System, method, and apparatus for operating a high efficiency, high output transmission

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10737696-B2
Application number	US-201715663193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Dec 22, 2016
Publication date	Aug 11, 2020
Grant date	Aug 11, 2020

Abstract

A transmission includes an input shaft coupled to a prime mover, a countershaft, main shaft, and an output shaft, with gears between the countershaft and the main shaft. A shift actuator selectively couples the input shaft to the main shaft by rotatably coupling gears between the countershaft and the main shaft. The shift actuator is mounted on an exterior wall of a housing including the countershaft and the main shaft. An integrated actuator housing includes a single external power access for the shift actuator. A controller interprets controls the shift actuator with actuating and opposing pulses, and interprets a shaft displacement angle, determines if the transmission is in an imminent zero or zero torque region, and performs a transmission operation in response to the transmission in the imminent zero or zero torque region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transmission, comprising:
an input shaft configured to couple to a prime mover;
a countershaft having a first plurality of gears mounted thereon;
a main shaft having a second plurality of gears mounted thereon;
an output shaft selectively providing a torque output to a driveline;
a shift actuator structured to selectively couple the input shaft to the main shaft by rotatably coupling at least one of the first plurality of gears to the countershaft and the second plurality of gears to the main shaft, wherein the shift actuator is mounted on an exterior wall of a housing, and wherein the countershaft and the main shaft are at least partially positioned within the housing;
a controller, comprising:
a shift control circuit structured to:
provide a first opposing pulse command, the first opposing pulse command comprising a first predetermined amount of air above an ambient amount of air in a first closed volume, wherein pressure in the first closed volume opposes movement of the shift actuator in a shift direction;
determine a second predetermined amount of air in response to at least one of a speed of at least one of the shafts, an air supply pressure, and a transmission temperature value, the second predetermined amount of air comprising an amount of air above an ambient amount of air in a second closed volume, wherein pressure in the second closed volume promotes movement of the shift actuator in the shift direction;
provide a first actuating pulse command, the first actuating pulse command comprising the second predetermined amount of air; and
release pressure in the first closed volume and the second closed volume in response to determining a shift completion event;

a shaft displacement circuit structured to determine a shaft displacement angle, the shaft displacement angle comprising an angle value representative of a rotational displacement difference between at least two shafts of the transmission;
a torque state description circuit structured to determine, in response to the shaft displacement angle, that the transmission is in one of: a zero torque region; or an imminent zero torque region; and
a displacement response circuit structured to perform a transmission operation in response to at least one of: the shaft displacement angle, the zero torque region, or the imminent zero torque region and
wherein the shift actuator is responsive to the first opposing pulse command and the first actuating pulse command.

2. The transmission of claim 1 , wherein the shift control circuit is further structured to modulate the first actuating pulse command in response to a previously determined gear departure position value.

3. The transmission of claim 2 , wherein the modulating comprises providing the first actuating pulse command as a full open command in response to a position of the shift actuator being on an engaged side of a gear departure position value.

4. The transmission of claim 3 , wherein the modulating further comprises providing the first actuating pulse command as a pulse-width modulated (PWM) command in response to the position of the shift actuator being one of approaching or exceeding the gear departure position value.

5. The transmission of claim 4 , wherein the shift control circuit is further structured to provide a second opposing pulse command in response to a shift actuator position indicating an engaging synchronizer is off the block.

6. The transmission of claim 5 , wherein the shift control circuit is further structured to interrupt at least one of the first actuating pulse command and the second opposing pulse command to synchronize pressure decay in the first closed volume and the second closed volume.

7. The transmission of claim 1 , wherein the displacement response circuit is further structured to provide an opposing pulse command in response to the determining the transmission is in one of the zero torque region or the imminent zero torque region, and wherein the shift actuator is responsive to the opposing pulse command.

8. The transmission of claim 1 , wherein the displacement response circuit is further structured to provide a shift pre-load command in response to the determining the transmission is in one of the zero torque region or the imminent zero torque region, and wherein the shift actuator is responsive to the shift pre-load command.

9. The transmission of claim 1 , wherein the controller further comprises:
a backlash indication circuit structured to identify an imminent backlash crossing event at a first gear mesh;
a backlash management circuit structured to reduce engagement force experienced by the first gear mesh in response to receiving a backlash crossing indication event from the backlash indication circuit; and
wherein the backlash indication circuit is further structured to identify the imminent backlash crossing event in response to the transmission operating in the zero torque region.

10. A transmission, comprising:
an input shaft configured to couple to a prime mover;
a countershaft having a first plurality of gears mounted thereon;
a main shaft having a second plurality of gears mounted thereon;
an output shaft selectively providing a torque output to a driveline;
a shift actuator structured to selectively couple the input shaft to the main shaft by rotatably coupling at least one of the first plurality of gears to the countershaft and the second plurality of gears to the main shaft, wherein the shift actuator is mounted on an exterior wall of a housing, and wherein the countershaft and the main shaft are at least partially positioned within the housing;
a controller comprising:
a shift control circuit structured to:
provide a first opposing pulse command, the first opposing pulse command comprising a first predetermined amount of air above an ambient amount of air in a first closed volume, wherein pressure in the first closed volume opposes movement of the shift actuator in a shift direction;
determine a second predetermined amount of air in response to at least one of a speed of at least one of the shafts, an air supply pressure, and a transmission temperature value, the second predetermined amount of air comprising an amount of air above an ambient amount of air in a second closed volume, wherein pressure in the second closed volume promotes movement of the shift actuator in the shift direction;
provide a first actuating pulse command, the first actuating pulse command comprising the second predetermined amount of air; and
release pressure in the first closed volume and the second closed volume in response to determining a shift completion event;

a shift characterization circuit structured to determine that a transmission shift operation is experiencing a tooth butt event;

wherein the transmission further comprises a means for clearing the tooth butt event.

11. The transmission of claim 10 , wherein the means for clearing the tooth butt event further comprises the controller further comprising a clutch control circuit is further structured to command a clutch slip event in response to the tooth butt event.

12. The transmission of claim 10 , wherein the means for clearing the tooth butt event comprises the controller further comprising a friction brake control circuit structured to modulate a countershaft speed in response to the tooth butt event.

13. The transmission of claim 10 , wherein the shift actuator is responsive to the first opposing pulse command and the first actuating pulse command.

14. The transmission of claim 10 , further comprising:
a clutch structured to selectively decouple the prime mover from the input sh

Assignees

• Eaton Cummins Automated Trans Tech Llc

Inventors

• Connolly Thomas
• Furner Joseph Paul
• Hawarden Jeff
• Mckenzie Ian Daniel
• Deboer Christopher
• Jackson Graeme Andrew

Classifications

• F16H61/0213 Primary

  characterised by the method for generating shift signals · CPC title

• B60W50/00

  Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit {, e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces} · CPC title

• B60W50/0205

  Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models · CPC title

• F16H61/04

  Smoothing ratio shift · CPC title

• B60W10/02

  including control of driveline clutches · CPC title