Controller for automatic transmission

• US 20020013650A1
• Filed: 02/21/2001
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwase, Masakatsu, Unoki, Masamichi, Kusafuka, Muneo
• Granted Patent: US 6,571,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0057 Frequency analysis, spectral techniques or transforms
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/003 Detecting or using driving style of a driver, e.g. for adapting shift schedules
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/183 Rate of change of accelerator position, i.e. pedal or throttle change gradient
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/663 Road slope
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0081 Fuzzy logic
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0227 Shift map selection, i.e. methods for controlling selection between different shift maps, e.g. to initiate switch to a map for up-hill driving
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/163 Holding the gear for delaying gear shifts under unfavorable conditions, e.g. during cornering
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/18 dependent on the position of the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/66 Road conditions, e.g. slope, slippery
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals

Abstract

The disclosed automatic transmission controller is capable of changing shift timing set for non-flat roads in correspondence to a judged driver type. The automatic transmission controller executes a driver type judging routine SUB2 to generate a judgment output related to the driver type by monitoring the driving of the vehicle and judges the driver type based on the judgment output. Shift timing is changed in running a non-flat road to correspond to the judged driver type. The shift timing in running the non-flat road may be changed by changing from an uphill slope mode 1 shift map to an uphill slope mode 2 shift map corresponding to the driver type or by increasing an upshift inhibiting section of a single map.

Claims

1. An automatic transmission controller, capable of changing shift timing of a transmission, comprising:

road condition detection means for detecting a road condition and changing shift timing of a transmission in accordance with the detected road condition;

driver type judging means for generating a judgment output related to the type of driver by monitoring driving behavior and judging the driver type based on the judgment output;

shift timing changing means for changing the shift timing, which has been changed in accordance with the detected road condition, to correspond to the driver type judged by said driver type judging means; and

shift control means for controlling said transmission based on the shift timing which has been changed by said shift timing changing means.

3. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 1, wherein said driver type judging means judges the driver type separately for different road conditions.

4. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 3, wherein said different road conditions include flat roads and non-flat roads.

5. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 1, wherein said judgment output is a value on a scale whose lower and upper limits are defined by a first value and a second value which is greater than the first value.

6. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 1, wherein said judgment output is generated based on a verage vehicle speed, time during which throttle is held open to at least a predetermined extent and average speed of accelerator depression over a predetermined period of time.

7. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 1, wherein said driver type judging means judges the driver type as one of sport type, economy type and one or more types intermediate said sport and economy types, based on said judgment output.

8. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 1:

wherein said driver type judging means judges the driver type separately for a flat road and for a non-flat road;

wherein said judgment output is a value on a scale whose lower and upper limits are defined by a first value and a second value which is greater than the first value;

wherein said driver type judging means judges the driver type as one of a sport type, an economy type and one or more types intermediate said sport and economy types, based on said judgment output; and

wherein a reference value more to the sport type side is used to generate the judgment output when running a non-flat road rather than when running a flat road.

9. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 1, wherein said driver type judging means judges the driver type as one of at least two types including a sport type and an economy type based on said judgment output and said shift timing changing means changes the shift timing, which has been changed to correspond to said detected road condition, so that a low-speed side gear stage is more readily selected when the driver type is judged to be the sport type.

10. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 1, wherein said road condition is an uphill slope.

11. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 10, wherein said shift timing changing means stores a plurality of shift timings for uphill roads and selects a specific shift timing from among said plurality of shift timings based on the driver type judged by said driver type judging means to determine shift timing for running said uphill slope.

12. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 11, wherein said plurality of shift timings stored by changing means are stored as a corresponding plurality of shift maps, each showing different shift timings for running uphill, including a first uphill slope shift map and a second uphill slope shift map.

13. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 12, wherein said driver type judging means judges the driver type as one of at least into two types including a sport type and an economy type, based on said judgment output;

wherein the first uphill slope shift map is for running a steep uphill grade and the second uphill slope shift map is for running a moderate uphill grade less steep than said steep uphill grade; and

wherein said shift timing changing means always selects the steep uphill slope shift map when the driver type judged to be the sport type.

14. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 13, wherein the shift timing of said steep uphill slope shift map is set so that the low-speed side gear stage is more readily selected than in the shift timing for running a flat road when the driver type is the sport type.

15. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 1, wherein said road condition is a corner or curve to be turned.

16. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 15, wherein the change of the shift timing made by said shift timing changing means is a change of an upshift inhibiting section of a corner section of a shift map.

17. The automatic transmission controller according to claim 16, wherein said shift timing changing means changes said upshift inhibiting section in accordance with the grade in uphill running and in accordance with the driver type judged by said driver type judging means.

2. An automatic transmission controller capable of changing shift timing of a transmission, comprising:

driver type judging means for generating a judgment output related to the type of driver by monitoring driving behavior and for judging the driver type separately for driving behavior on an uphill slope and for driving behavior on a flat road, based on the judgment output;

shift timing changing means for changing the shift timing to correspond to the judged driver type; and

shift control means for controlling said transmission based on the shift timing which has been changed by said shift timing changing means.