Patent ID: 6749534
Filing Date: 2004-06-15
Classification: B60W,F16H,Y02T,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus for controlling a drive system of an automotive vehicle including a drive power source, a fluid-operated power transmitting device connected to said drive power source, and an automatic transmission arranged to transmit a rotary motion of the fluid-operated power transmitting device to drive wheels of the vehicle such that a speed ratio which is a ratio of an input speed of the automatic transmission to an output speed thereof is variable, said apparatus being arranged to increase an output of said drive power source for increasing an operating speed of said drive power source upon a shift-down action of said automatic transmission so as to increase said speed ratio during a coasting run of the vehicle in which the output of said drive power source is not transmitted to said drive wheels, said apparatus comprising:an output controlling element operable to control the output of said drive power source; and gradually output increasing means operable upon said shift-down action of said automatic transmission during said coasting run of the vehicle, while said drive system is placed in a reverse power transfer state in which the operating speed of said drive power source is lower than an output speed of said fluid-operated power transmitting device, said gradually output increasing means controlling said output controlling element to increase the output of said drive power source so as to gradually increase said operating speed of said drive power source at a predetermined rate, and such that the output of said drive power source is increased to a predetermined target value after the operating speed of said drive power source has exceeded said output speed of said fluid-operated power transmitting device.