Hyundai and Kia invent gearbox that shifts using road and internet data

MANILA: Hyundai and Kia have collaborated to develop a gearbox that uses input from the driver, road conditions, and in a world’s first, information and communication technology (ICT).

Called the ICT Connected Shift System, both automakers plan to use it in future Hyundais and Kias but have already filed close to 40 major patents in South Korea and abroad.

Some modern gearboxes are already equipped to change gears based on road conditions and driver input, but the ICT Connected Shift System does one better by using artificial intelligence algorithm installed in its Transmission Control Unit (TCU).

Collecting and interpreting real-time input from online traffic databases, and using 3D navigation by way of cameras and radar, the TCU calculates elevation, gradient, curvature, and a variety of road events, speed and distance between vehicles, lane information, as well as current traffic conditions.

This allows the gearbox to find the optimal shift scenario for real-time driving situations. For example, when a relatively long slowdown is expected and radar detects no speed irregularities with the car ahead, the transmission clutch temporarily switches to neutral mode to improve fuel efficiency.

When Hyundai and Kia tested a vehicle with an ICT Connected Shift System on a heavily curved road, the frequency of shifts in cornering was reduced by approximately 43 percent compared to vehicles without the system. Accordingly, the system also reduced the frequency of brake operation by approximately 11 percent, thereby minimizing driving fatigue and brake wear.

When rapid acceleration was required to enter a highway, the driving mode automatically switched to Sport Mode at the merge, making it easier to join the traffic flow. After merging with traffic, the vehicle automatically returned to its original driving mode, enabling safe and efficient driving.

Engine brakes kick in upon release of the accelerator pedal after the TCU detected speed bumps, downhill slopes and location of the speed limit change on the road.

The ICT Connected Shift System is also autonomous driving-ready and is designed to accommodate modification to work with self-driving vehicles.

Furthermore, both companies plan to make the ICT Connected Shift System work with traffic signals based on LTE or 5G communication and identify drivers’ tendencies, resulting in further refinement of gear-shift control.

“Vehicles are evolving beyond simple mobility devices into smart mobility solutions. Even a traditional area of the automobile, such as the powertrain, is becoming a high-tech technology optimized for smart mobility through efforts to integrate ICT and artificial intelligence technologies,” said Byeong Wook Jeon, head of Intelligent Drivetrain Control Research Lab.

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