Gear Select Module Intention Detection for Real-Time Haptic Shifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Automatic Powertrain Command Systems (APCS) face delays in gear shift responses due to the Gear Select Module (GSM) acting as a slave node, which cannot react in real time (less than 30ms) as it waits for commands from the Transmission Control Module (TCM), leading to potential damage from accidental invalid gear shifts.
Innovation Solution
The proposed powertrain architecture empowers the GSM with autonomous control capabilities, including a GSM controller, an intention detector, and a haptic human machine interface (HMI) to detect driver intentions and provide real-time haptic feedback, allowing the GSM to actuate independently until receiving a signal from the TCM, thereby preventing invalid gear shifts and enabling safer, quicker responses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the GSM acts as a slave node waiting for TCM commands, then the system maintains centralized control architecture, but the gear shift response time exceeds 100ms and cannot achieve real-time reaction
Solution Approach 1:
The GSM controller detects driver intention to change gear shift position and autonomously executes the gear shift before receiving confirmation from the TCM. This preliminary action eliminates the 100ms+ delay inherent in slave-node architectures, achieving real-time response (less than 30ms) while maintaining centralized control validation through subsequent TCM confirmation.
2Loss of time
If the GSM autonomously controls gear shifting in real-time, then the response time is reduced to less than 30ms, but the risk of accidental invalid gear shifts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The GSM controller provides haptic feedback to the driver in real-time (less than 30ms) during autonomous gear shift control, and simultaneously transmits the detected gear shift intention to the TCM for validation. The TCM's confirmation signal serves as a safety check to prevent accidental invalid gear shifts, combining fast response with reliability assurance.
3Reliability
If the GSM waits for TCM confirmation before actuating, then invalid gear shifts are prevented, but haptic feedback to the driver is delayed by more than 100ms
Solution Approach 1:
The GSM controller autonomously actuates the gear shifting mechanism and provides haptic feedback to the driver before receiving confirmation from the TCM. This preliminary execution ensures responsive haptic feedback (less than 30ms), while the subsequent TCM confirmation maintains gear shift validation and prevents invalid shifts.
4Device complexity
If the GSM operates as a slave node with centralized TCM control, then system architecture remains simple, but the GSM cannot provide real-time haptic feedback or autonomous response
Solution Approach 1:
The GSM controller detects gear shift intention and autonomously executes the gear shift operation before receiving TCM confirmation, achieving real-time response (less than 30ms). The TCM subsequently validates the operation to maintain centralized control architecture, thus improving productivity without significantly increasing system complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Gear Select Modules (GSMs) are proposed. The GSMs comprise a GSM controller, an intention detector to detect a gear shift movement intention of a driver, a haptic human machine interface (HMI), in communication with the GSM controller and a gear shifting mechanism. The GSM controller is configured to autonomously instruct the haptic HMI to control the gear shifting mechanism between detection of the gear shift change intention and until the GSM controller receives an actuation signal from a transmission control module (TCM). Automatic powertrain command systems with the proposed GSMs are also proposed and also vehicles with the proposed automatic powertrain command systems.