Method for automatic control of a motor vehicle clutch

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control method for starting a vehicle, whereby engine racing is prevented when the vehicle is started from rest, as well as clutch wear and poor fuel economy, which traditionally accompany engine racing, during half-clutch operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method for starting a vehicle, in which sudden forward movement of the vehicle is prevented by dividing clutch control at the time the vehicle is started from rest into a very low speed control mode, and an ordinary starting mode depending upon the amount the accelerator pedal is depressed, so that the vehicle can be controlled with accuracy in cases where the vehicle is moved in small increments at very low speed, as when parking in a garage or close to a curb.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a clutch control method whereby clutch control is divided into a start mode and a shift mode, depending upon the operating conditions of the vehicle to achieve optimum control when starting the vehicle from rest and when changing gears.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fuel control method capable of preventing engine racing when a clutch is controlled.
According to the present invention, the foregoing objects are attained by providing a method for controlling the start of a vehicle equipped with: an accelerator pedal sensor for sensing an amount of depression of an accelerator pedal; a throttle actuator for controlling an amount of fuel supplied to an engine; an engine rotation sensor for sensing rpm of the engine; a clutch actuator for controlling an amount of engagement of a clutch; a clutch stroke sensor for sensing the amount of engagement of the clutch; and an electronic control apparatus which receives detection signals from each of the sensors for controlling the throttle actuator and the clutch actuator based on the detection signals.
The method comprises the steps of: (a) sensing the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal; (b) performing a comparison to determine whether the amount of accelerator pedal depression is greater than or less than a set value; (c) selecting a start control mode depending upon the amount of accelerator pedal depression; and (d) controlling the throttle actuator and the clutch actuator in the control mode selected in the step (c)