Improved optimal controller for start-up of amt trucks in consideration of driver’s intention

A linear-quadratic optimal controller is proposed for vehicle start-up, which is designed as a linear feedback form of the states and the measured (estimated) disturbances. The requirements of less friction loss and less driveline shock are represented by the weighting matrices of the cost function. The driver’s intension is also considered and the controller gains are adjusted on-line accordingly. The designed control strategy is tested on a complete powertrain simulation model. Through large amount of simulations, it is verified that the system is robust to the variations of driving conditions, such as variation of vehicle mass and road grade. It is also shown that the control performance is influenced greatly by the estimation error of engine torque and clutch torque, and the acceptable level of mean estimation error is about ±10%.