Optimal gearshift control for a novel hybrid electric drivetrain

Torque-fill capability during gearshifts is an important customer requirement in automated transmission systems. This functionality can be achieved through transmission system layouts (e.g., based on dual-clutch technology) characterized by significant mechanical complexity, and hence with relatively high cost and mass. This paper describes a parallel hybrid electric drivetrain concept, based on the integration of an electric motor drive into a relatively simple six-speed automated manual transmission. The resulting hybrid electric drivetrain actuates the torque-fill function through control of the electric motor torque during the gearshifts on the engine side of the drivetrain. An optimal controller, based on the off-line computation of the control gain profiles, is presented for the clutch re-engagement phase. The novel controller allows computationally efficient consideration of clutch energy dissipation during the clutch re engagement phase of the gearshift. The performance with the optimal controller is contrasted with that of two conventional clutch engagement controllers, along a set of gearshifts simulated with an experimentally validated vehicle model. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.