Vehicle transmission shift quality

• US 20040242374A1
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Original Assignee: Ricardo UK Limited (Ricardo PLC)
• Inventors: Wheals, Jonathan Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,390,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/120
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0029 Mathematical model of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0031 Mathematical model of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0657 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/221 Physiology, e.g. weight, heartbeat, health or special needs
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18 Propelling the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/03 driven by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/05 driven by internal-combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0034 Accumulators for fluid pressure supply; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0071 Robots or simulators for testing control functions in automatic transmission testing of transmissions G01M13/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0084 Neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0025 Supply of control fluid; Pumps therefore
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0437 by using electrical signals F16H61/0403 and F16H61/061 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19251 Control mechanism

Abstract

A vehicle powertrain modelling system includes a powertrain model (20), a vehicle model (30), a seat model (55), a driver model (60) and a correlation element (50) comprising a neural network. As a result vehicle development is enhanced, using the neural network (50) to correlate modelled shift aspects with previous subjectively obtained ratings.

Claims

1. A vehicle powertrain modelling system comprising a transmission shift parameter model element, a vehicle model element, a driver parameter model element and a correlation element to correlate modelled or measured parameters with shift ratings.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the correlation element comprises a neural network.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the shift parameter model element comprises as parameters at least one of engine torque, engine speed, control of clutch(es), control of transmission engagement actuators, control of active dampers to control chassis pitch, control of active driver seat ergonomics.

4. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the driver parameter model element comprises as parameters at least one of shift time, pitch, longitudinal acceleration or jerk preferably at the seat rail and/or pressure acting on the driver'"'"'s body, shear forces, head pitch, trunk pitch about the hip axis, engine speed change, aural cues or neuromuscular effort at the neck.

5. A system as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising a vehicle manoeuvre defining element.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5 in which the vehicle manoeuvre is defined in terms of at least one of vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration and specified transmission shift.

7. A system as claimed in any preceding claim in which the vehicle transmission is a stepped ratio transmission, preferably an AMT transmission.

8. A vehicle development system comprising a modelling system as claimed in any preceding claim.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 in which the contribution of respective shift parameters to shift ratings is identified.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 in which one or more shift parameters are varied to improve the shift rating based on its contribution.

17. A method of calibrating a system as claimed in any preceding claim comprising the steps of running the system through one or more predetermined manoeuvre and correlating a modelled rating against a driver subjective rating for the same manoeuvre.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 in which the calibration is carried out by a neural network.

11. An AMT vehicle transmission control system comprising a transmission shift parameter control element, a vehicle manoeuvre detection element and a controller, wherein the controller is arranged derive control instructions from the detected vehicle manoeuvre to control the shift parameter control element.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11 in which the controller comprises a neural network.

13. A system as claimed in claim 11 or 12 further comprising a shift quality sensor element.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 in which the controller is arranged to adjust control parameters or provide a diagnostic report or control other parameters based on the sensed shift quality.

15. A vehicle control system comprising an AMT vehicle transmission control system as claimed in any of claims 11 to 14.

16. A vehicle including a control system as claimed in any of claims 11 to 15.

19. A method of modelling an AMT vehicle transmission comprising the steps of modelling a vehicle manoeuvre, modelling the associated transmission shift parameters, modelling the associated driver parameters and correlating the modelled parameters with shift ratings.

20. A method of controlling an AMT vehicle transmission comprising detecting a vehicle manoeuvre, deriving shift control instructions for the detected manoeuvre and controlling a shift parameter control element based on the control instructions.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20 in which a cost function is associated with aspects of a shift profile and the improved shift profile is obtained by minimising the cost defined as a deviation from a preferred shift profile.

21. A method of developing an AMT vehicle transmission comprising the steps of measuring a shift profile, determining the contributory factors and varying the contributory factors to obtain an improved shift profile.

23. A vehicle powertrain modelling system comprising a plurality of powertrain model elements and an interaction monitor arranged to monitor interaction between the elements, in which the model elements include a time-deterioration model and the interaction monitor monitors interaction of the elements over time.

24. A vehicle development system comprising a modelling system as claimed in claimed in claim 23.