A Haptic Interface for Automobile Gearshift

Design and Benchmark

Jorge Juan Gil, Inaki Daz, Egoitz Iturritxa, and Borja Prieto

CEIT and TECNUN, University of Navarra, San Sebastian, Spain

{jjgil,idiaz}@ceit.es
http://www.ceit.es

Abstract. Design, ergonomics and haptic feedback are features critical

to the development of an eye-catching automobile gearshift. Manufac-
turers have to design and test a large number of prototypes, with dier-
ent transmissions, dynamics, etc., before an appealing and marketable
solution can be found. This paper introduces a haptic interface for au-
tomobile gearshift design and benchmark. It allows automobile gearshift
developers to test new models quickly and change most critical design
features on the y in order to nd the best possible solution. As a result,
traditional trial-and-error methods can be avoided, signicantly reducing
design costs and time. The system is also a powerful test-bed to perform
large-scale studies to analyse key selling features and preferences among
customers.

Keywords: haptic device, automobile technology, gearshift design.

1 Introduction
In the competitive automobile industry, even the sound made when closing the
vehicles door can be of great relevance to the choosy customer. The development
of a new automobile component implies the design of many prototypes before
the nal solution can be found. In this phase, traditional trial-and-error methods
are generally used to analyse dierent solutions, signicantly increasing design
costs and time.
We have developed a haptic interface for automobile gearshift design and
benchmark (Fig. 1). The interface is able to easily recongure a two degrees of
freedom (DOF) haptic device to easily test multiple design features like gearshift
travels or dynamics. A single mechanical device can be used as a universal
gearshift prototype on which new design ideas can be immediately tested. As a
result, time and costs can be signicantly reduced in the design phase of product
development. In addition, the prototype can be used to perform large-scale stud-
ies in order to obtain valuable performance feedback from potential customers.
Many industrial elds already incorporate haptic interfaces in the design phase
of product development. In aeronautics, haptic interfaces are used to replace ex-
pensive physical mock-ups with CAD models in order to evaluate the maintain-
ability of externals during the development stage [1,2], signicantly decreasing

M. Ferre (Ed.): EuroHaptics 2008, LNCS 5024, pp. 906911, 2008.


c Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008
 A Haptic Interface for Automobile Gearshift Design 907

55
44

encoder
dc motor

Fig. 1. Haptic interface for automobile gearshift design and benchmark

time-to-market and thereby saving money. In the same way, companies in the
automotive industry are likely to take advantage of this technology applying it
to design-for-assembly projects [3].
Likewise, haptic gearshifts are already being tested in vehicle simulators [4,5],
and are available in commercial train simulators (Lander Simulation and So-
lutions, S.A.) to help drivers acquire in-depth knowledge of dierent systems.
The main advantage of these devices is their exibility in simulating dierent
types of transmissions (i.e. manual, automatic, sequential, etc.) with a single me-
chanical device. There are also low-cost solutions [6] that considerably enhance
the interactivity of these driving simulators. In addition, dynamic modelling has
been incorporated in order to make these systems as similar as possible to real
ones [7,8].
This paper describes a haptic application where engineers can dene a
gearshifts desired behaviour in terms of many variables such as force proles,
number of gears, travels, shape, among others, and can immediately test its real
performance on a haptic device. Many of these parameters can also be changed
in real-time. Another valuable feature of the application is the possibility of
simulating undesirable conditions which aect the transmission such as wrongly
engaged gears or mechanical vibrations.

2 System Architecture
Fig. 2a describes the design process of a new automobile gearshift prototype.
A brainstorming session and analysis phase of market needs and manufacturer
goals is followed by a design phase, which leads to the development of CAD
models where main features like transmission type, number of gears, reverse
gear conguration or geometrical dimensions are determined. Afterwards, a real
prototype is developed, enabling engineers to check design results. In general,
908 J.J. Gil et al.

this leads to new changes to the original design, resulting in another prototype
and so on, until a denitive one satises project requirements.

Manufacturer New Manufacturer New

Customer design Consumer design

Off-line
Matlab GUI
Haptic benchmark
On-line 2-DOF
Database interface device

Prototype Prototype

(a) Common process (b) Haptic-based process

Fig. 2. Design processes of an automobile gearshift

We have developed a haptic interface where new design ideas can be imme-
diately tested on a re-congurable haptic gearshift. In this solution, new design
features are not tested on real prototypes, but on the haptic gearshift itself
(Fig. 2b). Consequently, the number of real prototypes needed at this stage is
considerably reduced. Following subsections will describe in detail the proposed
interface and its features.

2.1 Haptic Device

The 2-DOF haptic gearshift (Fig. 1) was specially designed to simulate a wide
range of commercial automobile gearshifts, in terms of dimensions and peak out-
put forces through the knob (75 N). It is a parallel 2-DOF mechanism driven by
commercial Maxon dc motors and specially designed and built cable transmis-
sions [6]. Furthermore, the knob of the device is easily interchangeable in order
to increase similarity to that of a real prototype.

2.2 Gearshift Model Parameters

The haptic interface, exible enough to reproduce multiple high-delity design

features, may very well become a universal prototype for gearshift design. The
automobile market is full of a myriad of gearshift solutions with varying features.
First of all, the transmission type can dier widely from one model to another:
manual transmission, automatic, sequential, hybrid transmissions, etc. In each
model, the number of gears can also be very dierent, as well as the vertical and
horizontal distances from one gear to another. Another factor in the design of
a gearshift is the way the reverse gear is engaged, as well as its position in the
system. The haptic interface has been specially designed to address all of these
parameters.
 A Haptic Interface for Automobile Gearshift Design 909

In addition to transmission type and overall geometric dimensions, force feed-

back felt by the user when engaging a gear can be easily modied. Small dis-
placements perceived like backlash, which typically occur in neutral gear, can
also be emulated.

2.3 Description of the Application

Two applications have been developed for the haptic interface. The rst is a
specially designed Matlab R
GUI application that allows designers to easily de-
termine the dynamic behaviour of the gearshift o-line (Fig. 3a). The application
generates the force proles that users will feel through the knob of the haptic de-
vice in all possible displacements. These proles are saved in conguration les
and stored in a database with other gearshift models. In order to build these
proles, the type of transmission (i.e. manual, sequential, automatic, etc.) must
rst be selected and the number of gears introduced. Afterwards, the shape of
the gearshift, that is, the position of the gears, the horizontal and vertical dis-
tances between them, as well as the type of reverse gear desired, are determined.
Finally, the designer introduces (graphically or numerically) a set of position-
force points, after which the rest of the force-prole is automatically generated
by interpolation techniques.

(a) O-line Matlab

R
GUI (b) On-line ControlDesk interface

Fig. 3. Software applications

Once the dynamic behaviour of the gearshift is dened, a second application

uploads the model from the database and controls the haptic device (Fig. 3b).
This application has two environments: a dSPACE ControlDesk interface that
allows users to select from the dierent models of the database and controls
the device, and an OpenGL environment that graphically represents the knob
displacements and enhances interactivity with the system. The ControlDesk ap-
plication reads encoder information from the haptic device, processes the haptic
control loop (considering the loaded gearshift features), and outputs torque com-
mands to the motors at a sampling period of 1 kHz.
910 J.J. Gil et al.

2.4 Failures Simulation and Additional Features

The system is also able to easily acquire extensive data while testing the simu-
lated gearshift model. At each sampling period of the haptic control loop, knob
spatial positioning, motor torque or user force (attaching a force sensor to the
knob) can be measured and saved. Moreover, the system can be used to ob-
tain performance information by carrying out studies among drivers (i.e. the
preference of softer or harder transmissions, longer gear travels, etc.).
We have also equipped the system with the ability to simulate a number of fail-
ure modes in order to analyse driver response under these conditions. This include,
but are not limited to, wrongly engaged gears, a non-engaging reverse gear or a
gearshift which locks in neutral gear. Failures can be used to detect driver dis-
turbance thresholds, for example. By introducing tiny ranges of vibrations to the
gearshift, the level or frequency at which the driver feels annoyed can be detected.
This data is then taken into account for the development of the end device.

3 Conclusion and Further Research

Manufacturers are constantly striving to improve existing technology to develop

cutting-edge transmission systems that can oer drivers an enjoyable shifting
experience. This paper presents a haptic interface that can be used by these
manufacturers to improve the design and development of gearshift mechanisms.
The system can reduce the amount of prototypes necessary in the design phase of
product development, signicantly decreasing time-to-market and thereby saving
money. It converts a 2-DOF haptic device into a universal and exible gearshift
prototype, in which new design features like transmission type or geometrical
dimensions can be easily modied and tested. Furthermore, many key features
can be changed on the y, improving analysis and parameter-tting procedures.
The haptic interface can also be used by automotive manufacturers for com-
petitive benchmarking of dierent automobile gearshifts, as well as to carry out
large-scale studies among customers to analyse key selling features and statistical
data to be interpreted by engineers.
In the future, realistic sound feedback and specially designed foot-pedals are
planned to be integrated into the interface in order to enhance overall system
realism. Gearshift design engineers may also gure out new tools to improve the
performance of the system.

Acknowledgements. The authors would like to thank Ficosa International for

promoting and funding this project.

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