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Transportation Research Procedia 20 (2017) 544 – 549

12th International Conference "Organization and Traffic Safety Management in large cities",
SPbOTSIC-2016, 28-30 September 2016, St. Petersburg, Russia

New Design of the Automobile Automatic Gearbox Providing

Driving Simplification and Driver Fatigue Decrease
Vladimir Rassokha a*, Vladimir Isaychev
Orenburg State University, 13 Pobedy av., Orenburg, 460018, Russia

Abstract

The article examines the possibility of decreasing driver fatigue and work intensity influencing the traffic safety and road
accident prevention, with the focus on route vehicles operating in the urban cycle. As a tool to solve the task, designs of
gearboxes used in vehicles are studied. A new design for a four stage automatic gearbox, shifting gears automatically without use
of external energy and providing for continuous transmission, is suggested. It allows for decrease of driver fatigue and work
intensity, significant decrease of gearbox cost, multiple enhancement of reliability, reduction of clutch operation costs,
enhancement of driver’s attention concentration on road conditions and improvement of the traffic safety.
©
© 2017
2016TheTheAuthors.
Authors.Published
Publishedby by
Elsevier B.V.B.V.
Elsevier This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the 12th International Conference "Organization and Traffic
Peer-review under responsibility
Safety Management of the organizing committee of the 12th International Conference “Organization and Traffic Safety
in large cities".
Management in large cities”
Keywords: vehicle; urban traffic cycle; automatic gearbox; driver fatigue; traffic safety

1. Main text

One of the main reserves for road accident prevention lies in decreasing driver fatigue and work intensity,
particularly on route vehicles in the urban cycle. This decrease is achieved due to vehicle driving simplification and
reduction of driver’s physical load, allowing concentrating on road conditions. It results in the enhancement of the
traffic safety and decrease of the degree of influence of driver’s qualification and personal characteristics on the
operational indices of a vehicle [Kurochkin (2008)].

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +0-000-000-0000 ; fax: +0-000-000-0000 .

E-mail address: cabin2012@yandex.rua*

2352-1465 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the 12th International Conference “Organization and Traffic Safety
Management in large cities”
doi:10.1016/j.trpro.2017.01.088
 Vladimir Rassokha and Vladimir Isaychev / Transportation Research Procedia 20 (2017) 544 – 549 545

In turn, driver fatigue and work intensity depend largely on transmission unit design and, first of all, on
gearboxes used in vehicles. Thus, a driver of a bus equipped with the mechanical gear with manual shifting needs to
shift a gearbox lever about 1500–2000 per a shift, releasing clutch at each shifting which cannot but negatively
influence the traffic safety.
There are five main types of modern gearbox designs, advantages and disadvantages of which are given in Table
1.

Table 1. Advantages and disadvantages of vehicle gearboxes.

Gearbox type Advantages Disadvantages
Mechanical gearbox with manual shifting x simple design; x increases driver fatigue and work intensity due to gear
x low price; shifting and clutch release, particularly in the urban
x efficiency cycle;
x no continuous transmission when shifting.

Mechanical gearbox with automatic decreases driver fatigue only x the price is twice as high if compared to the first type;
clutch partially due to the elimination of the x no continuous transmission when shifting.
necessity for clutch release

Automated mechanical gearbox
decreases driver fatigue
x the price is high enough;
x requires the high pressure of the power liquid and,
consequently, a high-duty pump driven by the vehicle
engine; it results in engine net power decrease and fuel
consumption increase, particularly, in the urban cycle,
which is explained by the fact that, for operation of a
pump with an idle engine, overspeed of the cranked
shaft is required;
x no continuous transmission when shifting

Hydromechanical transmission with
electronic control
x decreases driver fatigue;
x upon blocking a torque converter
on high gears in suburban traffic,
it is compared to mechanical
gearboxes in efficiency
x the price is about thrice as high if compared to
mechanical gearboxes;
x significant power input to torque converter stall and a
hydraulic pump drive for compression of clutch
friction disks;
x in the urban cycle, the result is lower than the one
mechanical gearboxes show;
x notable loss of vehicle dynamic qualities, about 5%.

Variator (continuously variable
transmission)
decreases driver fatigue due to
continuously variable transmission
x their mass is bigger and efficiency coefficient is
smaller, they are much more expensive than
mechanical gearboxes;
x increased power input to the control system operation;
x the transformation coefficient is smaller than required
for speed cars with high-speed engines;
x maximum transmitted power is technologically limited
to 100 kWt [Dolgikh (2014)].

The analysis of gearbox advantages and disadvantages explains the interest of specialists in the automatic two-
speed gearbox suggested by Antonov [Gladkov and Petrenko (2002)]. It does not require external energy for shifting
gears, contains an epicyclic cylindrical helical gearbox with a blocked sun gear rigidly connected with a gearbox
546 Vladimir Rassokha and Vladimir Isaychev / Transportation Research Procedia 20 (2017) 544 – 549

carter, and a crown gear freely (on splines) mounted on a thrust shaft; a planetary with axes placed on a transmission
main shaft; a multidisc friction clutch blocking, depending on the ratio between the axial gearing force and
centrifugal weight force on a cage, thrust and transmission main shafts (crown gear and cage) when shifting to the
second gear.
However, the gearbox of Antonov has a series of disadvantages:
x insufficient number of speeds for various road conditions;
x non-availability of reverse gear;
x when shifting to the second gear, the sun gear remains blocked;
x sliding friction between the outer left face of the crown gear and the clutch disk body causes multiple decrease of
gearbox reliability when driving in the first gear and increases power input to this friction.
The first of the mentioned disadvantages is quite eliminable: combining two similar planetary gears, it is possible
to obtain a four-speed gearbox, etc. However, taken as a whole, these disadvantages, despite the interest on part of
several automobile manufactures [Fomin (1998)], hindered the implementation of the Antonov’s gearbox, though
the information about its testing and even intent of serial production comes up once and again.
The Antonov’s gearbox was accepted as a prototype on the basis of which the authors of the article set the task to
develop an automatic two-speed gearbox and then a four-speed gearbox free from the prototype disadvantages.

2. Results

Designs of various options of a two-speed gearbox have been patented by the authors [Rassokha and Isaychev
(2012, 2013, 20131, 2015)]; the design and operating principle of one of these structures are described in the work
[Rassokha and Isaychev (20121)].
A four-speed gearbox, design of which has also been patented [Rassokha and Isaychev (20132)], consists of (Fig.
1) three independent series-connected two-speed modules which, depending on the speed and motion resistance
moment, automatically shift from the first to the second gear (the left module in the figure), from the second to the
third gear (the middle module) and from the third to the fourth gear (the right module). A reverse is installed behind
the right module. The transmission main shaft of each previous module is the thrust shaft for the successive module.
Each module consists of a planetary reducing cylindrical helical mechanism and automatic gearshift system. In
its turn, the planetary mechanism has thrust shaft 1 with freely mounted (on splines) crown gear 27; sun gear 2
freely mounted on a transmission main shaft 14 with rigidly connected cage 28, spider pins 4 and planetary rollers 5
engaged to the crown and sun gears. The automatic gearshift system provides for a friction clutch driving disks 6 of
which are connected by splines to the crown gear and driven disks 7 of which are connected through body 26 to the
cage and. consequently, the transmission main shaft; centrifugal weights 25 are connected to springs 21 fixed on the
axes on the clutch body.
This system contains a sun gear control system including clutch brake containing pulley 13 rigidly connected to
the sun gear hub, brake lining 12 of which through bars 11 and 9 and double levers 10 and 8 with string 3 is
connected to the crown gear, as to the left module: through bars 20 and 23 and double lever 22 — with double lever
24 with a sector and fixator actuated by a driver directly. The left side of the clutch body leans against bearing 29
installed on neck 30 of the crown gear. Between the clutch body and the crown gear in the axial direction there is a
backlash.
The gearbox reverse has pinion gear 15 mounted on splines of transmission main shaft 14 of the right module
(fourth gear) with an axial ring of a smaller diameter having internal teeth; follower gear 16 installed coaxially and
rigidly on reverse transmission main shaft 17; a block of two gears 19 and reverse idle gear 18 installed freely on
axes parallel to the module (reverse) shafts.
To enhance the reliability and efficiency of the automatic system for sun gear control (blocking, unblocking), the
clutch brake structure of the suggested gearbox may be designed as follows: as a disk clutch [Rassokha and Isaychev
(2013)], as a disk shoe brake [Rassokha and Isaychev (2015)], as a shoe drum brake [Rassokha and Isaychev
(20131)].
 Vladimir Rassokha and Vladimir Isaychev / Transportation Research Procedia 20 (2017) 544 – 549 547

Fig. 1. Scheme of a four-speed gearbox: 1 — a thrust shaft of a planetary cage; 2 — sun gear; 3 — double lever spring; 4 — spider pin; 5 —
planetary roller; 6 — driving disk of a friction clutch; 7 — driven disk of a friction clutch; 8 and 10 — double levers of the sun gear control
548 Vladimir Rassokha and Vladimir Isaychev / Transportation Research Procedia 20 (2017) 544 – 549

system; 9 and 11 — sun gear control system bars; 12 — brake lining; 13 — pulley; 14 — transmission main shaft of the right module; 15 —
pinion gear of the right module; 16 — follower gear of the right module; 17 — reverse transmission main shaft; 18 — reverse idle gear; 19 —
reverse gear train; 20 and 23 — left module bars; 21 — centrifugal weight spring; 22 and 24 — left module double levers; 25 — centrifugal
weight; 26 — body; 27 — crown gear; 28 — cage; 29 — bearing; 30 — crown gear neck.

The gearbox (Fig. 1) operates as follows:

In the neutral position, the brake of the first (left) module is off with handle 24, and brakes of the second
(middle) and third (right) modules are automatically on. In case the engine is operating and the clutch is on, thrust
shaft 1 of the first module and crown gear 27, planetary rollers 5 and sun gear 2 are rotating while cage 28 and
connected transmission main shaft 14 and all successive elements of the middle and right modules are static. For
starting, a driver switches off the clutch and transfers brake control handle 24 of the first module to off position.
Thereby, sun gear 2 of the left module planetary is blocked with the brake, which corresponds to the first gear on.
Further, a driver, pressing a throttle pedal, releases the clutch pedal, and a vehicle starts movement. Thereby, in the
planetary trains of all modules, parts are rotating as follows: trust shafts 1 with crown gears 27, planetary rollers 5
with cages 28, and transmission main shafts 14 while active axial forces in the helical clutch (planetary rollers —
crown gears) increase the force applied to fastening the brake lining and hinder early actuation of the modules’
friction clutches from centrifugal weights 25.
Upon reaching the set speed, the centrifugal weight forces in the left module exceed axial forces in the clutch
“crown gear — planetary rollers”. Consequently, this module friction clutch through actuating arms of weights 25
and springs 21 starts smooth actuation and transfers the torque, and the torque and axial force in the clutch “crown
gear — planetary rollers” decreases. Thereby, crown gear 27 along the splines of thrust shaft 1 smoothly transfers to
the right and through double levers 8 and 10 and bars 9 and 11 switches the brake off, unblocking its sun gear 2. The
planetary gear train is blocked with friction clutch, i.e. its thrust and transmission main shafts and associated parts
rotate as a whole. The second gear is on.
During further acceleration in similar way, i.e. by blocking accordingly the planetary gear train of the middle and
right modules, the third and the fourth gears are on. Thereby, in course of shifting, each gear has its own speed (set
by the gearbox design).
During speed descent to the set value, the gearbox automatically shifts to the previous gear and if required — to
the one preceding the previous one (until the first one), and during speed ascend — to a higher gear, depending on
motion resistance forces and the position of the throttle pedal.
For vehicle overrunning, it is required to switch the clutch off or transfer lever handle 24 of the left module brake
control to off position.
The reverse is operating as follows. For vehicle forward movement, gear 15 with a control mechanism is
transferred by a driver to the extreme right position and rigidly connects with its axial ring with internal teeth to gear
16 ring on the reverse transmission main shaft. For reverse movement, gear 15 is transferred to the left and connects
to the big ring of two-gear train 19, while idle gear 18 being transferred to the left is connected to gear 16 on the
reverse transmission main shaft and the right smaller gear ring of two-gear train 19.
Thus, clutch is used by a driver only when starting. Thereby, when stopping, clutch release is not necessary, it is
enough to transfer the first module clutch brake handle to off position.

3. Conclusion

The new principle and design of a step-by-step gearbox, shifting gears automatically without use of external
energy and providing for continuous transmission, allows for decrease of driver fatigue and work intensity,
significant decrease of gearbox cost, multiple enhancement of reliability, reduction of clutch operation costs,
enhancement of driver’s attention concentration on road conditions and improvement of the traffic safety.

References
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Fomin, А. (1998). Antonov’s system “Avtomat” [«Avtomat» sistemy Antonova]. Za rulem, (1): 54–56 (in Russian).
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