Automatic selection of start gear
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorsRobert Stanley Wheeler, Alfred John Richardson, Martin Fowler, Keith Wright
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automated clutch system for transferring torque from an engine to a change gear transmission is connected to a processing unit which uses various input parameters to calculate the grade on which the vehicle is operating and its current weight to determine an appropriate start gear to minimise clutch slip when the vehicle is launched from rest.
Claims6
An automated transmission system for a vehicle, the transmission system locatable between a prime mover and vehicle drive wheels, including a change gear transmission, a clutch device, the clutch device being capable of transferring torque from the prime mover to the transmission in a range of from zero torque transfer to a transfer of maximum torque available from the prime mover, the transmission system including:
- at least one processing unit,
- a plurality of sensors whose outputs are supplied as input to the processing unit, the processing unit determining values of:
- i) current gross vehicle weight end ii) gradient on which the vehicle is operating, in order to determine an optimum start gear ratio, said optimum start gear ratio being the highest start gear possible to provide clutch slip for an amount of time lasting less than a predetermined time, but not below a predetermined minimum value.
A method of calculating an optimum gear ratio for a vehicle fitted with an automated transmission system, the transmission system locatable between a prime mover and vehicle drive wheels, including a change gear transmission, a clutch device, the clutch device being capable of transferring torque from the prime mover to the transmission in a range of from zero torque transfer to a transfer of maximum torque available from the prime mover, the transmission system including:
- at least one processing unit,
- a plurality of sensors whose outputs are supplied as input to the processing unit,
- the method including determining values of:
- i) current gross vehicle weight and ii) the gradient on which the vehicle is operating,
- the processing unit using the values to determine an optimum start gear ratio, said optimum start gear ratio will be the highest start gear possible providing clutch slip for an amount of time lasting less than a predetermined time, but not below a predetermined minimum value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.