MXPA98001485A - Implementation of semi-automatic changes with automatic control switch of automatic mo - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vehicle transmission system of manual changes, comprising: a transmission section having an input shaft driven by a fuel-controlled motor, an output shaft, a plurality of connectable and unlinkable tensile relationships in selectable form, and a selectable neutral, all said traction and said neutral ratios selected by means of selectively linked and disengaged jaw clutches operatively positioned by means of a manually operated shift lever having a plurality of positions of the shift lever; manually controlled switch to provide a signal indicative of the operator's request for automatic control of fuel supply to the engine, means for detecting a neutral condition of the transmission section, means for determining a target forward gear ratio, and means for control auto the fuel supply to the engine, said being effective to detect the presence or absence of said signal and, (i) upon detecting neutral of the transmission section and the presence of said signal, cause the motor to reach a substantially synchronous speed for link said objective gear ratio, and (ii) when detecting the absence of said signal, make the fuel supply to the engine is in accordance with the demand for opera

Description

IMPLEMENTATION OF SEMI-AUTOMATIC CHANGES WITH CONTROL SWITCH MOTOR AUTOMATIC Background of the Invention Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system / method for implementing semi-automatic changes for semi-automatic changes of a mechanical transmission changed by means of a lever, preferably a composite transmission of the type of range and / or divisor. More particularly, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a split type or splitter and range type transmission combined with controls and actuators is provided to manually perform dynamic forward changes in the main section without requiring manual manipulation of the throttling or master clutch by shifting by means of lever with automatic motor control to cause torsion breaks to change to neutral and / or to synchronize to link the target gear ratio. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system / control method for implementing semi-automatic changes including a manually operated switch to enable automatic control of the motor to cause torsional ruptures and to synchronize to link a ratio of target gear. Description of the Prior Art Compound mechanical transmissions of the combined divider and range type are used eiply for heavy duty vehicles and are very well known in the prior art, as can be seen by reference to U.S. Patent Nos. 4,754,665; 4,944,197; 5,193,410; and 5,390,561, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. They are known in the prior art, and are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,722,248 and 5,038,627, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, semi-automatic shifting implementation systems for composite mechanical transmissions in which, at If manual changes to the upper grouping of gear ratios occur, automatic changes are provided within only that upper grouping. They are known in the prior art and are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,053,961, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, semi-automatic change implementation systems for mechanical transmissions where the vehicle operator is required to cause manually a torsional interruption and / or achieve synchronous conditions. They are known in the prior art and are disclosed in U.S. Patents 4,593,580; 4,850,236; 5,105,357; 5,508,290; 5,509,867; 5,569,115; 5,571,059; and 5,582,558, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, at least partially automated systems, in which engine fuel control, such as minimum engine power, is used to cause non-twisting conditions to change to neutral or to synchronize to link a target gear ratio without requiring manual manipulation of the master clutch or throttle pedal. U.S. Patent No. 5,435,212, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a system of implementation of semi-automatic changes which, for each lever position, has automatic divisor changes, which allows a Composite 10-speed transmission type "(2 + 1) x (2) x (2)" is driven with the ease of a five-speed automatic transmission. The above systems, as disclosed, were not entirely satisfactory for certain applications, since it was possibly required that the operator manipulate the divider control and / or the throttle and / or the master clutch for changes with the lever. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, many of the features of the prior art are used in a novel way to provide a system / method of implementation of semi-automatic change implementation for a multi-speed transmission system., preferably composed, which retains the efficiencies of a mechanical transmission, preferably a mechanical composite transmission, which will allow such a transmission system to be provided with sensors, actuators and relatively inexpensive controls, which will allow the operator to take many of the change decisions, and what will allow the transmission to be changed with the ease of a typical simple, synchronized manual transmission of a passenger car. The foregoing is achieved in a preferred embodiment by providing a control system / method for a transmission, preferably a split-type composite mechanical transmission, which has relatively simple and inexpensive controls, sensors and actuators, where the forward relationship changes the main section (ie, changes by means of lever) are implemented manually without the requirement of manual selection of shifter changes or manipulation of the master clutch and with automatic motor controls to break the torque and / or synchronize for the ratio of target gear, and the forward dynamic changes are only automatic from the splitter for each forward relation of the main section. Preferably, if a combined compound type splitter and range transmission is to be controlled, the range changes will be selected automatically by movement of the shift lever, as is known in commercially available "double H" type controls. In preferred embodiments, a screen will be used to inform the driver of the suggested gear ratio and / or the automatically synchronized ratio and / or to inform the operator that there are sufficiently synchronous conditions for the consummation of a change. An attempt to change switch sensor, such as an oscillating switch or a pad switch on the shift lever, will be used to detect when an operator attempts a change from a relationship currently linked to neutral and then towards the relationship objective to cause pre-selection of the required splitter change and cause fuel to be fed to the engine to alleviate or minimize torque lock conditions and, after a change to neutral of the transmission, when the operator tries to have automatic engine control to synchronize a target gear ratio. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved semi-automatic change implementation system, preferably a lever-shifted composite transmission, which is relatively simple and inexpensive and allows the transmission to be driven in a similar manner. to a simple, synchronized manual transmission of a passenger car, and also includes a switch through which the operator can signal the desire to continue with automatic control of the engine to implement a change or the desire to return control of the engine to a manual control mode. This and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in relation to the accompanying drawings. Brief Description of the Drawings Figures 1 and 1A are plan views of a combined range and divider type combined transmission. Figure 2 illustrates a pattern of changes of the prior art for the transmission of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic illustration, in block diagram format, of a preferred embodiment of the semi-automated implementation transmission system. of changes of the present invention. Figure 4 is a graph illustrating the change point logic of the control system / method of the present invention. Figures 5A-5D are schematic illustrations, in flowchart format, of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Description of Preferred Form of Execution Certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience of reference only and will not be limiting. The words "up", "down", "on the right" and "on the left" will designate addresses in the drawings to which reference will be made. The words "forward" and "backward" will refer, respectively, to the front and rear ends of the transmission, as conventionally mounted in a vehicle, being respectively from the left and right sides of the transmission illustrated in figure 1 The words "inward" and "outward" shall refer to directions towards and away, respectively, from the geometric center of the device and its designated parts. This terminology will include the words mentioned above specifically, their derivations and words of similar connotation. The term "composite transmission" is used to designate a gear change transmission or gear shift having a main transmission section and an auxiliary unit of the traction train, such as an auxiliary transmission section, connected in series, by means of which gear reduction selected in the main transmission section can be combined with the additional selected gear reduction in the auxiliary transmission section. The term "change at higher speed", as used herein, will mean the change from a gear ratio of lower speed to a gear ratio of higher speed, and the term "change at lower speed", as used in the present will mean the change from a gear ratio of higher speed to a gear ratio of lower speed. They are well known in the prior art, as can be seen with reference to US Pat. Nos. 3,429,202; 4,561,325; 4,455,883; 4,663,725 and 4,944,197, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, the composite range type mechanical transmissions using so-called "double H" type controls, where a change of range is automatically selected by movement of the shift lever, without requiring that The operator uses a button or a lever to select a change of range. Figures 1 and 1A illustrate a typical composite mechanical transmission type divider and combined range 10 of the type that is especially suitable for control by the system / control method of semi-automatic change implementation of the present invention. The transmission 10 comprises a transmission main section 12 connected in series with an auxiliary transmission section 14 having both range type and divider type gear. Typically, the transmission 10 is housed within a single multi-piece housing 16 and includes an input shaft 18 driven by a motor (such as a diesel engine) by a normally linked, selectively disengaged friction master clutch. In the main transmission section 12, the input shaft 18 carries an input gear 20 for driving at least one counter shaft assembly 22. Preferably, as is well known in the prior art and as illustrated in the United States patents. US Nos. 3,105,395 and 3,335,616, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference, the input gear 20 simultaneously drives a plurality of substantially identical main section countershaft assemblies at substantially identical rotation speeds. Each of the main section countershaft assemblies comprises a main section countershaft 24 supported by bearings 26 and 28 in the housing 16 and is provided with fixed section countershaft gears 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 the same. A plurality of main section or main shaft traction gears 40, 42 and 44 surround the main shaft 46 of the transmission and are selectively clutch, one at a time, to the main shaft 46 for rotation therewith, by means of clutch collars slides 48 and 50, as is well known in the art. The clutch collar 48 can also be used to engage the input gear 20 to the main shaft 46 to provide a direct drive relationship between the input shaft 18 and the main shaft 46. Preferably, each of the shaft gears Main section main surrounds the main arrow 46 and is in continuous engaging engagement with and is supported in a floating manner by the associated counter-gear groups, which mounting means and the special advantages resulting therefrom are explained with greater detail in the aforementioned US Patents Nos. 3,105,395 and 3,335,616. Typically, the clutch collars 48 and 50 are axially positioned by means of shifting yokes or yokes 52 and 54, respectively, associated with a shift bar housing assembly 56, which may be of the. type of multiple change rails or a single change arrow, as is known in the prior art, and which is manually controlled by a shift lever 57. The clutch collars 48 and 50, in the preferred embodiment, are of the Well-known type of double action jaw clutch, not synchronized. The main shaft main shaft engagement 44 is the reverse gear and is in continuous engaging engagement with counter shaft gears 38 by means of conventional intermediate intermediate gear 57 (see FIG. 1A). The main section countersink gear 32 is provided to energize power take-off devices and the like. The jaw clutches 48 and 50 are three-position embrasures as they can be placed in an axially centered position, not displaced, not linked, as illustrated, or in a position totally linked to the right or totally linked to the left. The auxiliary transmission section 14 is connected in series with the main transmission section 12 and is of the combined, four-speed, three-layer divider / range type, as illustrated in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,754,665. The main arrow 46 extends towards the auxiliary section 14 and is muted at the inward end of the exit arrow 58, which extends from the rear end of the transmission. The auxiliary transmission section 14 includes, in its preferred embodiment, a plurality of substantially identical auxiliary countertop assemblies 60 (see Fig. 1A), each comprising an auxiliary counter-shaft 62 supported by bearings 64 and 66 in the housing 16 and carrying three fixed section countershaft gears 68, 70 and 62 for rotation therewith. The auxiliary section countershaft gears 68 are constantly engaged with and support the auxiliary section divider gear 74. The auxiliary section countershaft gears 70 are constantly engaged with and support the auxiliary section divider / range gear 76, which surrounds the exit arrow 58 at its end adjacent the coaxial inner end of the main arrow 46. The auxiliary section counterfreeze gears 72 constantly mesh with and support the auxiliary section range gear 78, which surrounds the exit arrow 58. In As a result, the auxiliary section countershaft gears 68 and the indexing gear 74 define a first gear layer, the auxiliary section countershaft gears 70 and the splitter / range gear 76 define a second gear layer, and the counter gears. -Adjustable section arrow 72 and range 78 gear define a third layer or group of gears, of the auxiliary section of tr ansmisión 14 divider type and rank combined. A sliding two-position sliding yoke clutch collar 80 is used to selectively couple either the indexing gear 74 or the splitter / range gear 76 to the main shaft 46, while a two-position synchronized clutch assembly 82 is used. for selectively coupling the splitter / range gear 76 or the range 78 gear to the output shaft 58. The structure and function of the double action jaw clutch collar 80 are substantially identical to the structure and function of the sliding clutch collars 48 and 50 used in the main transmission section 12, and the structure and function of the dual-action synchronized clutch assembly 82 are substantially identical to the structure and function of the dual-action synchronized clutch assembly. the prior art, examples of which can be seen by reference to US Pat. Nos. 4,462,489; 4,125,179 and 2,667,955, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The synchronized clutch assembly 82 illustrated is of the pin type described in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,462,489. The splitter jaw clutch 80 is a two-position clutch assembly that can be selectively positioned at the extreme right or left right positions to link either the gear 76 or the gear 74, respectively, with the main arrow 46. In the Prior art, the splitter jaw clutch 80 is axially positioned by means of a shift fork 84 controlled by a two-position piston actuator 86, which is normally operable by a driver selection switch (such as a button or similar) on the change knob, as is known in the prior art. The two-position synchronized range clutch assembly 82 is also a two-position clutch that can be selectively positioned at its extreme right or left extreme positions to selectively engage the gear 78 or 76, respectively, to the output shaft 58. The clutch assembly 82 is positioned by means of a shift fork 88 operated by means of a two-position piston device 90, whose actuation and control will be described in more detail below. As will be seen by reference to Figs. 1-2, by axially selectively placing both the splitter clutch 80 and the range clutch 82 in their front and rear axial positions, four different ratios of rotation of the main arrow can be provided in relation to of the exit arrow. Accordingly, the auxiliary transmission section 14 is a three layer auxiliary section of the combined range and divider type providing four selectable velocities or tensile ratios between its input (main arrow 46) and output (output arrow 58). The main section 12 provides a reverse speed and three potentially selectable forward speeds. However, one of the selectable, main section forward gear ratios, the low speed gear ratios associated with the main shaft gear 42, is not used in the high range. In this way, the transmission 10 is appropriately designated as a transmission type "(2 + 1) x (2) x (2)", providing new or ten selectable forward speeds, depending on the desirability and practicality of dividing the low gear ratio. Although the clutch 82, the range clutch, must be a synchronized clutch, the double action clutch collar 80, the splitter clutch, does not need to be synchronized. According to the prior art, as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,944,197, the main section relationships are selected and manually implemented by a shift lever, the shifting changes are manually selected by operation of a lever or manual selector button, often located on the shift lever or built in the shift knob, and are implemented by a two-position remote actuator. The change of range is selected manually or automatically and implemented by a remote actuator of two positions. A separate range control knob / lever may be provided, or as illustrated in Figure 2, a "double H" type control operated by means of a lever may be used. Range and divider actuators and controls of this type are well known in the prior art, as can be seen by reference to U.S. Patent No. 4,788,889, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The prior art shift pattern for changing the transmission 10 is illustrated schematically in Figure 2. Divisions in the vertical direction at each shifter position mean divider changes, while the movement in the horizontal direction of the legs 3/4 and 5/6 of the pattern in H to the legs 7/8 and 9/10 of the pattern in H means a change from the low range to the high range of the transmission. As discussed above, in the prior art, manual changes of the divider are achieved in the usual manner by means of a driver divider button by the vehicle operator or the like, usually a button located on the knob of the shift lever, while the shift clutch shift range operation is an automatic response to the movement of the gear shift lever between the central and extreme right legs of the shift pattern, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Range change devices of this general type are known in the prior art and can be seen by reference to the aforementioned US patents Nos. 3,429,202; 4,455,883; 4,561,325 and 4,663,725. Referring again to Figure 2, assuming that it is desirable for a transmission to have generally equal ratio steps, the main section ratio steps should generally be the same, the splitter step should generally be equal to the square root of the steps of main section ratio, and the rank step must be equal to around the ratio step of the main section raised to the nth power, where n is equal to the number of main section relation steps that occur in both ranges (ie , n = 2 in the transmission (2 + 1) x (2) x (2) 10). Given the desired ideal relationships, the gear is selected to approximate these relationships. In the previous example, the divisor steps are around 33.3%, while the range step is around 316%, which is generally adequate for a main transmission section "2 + 1" having scallops of about 78%, because the square root of 1.78 is equal to about 1.33, and 1.78 raised to the second power (ie, n = 2) is equal to about 3.16. To achieve a change in the range section of the transmission 10 without requiring the operator to operate any control device other than the movements of the gear lever to the extreme right leg of the shift pattern, as seen in figure 2, A range control valve assembly is provided to provide a signal to a slave valve 92, located in the piston assembly 90, to change the shift fork 88.

According to the present invention, at least the forward changes of the transmission 10 are implemented semi-automatically by the semi-automatic vehicle transmission system 100, illustrated in Figure 3. A composite type transmission 10 comprising a main section 12 coupled to an auxiliary section 14 controlled by the change control system / method of the invention is seen in Figure 3. The main section 12 includes an input shaft 18, which is operatively coupled to the drive shaft or crankshaft of the motor 102 of the vehicle by means of the master clutch 104, and the output arrow 58 of the auxiliary section 14 is operatively coupled, commonly by means of a pull arrow, to the vehicle's traction wheels (not shown). The available gear shift ratios of the main transmission section 12 are manually selectable by placing the shift lever 57 in accordance with the prescribed shift pattern to link the particular re-change of gear desired of the main section 12. As will be described , manipulation of the master clutch 104 and manual control of the fuel supply to the engine for synchronization is not required. Preferably, the system will include means, such as manually controlled switches, to detect an attempt to change and will automatically take actions to minimize or alleviate torsional lock conditions, allowing for an easier switch to neutral from the main section from the linked relationship of main section and allowing also to be pre-selected required changes of the divider for fast consummation at the occurrence of torsional rupture and change towards neutral and means, such as manually controlled switches, to detect the desire of an operator to continue the automatic control of the fuel supply to the engine to cause a synchronous speed of the engine to link a target gear ratio. In the preferred embodiment, a single switch 120 can be used. The system 100 includes sensors 106 for detecting the rotation speed of the motor (ES), 108 for detecting the rotation speed of the input shaft (IS), and 110 to detect the rotation speed of the output arrow (OS), and provide signals indicative thereof. The motor 102 can be controlled electronically, including an electronic controller 112 that communicates via an electronic data link (DL) that operates under an industry standard protocol such as SAE J-1922, SAE J-1939, ISO 11898, or Similar. The choke position. { driver demand) is a desirable parameter for selecting change points and other control logic. A separate choke position sensor 113, or choke position can be provided (THL) can be detected from the data link. Motor speed and other parameters can also be detected from the data link.

A manual clutch pedal 115 controls the master clutch, and a sensor 114 provides a signal (CL) indicative of the condition linked or disengaged from the clutch. The condition of the clutch can also be determined by comparing the speed of the engine with the speed of the input arrow. A splitter actuator 116 is provided to operate the splitter clutch 82 in accordance with command output signals. The shifter 57 has a knob 118, which contains sensor means or a button 120 by which the attempt of a driver to change and the desire to continue automatic control of the engine to achieve a substantially synchronous speed to link a motor can be detected. target gear ratio. The sensor 122 provides a signal (ITS) indicative of the detected presence or absence of the driver's attempt to change to neutral and / or the driver's continuous desire to implement semi-automatic changes by automatic engine synchronization to link a gear ratio. objective. Various other sensors that detect the movement of the shift lever can be used, as can be seen by reference to SAE No. 840307. A driver control display unit 124 includes a graphical representation of the six-position shift pattern, with individually illuminable buttons or other display elements 126, 128, 130, 32 , 134 and 136 representing each of the selectable link positions. The unit also includes a button 138 connected to bar-type controls to select high or low divider range for divider position selection to start from rest. The selection will be indicated by lights 142 or 144. The system includes a control unit 146, preferably a microprocessor-based control unit of the type illustrated in United States Patents 4,595,986.; 4,361,065 and 5,335,566, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, to receive input signals and process them according to predetermined logic rules for issuing command output signals 150 to system actuators, such as the actuator of the divider section 116. , the motor controller 112, and the display unit 124. A separate system controller 146 may be provided, or the motor controller 112 communicating by an electronic data link may be used. The controller may include logic rules, as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 5,509,867, for calculating the torsion of the flywheel of the engine. The splitter actuator 116 may be a two-position device or, as shown in co-pending United States Patent Application Serial No. 08 / 597,304, a three-position device, allowing selectable divisor section neutral and preservable. Dynamic changes forward, only divider, such as changes from third to fourth and fourth to third, are implemented automatically without driver intervention. By way of example, assuming a three-position divider actuator, upon detection that a splitter change is required, the ECU 146 will issue commands to the actuator 116 to bias the actuator to neutral, and to the motor controller 112 to minimize or break the torsion. As soon as the splitter neutral is detected, the motor will be commanded at a synchronous motor speed for the target gear ratio at the current speed of the output shaft (ES = IS = 0S * GRt ± ERROR). The linkage is timed, in view of the reaction times and the speeds and accelerations of the arrows, to occur just out of synchrony to prevent clutch stop. Automatic splitter changes of this type are illustrated in the aforementioned US Patents Nos. 4,722,248 and 5,435,212. The linked and neutral (unlinked) conditions of the transmission 10 can be detected by comparing the rotation speeds of the input arrow / output arrow with known gear ratios (IS / OS = GR1 = 1 to 10 + Y?) By a period of time. Position sensors can be used instead of or in addition to the speed logic of the input arrow and the output arrow. When synchronized to link an objective relationship, the engine is aimed at achieving and remaining at a speed around 30 to 100 rpm (preferably around 60 rpm) above or below (preferably below) the true synchronous speed (ESSYNCHR0 = (OS x GRT) - 45 rpm) to achieve good quality jaw clutch engagement without stop. Alternatively, the motor speed can be made to oscillate above and below the true synchronous speed. To verify linkage of an objective relation, the system searches for the speed of the input arrow to equal the product of the speed of the output arrow and the numerical value of the target ratio, around 10 to 30 rpm (IS = (OS * GRt) ± 20 rpm) for a period of time, around 100 to 400 milliseconds. The above logic allows linking and neutral conditions of the transmission to be determined based on the velocities of the input and output arrows, without the detection of false linkage caused by motor synchronization to link an objective relation. When it is in an even number relationship (that is, when it is in the high divider ratio) and on a given engine speed / speed of the input arrow (for example, about 1,375 rpm for a diesel engine governed to around 2,100 rpm), a change to higher speed by means of a lever (with an automatic change at lower speed of the divider) is appropriate and the system, if requested by the driver, will implement it semi-automatically. In a similar way, when it is in a non-number relationship (that is, when it is in the low divider ratio) and below a given engine speed (for example, around 1,350 rpm for the same engine), a change at a lower speed by means of the lever (with automatic change of the divider) is appropriate and the system, if requested by the driver, will semi-automatically implement it. Figure 4 illustrates the automatic change points of the divider and the appropriate change points by means of a lever. It is observed that the changes of the divider are implemented automatically, while the changes by means of the lever, with accompanying divisor changes, require the driver to start and manipulate the main section jaw clutch. The display unit 124 will inform the driver of the position of the currently linked relationship lever and the current lever shift position appropriately by the lever, if any. In one embodiment, the lever position of the currently linked relationship will be indicated by a stably illuminated button, while the lever position of the appropriate lever change will be indicated by a flashing button. Assuming it is linked! the fourth speed and the speed of the input arrow is 1.525 rpm, the button 130 3/4 will be illuminated stably, indicating that the third or fourth speed is linked and, as is appropriate a change at a speed higher than fifth, the button 132 5/6 will flash. The driver may choose to stay in fourth or decide that a fifth speed change is desirable. Preferably, the shift knob 118 will include a sensor or an attempt to change button 120 whereby the driver will indicate that he intends to initiate a sequence of lever changes and desires continuous automatic control of the engine to achieve synchronous or substantially synchronous conditions for Link the target gear ratio. Upon receiving the attempt to change (ITS) signal, the controller 146 will issue commands to the motor controller 112 to relieve the torque lock by fuel manipulations and the auxiliary section actuator 116 to pre-select the required change of divider. This will allow easy changes of the linked (fourth) to neutral relationship without manipulation of the choke or clutch disengagement by the operator, as well as provide a quick change of the splitter. Engine manipulations for relieving the torsion lock without requiring clutch detachment are described in greater detail in the aforementioned U.S. Patent Nos. 4,850,236 and 5,105,357. Preferably, if a change is not appropriate by means of the lever, it will not act on the basis of the signal to attempt to change. If the driver moves the lever to neutral and it is confirmed neutral with the linked master clutch and the attempt to change linked button, the 3/4 button will be turned off, while the controller 146 issues commands to the motor controller to cause the Motor and input arrow speeds approach their synchronous values, when the appropriate change of divisor is consummated (in this example, a change of divisor from splitter-high to divider-low). By confirming that there are synchronous conditions, the operator can easily switch to lever position 5/6 without the use of the clutch. Upon confirmation that the fifth speed is linked, the button 132 5/6 will be switched on steadily and the fuel supply to the engine will return to manual control. When it is in neutral, the operator will normally develop a rhythm of when to change towards the objective relationship. Alternatively, the system can inform the operator when the engine speed is in or is approaching synchronous conditions sufficiently to allow the lever to be moved to the target lever position. This can be through an audible alarm, a separate light of "OK to change" and / or simply changing the scintillation frequency of the objective lever position button. Alternatively, as shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,023,443, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, informing the operator may include preventing or inhibiting the changes until appropriate synchronous conditions exist. Also, instead of illuminating an entire position button, such as the lever position button 3/4 130, illuminated, individually controlled buttons or the like can be provided for each ratio (i.e., a separately controlled display element for each of the two reverse speed ratios and ten forward speed ratios). When a change is made and confirmation occurs, the control of the fuel supply is returned to the operator. It is not intended to use the clutch pedal 115, except for start-up operations from rest. If the clutch is manually unlinked during a shift operation, the throttle control is immediately returned to the operator. If the attempt button is released by changing 120, the fuel supply control is returned to the operator. The output speed (OS) is constantly monitored and, if the speed changes cause a change in the proper gear or the "best gear" during a sequence of changes, a new "best gear" will be indicated by a flashing button and will be synchronized The operation of system 100 is schematically illustrated, in flow chart format, in Figures 5A-5D. Although many of the characteristics of the control system / method of the present invention are applicable to many types of transmissions, the present invention is especially well suited to a split type transmission or a combined type splitter and range transmission, with an automatic shift feature. of rank (see U.S. Patent No. 5,000,060, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference), since these types of transmissions utilize a minimum number of leverage changes for a given number of forward relations. It is also noted that in the case of a complete or partial failure of the system 100, the transmission 10 will have an operation mode that allows the linking of two, three or five speeds forward of the wide relation step. Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it will be understood that the description of the preferred embodiment is by way of example only and that numerous changes in form and detail are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. invention, as claimed hereinafter.

CLAIMS 1. A vehicle transmission system of manual changes, comprising: a transmission section having an input shaft driven by a fuel-controlled engine, an output shaft, a plurality of linkable and unlinkable tension ratios in a selectable manner , and a selectable neutral, all said said neutral relations and said selected by means of selectively linked and disengaged jaw clutches operatively positioned by means of a manually operated shift lever having a plurality of positions of the shift lever; a manually controlled switch to provide a signal indicative of the operator's request for automatic control of fuel supply to the engine; means for detecting a neutral condition of the transmission section; means for determining a target forward gear ratio; and means for automatically controlling the supply of fuel to the engine, said means being effective to detect the presence or absence of said signal and, upon detecting neutral of the transmission section and the presence of said signal, causing the engine to reach a substantial speed synchronously to link this objective gear ratio

Claims (36)

1. Vo. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmission section comprises a main transmission section of a composite transmission. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for automatically controlling the supply of fuel to the engine are effective to cause the fuel supply to the engine to be in accordance with the demand of the operator upon detection of the absence of said signal. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for detecting the engagement of said target gear ratio, said means for automatically controlling the fuel feed to the engine being effective to cause the fuel supply to the engine to be in accordance with the operator's request when any of the conditions occurs (i) detected linkage of said target gear ratio and (ii) absence of said signal. The system of claim 1, wherein said switch is a resiliently polarized button to a non-activated position and located in said shift lever. The system of claim 3, wherein said switch is a resiliently polarized button to a non-activated position and located on said shift lever. The system of claim 4, wherein said switch is a button resiliently polarized to a non-activated position and located on said shift lever. The system of claim 1, wherein said jaw clutches are unsynchronized jaw clutches. The system of claim 1, wherein said motor is driven to said input shaft by a manually controllable friction clutch and further comprising means for detecting an unlinked condition of said friction clutch, said means for automatically controlling the feed of fuel being effective to make the fuel supply in accordance with the demand of the operator to occur no detected linkage of said friction clutch. The system of claim 3, wherein said motor is driven to said input shaft by a manually controllable friction clutch and further comprises means for detecting an unlinked condition of said friction clutch, said means for automatically controlling the feed of fuel being effective to make the fuel supply in accordance with the demand of the operator to occur no detected linkage of said friction clutch. The system of claim 4, wherein said motor is driven to said input shaft by a manually controllable friction clutch and further comprising means for detecting an unlinked condition of said friction clutch, said means for automatically controlling the feed of fuel being effective to make the fuel supply in accordance with the demand of the operator to occur no detected linkage of said friction clutch. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for detecting the fact that said motor reaches a synchronous speed to link said target gear ratio and for causing the operator to be informed that the target gear ratio is engageable at substantially synchronous The system of claim 3, further comprising means for detecting the fact that said motor reaches a synchronous speed to link said target gear ratio and for causing the operator to be informed that the target gear ratio is linkable at speeds substantially synchronous The system of claim 5, further comprising means for detecting the fact that said motor reaches a synchronous speed to link said target gear ratio and for causing the operator to be informed that the target gear ratio is engageable at substantially synchronous 15. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for detecting conditions indicative of an attempt by the operator to change to neutral of the transmission section from a currently linked relationship, said means for automatically controlling the fuel supply being effective to cause the engine to be fueled to minimize the torsion in the jaw clutches currently linked in response to the detection of the presence of said signal and said conditions indicative of the attempt of an operator to change to neutral of the transmission section. 16. The system of claim 3, further comprising means for detecting conditions indicative of an attempt by the operator to switch to neutral of the transmission section from a currently linked relationship, said means for automatically controlling the fuel supply being effective to cause the engine is agitated with fuel to minimize the torsion in the jaw clutches currently linked in response to the detection of the presence of said signal and said conditions indicative of the attempt of an operator to change to neutral of the transmission section. The system of claim 4, further comprising means for detecting conditions indicative of an attempt by the operator to switch to neutral of the transmission section from a currently linked relationship, said means for automatically controlling the fuel supply being effective to cause the engine is fueled to minimize torsion in the jaw clutches currently linked in response to the detection of the presence of said signal and said conditions indicative of an operator's attempt to change to neutral of the transmission section. The system of claim 1, further comprising a screen for indicating at least one condition of (i) the current position of the shift lever and (ii) the position of the shift lever of the target engagement ratio. The system of claim 3, further comprising a display for indicating at least one condition of (i) the current position of the shift lever and (ii) the position of the shift lever of the target engagement ratio. The system of claim 4, further comprising a screen for indicating at least one condition of (i) the current position of the shift lever and (ii) the position of the shift lever of the target engagement ratio. The transmission system of claim 2, wherein said transmission is a splitter type transmission and further comprising means for automatically initiating and completing all dynamic forward changes of the splitter. 22. The transmission system of claim 3, wherein said transmission is a splitter type transmission and further comprising means for automatically starting and completing all dynamic forward changes of the splitter. 23. The transmission system of claim 4, wherein said transmission is a splitter-type transmission and further comprising means for initiating and automatically completing all dynamic forward changes of the splitter. The system of claim 1, further comprising sensors for providing input signals indicative of the speed of the input arrow and the speed of the output arrow, said means for detecting a neutral condition of the transmission section performing such determination as a function of said speed signals. The system of claim 3, further comprising sensors for providing input signals indicative of the speed of the input arrow and the speed of the output arrow, said means for detecting a neutral condition of the transmission section performing such determination as a function of said speed signals. 26. The system of claim 4e. , further comprising sensors for providing input signals indicative of the speed of the input arrow and the speed of the output arrow, said means for detecting a neutral condition of the transmission section making such determination as a function of said output signals. speed. The system of claim 3, further comprising sensors for providing input signals indicative of the speeds of the input arrow and the output arrow, and means for detecting the binding of said traction ratios as a function of said speed signals. 28. The system of claim 4, further comprising sensors for providing input signals indicative of the speeds of the input arrow and the output arrow, and means for detecting the binding of said traction relations as a function of said signals. of speed. 29. The control system of claim 1, wherein said motor includes a microprocessor-based motor controller mounted on said motor and having a memory, said means for detecting neutral of the transmission, determining a target engagement ratio and Automatically control the fuel supply comprising logical rules stored in said memory. 30. The control system of claim 3, wherein said motor includes a microprocessor-based motor controller mounted on said motor and having a memory, said means for detecting neutral of the transmission, determining a target gear ratio and Automatically control the fuel supply comprising logical rules stored in said memory. The control system of claim 4, wherein said motor includes a microprocessor-based motor controller mounted on said motor and having a memory, said means for detecting neutral of the transmission, determining a target engagement ratio and Automatically control the fuel supply comprising logical rules stored in said memory. 32. The system of claim 3, wherein said switch is resiliently polarized to a non-activated position and is located in a knob portion of said shift lever. 33. A microprocessor based system controller for controlling a manually changed vehicle transmission system, comprising a transmission section having an input shaft driven by a fuel controlled motor, an output shaft, a plurality of selectably linkable and unlinkable traction ratios and a selectable neutral, all said traction and neutral ratios selected by means of selectively linked and detached jaw clutches, operatively positioned by means of a manually operated shift lever having a plurality of positions of the shift lever, and a manually controlled switch to provide a signal indicative of a request by the operator of automatic control of the fuel supply to the engine, said system controller having a memory that stores effective logic rules: to detect the presenc ia or absence of said signal; to detect a neutral condition of the transmission section; to determine a target forward gear ratio; and to automatically control the fuel supply to the engine, including, upon detection (i) the presence of said signal and (ii) neutral of the transmission section, causing the engine to reach a substantially synchronous speed to link said target engagement ratio. . The controller of claim 33, further comprising effective logic rules for detecting the binding of said target gear ratio and for automatically causing the fuel supply to the engine to be in accordance with the operator's demand upon detection of any condition of (i) ) linkage of said target gear ratio and (ii) absence of said signal. 35. The system controller of claim 33, wherein said motor is driven to said input shaft by a manually controllable friction clutch, said logic rules further comprising logic rules for detecting an unlinked condition of said friction clutch, and effective to automatically cause the supply of fuel to the engine to be in accordance with the demand by the operator to detect not linking said friction clutch. 36. The system controller of claim 34, wherein said motor is driven to said input shaft by a manually controllable friction clutch, said logic rules further comprising logic rules for detecting an unlinked condition of said friction clutch, and effective to automatically cause the fuel supply to The motor is in accordance with the demand by the operator when it is detected that the friction clutch is not connected.