Predictive Drivetrain Control for Excavation Cycle Delays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power-shift transmissions in mobile construction machines, such as off-highway mining trucks, experience delays in clutch engagement and engine power buildup, leading to reduced productivity and efficiency, especially during excavation cycles.
Innovation Solution
A drivetrain system with a controller that anticipates the completion of a loading cycle and selectively engages clutches and adjusts engine speed to prepare for the next segment of the excavation cycle, reducing the time delay in starting movement and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional power-shift transmission with manual clutch engagement is used, then the machine can operate reliably with simple control, but the clutch engagement time and engine power buildup time accumulate and reduce productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The controller anticipates the completion of the loading cycle based on sensor signals and proactively engages the clutches and builds up engine power before the operator actually requests movement. This preliminary action eliminates the delay between the operator's input and the actual movement, as the transmission is already prepared in the desired gear setting when movement is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensor signals indicating loading conditions to provide feedback to the controller. The controller processes this feedback to determine when the loading cycle is complete and automatically initiates clutch engagement and engine power buildup, creating a closed-loop system that responds to actual machine conditions rather than relying solely on operator input.
2Productivity
If the operator manually selects gear settings, then the control system remains simple, but the accumulated waiting time during excavation cycles reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission system serves itself by automatically selecting and engaging the appropriate clutches based on sensor feedback about loading conditions. The controller monitors the work tool's loading status and autonomously prepares the transmission for the next excavation cycle segment without requiring manual operator intervention, making the system self-regulating and responsive to actual operational needs.
Data Source
AI summary
A drivetrain system is disclosed for use with a machine having a work tool. The drivetrain system may have a transmission with a plurality of clutches. The drivetrain system may also have an input device movable by an operator to generate a first signal indicative of a desired selection of a park setting or one of a plurality of travel settings, a sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of loading of the work tool, and a controller in communication with the input device, the sensor, and the transmission. The controller may be configured to anticipate completion of a loading cycle based the second signal, and to selectively cause at least a first of the plurality of clutches to engage in a combination that produces one of the plurality of travel settings based on the anticipated completion of the loading cycle, notwithstanding the desired selection from the input device being the park setting.