Automatic transmissions and methods therefor

• US 8,626,409 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fallbrook Intellectual Property Company LLC (Fallbrook Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Fallbrook Intellectual Property Company LLC (Fallbrook Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Vasiliotis, Christopher M., McDaniel, Loren T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alharbi, Adam
• Application Number:
  US13/681,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 11/14 with planetary gears
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 11/16 built in, or adjacent to, the ground-wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 25/08 with electrical or fluid transmitting systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 6/40 Rider propelled cycles with auxiliary electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 15/52 in which a member of uniform effective diameter mounted on a shaft may co-operate with different parts of another member
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/66 specially adapted for continuously variable gearings control of exclusively fluid gearing F16H61/38
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/6645 controlling shifting exclusively as a function of speed and torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/6646 controlling shifting exclusively as a function of speed

Abstract

Systems and methods for controlling transmissions and associated vehicles, machines, equipment, etc., are disclosed. In one case, a transmission control system includes a control unit configured to use a sensed vehicle speed and a commanded, target constant input speed to maintain an input speed substantially constant. The system includes one or more maps that associate a speed ratio of a transmission with a vehicle speed. In one embodiment, one such map associates an encoder position with a vehicle speed. Regarding a specific application, an automatic bicycle transmission shifting system is contemplated. An exemplary automatic bicycle includes a control unit, a shift actuator, various sensors, and a user interface. The control unit is configured to cooperate with a logic module and an actuator controller to control the cadence of a rider. In one embodiment, a memory of, or in communication with, the control unit includes one or more constant cadence maps that associate transmission speed ratios with bicycle speeds.

Claims

1. A bicycle comprising:

a transmission;

a system for automatically shifting the transmission, the system comprising;

a speed sensor configured to detect a speed of the bicycle;

a control unit configured to receive input from the speed sensor;

a data input interface configured to provide cadence data to the control unit, said cadence data indicative of a desired, constant input pedaling speed;

a memory in communication with the control unit, the memory having stored therein one or more data structures correlating bicycle speeds with speed ratios;

wherein the control unit is configured to determine from said data structures a target speed ratio based on the speed of the bicycle and the cadence data, and

an actuator configured to selectively tilt a power transmitting ball of the transmission, in communication with the control unit, the actuator configured to adjust a speed ratio of the transmission to be substantially equal to the determined target speed ratio.

2. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein the data input interface comprises a display and at least one button.

3. The bicycle of claim 2, wherein the data input interface is mounted on a handlebar of the bicycle.

4. The bicycle of claim 1, further comprising a position sensor configured to provide an indication of a position of the actuator.

5. The bicycle of claim 4, wherein the data structures have a speed ratio data structure and a bicycle speed data structure.

6. The bicycle of claim 1, wherein the ball-planetary transmission comprises a shift rod, the shift rod operably coupled to the actuator.

7. An automatic shifting bicycle system comprising:

a transmission having a shift rod;

an actuator operably coupled to the shift rod;

a control unit in communication with the actuator;

a memory in communication with the control unit, the memory storing at least one table correlating a position of the actuator to the transmission ratio, wherein the table contains data that correlates a position of the shift rod to a transmission ratio and data that correlates the position of the shift rod to a cadence level, and wherein the control unit communicates a desired transmission ratio to the actuator based at least in part on the table.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to determine a target speed ratio for the transmission.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising a speed sensor configured to detect a speed of the transmission, the speed sensor in communication with the processor.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the actuator is adapted to adjust the transmission ratio based at least in part on the target transmission ratio.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the actuator is configured to rotate the shift rod to adjust the transmission ratio.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising a user interface in communication with the processor.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the user interface is configured to receive a command from an operator, the command indicative of a desired operating condition.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interface comprises at least one button.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user interface comprises a display.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the desired operating condition is a desired cadence level.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the desired operating condition is a speed of the bicycle.

18. The system of claim 7, further comprising an encoder in communication with the processor, the encoder configured to indicate a position of the shift rod.