Vehicle Gear Shifting Control Device Speed-Based Restriction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing manual gearbox safety devices fail to prevent drivers from selecting lower gears or reverse gear at high speeds, leading to premature wear or damage of gearbox components, especially in hybrid vehicles with both thermal and electric drive modes.

Innovation Solution

A control device with movable parts and positioning means that adjust according to vehicle speed, using protrusions to restrict gear lever movements, preventing access to lower gears or reverse gear based on predefined speed thresholds, integrated with an electric motor and connecting rod mechanism.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a traditional safety device is used to prevent reverse gear selection, then reverse gear safety is improved, but it cannot prevent selection of lower gears at high speeds, leading to gearbox damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegearbox protectionVSAvoidgear selection control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The blocking device is made dynamic by positioning it according to vehicle speed. At low speeds, the blocking device allows access to all gears including reverse and lower gears. At high speeds, the blocking device automatically restricts access to lower gears and reverse gear, preventing gearbox damage while maintaining operational flexibility at safe speeds.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses vehicle speed as feedback to automatically adjust gear selection restrictions. The control device receives speed information and dynamically configures the blocking device's position to match current operating conditions, ensuring appropriate gear availability based on real-time vehicle state.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If gear selection is completely unrestricted, then ease of operation is improved, but gearbox components suffer premature wear or damage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegear selection freedomVSAvoidgearbox durability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The blocking device transitions from a static restriction to a dynamic control mechanism that adapts to vehicle speed. This allows unrestricted gear selection when the vehicle is stationary or moving slowly, providing ease of operation, while automatically imposing restrictions at high speeds to protect gearbox durability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the operational parameters of gear selection based on vehicle speed. The blocking device's position parameter is adjusted according to speed thresholds, transforming the gear selection system from a fixed-access design to an adaptive access control system that balances operational ease with mechanical protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Intelligently controls access to gears based on vehicle speed, preventing premature wear or damage by restricting gear changes that could stress the gearbox, particularly at high speeds, and can be easily integrated into existing gear change mechanisms without modifying the manual gearbox.

Implementation Method 1

positioning means suitable for positioning the movable part in a position which is chosen, depending on a current speed of the vehicle

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic conversion: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP3333461B1Device for controlling the gear shifting of a manual gearbox of a vehicle according to the speed
Publication Date: 2019.09.11 PSA AUTOMOBILES SA
  • EP3333461B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3333461B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3333461B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A control device (CD) is fitted to a gear-shifting mechanism (GSM) of a vehicle's manual transmission. This mechanism (GSM) includes a gear lever (GL) that allows a driver to select gears. This device (CD) comprises, on the one hand, a movable part (MP) having at least two protrusions (PR1) adapted to be positioned near a hidden part (HP) of the gear lever (GL), and, on the other hand, positioning means (PM) adapted to position this movable part (MP) in a position that is chosen, depending on the vehicle's current speed, from among at least two different positions in which at least one of the protrusions (PR1) prevents at least one movement of the hidden part (HP) intended to select one of the gears.