Systems and methods for controlling manual transmissions
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a manual transmission of a vehicle, the method comprising:
- providing a manual transmission comprising a shift fork actuator and a shifter assembly comprising a shift lever, a shift knob disposed on the shift lever, a shift lever position sensor and a shifter tactile sensor;
determining when pressure is applied to the shift knob of the shifter assembly with the shifter tactile sensor;
monitoring vehicle operating parameters when pressure is applied to the shift knob;
determining a predicted gear selection based on the monitored vehicle operating parameters;
determining an operator gear selection using the shift lever position sensor when the shift lever is moved;
comparing the predicted gear selection to the operator gear selection; and
shifting the manual transmission to the predicted gear selection automatically with the shift fork actuator when the predicted gear selection is the same as the operator gear selection.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for controlling a manual transmission of a vehicle includes providing a manual transmission comprising a shift fork actuator and a shifter assembly comprising a shift lever, a shift knob disposed on the shifter lever, a shift lever position sensor and a shifter tactile sensor. The tactile sensor may be used to determine when pressure is applied to the shift knob of the shifter assembly and, when pressure is applied to the shift knob, vehicle operating parameters are monitored. A predicted gear selection is determined based on the monitored vehicle operating parameters. An operator gear selection is then determined based on the shift lever position sensor when the shift lever is moved. The operator gear selection is compared to the predicted gear selection and, when the predicted gear selection is the same as the operator gear selection, the manual transmission is shifted to the predicted gear selection.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a manual transmission of a vehicle, the method comprising:
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providing a manual transmission comprising a shift fork actuator and a shifter assembly comprising a shift lever, a shift knob disposed on the shift lever, a shift lever position sensor and a shifter tactile sensor; determining when pressure is applied to the shift knob of the shifter assembly with the shifter tactile sensor; monitoring vehicle operating parameters when pressure is applied to the shift knob; determining a predicted gear selection based on the monitored vehicle operating parameters; determining an operator gear selection using the shift lever position sensor when the shift lever is moved; comparing the predicted gear selection to the operator gear selection; and shifting the manual transmission to the predicted gear selection automatically with the shift fork actuator when the predicted gear selection is the same as the operator gear selection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 20, 21)
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8. A system for electronically shifting a manual transmission of a vehicle, the system comprising a shifter assembly, a shift fork actuator, a clutch actuator, and a controller, wherein:
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the shifter assembly comprises a shift lever comprising a shift knob, a shift gate, a shifter tactile sensor, and a shift lever position sensor, wherein; the shifter tactile sensor is operable to detect a pressure applied to the shift knob and send a tactile signal to the controller indicative of the pressure being applied to the shift knob; and the shift lever position sensor is operable to detect a position of the shift lever in the shift gate and send a gear selection signal to the controller indicative of the selected gear ratio; the controller is operable to; receive at least one vehicle operation input signal; determine a predicted gear selection based on the received vehicle operation input signal; determine a shift command signal based on the received gear selection signal when the received tactile signal indicates pressure is applied to the shift knob, wherein the gear selection signal is indicative of an operator gear selection; compare the predicted gear selection to the operator gear selection; send a clutch command signal to the clutch actuator; and send the shift command signal to the shift actuator when the predicted gear selection is the same as the operator gear selection and the gear selection signal indicates that the shift lever has moved; the clutch actuator is operable to receive the clutch command signal from the controller and, based on the received clutch command actuate the clutch; and the shift fork actuator is operable to receive the shift command signal from the controller and automatically shift the manual transmission to the gear ratio represented by the shift command signal when the predicted gear selection is the same as the operator gear selection. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for controlling a manual transmission of a vehicle, the method comprising:
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providing a manual transmission comprising a shift fork actuator and a clutch actuator and a controller operable to actuate the shift fork actuator and the clutch actuator and receive at least one vehicle operation input signal; learning a driving style of an operator of the vehicle by storing a plurality of shift histories in a memory associated with the controller, the shift histories comprising the value of the at least one vehicle operation input signal for a shift; determining a predicted gear selection based on at least one current vehicle operation input signal, a presently selected gear ratio and the stored shift histories; and actuating, automatically, the shift fork actuator and the clutch actuator to shift the manual transmission to the predicted gear selection. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification