SE534224C2 - Gear lever with adaptive damping - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a system for adjusting the mechanical damping or counterforce in a gear lever (1)in a vehicle to the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way he / she changes gear. The invention is achieved by detecting the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way he / she changes gear, by calculating on the basis of the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way he / she changes gear an instantaneous value for a mechanical damping / counterforce(F) desired in the gear lever (1), and by using the calculated instantaneous value as a basis for causing an actuator (11, 20) to exert the desired damping / counterforce(F) in the gear lever (1)and thereby adjusting the damping / counterforce (F) of the gear lever (1) in relation to the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way he / she changes gear.

Description

534 224 or damping in a gear lever, to give the driver a good and efficient feeling of shifting in all situations and thereby to improve the shifting work in vehicles with, for example, electrically operated shifting. Prior art thus does not solve these problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to demonstrate a system and method for controlling a gear lever which provides a good, comfortable and expected shift feeling for the driver, even when using an electronic gear lever, and which facilitates the shifting of the vehicle in a correct manner and with the correct resistance and speed in relation to the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way to shift.

A further object of the invention is that a mechanical counterforce or damping is applied to the gear lever and which counteracts an excessively fast and / or strong mechanical manual action of the gear lever on the part of the driver. Another object of the invention is that the counterforce / damping is adapted to the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way to shift, ie. the counterforce / damping is made adaptive.

These and further objects and advantages are achieved according to the invention by a system according to the features stated in the characterizing parts of claims 1 and 6.

The invention thus relates to a method and a system intended to give a good and expedient mechanical feeling when shifting a vehicle. This applies in particular to vehicles with an electrically operated gearshift and with an electronic gear lever, as is the case, for example, with an “EC-Shift”. For this purpose, a damping / counterforce is applied which can be achieved (a Scania system). 10 15 20 25 30 35 534 224 of a hydraulically, electrically or electromagnetically controlled actuator by means of which the magnitude or hardness of the damping / counterforce can be adjusted. By making the damping adaptive and adapting it to the current pneumatic, driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way to shift, a good and comfortable feeling in the gear lever can be obtained regardless of the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way to shift.

If the driver's driving style is aggressive, ie. he or she accelerates a lot, maintains a high engine speed and accelerates sharply, the counterforce or damping in the gear lever is made relatively large. On the other hand, if the vehicle is driven at a relatively constant and low speed, and with a low engine speed and a limited accelerator pedal depression, it can be assumed that the driver drives smoothly, with slow and gentle shifting movements, whereby the damping / counterforce in the gear lever can be made relatively limited.

The counterforce or damping in the gear lever can also be adapted to the current driving situation, for example the counterforce or damping can be made slightly larger when driving in hilly terrain, when the road has many curves, traffic is dense and / or when many variations in speed limits occur. Correspondingly, the counterforce or damping in the gear lever can also be made somewhat lower when circumstances are calmer, such as on flat roads, when the road has few curves, with less traffic and / or when there are few variations in speed limits. The current driving situation can also be detected based on the vehicle's operating parameters. For example. For example, large steering angle angles can be interpreted as the current driving situation being on a curved road, whereupon the counterforce or damping in the gear lever is increased.

The adaptability can thus be obtained by taking into account the vehicle's speed, engine speed, GPS data, traffic information, topology, etc. The calculation and logic for the size of the damping / counterforce can be performed in a special ECU for gear lever damping, or integrated in another vehicle system. control unit. The information about vehicle speed, engine speed, accelerator pedal position, etc. can be entered, for example, via the vehicle's CAN system or via discrete signals from specially arranged sensors. Acceleration, deceleration etc. can also be calculated using existing signals in the vehicle and certain information such as topology and / or traffic information can be taken in via GPS.

The damping / counterforce in the gear lever is especially intended for drivers who have a more aggressive driving style and who therefore may handle the gear lever too hard.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following, more detailed description of the invention, and from the accompanying drawings and other claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention is described in more detail below in some preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 schematically shows a block diagram of the system according to the invention comprising an actuator / damping unit which is here controlled by means of a fluid in order to exert a suitable damping / counterforce in a gear lever.

Figure 2 shows a further schematic block diagram with an alternative actuator, here consisting of an electromagnetic device.

Figure 3 shows a flow chart of the method according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention thus relates to a method of performing shifting and a shifting mechanism for a vehicle, especially for a heavier commercial vehicle such as a truck, etc.

The invention relates in particular to a method and a shifting mechanism which improves the shifting process and which adapts the mechanical resistance of the shift lever to the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way of shifting so that the shift lever movement is braked / damped if the driver too hard and / or shifts too fast.

Figure 1 shows in more detail what an inventive system can look like. A gear lever 1 is rotatable to a limited extent around a joint 2.

At the lower part of the gear lever 1 a position sensor 3 is arranged, which may for instance be of inductive construction. This position sensor 3 detects in which position the gear lever 1 is located and thus which gear is engaged in a mechanical or semi-mechanical gearbox 4. If the gear lever 1 is moved in any direction, the position sensor 3 consequently indicates which new gear is to be engaged in the gearbox 4 and thus a gear signal S1 is transmitted from the position sensor 3 to an electronic control unit 5. The electronic control unit 5 in turn controls a group of electric solenoid valves 6 which, by means of a fluid under pressure in a fluid tank 7, containing here compressed air, via a cylinder 8 regulates which gear is to be connected to the gearbox 4. The number of solenoid valves in the group of electric solenoid valves 6 depends on how many movements need to be effected in the gear driver. Two solenoid valves can create a reciprocating motion. A sensor 9 detects the position of the gear driver 10 with which it can be determined which gear is engaged in the gearbox 4. The technique of loading a certain gear according to this system belongs to known technology and is not described in more detail here.

To the gear lever 1, and more specifically in the area below the joint 2, an actuator 11, here in the form of a pneumatic cylinder, is mechanically connected to the gear lever via a further joint 12.

The actuator 11 can also consist of other types of units, controlled by a fluid or by electrical means, and can for instance consist of an actuator present on the market. The cylinder is here connected with fluid lines 13,14 to a further solenoid valve 15, by means of the pressurized fluid in the tank 17 can steer in this case with a proportional function, which the piston rod of the cylinder to different positions based on an electrical signal S2, or variable pulse width pulse, from a detection and / or calculation unit 18, preferably an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The proportional solenoid valve 15 can, for example, supply a pneumatic pressure, an air pressure, from the tank 17 to the actuator 11, which pressure is directly proportional to the voltage or pulse width of the signal S2, the ECU 18 can be a separate electronic processor controlled unit in the vehicle intended for the gear lever damping but can also be part of, or integrated into, an ECU already in the vehicle for controlling one of the vehicle's other systems. Such control systems may be of the COO (CoOrinatOr) type, gearbox control unit or the like. In order to achieve an effective damping in the gear lever 1, a throttle valve 19 can also be arranged between the lines 13 and 14. The throttle valve 19 thus allows the gear lever 1 to be displaced against a force even without direct action of the solenoid valve 15.

The ECU 18 emits a signal S2 to the solenoid valve 15 which thus determines the degree to which the gear lever 1 is damped or actuated.

The signal S2 is proposed based on the current operating parameters P1-Pn for the vehicle. These operating parameters P1-Pn are obtained, for example, from the vehicle's CAN communication (not shown) where CAN stands for Controller Area Network, or via discrete signals from various sensors (not shown) in the vehicle or in another suitable known manner. Examples of such possible operating parameters P1-Pm are engine speed, vehicle speed, accelerator pedal depression / position, how often and hard the brake pedal is depressed, vehicle current weight, vehicle GPS data, steering wheel angle, level position, ESP information, court movements / cooling water temperature, acceleration, deceleration, etc. One or more of these parameter values P1-Pn are applied as input signal S3 to the ECU 18 and are used as input data for calculation by means of one or more algorithms in the ECU 18 and thereby form the output signal S2. Acceleration, deceleration etc. can also be calculated with the aid of other existing input signals and certain information can also be taken in via GPS, for example if it is desirable to control the gear lever damping in relation to the surrounding topography.

The cylinder 11 brakes / dampens, based on this input signal S2, ie the movements of the gear lever 1, for example if the ECU 18 detects that the driver applies too much manual force to the gear lever 1 in relation to the parameter values P1-Pn which constitute the input signal S3 to the ECU 18.

The force F marked in Figure 1 thus constitutes the force that the system exerts on the gear lever 1, for example in the form of a damping or counterforce, in order to achieve a correct and comfortable shift regardless of the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way to change the force F is adapted and becomes adaptive.

Figure 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention where the counterforce or damping in the gear lever 1 is provided by means of an electromagnetic actuator 20, electrically connected to the ECU 18. The electromagnetic actuator 20, which may also be an electric actuator or the like, thus replaces a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator but is similarly mechanically coupled to the shift lever via a link 12 located on the shift lever 1 below the link 2. The electromagnetic actuator 20 applies a braking force F by electromagnetic means. It is also possible to use several actuators that interact mechanically.

Figure 3 shows a flow chart of the various steps of the method according to the invention. Step one means that various parameter care necessary for the calculation process is obtained via the vehicle's CAN communication or in another suitable way.

Examples of such operating parameters are, as mentioned above, engine speed, vehicle speed, accelerator pedal depression / position, how often and hard the brake pedal is depressed, GPS data, topology, traffic information, ESP information, current vehicle weight, vehicle level position, 10 15 20 25 30 35 534 224 movements / steering wheel angle, cooling water temperature, acceleration, deceleration etc.

Step two involves identifying the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way to shift by adding one or more of these parameters obtained in step one to the ECU 18 and using it as input. The identification is done using suitable but not specified algorithms. For example, driving at high engine speeds can result in the driver's current driving style being identified as aggressive.

In step three, a desired value, a setpoint, is calculated for the counterforce / damping to be applied to the gear lever, based on the current driving situation identified in step two, the driver's driving style and / or way of shifting.

In step four, the value calculated in step three is supplied, in the form of the control signal S2, to the actuator 11, which in turn, in step five, mechanically exerts the counterforce / damping on the gear lever 1 and thereby adjusts the movements of the gear lever 1 in relation to the driver and / or methods of switching The above description is primarily intended to facilitate understanding of the invention. The invention is therefore of course not limited to the stated embodiments, but also other variants of the invention are possible and conceivable within the scope of the inventive concept and the scope of protection of the following claims.

Thus, it is also conceivable that the method and system according to the invention exert a negative attenuation, i.e. an active mechanical auxiliary force, on the gear lever to facilitate the driver's shifting work if the driver shifts slowly and / or with little manual force. The device thus helps to pull or push the gear lever into position and thus assists the driver if he, for some reason, is unable to exert sufficient force against the gear lever. The invention can of course be used in all types of vehicles which have electrically operated transmission, i.e. also in passenger cars.

Claims (9)

10 15 20 25 30 35 534 224 Patent claims Method for adapting mechanical damping or counterforce in an electronic Shift lever (1) for electrically operated shifting in a vehicle to the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or Mode of Switching, characterized by the method steps, or method of shifting, - calculation of an instantaneous value for a mechanical damping / counterforce (F) desired in the shift lever (1) based on the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or way of shifting, an actuator (11,20) so that it exerts the desired damping / counterforce (F) of the gear lever (1) in the gear lever (1) and thereby adjusts in relation to the driver's driving style and / or way of damping / counterforce (F) current driving situation , shift when shifting to a gear desired by the driver. Method according to claim 1, characterized by the further method step, obtaining one or more operating parameter values P1-Pn for calculation / identification of the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or way of shifting. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the further method step, obtaining one or more operating parameter values P1-Pn from the group of parameters consisting of engine speed, vehicle speed, accelerator pedal depression / position, brake pedal activities, vehicle weight, vehicle level, GPS data, ESP information, steering wheel movements / steering angle, cooling water temperature, acceleration, deceleration. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the further method step, the application of a negative force / damping, ie. an assistant for active mechanical auxiliary force, in the gear lever (1) supporting the driver's shifting work. 10 15 20 25 30 534 224 Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the further method step, calculation of acceleration and / or deceleration on the basis of other parameter values P1-Pn, such as, for example, GPS data. System for adapting mechanical damping or counterforce in an electronic gear lever (1) for electrically operated gearing in a vehicle to the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or way of shifting, characterized in that - a detection unit (18) is arranged to detect current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or the way to shift, - that a calculation unit (18) is arranged for calculating an instantaneous value for a mechanical damping / counterforce (F) desired in the gear lever (1) based on the current driving situation, the driver's driving style and / or method of shifting, (ll, 20) calculated instantaneous value, is controlled so that the actuator (ll, 20) - that an actuator is arranged so that from it it exerts the desired damping / counterforce (F) in the shift lever (1) and thereby adjusts the damping / counterforce (F) of the gear lever (1) to the current driving situation, when changing gear to a gear desired by the driver. the driver's driving style and / or way of driving System according to Claim 6, characterized in that the actuator (II, 20) has a pneumatic cylinder. is arranged a hydraulic or System according to Claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the actuator (11, 20) is regulated by means of an electromagnetic valve (15). System according to claim 6, characterized in that, (11, 20) is constituted by, for example, an electric motor. that the actuator operates electromagnetically and can