Binary clutch disengagement control in a neutral shift

1. A vehicle comprising:

an engine;

a transmission having a friction clutch and a binary clutch assembly; and

a controller in communication with the transmission, wherein the controller includes a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a requested shift to neutral in which the friction clutch acts as an assisting clutch, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the controller to:

detect the requested shift of the transmission to neutral; and

only when conditions are satisfied during the requested shift, to:

automatically decrease pressure to the friction clutch such that a torque capacity of the friction clutch decreases from a full torque capacity and the friction clutch begins to slip;

hold the binary clutch assembly at a calibrated pressure while the friction clutch slips;

disengage the binary clutch assembly only when the binary clutch assembly is released and not loaded; and

increase the pressure to the friction clutch to thereby restore the full torque capacity to the friction clutch and complete the requested shift to neutral.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the conditions include a speed of the vehicle being below a low calibrated threshold and the engine being in a running state.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to linearly decrease or ramp the pressure to the assisting clutch downward toward zero pressure.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a torque converter having a pump connected to the engine and a turbine connected to the transmission, and a sensor that measures a speed of the turbine and transmits the measured turbine speed to the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the binary clutch assembly is not loaded by comparing the measured turbine speed to an attained gear turbine speed.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the friction clutch has a calibrated return spring pressure, and wherein the controller automatically decreases the pressure to the friction clutch to a level that is within a predetermined range of the calibrated return spring pressure.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a position sensor positioned with respect to the binary clutch assembly and configured to measure a position of the binary clutch assembly, wherein the controller receives the measured position and determines whether the binary clutch is released via the received measured position.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transmission includes a gear set and a stationary member, and wherein the binary clutch assembly selectively connects a node of the gear set to the stationary member.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transmission includes a stationary member, a first gear set, a second gear set, a third gear set, and an interconnecting member which continuously connects the second gear set to the third gear set, and wherein the binary clutch assembly selectively connects the first gear set to the stationary member and the friction clutch selectively connects the interconnecting member to the stationary member.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , further comprising a torque converter having a pump connected to the engine and a turbine continuously connected to the second gear set and selectively connectable to the third gear set via at least one additional friction clutch, wherein the friction clutch and the at least one additional friction clutch are both connected to the same node of the third gear set.

10. An assembly comprising:

a transmission having a friction clutch and a binary clutch assembly; and

a controller in communication with the transmission, wherein the controller includes a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a requested shift to neutral, wherein execution of the instructions by the processor causes the controller to:

detect the requested shift of the transmission to neutral; and

only when conditions are satisfied during the requested shift, to:

automatically decrease pressure to the friction clutch such that torque capacity of the friction clutch decreases from a full torque capacity and begins to slip;

hold the binary clutch assembly at a calibrated pressure while the friction clutch slips;

disengage the binary clutch assembly only when the binary clutch assembly is released and not loaded; and

increase the pressure to the friction clutch to thereby restore the full torque capacity to the friction clutch and complete the requested shift to neutral.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the set of conditions includes a speed of the vehicle below a low calibrated threshold and the engine being in a running state.

12. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to linearly decrease the pressure to the friction clutch toward zero pressure.

13. The assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a torque converter having a pump connected to the engine and a turbine connected to the transmission, and a sensor that measures a rotational speed of the turbine and transmits the measured speed to the controller, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the binary clutch assembly is not loaded by comparing the measured turbine speed to an attained gear turbine speed.

14. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the friction clutch has a calibrated return spring pressure, and whether the controller automatically decreases the pressure to the friction clutch to a level that is within a predetermined range of the calibrated return spring pressure.

15. The assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a position sensor positioned with respect to the binary clutch assembly and configured to measure a position of the binary clutch assembly, wherein the controller receives the measured position and determines whether the binary clutch is released via the received measured position.

16. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the transmission includes a gear set and a stationary member, and wherein the binary clutch assembly selectively connects a node of the gear set to the stationary member.

17. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the transmission includes a stationary member, a first gear set, a second gear set, a third gear set, and an interconnecting member which continuously connects the second gear set to the third gear set, and wherein the binary clutch assembly selectively connects the first gear set to the stationary member and the friction clutch selectively connects the interconnecting member to the stationary member.

18. A method of shifting a transmission in a vehicle having an engine, a friction clutch, and a binary clutch assembly, the method comprising:

detecting the requested shift of the transmission to neutral, including determining if a speed of the vehicle is below a low calibrated threshold and the engine is running;

determining whether predetermined conditions are satisfied; and

only when the predetermined conditions are satisfied during the requested shift:

automatically decreasing pressure to the friction clutch such that a torque capacity of the friction clutch decreases from a full torque capacity and the friction clutch begins to slip;

holding the binary clutch assembly at a calibrated pressure while the friction clutch slips;

disengaging the binary clutch assembly only when the binary clutch assembly is released and not loaded; and

increasing the pressure to the friction clutch to thereby restore the full torque capacity to the friction clutch and complete the requested shift to neutral.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the vehicle includes a turbine, the method further comprising:

measuring a speed of the turbine via a speed sensor;

transmitting the measured turbine speed to the controller; and

determining, via the controller, whether the binary clutch assembly is not loaded by comparing the measured turbine speed to an attained gear turbine speed.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the vehicle includes a position sensor positioned with respect to the binary clutch assembly, the method further comprising:

measuring a position of the binary clutch assembly via the position sensor;

transmitting the measured position to the controller;

receiving, via the controller, the measured position of the binary clutch assembly; and

determining whether the binary clutch is released via the received measured position.