Motorcycle engine automatic upshift and downshift system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic upshift and downshift system of a motorcycle engine. The automatic upshift and downshift system comprises a clutch executing mechanism, a gear shifting executing mechanism, a transmission control unit and an engine control unit which are connected with the engine, the engine control unit is used for controlling the ignition angle of an engine and the opening degree of a throttle valve; the transmission control unit is used for monitoring a whole motorcycle signal, generating a control instruction according to the whole motorcycle signal and outputting the control instruction, the clutch executing mechanism, the gear shifting executing mechanism and the engine control unit execute the corresponding control instruction according to the received control instruction, and the whole motorcycle signal comprises the opening degree of an accelerator and the rotating speed / torque of a crankshaft; the transmission control unit further automatically recognizes the road condition state according to the whole vehicle signal, when the road condition state is recognized as the downhill state, a clutch is controlled to be engaged according to the current gear, and when the road condition state is recognized as the uphill state, the upshift frequency of the gear is controlled to be reduced. According to the invention, enough driving force of the whole motorcycle can be ensured, the overall dynamic property is improved, and normal running of the motorcycle can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of motorcycles, and in particular to a system and method for automatically shifting up and down a motorcycle engine. Background Art

[0002] Motorcycles are two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicles driven by gasoline engines and steered by handlebars. They are light, flexible, and fast, and are widely used for patrols, passenger and cargo transportation, and are also used as sports equipment. At present, the mainstream transmission type of motorcycles is a mechanical 5-speed or 6-speed transmission. In order to keep the motorcycle within the speed, speed, and power range required by the driver, the driver needs to manually control the throttle, clutch, and gear position based on his subjective perception of the road conditions. The operation is complicated, especially when riding on complex roads, the driving intensity is high, and there are safety hazards in long-term driving.

[0003] Chinese patent document CN200520032742.9 discloses a fully automatic intelligent shifting system for motorcycles, wherein the input end of a central processing unit module (1) is respectively connected to the output ends of a vehicle speed signal processing module (2) and a shifting fault processing module (9), and the output end is respectively connected to the input ends of a vehicle speed sensing module (3), an engine speed sensing module (5), an upshift control block (6), and a downshift control block (7); the input end of the vehicle speed signal processing module (2) is connected to the output end of the vehicle speed sensing module (3); the input end of the load signal processing module (4) is connected to the output end of the engine speed sensing module (5); the output ends of the upshift control block (6) and the downshift control block (7) are respectively connected to the input end of a shifting mechanical action module (8). The utility model realizes the intelligence of motorcycles, reduces fuel consumption, and enhances the safety and reliability of driving.

[0004] The prior art has the following deficiencies: although the prior art realizes intelligent control of the motorcycle and can improve the safety and reliability of driving, when automatic gear shifting is performed, the road environment on which the motorcycle is located will affect the driving state of the motorcycle and may even cause insufficient driving force of the vehicle, seriously affecting the driving of the motorcycle. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the technical problem that insufficient vehicle driving force may occur during the intelligent control process of motorcycles in the prior art, thus affecting driving, the present invention provides an automatic up / down gear system for motorcycle engines, comprising a clutch actuator connected to the engine, a shift actuator, a transmission control unit and an engine control unit; The clutch actuator is installed on the engine's clutch to control the rotation of the clutch and manipulate the separation and engagement of the clutch; The shift actuator is mounted on the shift arm of the engine and is used to control the rotation of the shift arm and manipulate the gear switching; Engine control unit, used to control the engine ignition angle and throttle opening; The transmission control unit is used to monitor the motorcycle vehicle signals and generate and output control instructions according to the vehicle signals. The clutch actuator, shift actuator and engine control unit receive and execute corresponding control instructions. The vehicle signals include throttle opening, crankshaft speed / torque; The transmission control unit also automatically identifies the road condition based on the vehicle signal. When it is identified as a downhill state, it controls the clutch to engage according to the current gear position. When it is identified as an uphill state, it controls the gear upshift frequency to be reduced.

[0006] Compared with the prior art, in this solution, the clutch actuator, the shift actuator, the transmission control unit and the engine control unit are used in coordination to realize the automatic shifting operation of the motorcycle. Moreover, during driving, the road condition status is automatically identified according to the vehicle signal. Therefore, after the motorcycle enters a downhill slope, the clutch state is controlled according to the current gear position, and the clutch is controlled to engage, thereby prompting the engine to reversely drag and brake the vehicle. When entering an uphill slope, the gear upshift frequency is controlled to be reduced, and gear shifting is reduced to ensure sufficient vehicle driving force, thereby improving the overall power and ensuring the normal driving of the motorcycle.

[0007] Preferably, a speed signal acquisition device is provided in the engine, which is used to collect the speed signal and upload it to the transmission control unit and the engine control unit, and the transmission control unit outputs a control instruction according to the speed signal. Since the speed signal of the engine is an important parameter based on different action instructions, in this solution, the speed signal acquisition device is used to collect the speed of the engine, which is simple to operate.

[0008] Preferably, the speed signal acquisition device includes a signal disk and a speed sensor. The signal disk is arranged on the core shaft of the main shaft and the secondary shaft in the engine. When the main shaft and the secondary shaft rotate, the signal disk outputs a speed signal to the speed sensor and uploads it to the transmission control unit and the engine control unit. In this solution, the signal disk and the speed sensor are arranged on the engine to realize the acquisition of the engine speed, and the structure is simple.

[0009] Preferably, the clutch actuator and the shift actuator adopt an external structure mounted on the outside of the engine. In this solution, the external structure can be separately mounted on the outside of the engine, and the shift force or clutch driving torque is transmitted to the engine through the connecting sleeve, and is fixed to the engine by bolts, which has a simple structure and is easy to load and unload.

[0010] Preferably, the clutch actuator and the shift actuator adopt an integrated structure, and the housings of the clutch actuator and the shift actuator are integrally formed with the housing of the engine. In this solution, an integrated structure design is adopted, and the housing of the integrated structure is integrated with the housing of the engine, and no bolts are required for separate fixing, and the assembly process is simple.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing an automatic shift up / down gear system for a motorcycle engine of the present invention, wherein the automatic shift up / down gear system for a motorcycle engine using any of the above schemes comprises the following steps: ignition: receiving an ignition signal, an engine control unit controls the engine to ignite and start; Starting: receiving the starting signal, monitoring the vehicle signal and generating the starting control command according to the vehicle signal, the clutch actuator releases the clutch and moves in the clutch engagement direction at a certain speed until the clutch transmission torque can drive the vehicle to start; Automatic up / down gear: receiving the speed signal, the transmission control unit generates the corresponding gear shift control command according to the speed signal, and the gear shift actuator shifts into the corresponding gear according to the gear shift control command; Parking: After receiving the parking signal, the engine control unit controls the engine to shut down, and the clutch actuator controls the clutch to be in the disengaged state. After the power is automatically cut off, the clutch returns to the engaged state. Safety control: The vehicle speed and throttle opening are collected, and the transmission control unit automatically identifies the road condition according to the changes in the vehicle speed and throttle opening. When it is identified as a downhill state, the clutch is controlled to engage according to the current gear position. When it is identified as an uphill state, the frequency of gear upshifting is controlled to be reduced.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, this solution adds a safety control step, which realizes automatic identification of road conditions by collecting vehicle speed and throttle opening, and performs different gear controls according to the identified different road conditions to ensure sufficient vehicle driving force, improve the overall power, and ensure the normal driving of the motorcycle.

[0013] Preferably, in the safety control, whether the engine is abnormally turned off is also identified based on the vehicle signal. When abnormal engine turning off is identified, the engine control unit controls the engine ignition and confirms whether the engine is abnormal only when the vehicle is completely stopped. This solution can improve the accuracy of engine abnormality determination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 The present invention discloses a module frame of an automatic gear shifting system in an embodiment of an automatic gear shifting system and method for a motorcycle engine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The following is further described in detail through specific implementation methods: 1. Definition: Road condition: The road condition in the present invention includes an uphill state, a downhill state and a flat road state.

[0016] TCU: refers to the transmission control unit.

[0017] ECU: refers to the engine control unit.

[0018] Figure 1 The arrows in the figure represent mechanical actions, and the dotted arrows represent electrical signals.

[0019] 2. The embodiment is basically as shown in the attached Figure 1 Shown is a motorcycle engine automatic shifting system, including a clutch actuator, a shifting actuator, a transmission control unit and an engine control unit connected to the engine. The engine is provided with a clutch arm interface, a shifting arm interface and an engine control unit interface. The clutch actuator and the shifting actuator are assembled to the engine. The clutch actuator controls the clutch on and off, and the shifting actuator controls the shifting. The engine control unit can receive signals from the engine and control the engine's fuel injection, ignition, throttle opening and other operations. The clutch actuator and the shifting actuator are both provided with motors, position sensors, actuators and other components. Among them, the clutch actuator and the shift actuator adopt an external structure installed on the outside of the engine. The external structure can be installed separately on the outside of the engine, and the shift force or clutch driving torque is transmitted to the engine through the connecting sleeve, and is fixed to the engine by bolts; the clutch actuator and the shift actuator can also adopt an integrated structure. The outer casing of the clutch actuator and the shift actuator is integrally formed with the outer casing of the engine, and the outer casing of the integrated structure is integrated with the engine outer casing, and no bolts are required to fix it separately.

[0020] The clutch actuator is installed on the engine's clutch to control the rotation of the clutch and manipulate the separation and engagement of the clutch; The shift actuator is mounted on the shift arm of the engine and is used to control the rotation of the shift arm and manipulate the gear switching; Engine control unit, used to control the engine ignition angle and throttle opening; The transmission control unit is used to monitor the motorcycle vehicle signals and generate and output control instructions according to the vehicle signals. The clutch actuator, shift actuator and engine control unit receive and execute corresponding control instructions. The vehicle signals include throttle opening, crankshaft speed / torque; The transmission control unit also automatically identifies the road condition based on the vehicle signal. When it is identified as a downhill state, it controls the clutch to engage according to the current gear position. When it is identified as an uphill state, it controls the gear upshift frequency to be reduced. A speed signal acquisition device is provided in the engine, which is used to collect the speed signal and upload it to the transmission control unit and the engine control unit. The transmission control unit outputs a control instruction according to the speed signal. Specifically, there are a main shaft and a secondary shaft inside the engine. The speed signal acquisition device includes a signal disk and a speed sensor. The signal disk is arranged on the core shaft of the main shaft and the secondary shaft. When the main shaft and the secondary shaft rotate, the signal disk outputs the speed signal to the speed sensor and uploads it to the transmission control unit and the engine control unit; the signal disk can adopt fixed teeth or a new special signal disk, and the signal disk is fixedly connected to the core shaft of the main shaft and the secondary shaft by pressing or the like. In this embodiment, a method for automatically shifting up and down a motorcycle engine using the automatic shifting up and down gear system is also disclosed, comprising the following steps: ignition: receiving an ignition signal, the engine control unit controls the engine to ignite and start; Starting: receiving the starting signal, monitoring the vehicle signal and generating the starting control command according to the vehicle signal, the clutch actuator releases the clutch and moves in the clutch engagement direction at a certain speed until the clutch transmission torque can drive the vehicle to start; Automatic up / down gear: receiving the speed signal, the transmission control unit generates the corresponding gear shift control command according to the speed signal, and the gear shift actuator shifts into the corresponding gear according to the gear shift control command; Parking: After receiving the parking signal, the engine control unit controls the engine to shut down, and the clutch actuator controls the clutch to be in the disengaged state. After the power is automatically cut off, the clutch returns to the engaged state. Safety control: The vehicle speed and throttle opening are collected, and the transmission control unit automatically identifies the road condition according to the changes in the vehicle speed and throttle opening. When it is identified as a downhill state, the clutch is controlled to engage according to the current gear position. When it is identified as an uphill state, the frequency of gear upshifting is controlled to be reduced. It also identifies whether there is an abnormal flameout based on the vehicle signal. When an abnormal flameout is identified, the engine control unit controls the engine ignition and confirms whether the engine is abnormal only when the vehicle is completely stopped. This solution can improve the accuracy of engine abnormality judgment.

[0021] Specific implementation method: Vehicle starting: The key is turned to the ignition position, at which time the vehicle is in N gear, and the engine control unit controls the clutch actuator to put the clutch in a disengaged state. After the engine is ignited and started, the handlebar button is pushed to the driving gear before starting, and the vehicle is in a gear state, but the clutch is still in a disengaged state; at this time, the throttle is gradually increased, and the engine control unit releases the clutch and moves it in the clutch engagement direction at a certain speed by judging the throttle opening, crankshaft speed / torque and other signals, until the clutch transmission torque can drive the vehicle to start; Automatic up and down gear: The gear position corresponds to the vehicle speed stage. When the vehicle speed continues to increase and reaches the corresponding gear position, the engine control unit controls the clutch to be temporarily separated and controls the shift actuator to shift into the corresponding gear position. Similarly, when the vehicle speed drops to the corresponding gear position, the engine control unit controls the clutch to be temporarily separated and controls the shift actuator to shift into the corresponding gear position. In order to avoid repeated up and down gears at a certain speed point, the downshift speed and upshift speed are staggered, and the downshift speed point of the same gear is lower than the upshift speed point; in uphill conditions, in order to make the vehicle have sufficient backup driving force, the upshift frequency is reduced compared with flat roads; Parking: When the vehicle speed is gradually reduced (by sudden braking or returning the accelerator, etc.) until the vehicle stops, the engine stops in 1st gear and the clutch is in a disengaged state. If the key switch is turned off, the engine will shut down, and the system will automatically power off within 10 seconds, and the clutch will return to the engaged state. Since the engine is in gear at this time, it can prevent dangerous situations such as rolling down the slope in the event of poor braking; Vehicle movement: There is a manual shift interface on the engine side. When the vehicle is in gear and cannot be moved, you can manually shift to neutral and move the vehicle; Safety control: The engine control unit automatically identifies the uphill, downhill or flat road status according to the vehicle speed and throttle opening changes. After entering the downhill, the clutch is controlled to engage according to the gear position, prompting the engine to reversely drag and brake the vehicle; when entering the uphill, the gear upshift frequency is controlled to reduce gear shifting; if the vehicle stalls abnormally during driving, the engine is not allowed to ignite at this time, and the vehicle must be completely stopped (the secondary shaft speed signal output is 0 before ignition can be used to confirm whether the engine is abnormal.

[0022] During the above process, the automatic shifting system can control the clutch and gear shifting through the clutch and gear shifting actuators, without the need for the driver to manually operate the clutch and gear shifting; by calling the signals collected from the engine and the entire vehicle, the transmission control unit and the engine control unit communicate and control logic in real time, actively understand the driver's operating intentions, and automatically realize clutch disengagement and engagement and gear shifting, which greatly solves the problem of complex motorcycle operation and improves driving safety.

[0023] The above is only an embodiment of the present invention. The common sense such as the known specific structure and characteristics in the scheme is not described in detail here. The ordinary technicians in the relevant field know all the common technical knowledge in the technical field of the invention before the application date or priority date, can obtain all the existing technologies in the field, and have the ability to apply the conventional experimental means before that date. The ordinary technicians in the relevant field can improve and implement this scheme in combination with their own abilities under the enlightenment given by this application. Some typical known structures or known methods should not become obstacles for ordinary technicians in the relevant field to implement this application. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the structure of the present invention, several deformations and improvements can be made, which should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention, which will not affect the effect of the implementation of the present invention and the practicality of the patent. The protection scope required by this application shall be based on the content of its claims, and the specific implementation methods and other records in the specification can be used to interpret the content of the claims.

Claims

1. A motorcycle engine automatic shift up and down system, characterized by: It includes a clutch actuator, a shift actuator, a transmission control unit and an engine control unit connected to the engine; The clutch actuator is mounted on the clutch of the engine and is used to control the rotation of the clutch and manipulate the separation and engagement of the clutch; The shift actuator is mounted on the shift arm of the engine and is used to control the rotation of the shift arm and manipulate the gear switching; The engine control unit is used to control the engine ignition angle and throttle opening; The transmission control unit is used to monitor the motorcycle vehicle signal and generate and output a control instruction according to the vehicle signal, and the clutch actuator, the shift actuator and the engine control unit receive and execute the corresponding control instruction, and the vehicle signal includes throttle opening, crankshaft speed / torque; The transmission control unit also automatically identifies the road condition based on the vehicle signal. When it is identified as a downhill state, it controls the clutch to engage according to the current gear position. When it is identified as an uphill state, it controls the gear upshift frequency to be reduced.

2. The automatic shift up / down system for motorcycle engines according to claim 1, characterized in that: The engine is provided with a speed signal acquisition device for acquiring the speed signal and uploading the speed signal to the transmission control unit and the engine control unit. The transmission control unit outputs the control instruction according to the speed signal.

3. The automatic shift up / down system for motorcycle engines according to claim 2, characterized in that: The speed signal acquisition device includes a signal disk and a speed sensor. The signal disk is arranged on the core shaft of the main shaft and the secondary shaft in the engine. When the main shaft and the secondary shaft rotate, the signal disk outputs the speed signal to the speed sensor and uploads it to the transmission control unit and the engine control unit.

4. The automatic shift up / down system for a motorcycle engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The clutch actuator and the shift actuator are externally mounted on the outside of the engine.

5. The automatic shift up / down system for a motorcycle engine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The clutch actuator and the shift actuator adopt an integrated structure, and the housings of the clutch actuator and the shift actuator are integrally formed with the housing of the engine.

6. A method for automatically shifting up and down a motorcycle engine, characterized in that: The automatic shift up / down system for a motorcycle engine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 is adopted. The following steps are involved: Ignition: receiving an ignition signal, the engine control unit controls the engine ignition start; Starting: receiving a starting signal, monitoring the vehicle signal and generating a starting control command according to the vehicle signal, the clutch actuator releases the clutch and moves in the clutch engagement direction at a certain speed until the clutch transmission torque can drive the vehicle to start; Automatic up / down gear shifting: receiving a speed signal, the transmission control unit generates a shift control instruction for a corresponding gear according to the speed signal, and the shift actuator shifts into the corresponding gear according to the shift control instruction; Parking: receiving a parking signal, the engine control unit controls the engine to shut down, the clutch actuator controls the clutch to be in a disengaged state, and after automatic power failure, the clutch returns to a engaged state; Safety control: vehicle speed and throttle opening are collected, and the transmission control unit automatically identifies the road condition according to the changes in the vehicle speed and throttle opening. When it is identified as a downhill state, the clutch is controlled to engage according to the current gear position. When it is identified as an uphill state, the frequency of gear upshifting is controlled to be reduced.

7. The method for automatically shifting up and down a motorcycle engine according to claim 6, characterized in that: In the safety control, whether the engine is abnormally turned off is also identified based on the vehicle signal. When abnormal engine turning off is identified, the engine control unit controls the engine ignition and confirms whether the engine is abnormal only when the vehicle is completely stopped.

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