Gearbox Calibration via Pulsed Actuator Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gearbox calibration systems for rotary mixers and similar machines often fail to achieve full gear shifts, leading to improper gear seating and potential damage due to incomplete calibration, especially when using contactless sensors are not addressed in existing solutions.
Innovation Solution
A gearbox calibration system that includes a controller, sensors, and an actuator to repeatedly shift between gear ratios, obtaining position data to determine calibrated positions of the gear selector, ensuring full engagement and preventing damage by pulsing the actuator to align components during shifts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automated gear shifting is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to incomplete shifts and improper gear seating
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a sensor to detect the actual position of the gear selector and provides feedback to the controller. The controller compares the detected position with the target position and makes adjustments to ensure complete gear shifts, thereby maintaining both automated operation and reliable gear seating.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calibration shifts to establish reference positions for the gear selector before normal operation. This preliminary action ensures that the automated shifting system has accurate baseline data to achieve complete and proper gear engagement during subsequent shifts.
2Manufacturing precision
If gear shift calibration is performed, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to calibration procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration automatically using its own sensor and controller components. The calibration process is executed by the system itself without requiring external equipment or manual intervention, thereby achieving precise gear selector positioning while minimizing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration is performed as a preliminary setup procedure that establishes reference positions for the gear selector. Once calibrated, the system can operate automatically without requiring repeated calibration, thus achieving precision while limiting time loss to the initial calibration phase.
3Measurement precision
If multiple position measurements are taken during calibration, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to repeated shifts
Solution Approach 1:
The system takes multiple position measurements during calibration to ensure accuracy, but uses a predetermined limited number of shifts rather than exhaustive measurement. This partial action approach achieves sufficient measurement precision while constraining the time required for calibration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system efficiently collects position data during self-calibration by using its own sensor and controller to rapidly perform the necessary measurements and calculations, minimizing the time penalty associated with multiple measurements.
Data Source
AI summary
In some implementations, a controller may cause a gearbox coupled to a rotor to shift between a first gear ratio and a second gear ratio one or more times. The controller may obtain a first set of position data that identifies respective first positions of a gear selector of the gearbox for each shift to the first gear ratio, and a second set of position data that identifies respective second positions of the gear selector of the gearbox for each shift to the second gear ratio. The controller may determine a first calibrated position of the gear selector for a shift to the first gear ratio based on the first set of position data and a second calibrated position of the gear selector for a shift to the second gear ratio based on the second set of position data.