阅读说明：本技术 包括振动处理的智能致动器及用于评估变速器部件上的振动的方法 (Intelligent actuator including vibration processing and method for evaluating vibration on transmission component ) 是由 马丁·福内赫姆 于 2020-02-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于部件,特别是用于机动车辆的变速器部件的致动器(1),该致动器包括处理器(2),该处理器连接至电动机(3)以用于对该电动机的闭环控制或开环控制,并且该致动器包括可以由电动机(3)移动的最终控制元件(4),其中,将至少一个(与致动器集成的)振动传感器(5)耦接至处理器(2),并且处理器(2)被设计成评估由振动传感器传递的信号。本发明还涉及一种用于评估机动车辆的变速器部件上的振动的方法,在该方法中,变速器部件上的振动由致动器上的振动传感器(5)来检测并且在电动致动器(1)的处理器(2)中进行处理。(The invention relates to an actuator (1) for a component, in particular a transmission component for a motor vehicle, comprising a processor (2) which is connected to an electric motor (3) for closed-loop or open-loop control of the electric motor and which comprises a final control element (4) which can be moved by the electric motor (3), wherein at least one vibration sensor (5) (integrated with the actuator) is coupled to the processor (2) and the processor (2) is designed to evaluate a signal transmitted by the vibration sensor. The invention also relates to a method for evaluating vibrations on a transmission component of a motor vehicle, in which method vibrations on the transmission component are detected by a vibration sensor (5) on the actuator and processed in a processor (2) of the electric actuator (1).)

1. Actuator (1) for a component, in particular a transmission component for a motor vehicle, comprising a processor (2) connected to an electric motor (3) for closed-loop or open-loop control of the electric motor, and comprising a final control element (4) movable by the electric motor (3),

characterized in that at least one vibration sensor (5) is coupled to the processor (2) and the processor (2) is designed to evaluate the signals delivered by the vibration sensor (5).

2. Actuator (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuator (1) is mounted on a transmission of a power train of a motor vehicle.

3. Actuator (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the processor (2) is designed to report and/or store the evaluation and/or signal.

4. Actuator (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the processor (2) is connected to a storage device (7).

5. Actuator (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the storage means (7) are arranged in a housing (8) of the actuator (1), wherein the storage means (7) are connected to the processor (2) and/or the vibration sensor (5).

6. Actuator (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the vibration sensor (5) is intended for vibration-proof attachment to a transmission part or housing (8) of the actuator (1).

7. Actuator (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said housing (8) at least partially surrounds said electric motor (3) and said vibration sensor (5).

8. Actuator (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the vibration sensor (5) is designed as a structure-borne sound sensor (11) or as an acceleration sensor.

9. Actuator (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the actuator (1) is designed to perform NVH analysis.

10. Actuator (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the actuator (1) is designed as a parking lock actuator (6), a seat adjustment actuator, a pump actuator, a clutch actuator, a shift actuator, a gear setting actuator, a dial actuator or an actuator for a swing arm with chassis action or as an electric shaft actuator.

11. A method for evaluating vibrations in a transmission component of a motor vehicle, wherein vibrations on the transmission component are detected by a vibration sensor (5) on the actuator and processed in a processor (2) of an electric actuator (1).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an actuator for a component, in particular a transmission component for a motor vehicle, for example a passenger car such as an electric or hybrid vehicle, for example a truck or another utility vehicle, comprising a processor (CPU), for example as part of a control device or (power/control) electronics, which processor is connected to an electric motor for closed-loop or open-loop control of the electric motor and to a final control element which can be moved by the electric motor. The electric motor can also be designed as the main engine of the motor vehicle.

Background

In the field of applications completely separate from automobiles, such as wind turbines and industrial applications, it is known to use evaluation algorithms for evaluating vibrations, for example according to EP 2824324 a1, but these algorithms are limited to wind turbines and industrial equipment only.

Such a method is not known in the field of automotive applications; rather, in the field of automotive applications special actuators are used only in a targeted manner to initiate the actuation movement. For this purpose, a number of devices are known, for example for actuating a parking lock, for example according to WO 2019/001642 a 1. In WO 2019/001642 a1, a device for actuating a parking lock of a transmission is proposed, which has a movable parking lock pawl which engages in a blocking contour of a parking lock wheel to indicate the parking lock when the parking lock is operated by an actuator via a cross member. In order to stabilize the operation of the parking lock, the crossbar is equipped with a damping device, by means of which the repulsion reaction speed of the crossbar during the repulsion process of the parking lock pawl is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The aim of the invention is to provide an inexpensive multifunctional actuator for a motor vehicle, in particular for a transmission component, an actuator arranged in the region of a transmission or mounted on a transmission. In principle, the disadvantages known from the prior art should be eliminated or at least reduced.

This is achieved according to the invention by a universal actuator according to the features of claim 1.

At least one (preferably actuator-integrated) vibration sensor or several (preferably actuator-integrated) vibration sensors are coupled to the processor, and the processor is designed to evaluate the signals delivered by the vibration sensor or sensors.

The invention thus enables driving noise monitoring in vehicles, in particular in vehicles without an individual owner, for example in fleets, pool vehicles (pool) or electric taxis. In the actuator configuration according to the present invention, the actuator control means further performs NVH signal processing (noise-vibration-harshness signal processing), that is, NVH signal processing is performed particularly during a pause between actuations. Over time, particularly during pauses between actuations, an efficient use of the actuator is achieved. Thus, for example, a separate conventional sensor arranged away from the actuator becomes superfluous. The actuator control device may be used as a drive control device of the electric axis (e-axle), and then, the actuator control device also performs NVH signal processing. Then, the actuator itself may be used as the NVH diagnostic device. Then, "smart checking" becomes possible.

Advantageous embodiments are claimed in the dependent claims and are explained in more detail below.

It is therefore advantageous if the processor (CPU) is designed to report/signal and/or store/archive evaluations and/or signals. This enables a permanent retrieval for monitoring purposes.

An advantageous embodiment is further characterized in that the processor is connected to the storage means. The storage device may be present internally or externally, that is to say either in the immediate vicinity of the motor and/or the final control element or at a distance therefrom. Short wires with physical conductors/cables may be used, or wireless transmission may be used.

If the vibration sensor is intended to be attached to the transmission portion in the housing of the actuator against vibrations, the vibrations to be detected can be detected directly at the point where the vibrations occur. It is advantageous if the vibration sensor is not connected in a resilient/fixed/rigid manner to the housing or to a transmission component holding the housing.

It is advantageous if the CPU is arranged to use more than 20% to 50% of the computing power for vibration evaluation (but not more than 99%) and less than 50% (preferably less than 15% on average, and preferably between 1% and 14%) of the computing power for the actuation task. It is also advantageous if the processor handles one task, such as sound analysis, or other tasks, i.e. causing movement of the final control element. The two tasks are processed separately in the processor, which is also provided for this purpose. The storage means may be designed as a signal processing program and value memory, possibly integrated on an electronic circuit board with the actuator program and value memory.

In order to achieve accurate results for the actuator, it has been found to be advantageous if the vibration sensor is intended to be attached to the transmission part or housing of the actuator against vibrations. It has proven to be particularly useful to attach the vibration sensor directly to the housing, preferably on the inside of the housing.

If the housing at least partially encloses or even encloses the motor and the vibration sensor, the electronic components can be effectively prevented from getting dirty and being exposed to moisture (moisture).

It has proven useful if the vibration sensor is designed as a structure-borne sound sensor or as an acceleration sensor. The processing of the computation-time-intensive functions in the control device allows a reliable damage prediction during a pause in the actuation which takes the majority of the time, for example in the case of a parking lock.

The fixed mounting allows the actuator with the structural transmitting sound or acceleration sensor to listen and diagnose the transmission. Examples of computationally intensive NVA diagnostic evaluation operations have been indicated in EP 2824324 a1 and should be considered to be fully incorporated herein. The method described in EP 2824324 a1 is therefore intended for a completely different field of motor vehicle technology and will be considered disclosed here.

It is also advantageous if the vibration sensor is designed for sensing and detecting vibrations between 10Hz and 40kHz, in particular between 1kHz and 10 kHz.

It is advantageous if the vibration sensor is arranged to detect non-directional or directional signals, such as triaxial signals.

The purpose is to have an interface, for example in the form of a connector, present in the housing for powering the processor, the motor (which is generally understood herein as an actuation unit) and the vibration sensor.

It is also advantageous if a storage means is present in the housing and connected to the processor and/or the vibration sensor. In particular, arranging these components in a housing has advantages in terms of packaging and reliability.

It is desirable to design the actuator to perform NVH analysis. For example, a travel-specific limit value comparison of the vibration intensity can be used here.

In order to achieve a particularly wide range of applications, it is advantageous if the actuator is designed as a parking lock actuator, a seat adjustment actuator, a pump actuator, a clutch actuator, a switching actuator, a gear setting actuator, a dial actuator or an actuator for a swing arm with chassis action (roll stabilizer) or an electric axle actuator.

The invention finally also relates to a method for evaluating vibrations in a transmission component of a motor vehicle, wherein vibrations on the transmission component are detected by a vibration sensor on an actuator (integrated actuator) and processed in a processor, for example an electric actuator in the form according to the invention.

Examples of computationally intensive NVH diagnostic evaluation operations (which may also be combined) include:

-minimum/maximum monitoring (peak);

-a running condition specific limit value comparison of the vibration intensity;

-RMS formation (root mean square of one or more signals);

digital filtering, e.g. for fixed frequency (band pass) or for smoothing (e.g. RMS preprocessing) using the prepared signal;

fourier transform, which, like FFT (fast fourier transform), is also very computationally intensive;

-auto-or cross-correlation between different signals;

order analysis (i.e. analysis that takes into account synchronicity of rotational frequency or gear tooth frequency); and/or

Accumulation (counting or addition of significant signal curves or signal values, or shortest (time) intervals between significant signal curves).

Using existing electronic hardware (housings, connectors, signal lines such as CAN) yields cost advantages or functional advantages with nearly the same cost (e.g., some additional cost is only seen in the raw signal sensors and program storage devices where the structure transmits sound).

In many monitoring tasks, it is sufficient to perform a non-permanent, rather random monitoring of the noise behavior, for example once per kilometre, instead of over a period of time, which is why the use of an actuator according to the invention is of great advantage. It is desirable that the actuator, for example for a parking lock or gear, be vibration resistant and fixed to the transmission. For safety reasons, and also to ensure emergency operation or diagnostics and/or intrinsic safety, the actuators can generally be designed as "smart" actuators with control electronics.

In the context of "shared economy" and "fleet ownership", the functionality of safety monitoring and the responsibility of the owner are now more readily perceived. With regard to the noise behavior of the transmission/electric drive, it is therefore proposed to generate and forward information for diagnosis by detecting and evaluating it in a control device which is also provided for actuation.

In other words, the control electronics which are often not used are now accessed by the actuator, in particular in the case of a parking lock actuator. The present invention now sets up these electronic devices to be used for handling various tasks. These may be computationally intensive tasks, for example for analysis of vibration behavior to achieve NVH analysis/NVH reduction. For this purpose, the actuator/electronics may have additional components/sensors for determining the value/vibration behavior. This is particularly the case for actuators fixed to the housing/transmission, such as park lock actuators.

Therefore, the emphasis is on methods for NVH analysis in the automotive field. The emphasis is also on actuators with (power/control) electronics designed to perform the NVH analysis. An integrated structural transmission acoustic sensor is advantageous here.

The electronics of multiple actuators may also work in parallel. The relevant actuator can also be a shaft electric drive (e-drive), a pump actuator, a clutch actuator, a switching actuator, a gear setting actuator, a dial actuator or an actuator for a swing arm with chassis action (roll stabilizer) or a seat adjusting actuator. Preferably a parking lock actuator is used. The parking lock actuator of WO 2019/001642 a1 is only an example, although it is a preferred example for adapting to achieve the concept according to the present invention. Ultimately, however, the emphasis is also on the use of electronic devices.

Drawings

The invention is further explained below with the aid of the figures. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an actuator in the form of a park lock actuator according to the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a sequence of a method according to the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a sequence of a further method according to the invention; and

fig. 4 shows a sequence of a further method according to the invention.

Detailed Description

The drawings are merely schematic in nature. They are used only to aid in the understanding of the invention. Like elements are provided with like reference numerals. The features of the various exemplary embodiments may be interchanged with one another or combined with one another.

In fig. 1 an actuator 1 according to the invention is shown. The actuator 1 is intended to be attached to a transmission component (not shown). The actuator 1 has a processor 2. There is also an actuator/motor 3. The processor 2 and the motor 3 are connected to each other. The electric motor 3 is connected to the final control element 4 to drive the latter. There is at least one vibration sensor 5 coupled to the processor 2. The processor 2 is designed to evaluate the information provided by the vibration sensor. In the exemplary embodiment described here, the actuator 1 is designed as a parking lock actuator 6. There is also a storage means 7.

The processor 2, the motor 3, the final control element 4, the vibration sensor 5 and the storage means 7 are arranged within a housing 8. There is also an interface 9, i.e. a connector 10.

The vibration sensor 5 is designed to structurally transmit the acoustic sensor 11. The connector 10 is designed for bus signals and for energizing the electromechanical actuator 1. The structure-borne sound sensor 11 is in mechanical contact with the variator/(actuator) housing 8 and in electrical contact with the control device electronics (e.g. via spring contacts or cables).

The memory means 7 are designed as signal processing program and value storage means and may be integrated with the actuator program and value memory on an electronic circuit board.

The actuating unit/motor 3 is understood to be essentially an electromechanical actuator drive, which can then also be designed as an electromagnet or as a servo valve.

In fig. 2, the sequence of working steps is symbolized by reference numerals 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. Reference numeral 12 relates to raw signal detection/structure-borne sound detection. Reference numeral 13 relates to digital band-pass filtering of several frequencies. This is followed by a (positive or negative) weighted addition of the selected squares symbolized by reference numeral 14 to provide the spectral intensities. Reference numeral 15 relates to limiting value monitoring of spectral intensities, for example by means of detection of intensity differences. At the position of reference numeral 16, the sequence is ended by the provision/storage of a signal in case the limit value is exceeded.

Variants of this sequence are shown in the sequence according to fig. 3. At the point of reference numeral 17 there is also a rotation angle, possibly CAN, as the original signal. Thereafter, at the point of reference numeral 18, forming a plurality of moving averages at different rotation angles is performed. This is followed by a weighted (positive or negative) addition of the selected averages at the point of reference numeral 19 for the pass order analysis. The selected order is then monitored for limits for the particular component, see reference numerals 20 and 21. Reference numeral 20 relates to a first component, for example a gear, and reference numeral 21 relates to a second, separate component, for example a bearing. This is then followed by supplying/storing the signal when the limit value is exceeded, as already explained by reference numeral 16.

It is the core of the method according to the invention of fig. 4 to provide a special status window, which is typical for a special operating mode of the motor vehicle, wherein a predefined signal (for example also field-relevant) is compared with the occurring signal. There the original signal, i.e. the structure-borne sound, is also recorded at the point of reference numeral 12, followed by the analysis signal (filter) according to reference numeral 22.

Further signals, such as speed, torque/temperature, may also be taken into account, possibly via CAN, according to reference numeral 23.

It is then verified, according to reference numerals 24 and 25, whether the signal is within a predefined monitoring interval/window.

If this is the case, the analyzed signal is stored in the corresponding interval (see reference numerals 26 and 27), then the stored value is compared with the previous storage means (see reference numerals 28 and 29), and the signal that the change limit has been exceeded is provided/stored (see reference numerals 30 and 31).

List of reference numerals

1 actuator

2 processor

3 electric motor

4 final control element

5 vibration sensor

6 parking lock actuator

7 storage device

8 casing

9 interface

10 connector

11 structure sound sensor

12 raw signal detection/structure-borne sound detection

13 digital bandpass filtering

14 addition

15 limit monitoring

16 provision/storage

17 angle of rotation

18 mean value

19 weighted addition

20 limit value monitoring unit 1

21 limit value monitoring unit 2

22 analysis

23 additional signal

24 signal monitoring

25 Signal monitoring

26 store

27 store

28 comparison

29 comparison

30 provision/storage

31 provide/store.