Vehicle Transmission Gear Control Using Predictive Shift Simulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gear selection strategies for vehicles, particularly heavy-duty vehicles, do not adequately optimize fuel efficiency, reduce component wear, and ensure operator comfort, especially in varying road topography.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves onboard simulation and cost analysis to select the most efficient gear control actions based on a speed profile and operational conditions, using a control unit to determine the best gear shifts to maintain speed within established limits, thereby optimizing gear selection and reducing computational requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional gear selection strategies are used, then the transmission control is simple, but fuel efficiency is not optimized and component wear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary simulations of multiple gear control actions before actual execution. By predicting vehicle responses to different gear selections in advance and evaluating them against cost functions, the system optimizes fuel consumption without requiring complex real-time control adjustments during vehicle operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual copies of vehicle responses through simulations. Instead of directly controlling the transmission based on simple rules, the control unit simulates multiple potential gear control actions and their outcomes, selecting the optimal action based on simulated cost evaluations, thereby improving fuel efficiency while maintaining manageable control complexity.
2Use of energy by moving object
If multiple simulations are performed to optimize gear selection, then fuel efficiency improves, but computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the road portion into multiple road segments and performs simulations sequentially for each segment. This division allows the control unit to evaluate gear control actions in manageable portions rather than computing all possible scenarios for the entire route simultaneously, reducing peak computational requirements while still achieving fuel optimization through multiple simulated evaluations.
3Productivity
If gear control actions are selected based on comprehensive simulations, then vehicle operation efficiency improves, but the risk of delays and errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from simulated vehicle responses to evaluate and select optimal gear control actions. By comparing predicted outcomes against cost functions that account for fuel consumption, time, and operational constraints, the system makes informed decisions that improve overall vehicle operation efficiency while maintaining reliability through systematic evaluation rather than arbitrary selections.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention provides a method for controlling a transmission (103) of a vehicle (1), the method comprising: - establishing a desired speed profile (SP) for the vehicle when travelling along a road segment (RS), - performing a plurality of simulations, each of a vehicle response (VR1, VR2), in the road segment, to a respective gear control action, wherein the gear control action differs from one simulation to another, wherein the simulations include an aim to keep the speed (V) on the speed profile (SP), or within one or more established limits (DLU1, DLU2, DLL1, DLL2) of deviations from the speed profile, - determining costs for the simulated vehicle responses (VR1, VR2), - selecting, in dependence on the determined costs, one of the gear control actions, - controlling the transmission (103) with the selected gear control action.