US 4,981,202 A · Motor vehicle control system

Abstract

A control system for a motor vehicle of the type including a clutch and an manual gearbox. The control system includes an electric power module for shifting the gearbox, an electric power clutch assembly for engaging and disengaging the clutch, an electric throttle control assembly, and a control module arranged to control the gearbox power module, the clutch power module, the clutch power assembly, and the throttle control assembly in response to receipt of an operator instigated shift command signal. The control module initially operates to disable the throttle control system and disengage the clutch, thereafter operates to energize the gearbox power module in a sense to shift the gearbox to the selected position, and thereafter operates to reengage the clutch and restore operator control of the throttle control assembly. In one form of the power clutch assembly, an electric motor is positioned within the clutch housing in concentric relation to the clutch shaft and includes a screw drive assembly which is operative to move the clutch release bearing linearly to engage and disengage the clutch. In another form of power clutch assembly, an electric motor powers a hydraulic master cylinder and the output of the master cylinder is delivered to a slave cylinder associated with the clutch to engage an disengage the clutch in response to energization of the motor. In another form of power clutch assembly, an electric motor drives a pump which maintains a predetermined level of pressurized fluid in an accumulator and a solenoid valve delivers pressurized fluid from the accumulator to a slave cylinder in response to receipt of a shift command signal so as to disengage the clutch. Also disclosed are gear select lever assemblies designed to provide a two part shift command signal in which the initial signal is utilized to disengage the clutch and disable the throttle control system, and the second signal is utilized to shift the gearbox to the selected position.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A control system for a motor vehicle of the type including a clutch, a manual gearbox having a housing, gear means within the housing providing a plurality of shirt positions, and a mode select member accessible from the exterior of the gearbox housing and operative when selectively moved to move the gear means between its shift positions, and a gear shifter mechanism having a plurality of operator selected positions corresponding respectively to the shift positions, said system comprising:

(A) a power module, including a first electric motor and an output drive member adapted to be mounted proximate the gearbox housing with said drive member drivingly engaged with the mode select member and operative when energized to move the mode select member in a manner to selectively shift said gear means between said shift positions;
(B) electrical power means, including a second electric motor, operative when energized to selectively engage and disengage said clutch;
and
(C) an electronic control module electrically connected to said power module, said power means, and said gear shifter mechanism and operative in response to operator selection of a gear shifter mechanism position to selectively energize said first and second motors in a manner to disengage said clutch, shift said gear means to the shift position corresponding to the selected gear shift mechanism position, and reengage said clutch.

1 more element

A control system for a motor vehicle of the type including a clutch, a manual gearbox having a plurality of shift positions, and a gear shifter mechanism having a plurality of operator selected positions corresponding respectively to the gearbox shift positions, said system comprising:

(A) a first power means, including a first electric motor, operative in response to energization of said first motor to selectively shift said gearbox between its various positions;
(B) second power means, including a second electric motor, operative in response to energization of said second motor to selectively engage and disengage said clutch;
and
(C) an electronic control module electrically connected to said first and second power means and to said gear shifter mechanism and operative in response to operator of a gear shifter mechanism position to selectively energize said first and second motors to disengage said clutch, shift said gearbox to the gearbox position corresponding to the selected position, and reengage said clutch.

1 more element

A control system for controlling a manual motor vehicle gear change apparatus of the type including a clutch mechanism, a gearbox housing, a plurality of parallel axially extending shifter rails within the gearbox housing and each operating a plurality of drive gears for selective engagement with further transmission gears in response to selective axial movement of the respective rail, and a mode select member selectively engageable with each of the rails and movable in a first crossover direction to select a particular rail and in a second shift direction to move the selected rail axially, said control system comprising:

(A) a gear selector assembly adapted to be positioned in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle and including gear selector means selectively actuable by the vehicle operator to select a plurality of gear positions each corresponding to a specific crossover and shift position of the mode select member, and means operative to generate a plurality of electrical gear select signals corresponding respectively to each position of said gear selector means;
(B) a power module adapted to be mounted in proximity to the gearbox housing and including an electric drive mechanism, including a first electric motor, adapted to be connected to the mode select member and operative when actuated to impart a combination of crossover and shift movements to said mode select member;
(C) means sensing the crossover and shift position of the mode select member and operative to generate an electrical position signal indicative of the crossover and shift position of the mode select member;
(D) an electrical clutch power assembly, including a second electric motor, operative when actuated to disengage said clutch;
and
(E) an electronic control module operative to receive said electrical gear select signals and said electrical position signals, to compare said signals, to transmit an electrical control signal to said clutch power assembly to actuate said assembly to disengage said clutch, and to transmit an electric control signal to said electrical drive mechanism coded to impart the specific combination and sequence of crossover and shift movements to the mode select member required to move the mode select member from its indicated crossover and shift positions to the crossover and shift positions corresponding to the operator selected position.

3 more elements

A control system for a motor vehicle of the type including a clutch and a manual gearbox having a plurality of shift positions, said system comprising:

(A) first electrical power means associated with said gearbox and operative when actuated to selectively shift said gearbox between its several positions;
(B) second electrical power means operative when actuated to selectively engage and disengage said clutch;
and
(C) central control means operative in response to an operator instigated shift command signal to selectively actuate said first and second power means in a manner to disengage said clutch, shift said gearbox to the gearbox position corresponding to the command signal, and reengage said clutch;
(D) said clutch and gearbox being contained in a housing assembly and said second electrical power means including an electric motor positioned within said housing assembly and drive means operative in response to energization of said motor to disengage said clutch;
(E) said central control means being operative in response to receipt of a shift command signal to energize said motor;
and
(F) said clutch including a driven disk and a clutch shaft drivingly connected to said driven disk and said motor being annular and being positioned in concentrically surrounding relation to said clutch shaft with said clutch shaft passing freely and concentrically through said motor.

5 more elements

A control system of a motor vehicle of the type including a clutch and a manual gearbox having a plurality of shift positions, said system comprising:

(A) first electrical power means, including a first electric motor, associated with said gearbox and operative when actuated to selectively shift said gearbox between its several positions;
(B) second electrical power means, including a second electric motor, operative when actuated to selectively engage and disengage said clutch;
(C) central control means operative in response to an operator instigated shift command signal to selectively actuate said first and second power means in a manner to disengage said clutch, shift said gearbox to the gearbox position corresponding to the command signal, and reengage said clutch;
(D) said shift command signal comprising a composite signal including a first signal and a second subsequent signal;
(E) said control means being operative in response to said first signal to actuate said second power means in a manner to disengage said clutch and in response to said second signal to actuate said first power means in a manner to shift said gearbox;
(F) said control system including a gear selector assembly;
(G) said shift command signal being instigated in response to operation of said gear selector assembly;
(H) said gear selector assembly including a gear selector lever assembly;
and
(I) said lever assembly including a first movement mode operative to instigate said first signal and a second movement mode operative to instigate said second signal.

7 more elements

A control system for a motor vehicle of the type including an operator controlled throttle pedal, an engine having a throttle body for controlling the delivery of fuel to the engine, a clutch, a manual gearbox having a plurality of shift positions, and a gear shifter mechanism having a plurality of operator selected positions corresponding respectively to the gearbox shift positions, said system comprising:

(A) a first power means, including a first electric motor, operative in response to energization of said first motor to selectively shift said gearbox between its various positions;
(B) second power means, including a second electric motor, operative in response to energization of said second motor to selectively engage and disengage said clutch;
(C) electrical throttle body control means operative to control the position of said throttle body in response to an electrical signal generated by operator movement of said throttle pedal;
and
(D) central control means operative in response to operator selection of a gear shifter mechanism position to electrically disconnect said throttle body control means from said throttle pedal and place said throttle body control means under the control of said central control means and to selectively energize said first and second motors to disengage said clutch, shift said gearbox to the gearbox position corresponding to the selected position, and reengage said clutch.

2 more elements

A control system for a motor vehicle of the type including an operator controlled throttle pedal, an engine having a throttle body for controlling the delivery of fuel to the engine, and a manual gear change apparatus of the type including a clutch mechanism, a gearbox housing, a plurality of parallel axially extending shifter rails within the gearbox housing and each operating a plurality of device gears for selective engagement with further transmission gears in response to selective axial movement of the respective rail, and a mode select member selectively engageable with each of the rails and movable in a first crossover direction to select a particular rail and in a second shift direction to move the selected rail axially, said control system comprising:

(A) a gear selector assembly adapted to be positioned in the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle and including gear selector means selectively actuable by the vehicle operator to select a plurality of gear positions each corresponding to a specific crossover and shift position of the mode select member, and means operative to generate a plurality of electrical gear select signals corresponding respectively to each position of said gear selector means;
(B) a power module adapted to be mounted in proximity to the gearbox housing and including an electric drive mechanism, including a first electric motor, adapted to be connected to the mode select member and operative when actuated to impart a combination of crossover and shift movements to said mode select member;
(C) means sensing the crossover and shift position of the mode select member and operative to generate an electrical position signal indicative of the crossover and shift position of the mode select member;
(D) an electrical clutch power assembly, including a second electric motor, operative when actuated to disengage said clutch;
(E) electrical throttle body control means operative to control the position of the throttle body in response to an electrical signal generated by operator movement of the throttle pedal;
and
(F) a control module operative in response to receipt of one of said gear select signals to electrically disconnect said throttle body control means from the throttle pedal and place said throttle body control means under the control of said control module and further operative to receive said electrical gear select signals and said electrical position signals, to compare said signals, to transmit an electrical control signal to said clutch power assembly to actuate said assembly to disengage said clutch, and to transmit an electrical control signal to said electric drive mechanism coded to impart the specific combination and sequence of crossover and shift movements to the mode select member required to move the mode select member from its indicated crossover and shift positions to the crossover and shift positions corresponding to the operator selected position.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Motor vehicle control system

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Motor vehicle control system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims31