Device and method for controlling an automatic transmission during cornering

• US 10,030,767 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2014
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Riesenmey, Fabrice, Lopes, Sergio, Poujol, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Edwin A
• Application Number:
  US15/034,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20160348786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/12 including a device responsive to centrifugal forces centrifugal force acting on the vehicle due to the path it is following B60K31/0083, motor speed limiting by governors G05D13/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/064 Degree of grip
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/022 Stability in turns or during cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/1815 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/163 Holding the gear for delaying gear shifts under unfavorable conditions, e.g. during cornering
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/16 Inhibiting or initiating shift during unfavourable conditions, e.g. preventing forward reverse shift at high vehicle speed, preventing engine over speed unintentional control input F16H61/18
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/682 with interruption of drive

Abstract

A method for controlling an automatic transmission of a vehicle during cornering includes controlling opening of the transmission in response to movement of a control interface, the position data of which are transmitted to a calculation unit of the transmission by a communication network of the vehicle, based on a comparison of a measured or predicted transverse acceleration value of the vehicle with a transverse acceleration threshold calibrated as a radius of curvature of encountered or identified corners and speed and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle on the corners.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an automatic transmission of a vehicle during cornering, comprising:

controlling opening of the transmission in response to movement of a control interface, position data of which are transmitted to a calculation unit of the transmission by a communication network of the vehicle, based on a comparison of a measured or predicted transverse acceleration value of the vehicle with a transverse acceleration threshold calibrated as a radius of curvature of encountered or identified corners and speed and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle on the corners.

2. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening of the transmission is prevented when the measured transverse acceleration of the vehicle is greater than the calibrated threshold.

3. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 2, wherein the opening of the transmission is prevented when the vehicle enters hazardous regions identified on a route of the vehicle.

4. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 3, wherein the hazardous regions are identified as a function of an average radius of bends present on the route.

5. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 4, wherein the prevention of the opening of the transmission in the hazardous regions depends on an estimate of the transverse acceleration to which the vehicle will be submitted on the bends of the region.

6. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 5, wherein the transverse acceleration in the hazardous regions is estimated as a function of an average speed of the vehicle and predetermined braking gradients.

7. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 3, wherein the prevention of the opening of the transmission is suspended when leaving a hazardous region, or if the transverse acceleration returns below the calibrated threshold.

8. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movement of the control interface includes a gear selector of the transmission being moved from an engaged ratio position, or drive position, to a neutral or dead point position.

9. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 2, wherein the transmission is locked on a current ratio during the prevention of the opening of the transmission.

10. The method for controlling an automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1, wherein the calibrated transverse acceleration threshold is multiplied by a grip coefficient.