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by Frank Owen
(last revised 2 August 2008)
Introduction
Gear shifting is yet another automotive subsystem that has been affected heavily by
automotive mechatronics. Prior to the explosion of micro-processor-controlled systems
in cars, there was, of course, the automatic transmission. As we shall see, both the
manual transmission and the automatic transmission are still in use, as well as yet another
transmission that allows the car to change gears without removing the load.
A manual transmission consists of two shafts: an input shaft from the engine and an
output shaft that delivers power to the drive wheels (see Figure 1). These two shafts can
be coupled together in a number of different ways by gear pairs. Each gear pair
represents a different speed reduction ratio. Usually a car has five forward speeds and
one reverse speed. When shifting gears, the load on the gear pair must first be removed,
so that the transmission is not transmitting any load while the gear change is taking place.
This is done with the manual clutch. (See
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm for a more detailed explanation of how a
manual transmission works.) From a stop the driver applies gas. When the first gear has
wound out, he or she pushes in the clutch while removing gas, then shifts into second
gear. Thus the power transmission is interrupted while the gear changing is taking place.
P ow er
T o d riv e
w h e e ls
P ow er
(T * )
E n g in e
H ig h g e a r (1 :1 )
C lu tc h
L o w g e a r (1 :< 1 )
Figure 1 Simplified model of a manual transmission
An automatic transmission, by contrast, is a set of planetary gears or multiple sets really.
By keeping some of these gears stationary and allow others to move, various speed
reductions corresponding to the various forward gears can be achieved. There is also a
torque converter in the transmission that represents a hydraulic coupling between the
engine and the drive wheels. A hydraulic linkage decouples the engine and the drive
wheels, so that shifting can take place without damaging mechanical parts. (For a more
complete description of the function of a hydraulic automatic transmission, see
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automatic-transmission.htm.) To a driver the gear
changing is automatic, that is takes place without his or her direct intervention. But the
driver can perceive the discreet gears by feeling the transition and watching the drop in
engine speed on the tachometer with each specific gear speed.
Both manual and automatic transmissions are now controlled by automatic shifting
systems. With a manual transmission, the action of pushing in a clutch and then moving
the gearshift lever are performed by electro-mechanical actuators that make these
motions for the driver. Thus the distinction between a manual transmission and an
automatic transmission has been blurred, as far as the driver is concerned. He or she just
steps on the gas. With electronic control, the direct link between the input (driver) and
the output (gear) has been severed. The microprocessor mediates the input and decides
what the output should be. The gear shift lever becomes merely an input device for the
drivers wishes. The microprocessor senses the cars environment and makes an
intelligent decision on what the appropriate gear should be.
In the simplest case, consider a straightforward acceleration from a stop with an
automated transmission. By automated transmission I mean a transmission under
control by a central processor. The microprocessor senses the speed of the car and the
speed of the engine. When, for a certain speed, the engine RPM reaches a certain value,
the microprocessor sends out commands to actuators to shift the transmission into the
next gear. If the car has an automated manual transmission (AMT), i.e. a transmission
with an automated clutch and gear shift, the microprocessor sends out commands to
actuators to
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
accelerate quickly and then to delay the normal shifting points until the car reaches
respectively higher speeds. A wish for a leisurely acceleration could also be sensed and
early up-shifting implemented.
Besides these operation advantages, the mediation of the microprocessor also allows for
the correction of driver errors, for example accidentally shifting into reverse or shifting
the transmission into an inappropriately low gear when the car has too high a speed.
Thus, again, the insertion of a microprocessor into the system allows for convenience,
flexibility, and safety not found in a non-automated transmission.
In a fully automated vehicle, the transmission control can be integrated with the
electronic engine control and indeed with the overall electronic management of a fully
mechatronic automobile. Transmissions must work closely, for example, with the ABS
system and the ESP (electronic stability control) systems in modern mechatronic cars.
To bring home the point that the transmission has become a programmable unit, consider
Figure 2. This shows a gearshift. What is obviously missing is the transmission. This is
possible because the gearshift lever is simply a wish input device in todays mechatronic
auto. Note that activating the gearshift lever simply generates electronic signals that are
then interpreted by the cars central control system.
Additionally this company, Kostal, produces a steering column module, a roof module, a
network control unit, a door control unit, a seat control unit, and control panels and
switches. Note that more than one manufacturer may use Kostal products in their cars.
Example
My wife recently purchased a Smart Passion. This is a little two-seat, economical car,
popular in Europe and now being imported into the U.S. (see Figure 3). The car has an
automated manual transmission. It has a manual stickshift but no clutch. It has two
shifting modesmanual and automatic. In manual mode, the driver decides when to
shift and inputs this wish by deflecting the gearshift lever forward (up-shift) or backward
(downshift). In automatic mode, the driver puts the transmission into D and simply
drives, as if the transmission were an automatic, instead of an automated manual
transmission.
a steady position of the accelerator pedal (i.e. dont let off on the pedal while the car is
shifting). With these adaptations, we are becoming acclimated to an automated car.
As previously mentioned, in a fully mechatronic car the shifting control does not happen
in isolation. The electronic control of the transmission needs to be aware of other
electronically controlled systems and interact with them. At the same time, the shifting
strategy of a manufacturer is unique and is separate from the actual hardware that
constitutes the transmission. The strategy for managing this complexity is to adopt a
layered approach. This scheme is illustrated in Figure 6.
D r iv in g S tr a te g y
L o o k a t o v e r a ll d r iv in g s itu a tio n a n d
d e te rm in e th e c o rre c t g e a r fo r th e s itu a tio n
D r iv in g F u n c tio n s
I n te r f a c e w ith th e e n g in e c o n tr o l, d e te r m in a tio n
o f re q u ire d to rq u e
T r a n s m is s io n C o n t r o l
S h iftin g , a d a p ta tio n f u n c tio n s (f o r w e a r a n d
te a r, to le r a n c e d e v ia tio n s , e tc .)
T o a c tu a to rs
F ro m se n so rs
T r a n s m is s io n
O p e n in g a n d c lo s in g v a lv e s , a c tu a tin g
e le c tr ic m o to r s , s o le n o id s , e tc .
Figure 6 - Overview of transmission control
Driving Strategy The most abstract function is the driving strategy. This incorporates
the shifting characteristic curve previously discussed. Note that there are 2(n-1) such
curves, n being the number of gears, since one cannot up-shift from the highest gear nor
downshift from first. Thus the normal five-speed transmission has eight such curves.
These curves can be modified for
1. Eco-friendly driving early up-shifting, later downshifting
S h ift
c h a r a c te r is tic
c u rv e
D e s ire d
gear
10
Driving Functions One big purpose of this layer between Driving Strategy and
Transmission Control is to separate them, so that a manufacturers driving strategy can be
implemented on more than one type of car and transmission. For example, a
manufacturer could have both an automatic transmission and an automated manual
transmission, yet the driving strategy is the same for this manufacturer, regardless of the
type of transmission.
At this second level, there are subfunctions that are important. For example, starting,
stopping, how to implement shifting, dealing with the slip of couplings, gathering the
overall state of the transmission (not low-level stuff but a layer above this), how to deal
with the engine torque during shifting, evaluating gas and brake pedal positions,
implementing characteristic engine performance. Also at this stage one finds the
management of the lower level, a function call set to interface with all the servo-valves
and solenoid actuators in the transmission. With the double-clutch transmission, it is at
this level that the transfer of torque steady from one output shaft to the other takes place.
Lower Level Functions This level interfaces with the actual actuators and sensors in the
transmission. For example, to transfer into a certain gear, it may mean applying an
increasing and controlled pressure to a coupling. This pressure is supplied by a hydraulic
servo valve. The pressure would be governed by a current to a valve. So the control loop
would appear as shown in Fugure 8.
P d e s ir e d
C o n tro lle r
A m p lifie r
V a lv e
C o u p lin g
P re ssu re se n so r
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