DE102020124500A1 - Means of transportation and arrangement for transmission control - Google Patents

Abstract

A means of transportation (10), a transmission arrangement and an arrangement are proposed. The arrangement (1) comprises a transmission control unit (2) and two actuators (3) with a respective sensor (6) and a respective evaluation unit (7) and a two-wire bus system (4), the transmission control unit (2) being set up to to supply evaluation units (7) with electrical energy via the two-wire bus system (4) and the evaluation units (7) are set up to send respective sensor values obtained by means of the sensors (6) relating to the actuators (3) to the transmission control unit (2), and to operate the sensors by means of electrical energy obtained via the two-wire bus system (4).

Description

The present invention relates to a means of transportation and an arrangement for transmission control. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved topology for operating transmission actuators, by means of which the required hardware can be implemented more safely and cheaply.

According to the prior art, three-phase BLDC motors are used in dual-clutch operations in order to enable shifting processes, ie changing gears, activating the clutches and cooling the oil. These so-called IPAM pumps (NIDEC GPM GmbH) are controlled by an external control unit. The connection to the control unit takes place via an analogue signal low voltage (approx. 5 V) in the form of PWM signals. In particular, the rotor positions, speeds and direction of rotation are (indirectly) transmitted.

Two-wire bus systems, such as Ethernet 10 MBit, are also known.

In addition, BLDC motors with integrated controls (e.g. for steering vehicles) are state-of-the-art in vehicle construction.

Since modern vehicle transmissions (drive train) have a large number of actuators, in particular pumps, both for the energy transmission and for the signal transmission between a control unit (e.g. transmission control unit) and the actuators or their logic and motor system a considerable amount of wiring is state of the art. Providing the actuators with respective control units is not desirable in terms of installation space.

It is an object of the present invention to fill the need identified above.

The object mentioned above is achieved according to the invention by an arrangement with the features according to claim 1 . Such an arrangement includes a transmission control unit and two actuators, which have at least one respective sensor and one respective evaluation unit. The transmission of the control unit is coupled with the two actuators in terms of energy and information technology. In addition, a two-wire bus system is provided, which can be designed according to the Ethernet standard, for example. As a result, the transmission control unit is set up to supply the evaluation units of the actuators with electrical energy via the two-wire bus system. In other words, the evaluation units are operated using electrical energy received via the two-wire bus system. Furthermore, the evaluation units are set up to send sensor values relating to the actuators, obtained by means of the sensors, to the transmission control unit. In other words, sensors are arranged on the actuators (e.g. an electric motor, a pump, etc.) in such a way that they determine information about the status of the actuators and can send it to the transmission control unit via the two-wire bus system. In addition, the evaluation units are set up to operate the sensors using electrical energy obtained via the two-wire bus system. In other words, not only are the large number of evaluation units operated electrically via the two-wire bus system, but the sensors are also supplied with the electrical energy required for their operation. A separate energy supply can therefore be dispensed with, as a result of which pins and lines between the transmission control unit and the actuators/evaluation units/sensors can be dispensed with.

The dependent claims show preferred developments of the invention.

The evaluation unit can be a controller (microcontroller, nanocontroller or the like), for example. The operating voltage of the controller is provided by the transmission control unit via the two-wire bus lines of the two-wire bus system. Accordingly, the operating voltage of the sensors is provided via the two-wire bus system. Correspondingly, bus subscribers/transmitters which are provided in the actuators for transmitting the sensor values to the transmission control device can also be supplied with electrical energy via the two-wire bus system. The respective evaluation unit of the actuators can have an AMS chip, which is also supplied with electrical energy via the lines of the two-wire bus system. In particular, the evaluation units, sensors and any transmitters that are present do not receive any electrical energy other than via the two-wire bus system. This means that additional pins and lines for the transmission of electrical energy between the transmission control unit and the components of the actuators are no longer necessary.

The sensors can have Hall sensors, for example, which determine information about the position, rotational speed and direction of rotation (possibly indirectly) of the actuators/pumps that the transmission control unit operates. The transmission control unit can thus ensure suitable operation of the actuators by means of the sensors.

The actuators can have electric motors, which in turn, for example, pumps have to influence the functioning within a transmission. In particular, the pumps can be used to select a gear, to actuate a clutch, to circulate the transmission oil and/or to cool the transmission. Single-phase or multi-phase rotary machines and/or linear drives can be used as electric motors.

The two-wire bus system can be implemented between the transmission control unit and the evaluation units in a star topology or in a ring topology. Alternatively or additionally, a so-called daisy chain can link the transmission control unit and the large number of actuators as a two-wire bus system. In particular, it should be noted that the bus line should sometimes be terminated with a predefined terminating resistor (electrical component). It should also be noted that the power consumption of the actuators should be adapted to the cross-sections of the two-wire bus system (or vice versa).

In particular, the transmission control unit is set up to supply motor components of the actuators, in particular electric motors, preferably BLDC motors, with electrical energy via a three-phase line. This line can have a different voltage than the lines of the two-wire bus system. In this way, a voltage conversion within the actuators can be dispensed with. This saves installation space and hardware. The sensor values determined by the sensors can characterize a working state and/or a position of the motor (speed, rotor position and direction of rotation). The transmission control unit can use these values to suitably dimension/design the energy to be sent to the electric motor via the three-phase line.

The evaluation units can be set up to encode the sensor values using PWM (pulse width modulation). Alternatively or additionally, the sensor values can be packed into one or more bus messages. In particular, the sensor values can be provided with an identifier for identifying the actuator associated with them. This is particularly necessary when the sensor values are sent to the gearbox control unit via a common two-wire bus line. The sensor readings may have a cadence ranging from 30 KHz to 2 MHz. In this range, a sufficiently high resolution of the sensor values and, on the other hand, a sufficiently high robustness of the signal transmission via the two-wire bus system are ensured. In particular, the two-wire bus system can be configured as Gigabit Ethernet. The data transmission rate can be increased in particular if the number of actuators or sensors increases and/or the required resolution of the sensor values (rotor position, speed, etc.) has to be increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a transmission arrangement is proposed which includes an automatic transmission for a means of transportation and an arrangement according to the above statements. The automatic transmission can be a transmission of a drive train of a means of transportation. Cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, aircraft and/or watercraft, for example, are possible means of transportation. The actuators are preferably arranged on the automatic transmission in order to influence its operation. A higher-level transmission control in the form of a transmission control unit can, as described above, be connected in terms of energy and information technology to the actuators arranged on the automatic transmission. This does not rule out that the gearbox control unit is also arranged/fixed on the automatic gearbox.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a means of locomotion (car, van, truck, motorcycle, aircraft and/or watercraft) is proposed which has a transmission arrangement according to the second-mentioned aspect of the invention. In other words, the means of locomotion according to the invention has an arrangement according to the first-mentioned aspect of the invention and/or a gear arrangement according to the second-mentioned aspect of the invention, whereby the features, combinations of features and the advantages resulting from them are evident in a corresponding manner such that repetitions are avoided reference is made to the statements above.

The use of a two-wire bus system significantly increases data integrity, data transmission is ensured at a high limit frequency and the number of lines and signal pins used is reduced. While the prior art requires up to six copper lines to supply the pump logic and transmit the sensor signals, only the two copper lines of the two-wire bus system are used according to the present invention. The susceptibility to interference can be significantly reduced by using twisted-pair cables in connection with digital transmission of the sensor values. By using e.g. B. Ethernet, the dielectric strength of the hardware can be significantly increased in relation to CAN. This is particularly relevant for the use of hybrid variants with higher voltage levels in the vehicle's electrical system. With five pumps, the number of lines is reduced by up to 20 wires with 40 signal pins. This will make 20 pins less on the control unit and 5 x 4 (= 20) pins on the pumps.

For transmission control units, it is necessary for information in the form of signals to be transmitted reliably and undisturbed by the actuator (transmission pump). These are, for example, PWM signals from the respective Hall sensors. These represent rotor positions, which are also transmitted as PWM with a corresponding duty cycle, as well as current signals according to the automotive standard. The evaluation units of the actuators must also be supplied with a stable supply voltage to enable trouble-free operation. The cadence of the signals usually ranges from 2 MHz to approx. 30 KHz. This enables the control of the BLDC motor phases (the actuators) by the external control unit. By using a two-wire bus system with twisted lines between the actuator (eg comprising a pump) and a control unit, a large number of such actuators with signal transmission are changed to digital bus signals. The actuator logic can thus also be supplied via the lines. Since it is known that current Ethernet modules have a higher dielectric strength than e.g. B. CAN, it can be assumed that there is adequate component protection in the event of a fault, even in the event of overvoltages in a 48 V vehicle electrical system. Basically, according to the disclosure, a bus system is used, which ensures that all three to four possible sensor signals are sent from the actuator to the control device without interference and are protected. The superfluous lines and pins enable the more cost-effective use of simpler connectors, cheaper cable shielding, better electromagnetic compatibility and higher dielectric strength of the components. It does not have to be disadvantageous that the respective bus connections between the higher-level (transmission) control unit and the actuators are 1-to-1 connections. A functional test of the actuators or an error analysis can therefore be carried out without an electronic control unit (ECU) with a test adapter. This means that the system can also be diagnosed more easily in the workshop area.

• 1 eine Anordnung aufweisend ein Getriebe-Steuergerät und eine Vielzahl Aktuatoren gemäß dem Stand der Technik;
• 2 eine schematische Detailansicht einer Anordnung aus Getriebe-Steuergerät und einer Mehrzahl Aktuatoren gemäß einem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• 3 eine Anordnung umfassend ein Getriebe-Steuergerät und einen Aktuator gemäß einem zweiten Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• 4 eine Anordnung umfassend ein Getriebe-Steuergerät und zwei mittels Daisy-Chain verknüpfter Aktuatoren gemäß einem dritten Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• 5 eine Anordnung umfassend ein Getriebe-Steuergerät sowie zwei Aktuatoren, welche in Stern-Topologie miteinander verknüpft sind gemäß einem vierten Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung;
• 6 eine schematische Darstellung einer Anordnung umfassend ein Getriebe-Steuergerät und eine Vielzahl mittels Daisy-Chain verknüpfter Aktuatoren gemäß einem fünften Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung; und
• 7 eine schematische Darstellung einer Anordnung umfassend ein Getriebe-Steuergerät und eine Vielzahl mittels zweier Bussysteme in Daisy Chain-Topologie verknüpfter Aktuatoren gemäß einem sechsten Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Erfindung.

Further details, features and advantages of the invention result from the following description and the figures. Show it:

• 1 an arrangement comprising a transmission control unit and a plurality of actuators according to the prior art;
• 2 a schematic detailed view of an arrangement of transmission control unit and a plurality of actuators according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
• 3 an arrangement comprising a transmission control device and an actuator according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
• 4 an arrangement comprising a transmission control unit and two actuators linked by means of a daisy chain according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
• 5 an arrangement comprising a transmission control unit and two actuators, which are linked together in a star topology according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
• 6 a schematic representation of an arrangement comprising a transmission control unit and a plurality of actuators linked by means of a daisy chain according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
• 7 a schematic representation of an arrangement comprising a transmission control unit and a plurality of actuators linked by means of two bus systems in daisy chain topology according to a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

1 shows an arrangement 1 for operating a transmission of a means of transportation according to the prior art. A transmission control unit 2 has 3 x 5 electrical connections for supplying electrical energy to a large number of pumps P1 to P5 and 5 x 6 lines for supplying energy to the logic modules, sensors and transmitters contained in pumps P1 to P5 and for reception by pumps P1 to P5 determined sensor values and sending to the transmission control unit. The six lines that lead to the pumps P1 to P5 are required as follows: Two lines are used for the electrical power supply of the logic/sensor system. The four other lines are used to transmit the sensor values from the Hall sensors contained in the actuators P1 to P5.

2 shows an arrangement 1 of a passenger car 10 in which a transmission control device 2 is assigned to a single automatic transmission (dual clutch transmission) 5 . The transmission 5 has a multiplicity of actuators 3a, 3b, which are provided for the operation of the transmission 5. According to the prior art, the transmission control unit 2 transmits electrical energy to the motors 8 of the actuators 3a, 3b through three-phase lines 9. The motors 8 are monitored via Hall sensors 6, the information from which is transmitted to an evaluation unit 7 and from there via a two-wire bus line 4 to the transmission control unit 2. In vice In the opposite direction, the transmission control unit 2 outputs a supply voltage via the two-wire bus system 4 to the evaluation units 7 or forwards it from the first actuator 3a or its evaluation unit 7 to the second actuator 3b or its evaluation unit (not shown). In addition, part of the supply energy is passed on to the Hall sensor 6 by the evaluation unit 7 (of each actuator 3a, 3b) in order to ensure its energy supply. The evaluation unit 7 has a bus subscriber 11 which takes over the separation between receiving the supply energy and sending the rear sensor signals to the transmission control unit 2 . Bus subscriber 11 is also supplied with energy via the two-wire bus lines. The two-wire bus lines are dimensioned in such a way that the energy supply to all actuators 3, 3a, 3b of the transmission 5, at least with regard to their logic modules, is ensured. The signals transmitted on the two-wire bus lines are pulse width modulated and have a cadence of 30 kHz in order to be able to adequately resolve the respective sensor values of the actuators 3a, 3b and to be able to label them with respect to the original actuators 3a, 3b or sensors 6.

3 shows a schematic arrangement in which, by way of example, only one actuator 3 is operated by a transmission control unit 2. For this purpose, a three-phase power supply 9 for the operation of a motor of the actuator 3 and a two-wire bus line of the two-wire bus system 4 for the transmission of information from a (not shown) sensor of the actuator 3 in the direction of the transmission control unit 2 and a power supply of the logic / Sensors / communication technology of the actuator 3 provided by the transmission control unit 2. An ohmic resistor R terminates the two-wire bus line on the actuator side. Recognizable can compared to the in 1 In the arrangement shown, four signal lines can be saved even with just one actuator 3, in that both the energy supply for the logic of the actuator 3 and the transmission of information from the actuator 3 to the transmission control unit 2 are carried out via the two-wire bus line shown.

4 shows the in 3 shown arrangement after extension by an actuator 3b. According to the prior art, another three-phase power supply line 9 is routed from the transmission control unit 2 to the second actuator 3b for this purpose. However, no additional pins are required on the transmission control unit 2 to supply the logic of the actuator 3b or to receive the sensor values of the actuator 3b, since the actuators 3a and 3b are linked via a daisy chain in terms of information technology and energy. Therefore, the average cable length for the two-wire bus system 4 is also usually longer compared to arrangements known in the state of the art (see 1 ) are considerably shorter and therefore lighter and cheaper. An ohmic resistor R terminates the daisy chain in the second actuator 3b.

5 shows a variant of the 3 and 4 Arrangements shown, according to which two actuators 3a, 3b are linked in a star topology via the transmission control unit 2 with each other. According to this embodiment, two complete two-wire bus lines 4 are required between a respective actuator 3a, 3b and the transmission control unit 2, which are terminated by a respective ohmic resistor R on the actuator side. However, a lower cadence/data rate and a smaller line cross-section are possible since the energies and bandwidths to be transmitted via the respective two-wire bus lines are only to be designed for one actuator 3a, 3b in each case. Compared to the prior art, four signal lines per actuator are also dispensed with in this arrangement, so that the illustrated arrangement 1 requires eight fewer signal lines than in the prior art.

6 shows a schematic representation according to which five actuators in the form of pumps P1 to P5 are linked to one another in terms of energy and information technology by means of a single daisy chain as a two-wire bus system 4 . The energy supply of the motors (not shown) contained in the pumps P1 to P5, which is also required according to the prior art, is unnecessary for the sake of clarity. The daisy chain is terminated via an ohmic resistor R, which is provided in the last pump P5. Compared to the prior art, 28 pins can be omitted from the transmission control unit 2 (4×6+1×4) and the average line length is drastically reduced, in particular due to the spatial proximity of the pumps P1 to P5 that is usually present.

7 shows a variant of the in 6 shown arrangement, in which two groups of pumps P1 to P3, P4 to P5, via respective daisy chains in the form of two-wire bus systems 4a, 4b energetically as well as information technology with the transmission control unit 2 are connected. The daisy chain 4a may have to be designed a little more generously with regard to the line cross-sections or the cadence, since it is necessary to supply three logic modules of the pumps P1 to P3 with energy and to transmit the sensor values determined in three sensors of the pumps P1 to P3 to the transmission To send control unit 2, while the second daisy chain 4b only has to supply the pumps P4 and P5 with electrical energy and to transmit their sensor values to the transmission control unit 2. Depending on the possible The cadence of the transmitters used and depending on the spatial proximity of the pumps or pump groups P1 to P3, P4 to P5 arranged on the transmission, as well as in view of the logic modules used and their energy requirements are offered in the 6 and 7 illustrated topologies for the practice of the present invention.

Reference List

1

arrangement

2

transmission control unit

3, 3a, 3b

actuators

4, 4a, 4b

Two-wire bus line/system

5

transmission

6

sensors

7

evaluation units

8th

electric motors

9

three-phase power supply line

10

car

11

bus participants

P1 to P5

pump

R

ohmic resistance

Claims (10)

Arrangement (1) comprising • a transmission control unit (2) and • two actuators (3) with ◯ a respective sensor (6) and ◯ a respective evaluation unit (7) and • a two-wire bus system (4) whereby • the transmission control unit (2) is set up to supply the evaluation units (7) with electrical energy via the two-wire bus system (4) and • the evaluation units (7) are set up, ◯ to send respective sensor values obtained by means of the sensors (6) regarding the actuators (3) to the transmission control unit (2), and ◯ to operate the sensors using electrical energy obtained via the two-wire bus system (4). arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the sensors (6) have Hall sensors. arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 , The actuators (3) - having electric motors (8) and/or - pumps (P) for influencing the functioning within a transmission (5). Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, in which the two-wire bus system (4) between the transmission control unit (2) and the evaluation units (7) is designed in a star topology or in a ring topology. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission control unit (2) is further set up to supply the actuators (3), in particular an electric motor, preferably a BLDC motor, via a three-phase line (9) with electrical energy, in particular the Sensor values indicate a working condition and/or a position of the engine. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the actuators (3) are set up - To operate a cooling of a transmission (5) and / or - activate a clutch and/or - to cause a force to act on the gear rims of a gear. Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the evaluation units (7) are set up, the sensor values - encoded using PWM and/or - as a bus message and/or - Provided with an identifier for identifying a respective actuator (3) of the two actuators (3). to the transmission control unit (2). Arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor values have a cadence of 30 kHz to 2 MHz and/or the two-wire bus system (4) comprises a Gigabit Ethernet. Transmission assembly comprising - An automatic transmission for a means of locomotion (10) and - An arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims. Means of locomotion (10) comprising a gear arrangement claim 9 .

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