High efficiency, high output transmission

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906546-B2
Application number	US-201715663168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Dec 22, 2016
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

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 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 shaft displacement circuit structured to interpret 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;
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;

wherein the transmission is a high efficiency transmission;
wherein the countershaft comprises one of a pair of twin countershafts;
wherein the transmission comprises a cast aluminum housing;
wherein the countershaft comprises helical gears; and
the transmission further comprising a planetary gear set comprising a sun gear and a ring gear, wherein the ring gear is coupled to the output shaft, and wherein the sun gear is selectively coupled to the ring gear, the transmission further comprising a ball bearing operatively positioned between the sun gear and the ring gear, and wherein the helical gears are configured to apply thrust loads to the ball bearing.

2. The transmission of claim 1 , wherein gear teeth on the countershaft comprise a reduced height geometry.

3. The transmission of claim 2 , wherein the gear teeth are configured with a sliding velocity profile to reduce mechanical losses.

4. The transmission of claim 2 , wherein the gear teeth are configured to reduce noise production.

5. The transmission of claim 2 , wherein the gear teeth are ground with a worm wheel.

6. The transmission of claim 1 , wherein the transmission comprises a high output transmission.

7. 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 shaft displacement circuit structured to interpret 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;

wherein the transmission is a high efficiency transmission;
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.

8. 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 shaft displacement circuit structured to interpret 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;

wherein the transmission is a high efficiency transmission;
wherein the controller further comprises 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; and

wherein the shift actuator is responsive to the first opposing pulse command and the first actuating pulse command.

9. The transmission of claim 8 , 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.

10. The transmission of claim 9 , 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.

11. The transmission of claim 10 , 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.

12. The transmission of claim 8 , wherein the shift control circuit is further structured to provide a second

Assignees

• Eaton Cummins Automated Trans Tech Llc
• Eaton Cummins Automated Trans Technologies

Inventors

• Peterson Paul
• Jackson Graeme Andrew
• Wilson Paul
• Chimner Christian
• Wadas David L
• Connolly Thomas

Classifications

• F16H61/0213 Primary

  characterised by the method for generating shift signals · CPC title

• B60W2510/0275

  Clutch torque · CPC title

• F16H2200/0078

  the gear ratio comprising twelve or more forward speeds · CPC title

• F16H2200/0004

  comprising a power take off shaft · CPC title

• B60W2510/107

  Temperature · CPC title