Research on Rapid Testing Platform for TCU of Automated Manual Transmission

To reduce the development cycle time and cost of the transmission control unit (TCU) for automated manual transmission (AMT), a rapid testing platform (RTP) based on the concept of hardware-in-the-loop simulation is introduced and implemented in this paper. The proposed RTP features that the vehicle parts in simulation are all model-based. The torque characteristic of engine, the mechanical characteristic of DC motor, and the torque transferring characteristic of clutch are discussed. By mathematical modeling, the simulators of the vehicle motion, engine, actuators, clutch and gearbox that compose the RTP for TCU are developed. Through signal processing method, the simulators are embodied in an embedded system with functional circuits. Experiments with a product of TCU are carried out and the simulation results show that the RTP can simulate the vehicle conditions and behavior approximately well.