, Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to a method performed by an automated gear based transmission system provided in a vehicle, an automated gear based transmission system and a vehicle incorporating the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Continuous variable transmissions (CVTs) are advantageous over manual transmissions as the driver is saved from the nuances of manually shifting gear ratios whenever frequent acceleration or deceleration is needed, especially in heavy traffic conditions. However, the vehicles adopting CVTs suffer from low mileage and are exorbitantly priced, thereby being away from the reach of common man.

In the recent years, semi-automated gear based transmission systems are available wherein the user performs a gear shift action and the system performs an automatic clutch disengagement and engagement action. Indian Patent No. 273351 describes a semi-automated gear based transmission system wherein the user performs a gear shift action by pressing of a gear shift lever and the system performs an automatic clutch disengagement and engagement action. Also, Indian Patent No. 273351 describes a semi-automated gear based transmission system wherein in response to the user pressing of a bi-directional (up/down) switch, an electromechanical actuator actuates a gear shift shaft which is coupled to a gearshift unit and a clutch assembly for actuating the gear shift unit and the clutch assembly. While, the semi-automated gear based transmission systems are cheaper compared to CVT, they are not the ideal replacement solutions, as thesemi-automated gear based transmission system is still dependent upon user for many aspects.

Thus, as a more advanced, yet cheaper alternative, a fully automated gear based transmission system is described in many documents. In this regard, Indian Patent Application No. 754/CHE/2010 describes a fully automated gear based transmission system which comprises an electric motor having a helical screw arrangement which mesheswith a worm wheel, wherein said worm wheel is integral to a gearshift cam drum. The electricmotor rotates causing the helical screw arrangement and the worm wheel arrangement to rotate,thereby causing the gearshift cam drum to rotate.

Indian Patent Application No. 1208/CHE/2007 describes an fully automated gear based transmission system formotor vehicle comprising a gear slidably mounted on a motor shaft; a solenoid for engaging thegear with a clutch actuation gear box to transfer the motor torque to a master cylinder todispense fluid to a slave cylinder, whereby the amplified force in the slave cylinder actuates aclutch release bearing to disengage the clutch; a first sensor for sensing the disengagement of theclutch and actuating the solenoid, through the controller, to engage the gear with gear shiftactuation gear box, the sensor, on sensing such engagement, causing the controller to actuate themotor to rotate in a predetermined direction and transfer the torque to an internal gear shiftmechanism to carry out up or down gear shift as determined by the user; a second sensor forsensing the completion of the gear shifting and actuating the solenoid, through the controller, toengage the gear with the clutch actuation gear box, and the said controller thereafter actuatingthe motor to rotate in a predetermined direction, to cause the piston of the master cylinder to beretracted, thereby releasing the force on the slave cylinder piston, and causing the clutch springsto revert to normal position, thus re-engaging the clutch.

Indian Patent Application No. 4591/CHE/2011 discloses a four-stroke internal combustion engine having a fully automated gear based transmission system for both clutch and gear shift actuation, the said single actuation system comprises a multi-step gear shift mechanism wherein a gear shift actuator system is mounted on the crankcase as viewed from the side.

Indian Patent Application No. 4588/CHE/2011 discloses a system for continuous position sensing of gear shift lever and clutch shift lever comprising: an automatic manual transmission equipped engine having a clutch actuator configured to actuate clutch and shift actuator configured to shift the change gears; a controller for activating the shift actuator and clutch actuator; and atleast one motor input current sensing means for shift actuator and clutch actuator;wherein said controller based on motor input current for shift actuator and clutch actuator provides input power to shift actuator and clutch actuator respectively.

Indian Patent Application No. 4047/CHE/2011 discloses a torque damping system for a carburetor automatic manual transmission vehicle comprising an automatic manual transmission equipped engine having a clutch actuator configured to actuate clutch and shift actuator configured to shift gears; a controller for activating the shift actuator and clutch actuator; a carburetor having a first air path; a secondary air path with a flow control valve placed parallel to the first air path; and wherein the controller regulates the flow control valve and ignition timing during gear shifting.

Indian Patent Application No. 28/MUM/2013 discloses an automatic control device of manual transmission for automatic speed change, which includes a clutch operated by a clutch lever and a manual gear-shifting part shifting a gear by a control shaft, the automatic speed control system comprising: a clutch operating means operating the clutch lever so as to selectively separate the manual gear-shifting part from a rotary power of an engine; a control shaft operating means operating the control shaft to shift a manual gear of the manual gear-shifting part when the manual gear-shifting part is separated from the rotary power of the engine by the clutch operating means; and a control part automatically shifting a gear of the manual transmission through the steps of checking a driving state of a vehicle in real time, controlling the clutch operating means if gear-shifting is needed, and controlling the control shaft operating means. The clutch operating means comprises a worm rotatably disposed on a frame and rotated by a driving motor; a worm gear geared with the worm to transfer a rotary power in a perpendicular direction; a pinion gear located on the same axis in such a way as to be rotated in the same way as the worm gear; and a rack gear geared to the pinion gear and moved in a straight line so as to operate the clutch lever. The control shaft operating means comprises a selector operating means rotating an operation gear fixed at an end portion of the control shaft at a predetermined angle to, thereby rotate the control shaft relative to a central axis thereof; and shift operating means moving the operation gear in a central axis direction to thereby move the control shaft in a longitudinal direction.

Also, Applicant’s co-pending Indian Patent Application No. 2202/DEL/2014, 1462/DEL/2015, 1540/DEL/2015, all of which are incorporated herein may be referred to for understanding the construction of the fully automated gear based transmission system.

One of the aspects which require special attention while operating a fully automated gear based manual transmission system is detection of a condition under which the vehicle is to be brought into a first gear from a neutral gear. This aspect is peculiar to fully automated gear based manual transmission system for the reason that in a semi-automated gear based manual transmission system, the user performs a gear shift action and hence, the system does not have to take a decision on its own.

In the most common solution, the fully automated gear based manual transmission system senses a level of throttle and if it is determined to be in excess of a present value, a condition pertaining to shifting of gear from a neutral gear to a first gear is sensed and an appropriate action is performed.

In yet another solution, the fully automated gear based manual transmission system senses a level of throttle and if it is determined to be in excess of a present value for a predetermined amount of time period, a condition pertaining to shifting of gear from a neutral gear to a first gear is sensed and an appropriate action is performed.

However, the aforesaid solutions are not ideal for the reason that they can lead to shifting of gear from a neutral gear to a first gear when the level of throttle is in excess of the present value but the gear shifting is not intended by the user (driver).

Thus, there is a need to provide to provide an improved method for detecting a condition pertaining to shifting of gear from a neutral gear to a first gear by a fully automated gear based manual transmission system and performing an appropriate action.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method performed by an automated gear-based transmission system provided in a vehicle, comprising:
• detecting a brake applied condition, a current gear state and a current throttle level; and
• generating an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear in response to:
• detecting a brake applied condition;
• detecting the current gear state as neutral state; and
• detecting the current throttle level as less than a predetermined level.

The present invention also provides an automated gear-based transmission system for use in a vehicle, comprising:
a first means for detecting a brake applied condition;
a second means for detecting a current gear state;
a third means for detecting a current throttle level; and
a fourth means operably for generating an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear in response to:
• detecting a brake applied condition;
• detecting a current gear state as a neutral state; and
• detecting a current throttle level as less than a predetermined level.

The present invention further provides a vehicle comprising:
an engine;
a transmission mechanism; and
an automated gear based transmission system for selectively coupling the transmission mechanism to the engine, the automated gear based transmission system comprising:
a first means for detecting a brake applied condition;
a second means for detecting a current gear state;
a third means for detecting a current throttle level; and
a fourth means for generating an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear in response to:
• detecting a brake applied condition;
• detecting a current gear state as a neutral state; and
• detecting a current throttle level as less than a predetermined level.

To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings.It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of Figures:
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a vehicle including an automated gear based transmission system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows flow chart of a method corresponding to an embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 3 shows a detailed internal construction of the automated gear based transmission system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

Detailed Description:
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

Reference throughout this specification to “an aspect”, “another aspect” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components proceeded by "comprises.a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or other components or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures or additional components.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1(a) and 1(b) illustrate left side view and top view of a motorcycle 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1(a), the motorcycle 100 comprises an engine 102 and a fuel tank 104 supported on a body frame 106.The motorcycle 100 further comprises an intake system 108 and an exhaust system 110.The intake system 108 includes a carburetor 112 for supplying fuel between the fuel tank 104 and the engine 102.The motorcycle 100 further comprisesa transmission system 114 that couples rotation power generated by the engine 102 to a rear wheel 116 of the vehicle 100.The transmission system 114 includes a gear mechanism and a clutch assembly(not shown in the figure).Also, the vehicle 100 comprises a handle bar 118.

As shown in the Figure 1(b), a throttle grip 120 is turnably mounted on a right end portion of the handle bar 118 such that a driver of the vehicle 100 can rotate the throttle grip 120 using right hand.A mechanical link 122 connects the throttle grip 120 witha valve (not shown in the figure) located within the carburetor 112 such that rotational operation of the throttle grip 120 is transmitted through the mechanical link 122 to the valve in the carburetor 112. This enables the driver to manually vary a valve position to change the amount of fuel intake into the engine 102 and thereby controlling output power of the engine 102.The throttle grip 120 and the mechanical link 122 are referred to as mechanical throttle mechanism. Further, abrake lever 124 is mounted on both ends of the handle bar 118.Furthermore, pedal brake 126 is mounted on the body frame 106.

In an alternative option, the throttle grip can incorporate an electrical / electronic sensing means for detecting a level of turning and generating an electrical signal corresponding to the level of tuning of the throttle grip. The electrical signal is received by a controller that controls a combustible material, such as mixture of air and fuel, being supplied to the engine. The control can be exercised in terms of an amount of the combustible material being supplied to the engine or in terms of a ratio of air and fuel in the combustible material. This therefore allows the user to control an amount of output power of the engine. In this case, the throttle grip comprising the sensing means and the controller are referred to as electronic throttle mechanism.

In accordance with the present invention, the transmission system 114 is an automated gear based transmission system that implements a method to automatically bring the vehicle 100 to a first gear from a neutral gear upon detecting certain conditions. Accordingly, the method comprises the step of detecting a brake applied condition, a current gear state and a current throttle level. These three parameters can be detected in any sequence. If the current gear state is neutral, the brake is in an applied condition and the current throttle level is in excess of a predetermined level, the method proceeds to the next step of generating an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear.

In addition to the three parameters i.e. brake applied condition, current gear state and the current throttle level, the method can take into consideration additional parameters.

By way of a non-limiting example, a state of the engine i.e. whether the engine is in a running condition can be considered as an additional parameter prior to generating the output signal.

By way of yet another non-limiting example, an ignition state of the vehicle i.e. whether the ignition is in ON state can be considered as an additional parameter prior to generating the output signal.

By way still another non-limiting example, a time period in relation to any of brake applied condition and/or current throttle level can be considered as an additional parameter prior to generating the output signal.

For example, if the current gear state is neutral, the brake has been applied for a time period in excess of a predefined threshold limit and the current throttle level is less than the predetermined level, the method proceeds to the next step of generating an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear.

By way of another example, if the current gear state is neutral, the brake is in applied state and the current throttle level is less than the predetermined levelfor a time period in excess of a predefined threshold limit, the method proceeds to the next step of generating an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear.

By way of still another example, if the current gear state is neutral, the brake has been applied for a time period in excess of a predefined threshold limit and the current throttle level is less than the predetermined levelfor a time period in excess of a predefined threshold limit, the method proceeds to the next step of generating an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear.

Figure 2 illustrates a flow diagram 200 of the method as implemented by the gear based transmission system 114, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment, the abovementioned parameters are checked sequentially.

At step 201, an ignition state of the vehicle 100 is detected. If the ignition is in ON state, the automated gear based transmission system (AMT) 114 is switched to ON state at step 202 and the process flows to step 204 to detect further parameters. On the contrary, if the ignition is in OFF state, the automated gear based transmission system 114 is either maintained at orswitched to OFF state at step 203.

Upon switching the AMT 114 to ON state, acurrent gear state is detected at step 204.If the current gear state is neutral, the process flows to step 205 to detect further parameters. On the contrary, if the current gear state is non-neutral such as first, second, third, fourth, etc., the detection of further parameters is prevented. It is also feasible that a separate sequence of operations are followed for bringing the bike to neutral state before cranking the engine or providing indication to the user that the current gear state is not a neutral state.

At step 205, running condition of engine is detected.If the engine RPM is more than the predetermined limit, the process will go to step 206 to detect the further parameter.However, if the engine RPM is less than the predetermined limit, the process flows to step 201.

At step 206, brake applied condition, i.e., whether the brake is in applied state or not is detected. If the brake is in applied state, then the process flows to the step 207 to detect further parameters.On the contrary, if the brake is not in applied state, the process flows to step 201.

At step 207, the current throttle level is detected. If the current throttle level (either of the mechanical throttle mechanism or of an electronic throttle mechanism) is above than a predetermined limit,the process flows to step 201. On the contrary, if the current throttle level is less than the predetermined limit the process flows to step 208.

At step 208, an output signal is generated for changing the current gear state from neutral to first.Thus, when the conditions, i.e., the ignition is in ON state, current gear state is neutral, the engine is in running condition, the brake is in applied state, and the current throttle level is less than the predetermined level, are detected; the output signal is generated to change the current gear state from neutral to first.

Referring to Figure 3, an automated gear based transmission system 300 in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention is illustrated in form of a schematic block diagram. Theautomated gear based transmission system 300comprises a first means 301 adapted to detect a brake applied condition, a second means 302 adapted to detect a current gear state, and a third means 303 adapted to detect a current throttle level. By way of non-limiting example, the first means can be implemented as brake detecting unit 302. By way of non-limiting example, the second means can be implemented as gear detecting unit 303. By way of non-limiting example, the third means can be implemented as throttle level detecting unit 304.

Theautomated gear based transmission system 300further comprises a fourth means 304 operably connected with the first means, the second means, and the third means. The fourth means is adapted to receive corresponding inputs therefrom and generate an output signal for bringing the vehicle 100 to a first gear.By way of non-limiting example, the fourth means 304 can be implemented as output unit. The output unit 304 generates the output signal in response to detecting a brake applied condition; detecting the current gear state as neutral state; and detecting the current throttle level as less than a predetermined level. In one implementation, one or more of the first means, the second means, the third means and the fourth means is a discrete electronic circuit or a discrete electronic component.

Theautomated gear based transmission system 300further comprises a fifth means 305 adapted to receive further parameters as explained above including, but not limited to, ignition state, RPM level, etc. The fifth means may be further operably coupled to the fourth means 304, such that the output signal for bringing the vehicle 100 to a first gear as generated by the fourth means 304 is also dependent there-upon.

The first, second, third and the fifth means may be configured to receive detection signals from corresponding sensors, which are generally provided in the vehicle. By way of a non-limiting example, the first means 301 receives input from a brake sensor 306provided in the vehicle. By way of another non-limiting example, the second means 302 receives input from a gear position sensor 307 provided in the vehicle. By way of another non-limiting example, the third means 303 receives input from a throttle position sensor 308 provided in the vehicle. By way of still another non-limiting example, the fifth means 305 receives input from sensors such as ignition sensor 309 and/or engine RPM sensor 310 as provided in the vehicle. In one implementation, the fifth means 305 can be implemented as two or more components. In another implementation, the fifth means 305 can be implemented as a single component as shown in the figure 3.

The fourth means 304 i.e. the output unit may be connected at an output end thereof to one or more actuators 311 which perform the mechanical action of bringing the vehicle from the neutral state to a first gear. The mechanical operations can include actions such as dis-engaging the clutch, shifting the gear and re-engaging the clutch.

In a further aspect of the invention, the fifth means 305 can be in the form of a timer. The timer that checks whether any of the parameters has been received for more than a corresponding predefined threshold limit.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first to fifth means can all be implemented within a micro-processor. Alternatively, some, but NOT all of the first to fifth means can beimplemented within a micro-processor and the remaining means can be implemented as discrete components that are operably connected to the micro-processor. In yet another alternative, all of the first to fifth means can be implemented as discrete components, which are appropriately interconnected.

The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. In addition, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples. Numerous variations, whether explicitly given in the specification or not, such as differences in structure, dimension, and use of material, are possible. The scope of embodiments is at least as broad as given by the following claims.

While certain present preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Clearly, the invention may be otherwise variously embodied, and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

Claims:We Claim:
1.A method performed by an automated gear based transmission system provided in a vehicle, comprising:
detecting a brake applied condition, a current gear state and a current throttle level; and
generating an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear in response to:
• detecting a brake applied condition;
• detecting the current gear state as neutral state; and
• detecting the current throttle level as less than a predetermined level.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising detecting an engine running condition and wherein generating the output signal for bringing the vehicle to the first gear is further based on detecting the engine to be in a running condition.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising detecting an ignition ON state and wherein generating the output signal for bringing the vehicle to the first gear is further based on detecting an ignition ON state.

4. An automated gear based transmission system for use in a vehicle, comprising:
a first means adapted to detect a brake applied condition;
a second means adapted to detect a current gear state;
a third means adapted to detect a current throttle level; and
a fourth means adapted to generate an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear in response to:
• detecting a brake applied condition;
• detecting a current gear state as a neutral state; and
• detecting a current throttle level as less than a predetermined level.

5. The automated gear based transmission system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first means, the second means, the third means and the fourth means form part of a micro-processor.

6. The automated gear based transmission system as claimed in claim 4, wherein one or more of the first means, the second means, the third means and the fourth means is a discrete electronic circuit or a discrete electronic component.

7. The automated gear based transmission system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fourth means is operably connected to the first, the second and the third means for receiving inputs therefrom.

8. A vehicle system comprising,
an engine;
a transmission mechanism; and
an automated gear based transmission system for selectively coupling the transmission mechanism to the engine, the automated manual transmission system comprising:
a first means adapted to detect a brake applied condition;
a second means adapted to detect a current gear state;
a third means adapted to detect a current throttle level; and
a fourth means adapted to generate an output signal for bringing the vehicle to a first gear in response to:
• detecting a brake applied condition;
• detecting a current gear state as a neutral state; and
• detecting a current throttle level as less than a predetermined level.