As one of the most influential events in the field of international mechanism and machine science, the 24th IFToMM China International Conference on Mechanism and Machine Science & Engineering (IFToMM CCMMS 2024) was held in Tianjin from August 12th to 14th, 2024. The paper “Automatic Synthesis Method for Multi-speed Automatic Transmission Configuration” by Ke Tao, a doctoral student at the School of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Information of China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), and his supervisor, Prof. Ding Huafeng, was awarded the “Qixian” Excellent Paper Award. Ke Tao is the first author, and Ding Huafeng is the corresponding author.
Fig. 1 “Qixian” Excellent Paper Award
This paper proposes a novel automatic configuration synthesis method to address the complexity and innovative challenges in the design of high-gear planetary gear transmissions. The research team first established a general digital model of planetary gear transmission mechanism based on the topological structure characteristics of planetary gear transmission, and then developed an automatic synthesis method for planetary gear transmission mechanism configuration applicable to any gear position. This method can be extended to the new energy hybrid transmission mechanism by adding motor coding, and the entire integrated process has been automated, with corresponding software platforms developed. The feasibility and effectiveness of the method are verified by taking the design of a new thirteen speed automatic transmission configuration as an example. This study achieves innovative design of planetary gear transmission mechanism by establishing automatic synthesis theory, providing a new model for the development of automatic transmission with independent intellectual property in China. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Hubei Provincial Key Research and Development Program.
Fig. 2 Automatic integrated software platform for planetary gear transmission configurations
Fig. 3 Configuration and principle prototype of the new 13-speed planetary gear transmission
The IFToMM CCMMS series of academic conferences, organized by the China Committee of IFToMM, has been held every two years since the first National Mechanism Symposium in 1982, and has become an important platform for promoting the development of international mechanism and machine science. In commemoration of Academician Zhang Qixian, an outstanding contributor to the research of modern machine science and advanced robotics in China, IFToMM CCMMS has established the "Qixian" Excellent Paper Award since 2011, which is generously funded by the "Qixian Scholarship" Foundation. This conference received a total of 120 excellent paper submissions and three were finally awarded the "Qixian" Excellent Paper Award after fierce competition.