History of appearance
The idea of placing the gear lever on the wheel of the serial vehicle came from the motor port. At the end of the 1980s, Formula 1 racing cars began to be equipped with electromechanical transmission systems. The first formula by the formulaic team that came out of the paddock with the petals was Ferrari. Since then, the petals have secured the construction of racing cars. Over time, they also appeared in civilian cars.
The distribution of the petals was preceded by the emergence of a system of type Tiptronic.
This additional automatic transmission option allows the driver to change the gear ratios at his own discretion. The moment of switching is chosen by the driver and the implementation is carried out by Tiptronic. The ACPT selector equipped with Tiptronic has an additional gauge where the lever can be moved, thereby activating the manual gearshift. These boxes appeared in 1990 on the 911th Porsche model.
Device and operating principle
In fact, these petals are two plastic levers that can be used to change gear. They fit on the steering column, which is very convenient for both the driver and the passenger.
The advantages of padded petals can also be felt in a dynamic movement, for example, when it is necessary to accelerate for overtaking. In this case, the "machine" will switch transmission in normal mode, and the use of petals will make it possible to unwind the engine, changing the transmission at the peak of its power, which will increase the intensity of acceleration.
Given how often accidents happen in overtaking, the bashers really seem to be a breath of fresh air for the motorist.
Clicking on the lever signals the control unit that activates the automatic box solenoids and shifts the gear ratio. The driver only chooses the moment of switching, and the process of changing the transmission is performed by the power drives under the control of the computer. The absence of the drives directly to the petals allows them to be placed anywhere, but the most convenient location is the friendly.
There are also variations of these systems:
Mazda 6 series vehicles are equipped with a steering wheel not only with two petals, but also with levers on each side. This is done so that the driver can increase and lower the transfer using only one hand.
Activation of manual switching in different constructions may be performed by pressing the petals or by selecting this mode on the main selector. If the chauffeers are not used by the driver for a certain period of time, some systems may automatically switch the box to automatic switching.
Sub-petals for ICCP
Until recently, when you mention the bashers, you don't have to think about what type of gearbox you're talking about. However, the engineers of the American company Master Shift changed the rules of the game. In 2012, the SEMA show in Las Vegas was presented with a system that allows to replace a manual transmission with electronic bridesmage petals. The car remains with three pedals, but the MCP is not used. The point of invention is that the transmission unit is connected to the box through the interposers. The clutch pedal shall be fitted with a sensor that records the closure of the clutch disks. The right gear is selected by the petal, then the electronics is waiting for the clutch, and as soon as the disconnection is performed, the electric power train fails the necessary steps and the driver flushes the disks, the pedal leave.
Developers have special systems that lock the electric power train when they choose to reverse the drive forward at a speed of over 1.6 km/h.
It is possible that soon the vehicles with such a gearshift system will be produced in serial production.
