission can be carried out by means of an operating element 9, for example a shift lever. The operating element 9 is preferably arranged in such a way so that it can be operated by a driver of the vehicle. The clutch 2, on the other hand, is controlled by using a control device 10. This control is here schematically indicated by the arrow 11. The control of the clutch 2 should be performed for example in dependence on the position of a clutch pedal 12 or of a corresponding operating element. For this purpose, the clutch pedal 12 is associated with a clutch pedal sensor 13, which detects the position of the clutch pedal 12 and supplies the input variable to the control device 10.

[0033] With the operating element 9, for example a shift lever, is associated a sensor element 14. This element is realized for example as a neutral gear sensor, or as an all gear sensor. With the neutral sensor it is possible to determine whether the operating element 9 is located in the neutral gear gate 15, which is only suggested here, of the operating element 9, or whether the operating element 9 is displaced from it in the direction of the neutral gear 15. The all gear sensor can in addition also determine in which switching position is present the operating element 9, or from which switching position the operation element is displaced, or in which switching position it is placed. Switching position 16 is indicated here merely by way of an example. It goes without saying that in principle any number of switching positions 15 may he present, wherein each of the switching positions corresponds to a driving gear of the manual transmission and thus also to a transmission ratio. By using the sensor element 14, it is also possible to provide a summary indicating whether activation. of the manual transmission 3 takes places, or whether such an activation can be detected.

[0034] During the operation of the transmission device 1, it is now expected that with at least one operation. type of the transmission device 1, the clutch will be closed before the activation of a driving gear at the manual transmission 3 when engagement of the manual transmission 3 is detected with at least a partially opened clutch 2. In this manner, engagement of the driving gear and/or disengagement of the driving gear is already prevented, or at least rendered more difficult, when changing a gear could possibly lead to problems. This could be a result of the fact that a driving gear is to be engaged, which is provided with a transmission ratio that is larger than a maximum transmission ratio. As was already mentioned above, the rotational speed of the input shaft depends on the rotational speed of the output shaft 5 and on the existing transmission ratio or the present transmission ratio relationship. If this ratio is too large, the rotational speed of the input shaft will be much higher than that of the output shaft 5. Accordingly, a higher rotational speed of the output shaft 5 may result in exceeding the maximum rotational speed allowable at the input shaft 4 and depending on the conditions, this may result in damage to the transmission device 1, in particular to the clutch disk 6.

[0035] With a timely closing of the clutch 2, which is carried out only partially, or preferably fully, the disengagement or engagement of the driving gear can be prevented, or at least indicated to the driver of the vehicle. The latter is the case because with a closed clutch 2, disengagement and engagement of a driving gear often leads to noises of the manual transmission 3. The procedure described above is used in particular if the coasting operation mode is employed in which the coasting operation of the motor vehicle is to be used. In this case, the clutch 2 is preferably at least temporarily fully opened so as not to be in the way of an operation of the motor vehicle performed in another manner than by means of the drive device.