The principle of operation of a robotic gearbox is similar to the operation of a traditional manual gearbox. The difference lies in the control of gear shifting, which is carried out not by the driver, but by a digital unit with actuators.
Like any other gear shifting mechanism, a robotic box is designed to transfer torque from the engine to the transmission shaft and change its value depending on the nature of the movement of the machine. A robotic gearbox is a traditional manual gearbox, in which gear shifting is carried out not by the driver, but by the actuator of the electronic control unit. The robotic gearbox has all the advantages of manual transmissions and eliminates the need for the driver to change gears manually.
Principle of operation
As in the manual transmission, the torque in the robotic box is transmitted from the drive shaft to the driven shaft using one of a pair of toothed gears. Clutching and gear shifting in a robotic box is carried out using special actuators - actuators.
The actuator is a compact electric motor with rack and pinion that converts rotary motion into translational movement of the executive body. The electronic control unit transmits a signal to the actuator to turn it on or off, after which a gear change occurs or the clutch closes or opens.
Preselective manual transmissions
The first robotized gearboxes did not differ in high gear shifting speed, so the specialists of the Volkswagen concern developed the design of the next generation manual gearbox, in which the driven gears are spaced along two separate shafts. Thanks to this, before changing from one gear to another, the automatic control transmits a signal to the actuator, which starts engaging the next gear in advance. This achieves a high switching speed, significantly exceeding the speeds of automatic transmissions and traditional mechanics.
Advantages and disadvantages
The positive aspects of a robotic gearbox are increased efficiency, high gear shift speed, and the ability to easily switch from automatic to manual mode and vice versa.
Among the disadvantages of a robotic gearbox are jerks when driving in first gear, as well as rolling back a car when starting up a hill. Also, a big drawback of the manual transmission is the increased complexity of the design, which affects the increase in the cost of repair and diagnostics in comparison with other types of transmission.
