Patent ID: 7044888

Claim:
A method of controlling engagement of a starting clutch for a transmission connected to an engine, the method comprising: providing a feed-forward input command as a function of an engine operating parameter; providing a feed-back input command as a function of measured clutch slip determined from transmission input speed and transmission output speed; wherein said step of providing a feed-back input command further comprises: comparing said measured clutch slip with a reference slip profile which includes a low speed stage in which slip is a function of engine speed such that slip increases along with engine speed to allow the engine to quickly achieve high torque, and a high speed stage in which slip is a function of vehicle speed such that slip decreases as vehicle speed increases until a final desired relatively low slip is reached; and providing the feed-back input command based upon said comparison with the reference slip profile; and summing said feed-forward input command and said feed-back input command to determine a clutch control command for controlling engagement of the starting clutch.