Shift cylinder, shift cylinder control method and vehicle

Abstract

This application relates to a shift cylinder, a control method for the shift cylinder, and a vehicle. It includes multiple gear positions, a cylinder body, a piston mechanism, an intake passage, multiple solenoid valves, and an energy storage assembly. The multiple gear positions include a first gear position, a second gear position, and a neutral position. The piston mechanism and cylinder body define a first chamber corresponding to the first gear position, a second chamber corresponding to the second gear position, and a third chamber corresponding to the neutral position. The multiple solenoid valves include a first solenoid valve connected to the first chamber, a second solenoid valve connected to the second chamber, and a third solenoid valve connected to the third chamber. The energy storage assembly includes a first accumulator connected to the first solenoid valve and a second accumulator connected to the second solenoid valve. This application has the effect of connecting an accumulator to the chamber of the shift cylinder to regulate the air pressure in the shift chamber, keeping the chamber pressure in the shift cylinder at a low pressure during the slip-on stage, reducing shift shock, and extending the service life of the shift cylinder.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of vehicle shift control systems, and in particular to a shift cylinder, a control method for the shift cylinder, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Electric automatic control devices are commonly used in the field of pure electric vehicle transmissions. With the development of new energy vehicle technology, pneumatic automatic control devices have emerged, which are simpler in structure and more reliable than electric automatic control devices.

[0003] Pneumatic automatic control devices are mainly used to control the shifting of a car's gears between the left-hand drive, right-hand drive, and neutral positions. Specifically, the shift cylinder must sequentially pass through four working states—free state, slipping state, slipping end state, and engagement state—before the shift can be completed.

[0004] In related technologies, pneumatic control devices mainly use the combined use of two solenoid valves and one solenoid armature to control the movement of the shift shaft of the shift cylinder, thereby realizing shifting operations between three positions: left gear, right gear, and neutral. Alternatively, each shift cylinder can be controlled by two solenoid valves to achieve shifting operations between the three positions.

[0005] However, the aforementioned pneumatic control device has a short service life and needs improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to address the problem of short service life of pneumatic control devices in related technologies by providing a shift cylinder, a control method for the shift cylinder, and a vehicle.

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a shift cylinder, which adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] A shift cylinder includes multiple gear positions, including a first gear, a second gear, and a neutral gear. The shift cylinder includes a cylinder body, a piston mechanism, an intake passage, multiple solenoid valves, and an energy storage assembly. The piston mechanism is movably disposed within the cylinder body along the axial direction of the cylinder body, enabling the shift cylinder to be in the first gear, the second gear, or the neutral gear. The piston mechanism and the cylinder body define a first chamber corresponding to the first gear, a second chamber corresponding to the second gear, and a third chamber corresponding to the neutral gear. The first, second, and third chambers are not interconnected. The multiple solenoid valves are connected to the intake passage, including a first solenoid valve corresponding to the first gear and communicating with the first chamber, a second solenoid valve corresponding to the second gear and communicating with the second chamber, and a third solenoid valve corresponding to the neutral gear and communicating with the third chamber. The energy storage assembly includes a first accumulator communicating with the first solenoid valve and a second accumulator communicating with the second solenoid valve.

[0009] In one embodiment, the cylinder body is provided with a first air inlet, a second air inlet, and a third air inlet that are not connected to each other. Along the axial direction of the cylinder body, the third air inlet is located between the first air inlet and the second air inlet. When the shift cylinder is in the first gear position, the first air inlet is connected to the first chamber. When the shift cylinder is in the second gear position, the second air inlet is connected to the second chamber. When the shift cylinder is in the neutral position, the third air inlet is connected to the third chamber.

[0010] In one embodiment, the piston mechanism includes a shift shaft, a shift piston movably sleeved on the shift shaft along the axial direction of the cylinder body, and a first limiting piston and a second limiting piston movably sleeved on the shift piston along the axial direction of the cylinder body and spaced apart from each other. When the shift cylinder is in the first gear position, the first limiting piston blocks the third air inlet, and the second limiting piston blocks the second air inlet. When the shift cylinder is in the second gear position, the first limiting piston blocks the first air inlet, and the second limiting piston blocks the third air inlet. When the shift cylinder is in the neutral position, the first limiting piston blocks the first air inlet, and the second limiting piston blocks the second air inlet.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first limiting piston has a first limiting groove on the side opposite to the second limiting piston, and the second limiting piston has a second limiting groove on the side opposite to the first limiting piston; the piston mechanism further includes a first limiting member disposed at one end of the shift piston near the first air inlet, and a second limiting member disposed at one end of the shift piston near the second air inlet; the first limiting member abuts against the groove wall of the first limiting groove along the axial direction of the cylinder body; the second limiting member abuts against the groove wall of the second limiting groove along the axial direction of the cylinder body.

[0012] In one embodiment, the shift shaft includes a first segment and a second segment arranged along the axial direction of the cylinder body. The radial dimension of the second segment is greater than that of the first segment. A positioning groove is provided on the side of the second segment facing the first segment. The shift piston and the second limiting member are movably sleeved on the first segment along the axial direction of the shift shaft. The second limiting member abuts against the groove wall of the positioning groove along the axial direction of the cylinder body.

[0013] In one embodiment, the shift piston is provided with a limiting part, which is located between the first limiting piston and the second limiting piston along the axial direction of the cylinder body.

[0014] In one embodiment, one end of the shift shaft extends out of the cylinder body and is provided with a shift lever; the shift cylinder further includes a controller, a position sensor and a pressure sensor, the position sensor is located on one side of the shift lever along the radial direction of the cylinder body to detect the position of the shift lever in the axial direction along the cylinder body, the pressure sensor and the position sensor are respectively signal-connected to the controller, and the pressure sensor is selectively connected to one of the first solenoid valve, the second solenoid valve and the third solenoid valve.

[0015] Secondly, this application provides a control method for a shift cylinder, comprising the following steps:

[0016] A method for controlling a shift cylinder, specifically a method for controlling the aforementioned shift cylinder, includes:

[0017] Obtain the shift information of the shift cylinder;

[0018] The solenoid valve corresponding to the shift information is set to open or closed to drive the piston mechanism to move to the gear position corresponding to the shift information.

[0019] In one embodiment, when the shift information of the shift cylinder corresponds to the first gear, the controller opens the first solenoid valve corresponding to the shift information to drive the piston mechanism to move to the first gear; or when the shift information corresponds to the second gear, the controller opens the second solenoid valve corresponding to the shift information until the gas pressure in the second chamber reaches a preset pressure to drive the piston mechanism to move to the second gear; or when the shift information corresponds to the neutral gear, the controller opens the third solenoid valve corresponding to the shift information to drive the piston mechanism to move to the neutral gear.

[0020] In one embodiment, when the shift information corresponds to the first gear, it is determined whether the gas pressure detected by the air pressure sensor has reached a first set air pressure value, and whether the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor has reached a first set position. If yes, the first solenoid valve is closed until the gas pressure detected by the air pressure sensor reaches a second set air pressure value, which is less than the first set air pressure value. If no, the first solenoid valve is opened. When the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor reaches the second set position, the first solenoid valve is opened, and it is determined whether the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor has reached a third set position. If yes, the first solenoid valve is closed; if no, the first solenoid valve is opened.

[0021] When the shift information corresponds to the second gear, it is determined whether the gas pressure detected by the air pressure sensor has reached a third preset air pressure value, and whether the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor has reached a fourth preset position. If yes, the second solenoid valve is closed until the gas pressure detected by the air pressure sensor reaches the fourth preset air pressure value; if no, the second solenoid valve is opened. When the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor reaches a fifth preset position, the second solenoid valve is opened. It is then determined whether the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor has reached a sixth preset position. If yes, the second solenoid valve is closed; if no, the second solenoid valve is opened. Or

[0022] When the gear position information corresponds to the neutral position, it is determined whether the shift knob has moved to the seventh preset position. If yes, the third solenoid valve is closed; otherwise, the third solenoid valve is opened.

[0023] Thirdly, this application provides a vehicle that adopts the following technical solution:

[0024] A vehicle comprising the aforementioned shift cylinder.

[0025] The aforementioned shift cylinder, shift cylinder control method, and vehicle, by connecting an energy storage component to the corresponding chamber of the shift cylinder, regulate the air pressure in the chamber during the shifting process, so that the chamber pressure in the shift cylinder is in a low-pressure state during the slip-flickering stage of the shifting process, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing shifting shock. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a pneumatic circuit diagram of the shift cylinder control method for shifting gears using a sliding gear sleeve in an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of shifting to the first gear in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of shifting to the second gear in an embodiment of this application.

[0029] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of shifting to neutral in an embodiment of this application.

[0030] Attached image annotations:

[0031] 1. Cylinder block; 11. First chamber; 12. Second chamber; 13. Third chamber; 14. First air inlet; 15. Second air inlet; 16. Third air inlet; 2. Piston mechanism; 21. Shift shaft; 211. First stage; 212. Second stage; 22. Shift piston; 23. First limiting piston; 231. First limiting groove; 24. Second limiting piston; 241. Second limiting groove; 25. First limiting component; 26. Second limiting component; 27. Limiting part; 3. Intake passage; 4. First solenoid valve; 5. Second solenoid valve; 6. Third solenoid valve; 7. Energy storage assembly; 71. First accumulator; 72. Second accumulator; 8. Shift lever; 9. Controller; 10. Position sensor; 17. Air pressure sensor; 18. Air filter. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0033] In the description of this application, it should be understood that if terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" appear, these terms indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0034] Furthermore, where the terms "first" and "second" appear, these terms are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, where the term "multiple" appears, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0035] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0036] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the use of descriptions such as "above" or "below" the second feature indicates that the first and second features are in direct contact or indirect contact via an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. Similarly, "below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0037] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. If so, the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0038] Research has revealed that the short lifespan of traditional shift cylinders is due to the following: During shifting, especially when shifting to the left or right gear, the shift cylinder must go through four states each time it shifts: free state, slipping state, end of slipping state, and engagement state. However, when transitioning from the slipping state to the end of slipping state, the air pressure in the corresponding chamber of a traditional shift cylinder is often the same as the air source pressure and cannot be adjusted. This can easily lead to high air pressure in the chamber during shifting, resulting in a large shifting impact and thus a short lifespan for the shift cylinder.

[0039] In order to solve the problem of large shifting impact during the shifting process of traditional shifting cylinders, this application designs a shifting cylinder, a control method for the shifting cylinder, and a vehicle, which can improve the problem of short service life of traditional shifting cylinders.

[0040] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-4 The embodiments of this application will be described in further detail.

[0041] See Figure 1 This application provides a gear shifting cylinder with multiple gears, namely a first gear, a second gear, and a neutral gear, wherein the neutral gear is located between the first gear and the second gear. The gear shifting cylinder includes a cylinder body 1, a piston mechanism 2 disposed within the cylinder body 1, an intake passage 3 for connecting to an air source, multiple solenoid valves connected to the intake passage 3, and an energy storage assembly 7.

[0042] Furthermore, an air filter 18 is connected to the intake passage 3. The high-pressure air entering the intake passage 3 is filtered by the air filter 18 before entering the air path corresponding to the first gear, the second gear, or the neutral gear. The air filter 18 filters impurities or dust carried in the air, effectively reducing the wear on the shift cylinder during operation and thus extending its service life.

[0043] Specifically, during the operation of the shift cylinder, the piston mechanism 2 can move along the axial direction of the cylinder body 1, thereby allowing the shift cylinder to be in the corresponding first gear, second gear, or third gear position. Multiple chambers are defined between the piston mechanism 2 and the cylinder body 1, namely a first chamber 11 corresponding to the first gear, a second chamber 12 corresponding to the second gear, and a third chamber 13 corresponding to neutral. The first chamber 11, second chamber 12, and third chamber 13 are not interconnected.

[0044] In this embodiment, the multiple solenoid valves are a first solenoid valve 4 corresponding to the first gear position and capable of communicating with the first chamber 11, a second solenoid valve 5 corresponding to the second gear position and capable of communicating with the second gear position, and a third solenoid valve 6 corresponding to the neutral position and capable of communicating with the third chamber 13. The energy storage component 7 includes a first energy storage device 71 capable of communicating with the first solenoid valve 4 and a second energy storage device 72 capable of communicating with the second solenoid valve 5.

[0045] In this application, the first solenoid valve 4, the second solenoid valve 5, and the third solenoid valve 6 are all common direct-acting two-position three-way solenoid valves, and the first accumulator 71 and the second accumulator 72 are both pneumatic accumulators.

[0046] Continue reading Figure 1 In addition, the side wall of the cylinder 1 is provided with a first air inlet 14 that can communicate with the first chamber 11, a second air inlet 15 that can communicate with the second chamber 12, and a third air inlet 16 that can communicate with the third chamber 13 along its own axial direction, wherein the third air inlet 16 is located between the first air inlet 14 and the second air inlet 15.

[0047] During the operation of the shift cylinder, when the shift cylinder is in the first gear, the piston mechanism 2 moves to the first gear position accordingly. At this time, the first air inlet 14 connects the first chamber 11 and the air inlet channel 3, and the first accumulator 71 is used to regulate the air pressure in the first chamber 11.

[0048] Specifically, when shifting to the first gear, the first solenoid valve 4 is energized, and part of the high-pressure air in the intake passage 3 enters the first chamber 11 through the first intake port 14, while the remaining part enters the first accumulator 71 for storage under pressure. When the first solenoid valve 4 is de-energized, the gas in the first chamber 11 is discharged through the exhaust port of the first solenoid valve 4, and at the same time, the gas stored in the first accumulator 71 is replenished into the first chamber 11, thereby regulating the air pressure in the first chamber 11 and allowing the piston mechanism 2 to continue moving axially along the cylinder 1.

[0049] When the shift cylinder is in the second gear, the piston mechanism 2 moves to the second gear position. At this time, the second air inlet 15 connects the second chamber 12 and the air inlet channel 3, and the second accumulator 72 is used to regulate the air pressure in the second chamber 12.

[0050] Similarly, when shifting to the second gear, the second solenoid valve 5 is energized. A portion of the high-pressure air in the intake passage 3 enters the second chamber 12 through the second intake port 15, while the remaining air is stored in the second accumulator 72 under pressure. When the second solenoid valve 5 is de-energized, the gas in the second chamber 12 is discharged through the exhaust port of the second solenoid valve 5. Simultaneously, the gas stored in the second accumulator 72 replenishes the second chamber 12, thus regulating the air pressure within the second chamber 12 and continuing to drive the piston mechanism 2.

[0051] When the shift cylinder is in neutral, the piston mechanism 2 moves to the neutral position, at which time the third air inlet 16 connects the air intake channel 3 and the third chamber 13.

[0052] See Figure 1 The piston mechanism 2 includes a shift shaft 21 arranged along the axial direction of the cylinder body 1, a shift piston 22 movably sleeved on the shift shaft 21 along the axial direction of the cylinder body 1, a first limiting piston 23 and a second limiting piston 24 sleeved on the shift piston 22 along the axial direction of the cylinder body 1, a first limiting member 25 disposed at the end of the shift piston 22 near the first air inlet 14, and a second limiting member 26 disposed at the end of the shift piston 22 near the second air inlet 15.

[0053] The first limiting piston 23 and the second limiting piston 24 are spaced apart from each other, and the first limiting member 25 and the second limiting member 26 cooperate with each other to limit the axial position of the shift piston 22 on the shift shaft 21.

[0054] When the shift cylinder is in the first gear, the high-pressure air in the intake passage 3 is introduced into the first chamber 11 through the first intake port 14, the first limiting piston 23 blocks the third intake port 16, and the second limiting piston 24 blocks the second intake port 15.

[0055] When the shift cylinder is in the second gear, the high-pressure air in the intake passage 3 is introduced into the second chamber 12 through the second intake port 15. The first limiting piston 23 blocks the first intake port 14, and the second limiting piston 24 blocks the third intake port 16.

[0056] When the shift cylinder is in neutral, the high-pressure air in the intake passage 3 enters the third chamber 13 through the third intake port 16, the first limiting piston 23 blocks the first intake port 14, and the second limiting piston 24 blocks the second intake port 15.

[0057] See Figure 1Specifically, in this embodiment, the shift shaft 21 includes a first segment 211 and a second segment 212 arranged along the axial direction of the cylinder body 1. Both the first segment 211 and the second segment 212 adopt a cylindrical structure, and the radial dimension of the second segment 212 is larger than that of the first segment 211. The first segment 211 is entirely located inside the cylinder body 1, one end of the second segment 212 extends into the cylinder body 1 and is integrally formed with the first segment 211, and the other end extends out of the cylinder body 1 and is fitted with a shift paddle 8 via a rolled pin.

[0058] When installing the shift cylinder, the second limiting member 26, the shift piston 22, and the first limiting member 25 are sequentially and movably fitted onto the first section 211 from the end of the first section 211 away from the second section 212. Then, the first limiting member 25 is fixed to the end of the first section 211 away from the second section 212 by bolts, so that the side of the second limiting member 26 facing away from the shift piston 22 abuts against the end face of the second section 212 facing the first section 211, thus completing the fixation of the shift piston 22, so that the shift piston 22 always moves synchronously with the movement of the first section 211 of the shift shaft 21.

[0059] In addition, the first limiting piston 23 is provided with a first limiting groove 231 on the side opposite to the second limiting piston 24, and the second limiting piston 24 is provided with a second limiting groove 241 on the side opposite to the first limiting piston 23. During the movement of the shift shaft 21, the first limiting member 25 can abut against the groove wall of the first limiting groove 231 along the axial direction of the cylinder body 1, and the second limiting member 26 can abut against the groove wall of the second limiting groove 241 along the axial direction of the cylinder body 1.

[0060] Furthermore, a limiting part 27 is provided on the shift piston 22 between the first limiting piston 23 and the second limiting piston 24. The first limiting part 27 and the second limiting part 27 can abut against the limiting part 27 along the axial direction of the cylinder body 1, thereby restricting the movement of the first limiting piston 23 and the second limiting piston 24 in the axial direction of the cylinder body 1.

[0061] See Figure 1 Furthermore, the shift cylinder in this embodiment also includes a controller 9, a pressure sensor 17, and a position sensor 10. The controller 9 in this application is a TCU.

[0062] The position sensor 10 is located on one side of the shift knob 8 along the radial direction of the cylinder, and is used to detect the position of the shift knob 8 in the axial direction of the cylinder body 1. One end of the air pressure sensor 17 is connected to the intake passage 3, and the other end is connected to one of the first solenoid valve 4, the second solenoid valve 5, or the third solenoid valve 6, to detect the real-time air pressure in the corresponding air path. The position sensor 10 and the air pressure sensor 17 are respectively connected to the controller 9, and provide real-time feedback of the detected position and air pressure information to the controller 9 to ensure the smooth operation of the shifting process.

[0063] This application also provides a vehicle (not shown) that uses the shift cylinder described above.

[0064] See Figures 1 to 4 This application also provides a control method for a shift cylinder, which is applied to the shifting process of a shift cylinder as described in any of the above technical solutions, and includes the following steps:

[0065] S1, Controller 9 obtains shift information;

[0066] S2. Control the corresponding solenoid valve to be in the open (energized) or closed (de-energized) state, including the following steps:

[0067] When the shift information corresponds to the first gear, the first solenoid valve 4 is controlled to be in the open state;

[0068] When the shift information corresponds to the second gear, the second solenoid valve 5 is controlled to be in the open state;

[0069] When the shift information corresponds to neutral, the third solenoid valve 6 is opened.

[0070] S3. Drive the piston mechanism 2 to move to the gear position corresponding to the shift information, including the following steps:

[0071] When the shift information corresponds to the first gear, the piston mechanism 2 moves to the first gear position;

[0072] When the shift information corresponds to the second gear, the piston mechanism 2 moves to the second gear position;

[0073] When the shift information corresponds to neutral, the piston mechanism 2 moves to the neutral position.

[0074] See Figures 2 to 4 Furthermore, the control method for the shift cylinder also includes the following steps:

[0075] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 When the shift information corresponds to the first gear, the air pressure sensor 17 detects whether the gas pressure in the air path corresponding to the first solenoid valve 4 has reached the first set air pressure value, and the position sensor 10 detects whether the current position of the shift knob 8 has reached the first set position.

[0076] If yes, the first solenoid valve 4 is closed, and some of the gas in the first chamber 11 is discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust port of the first solenoid valve 4. At the same time, the first accumulator 71 replenishes the stored gas into the first chamber 11. Since the total amount of gas in the gas path is gradually decreasing, the gas pressure in the first chamber 11 will also gradually decrease until the gas pressure in the first chamber 11 decreases to the second set gas pressure value. If no, the first solenoid valve 4 remains open.

[0077] Then, when the position sensor 10 detects that the current position of the shift lever 8 has reached the second preset position, the controller 9 controls the first solenoid valve 4 to open, and the gas pushes the piston mechanism 2 to continue moving. The position sensor 10 detects the current position of the shift lever 8, and the controller 9 determines whether the current position is the third preset position.

[0078] If yes, the first solenoid valve 4 is closed, and the gas in the first chamber 11 is also discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust port of the first solenoid valve 4, completing the gear shift; if no, the first solenoid valve 4 remains open.

[0079] The first set air pressure value is 4.5 bar, the second set air pressure value is 3.8 bar, the first set position is 4.5 mm, the second set position is 4.8 mm, and the third set position is 10.5 mm.

[0080] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 When the shift information corresponds to the second gear, the air pressure sensor 17 detects whether the gas pressure in the air path corresponding to the second solenoid valve 5 has reached the third set air pressure value, and at the same time, the position sensor 10 detects whether the current position of the shift knob 8 has reached the fourth set position.

[0081] If yes, the second solenoid valve 5 is closed, and some of the gas in the second chamber 12 is discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust port of the second solenoid valve 5. At the same time, the second accumulator 72 replenishes the stored gas into the second chamber 12, and the gas pressure in the second chamber 12 gradually decreases until the pressure sensor 17 detects that the gas pressure in the current gas path has decreased to the fourth set pressure value. If no, the first solenoid valve 4 is kept open.

[0082] Then, when the position sensor 10 detects that the shift lever 8 has reached the fifth preset position, the second solenoid valve 5 is opened under the control of the controller 9, and the gas continues to push the piston mechanism 2 to move. The position sensor 10 detects the current position of the shift lever 8, and the controller 9 determines whether the current position is the sixth preset position.

[0083] If yes, then the second solenoid valve 5 is closed, and the gas in the second chamber 12 is discharged through the exhaust port of the second solenoid valve 5, completing the gear shift; if no, then the second solenoid valve 5 is kept open.

[0084] The third set air pressure value is -4.5 bar, the fourth set air pressure value is -3.8 bar, the fourth set position is -4.5 mm, the fifth set position is -4.8 mm, and the sixth set position is -10.5 mm.

[0085] See Figure 1 and Figure 4 When the shift information corresponds to neutral, the position sensor 10 detects whether the shift lever 8 has moved to the seventh set position. If so, it controls the third solenoid valve 6 to close, and the gas in the third chamber 13 is discharged into the atmosphere through the exhaust port of the third solenoid valve 6, thus completing the shift. If not, the third solenoid valve 6 remains open.

[0086] Combining the above-described operation process of shifting to the first gear and shifting to the second gear, in this embodiment of the application, an accumulator is connected to the chamber of the shift cylinder to control the air pressure intensity in the chamber of the shift cylinder. This allows the air pressure in the chamber of the shift cylinder to be controlled at a lower pressure during the slippage stage of the shifting process, thereby reducing the shifting impact generated during the slippage stage.

[0087] However, in other stages of the shifting process, due to the presence of the accumulator, the shifting cylinder chamber can maintain a large output power (mainly depending on the air source pressure), thereby reducing the shifting time in other stages.

[0088] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0089] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A shift cylinder, characterized in that, The shift cylinder has multiple gear positions, including a first gear position, a second gear position, and a neutral position. The shift cylinder includes: Cylinder block; A piston mechanism is movably disposed within the cylinder body along the axial direction of the cylinder body, so that the shift cylinder can be in the first gear, the second gear, or the neutral gear; the piston mechanism and the cylinder body define a first chamber corresponding to the first gear, a second chamber corresponding to the second gear, and a third chamber corresponding to the neutral gear; the first chamber, the second chamber, and the third chamber are not connected to each other; The piston mechanism includes a shift shaft, a shift piston movably sleeved on the shift shaft along the axial direction of the cylinder body, and a first limiting piston and a second limiting piston movably sleeved on the shift piston along the axial direction of the cylinder body and spaced apart from each other. The cylinder body is provided with a first air inlet, a second air inlet and a third air inlet that are not connected to each other. Along the axial direction of the cylinder body, the third air inlet is located between the first air inlet and the second air inlet. When the shift cylinder is in the first gear position, the first limiting piston is blocked in the third air inlet, and the second limiting piston is blocked in the second air inlet; When the shift cylinder is in the second gear position, the first limiting piston is blocked at the first air inlet, and the second limiting piston is blocked at the third air inlet; When the shift cylinder is in the neutral position, the first limiting piston is blocked at the first air inlet, and the second limiting piston is blocked at the second air inlet; The first limiting piston has a first limiting groove on the side opposite to the second limiting piston, and the second limiting piston has a second limiting groove on the side opposite to the first limiting piston. The piston mechanism further includes a first limiting member disposed at one end of the shift piston near the first air inlet, and a second limiting member disposed at one end of the shift piston near the second air inlet; The first limiting member abuts against the groove wall of the first limiting groove along the axial direction of the cylinder body; The second limiting member abuts against the groove wall of the second limiting groove along the axial direction of the cylinder body; Air intake passage; The plurality of solenoid valves connected to the intake channel include a first solenoid valve corresponding to the first gear position and capable of communicating with the first chamber, a second solenoid valve corresponding to the second gear position and capable of communicating with the second chamber, and a third solenoid valve corresponding to the neutral position and capable of communicating with the third chamber. The energy storage assembly includes a first energy storage device capable of communicating with the first solenoid valve, and a second energy storage device capable of communicating with the second solenoid valve; and The system includes a controller, a position sensor, and a pressure sensor. One end of the shift shaft extends out of the cylinder body and is equipped with a shift lever. The position sensor is located on one side of the shift lever along the radial direction of the cylinder body to detect the position of the shift lever along the axial direction of the cylinder body. The pressure sensor and the position sensor are respectively connected to the controller. The pressure sensor is selectively connected to one of the first solenoid valve, the second solenoid valve, and the third solenoid valve.

2. The shift cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the shift cylinder is in the first gear position, the first air inlet is connected to the first chamber; when the shift cylinder is in the second gear position, the second air inlet is connected to the second chamber; when the shift cylinder is in the neutral position, the third air inlet is connected to the third chamber.

3. The shift cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shift shaft includes a first section and a second section distributed along the axial direction of the cylinder body, wherein the radial dimension of the second section is greater than the radial dimension of the first section; The first limiting member, the shift piston, and the second limiting member are sequentially and movably sleeved on the first section along the axial direction of the cylinder body, and the second limiting member abuts against the end of the second section near the first section along the axial direction of the cylinder body.

4. The shift cylinder according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shift piston is provided with a limiting part, which is located between the first limiting piston and the second limiting piston along the axial direction of the cylinder body.

5. A control method for a shift cylinder, characterized in that, A method for controlling a shift cylinder according to any one of claims 1-4, the method comprising: Obtain the shift information of the shift cylinder; The solenoid valve corresponding to the shift information is set to open or closed to drive the piston mechanism to move to the gear position corresponding to the shift information.

6. The control method for the shift cylinder according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the shift information of the shift cylinder corresponds to the first gear, the controller opens the first solenoid valve corresponding to the shift information to drive the piston mechanism to move to the first gear; or When the shift information corresponds to the second gear position, the controller opens the second solenoid valve corresponding to the shift information until the gas pressure in the second chamber reaches a preset pressure, thereby driving the piston mechanism to move to the second gear position; or When the shift information corresponds to the neutral position, the controller opens the third solenoid valve corresponding to the shift information to drive the piston mechanism to move to the neutral position.

7. The control method for the shift cylinder according to claim 6, characterized in that, The control method for the shift cylinder also includes: When the shift information corresponds to the first gear, it is determined whether the gas pressure detected by the air pressure sensor has reached a first set air pressure value, and whether the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor has reached a first set position. If yes, the first solenoid valve is closed until the gas pressure detected by the air pressure sensor reaches a second set air pressure value, which is less than the first set air pressure value. If no, the first solenoid valve is opened. When the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor reaches the second set position, the first solenoid valve is opened, and it is determined whether the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor has reached a third set position. If yes, the first solenoid valve is closed; if no, the first solenoid valve is opened. When the shift information corresponds to the second gear, it is determined whether the gas pressure detected by the air pressure sensor has reached a third preset air pressure value, and whether the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor has reached a fourth preset position. If yes, the second solenoid valve is closed until the gas pressure detected by the air pressure sensor reaches the fourth preset air pressure value; if no, the second solenoid valve is opened. When the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor reaches a fifth preset position, the second solenoid valve is opened. It is then determined whether the position of the shift lever detected by the position sensor has reached a sixth preset position. If yes, the second solenoid valve is closed; if no, the second solenoid valve is opened. Or When the shift information corresponds to the neutral position, it is determined whether the shift lever has moved to the seventh preset position. If yes, the third solenoid valve is closed; otherwise, the third solenoid valve is opened.

8. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the shift cylinder as described in any one of claims 1-4.

Images