Semi-automatic Transmission in a Car

Abstract

Automatic clutch may be seen as the latest achievement of the modern times, however this is not always the case. The history of automatic and semi-automatic transmission is as extensive as the history of the car itself. Nowadays there are many different solutions for clutch control in cars with manual transmission. The clutch control system described in this paper is particularly unique with very specific properties. There is a similar device to the aforementioned which allows automatic control of the clutch pedal and is mainly used for physically disabled drivers. However, this concept has never been selected for mass production. Electro-hydraulic cylinder will be connected to the original hydraulic clutch system without impairing its functionality. This will enable the driver to select the mode in between the conventional pedal clutch control and an automatic intelligent clutch control. This article discusses the different measurement methods of input parameters of the control system and different ways of controlling the clutch mechanism. The first part of the article is focused on measurement of the force applied directly to the gear shift stick when shifting gears manually. The subsequent parts will address the measurement of the gear shift stick position, measuring chain principle, processing of the measured values and the design of a control unit for controlling the clutch mechanism.