Eaton Corporation

Caterpillar Inc.

Donald Speranza

William F Cote

Lyle O Hoppie

Anthony Stasik

William J Mack

Robert Stanley Wheeler

Kwok W Chan

Jeffrey Philip Hawarden

Timothy Peter Kelly

Scott Alan Leman

Ronald K Markyvech

Thomas A Gee

Steven J Funke

James Richard Weber

Jason Kenneth Bloms

Thomas Jeffrey Crowell

Robert R Smyth

E James Lane

Daniel G Smedley

Jeff Skorupski

Ronald E Daubenspeck

Tom Genise

Rich Nellums

A power train control system for a mobile machine is disclosed. The power train control system has a power source configured to produce a power output, a transmission device operatively connected to receive the power output and propel the mobile machine, and a control module. The control module is configured to receive an indication of a power demand, receive an indication of a current travel speed of the mobile machine, and reference the power demand and the current travel speed with a power train efficiency map to determine a desired power source speed. The power train control system is also configured to control operation of the transmission device to bring a speed of the power source within a predetermined amount of the desired power source speed.

Efficiency based integrated power train control system

A control system and calibration method are provided for a vehicle drive line having an automated master friction clutch. The control system utilizes engine torque data supplied by a serial communication data link to identify a clutch control parameter value corresponding to an urge-to-move position of the clutch. The clutch control parameter value identified by the calibration method is stored and utilized by the control system to control the engagement position of the automated clutch in an 'urge to move' mode of operation. The inventive calibration method can be utilized across multiple vehicle platforms having different engine, clutch and transmission system components.

Clutch calibration and control

A control system and calibration method are provided for a vehicle drive line having an automated master friction clutch. The control system utilizes engine torque data supplied by a serial communication data link to identify a clutch control parameter value corresponding to an urge-to-move position of the clutch. The clutch control parameter value identified by the calibration method is stored and utilized by the control system to control the engagement position of the automated clutch in an &ldquo;urge to move&rdquo; mode of operation. The inventive calibration method can be utilized across multiple vehicle platforms having different engine, clutch and transmission system components.

A method for controlling an AMT system (10) is provided including sensing and identifying faulty input signals (ES, IS, OS) from the engine speed sensor (28), the input shaft speed sensor (32) and/or the output shaft speed sensor (36) and, if only one of the speed signals (ES, IS or OS) is faulty, modifying the logic method of control (42) to a logic method tolerant of the identified faulty input signal.

Method for controlling AMT system including speed sensor signal fault

An improved control system and method for an automatic/semi-automatic transmission system (10) including an automatic change gear transmission (12) driven by a throttle (26) controlled engine (14) is provided. The control system includes a processing unit (42) for receiving inputs indicating at least throttle positon (THL) and vehicle speed (OS) and for determining vehicle acceleration (dOS/dt) and for processing these inputs in accordance with a program or logic rules to determine the selected engaged gear ratio and for issuing command signals to a transmission shifting mechanism (34). The processing unit operates according logic rules so that the control system will execute skip upshifts upon sensing certain predetermined conditions.

Upshift logic

The present invention is a regenerative braking system useful in systems having variable kinetic energy such as vehicles. A DC machine having an independently energized field coil includes a rotor mechanically coupled for rotation at a speed proportional to the velocity of the load. During deceleration the armature is coupled to an inductor and rotational energy provided by the load is converted into magnetic energy stored in the magnetic field of the inductor. To store the energy a short is connected across the inductor, which is preferably operating under superconducting conditions. For acceleration this inductor current is applied to the DC machine to produce a torque for moving the load. The phase reversal required for proper direction of torque is preferably achieved by reversing the direction of field current. The rate of energy transfer and thus the rate of acceleration or deceleration is controlled by controlling the magnitude of the field coil current. A preferred embodiment includes a vehicle battery and motor control for powering the DC machine as the prime mover of the system. A control circuit responsive to vehicle speed, accelerator pedal position, brake pedal position, and the amount of current in the inductor controls switches for proper transfer of energy.

Magnetic regenerative braking system

An improved automatic clutch control system for controlling a vehicle master clutch (16) drivingly interposed a throttle controlled engine (14) and a change gear transmission (12) in an automatic/semi-automatic mechanical transmission system (AMT) is provided. A monitored clutch parameter (CPV) is compared to a reference value (IEPCPV) to determine the expected point of incipient engagement of the clutch. The reference value is periodically updated, to compensate for wear and the like.

Method and control system for updating of control parameter value

An improved control system and method for an automatic transmission system (10) including an automatic change gear transmission (12) driven by a throttle (26) controlled engine (14) is provided. The control system includes a processing unit (42) for receiving inputs indicating at least throttle position (THL) and vehicle speed (OS), for determining vehicle acceleration/deceleration (dOS/dt) and for processing these inputs in accordance with a program or logic rules to determine the selected engaged gear ratio and for issuing command signals to transmission system shifting mechanisms (34 and 30). The processing unit includes an operator selected (DOR) set of logic rules by which vehicle performance is maximized and the control will evaluate downshifts at assumed constant vehicle deceleration for a period of time (T) greater than the time required for a single downshift and command a downshift to the lowest gear ratio under the calculated conditions.

Amt off-highway downshift logic

A method for controlling an AMT system (10) is provided including sensing vehicle start from stop operation and providing closed loop control of both the clutch operator (30) and the fuel control (26) during such operation. A function (E) of the difference between actual (N) and desired (A) engine speed is calculated and compared to a reference (REF), and if greater than the reference, fuel supply to the engine (14) is not permitted to increase.

Method for controlling AMT system start from stop operation

A method for controlling an AMT system (10) is provided including sensing clutch (16) reengagement after a transmission (12) gear change operation and providing closed loop control of both the clutch operator (30) and the fuel control (26) under such conditions.

Method for controlling AMT system including after transmission gear

A power supply for an acoustic fuel injector (18) comprises a DC to DC converter (14) for supplying a regulated voltage to a frequency-controlled oscillator (16) which drives the injector valve or valves. The converter (14) comprises a flyback oscillator (28) including a switching transistor (32) and a transformer (34, 36) for applying rectified current pulses of variable amplitude and occurrence rate to an output capacitor (42). A variable impedance transistor (50) in the input circuit to the flyback oscillator (28) is controlled by a feedback signal (68) from the output circuit (30) to vary the cycle rate of the flyback oscillator (28) to maintain output voltage at a desired value. Start up of oscillations in flyback oscillator (28) is assisted by a resistive feedback connection (56) and oscillations are maintained by a tertiary transformer winding (38).

DC to DC converter with self-starting flyback oscillator

A method for controlling an automatic mechanical transmission system (2) of the type comprising a throttling control device (19) controlled heat engine (12) a nonpositive coupling such as a friction master clutch (14) and a jaw clutch type multispeed mechanical transmission (10) utilizing a digital microprocessor (100) based electronic controller (30) is provided. The method includes providing logic routines for the microprocessor including a high priority algorithm for processing current inputs to determine current system status and to generate outputs including command outputs based upon current system status and a low priority algorithm for providing a signal indicative of the currently desired gear ratio to the high priority algorithm. The logic routines perform the low priority algorithm on a continuous loop basis and interrupting the low priority algorithm to perform the high priority algorithm at least twice during a critical control period corresponding to the time required for the system actuators to respond to a command output.

Method for control of automatic mechanical transmission system utilizing

An improved control system for an automatic change gear transmission (10) driven by a throttle (18) controlled engine (12) is provided. The control system includes a processing unit (30) for receiving inputs indicating at least throttle position (18), engine speed (20) and vehicle speed (28) and for processing these inputs in accordance with a program to determine the correct engaged gear ratio and for issuing command signals to a transmission shifting mechanism (26). The processing unit includes of operator actuated selection means (32) for selecting a mode of operation (D.sub.1 or D.sub.L) wherein vehicle performance is maximized and the control will evaluate and execute allowable skip downshifts.

Automatic transmission controls with multiple downshift off-highway mode

An acoustic fuel injector system comprises a DC-to-DC converter (14) for supplying a regulated voltage to a frequency controlled oscillator (16) which drives the injector valve (18) or valves. The converter comprises a flyback oscillator (28) including a switching transistor (32) and a transformer (34, 36) for applying rectified current pulses of variable amplitude and occurrence rate to an output capacitor (42). A variable impedance device (50) in the input circuit to the flyback oscillator is controlled by a feedback signal (68) from the output circuit (30) to vary the cycle rate of the flyback oscillator to maintain output voltage at a desired value. The feedback signal is coupled to the oscillator control circuit input to effect a variable regulated output voltage which is relatively high upon injector turn-on but decays to a lower operating level thereafter.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, MI, United States of America

Donald Speranza