Dynamics and Control of Clutchless Automated Manual Transmissions for Electric Vehicles

This paper presents a study of the dynamics and control of clutchless automated manual transmissions (CLAMT) for the purpose of investigating the system behavior during up and down shifts. To achieve this, a multibody dynamic model of the proposed powertrain is implemented to simulate the transient behavior of the system, including a direct current (DC) equivalent model of the electric machine (EM) and a synchronizer mechanism model. Closed-loop control of motor speed and torque is used in conjunction with synchronizer mechanism actuation to functionally achieve gear shifting without the need for a primary friction clutch. This includes nested torque–speed closed-loops to implement alternative motor control functionalities at different stages of gear change. To evaluate the performance of shift control, shift metrics including longitudinal jerk, vibration dose value (VDV), and shifting duration are evaluated from simulation results. These results demonstrate the most significant impact on the transient response of the powertrain results from the reduction and reinstatement of motor torque during shift control. Speed control of the motor during the shift transient directly impacts on the duration of shifting, but not the transient response of the powertrain.