The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 02, 1996
Filed:
Aug. 11, 1993
Stephen A Edelen, Battle Creek, MI (US);
Syed F Hussain, Anaheim Hills, CA (US);
Chiau-Chieh Ong, Novi, MI (US);
Eaton Corporation, Cleveland, OH (US);
Abstract
The shift quality of an automated mechanical transmission is improved and transmission wear is reduced by controlling the armature current of the motor driving the transmission shifting mechanism. The current is monitored by a microcontroller to determine if the shifting mechanism has encountered a snag or has stalled during a shift operation. The microcontroller is programmed to control the duty cycle of a pulse width modulated (PWM) voltage signal, applied to the motor, in accordance with an algorithm which provides both proportional and derivative control of the error between the measured current and a target current. The rapid reduction in current spikes through PWM control reduces the force applied to the shifting mechanism and thus the sliding clutch and transmission gearing.