Simulation of a manual gearshift with a 2-DOF force-feedback joystick

A 2-DOF force-feedback joystick was employed to simulate the force response of a manual gearshift of car during drive. The control law is based on an hybrid model. A state machine determines the active state of the system, according to the simulation, and changes the parameters of the dynamical model. The operator can move the gearshift lever whether such a movement would be allowed in an actual transmission under similar circumstances. The obtained performance was compared to the experimental data, measured on a real car. The simulated and experimental results match satisfactorily and the joystick gives a realistic feel of an actual manual transmission.