Powertrain control based on bearing speed
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vehicle comprising:
- a housing;
a shaft;
a bearing having a plurality of rolling elements separating the shaft from the housing and configured to transmit radial forces from the shaft to the housing and to translate circumferentially as the shaft rotates to facilitate low friction rotation of the shaft with respect to the housing;
a sensor mounted on the housing and configured to transmit a signal that varies in response to translation of a rolling element of the plurality of rolling elements;
a clutch or brake; and
a controller programmed tobased on the signal from the sensor, calculate an estimated speed of the shaft; and
adjust a torque capacity of the clutch or brake based on the estimated speed.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A speed sensor is integrated with a bearing of a transmission. The speed sensor may sense rotation of a bearing cage using a proximity sensor or may sense passage of the rolling elements themselves using an acceleration sensor. The speed of the shaft supported by the bearing is calculated from the speed sensor reading. The shaft speed may be used to control a slipping clutch during a shift event. When the transmission is in a fixed gear ratio, inconsistent speed sensor reading may indicate a preload issue.
-
Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A vehicle comprising:
-
a housing; a shaft; a bearing having a plurality of rolling elements separating the shaft from the housing and configured to transmit radial forces from the shaft to the housing and to translate circumferentially as the shaft rotates to facilitate low friction rotation of the shaft with respect to the housing; a sensor mounted on the housing and configured to transmit a signal that varies in response to translation of a rolling element of the plurality of rolling elements; a clutch or brake; and a controller programmed to based on the signal from the sensor, calculate an estimated speed of the shaft; and adjust a torque capacity of the clutch or brake based on the estimated speed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A transmission comprising:
-
a housing; a shaft; a bearing having a plurality of rolling elements separating the shaft from the housing and configured to transmit radial forces from the shaft to the housing and to translate circumferentially as the shaft rotates; a sensor embedded in a bearing race and configured to transmit a signal in response to a rolling element of the plurality of rolling elements translating past the sensor; a clutch or brake; and a controller programmed to based on the signal from the sensor, calculate an estimated speed of the shaft; and adjust a torque capacity of the clutch or brake based on the estimated speed. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method of controlling a transmission comprising:
-
receiving a signal indicating passage of rolling bearing elements past a fixed location on a transmission housing; based on the signal, calculating an estimated speed of a shaft supported by the rolling bearing elements; and adjusting a torque capacity of a clutch based on the estimated speed. - View Dependent Claims (19)
-
Specification