Shifting Point Display in a Motor Vehicle Having a Manual Transmission

• US 20080242504A1
• Filed: 06/11/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: KRAEMER, Gerd, Croci, Alberto
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/120
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2063/426 with means for advising the driver for proper shift action, e.g. prompting the driver with allowable selection range of ratios
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/42 Ratio indicator devices

Abstract

A shifting point display for indicating shift advice is provided in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission and a control unit for the continuous determination of a current operating point of the motor vehicle. At least one characteristic upshift indication curve or a characteristic downshift indication curve is stored in an electronic memory. An upshift indication or a downshift indication is displayed when the characteristic upshift indication curve or the characteristic downshift indication curve is reached by the current operating point and a currently differently engaged gear. The upshift indication or the downshift indication is indicated until the driver has carried out a corresponding upshift operation or downshift operation or until the current operating point has reached and/or fallen below a characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve that is smaller than the characteristic upshift indication curve, or has reached and/or exceeded a characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve that is greater than the characteristic downshift indication curve.

Claims

1. A system for providing shifting advice in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission and a control unit for determining a current operating point of the motor vehicle, the system comprising:

an electronic memory having stored therein at least one characteristic upshift indication curve;

a determination unit that outputs an upshift indication when the current operating point of the motor vehicle reaches the characteristic upshift indication curve; and

wherein the upshift indication is output to the driver until the driver carries out an upshift operation or until the current operating point at least one of reaches and falls below a characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve that is smaller than the characteristic upshift indication curve.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the upshift indication is indicated only up to a predefined gear difference between a current gear and an optimal gear for the motor vehicle determined from the current operating point, wherein the predefined gear difference is, at a minimum, one gear.

2. A system for providing shifting advice in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission and a control unit for determining a current operating point of the motor vehicle, the system comprising:

an electronic memory having stored therein at least one characteristic downshift indication curve;

a determination unit that outputs a downshift indication when the current operating point of the motor vehicle reaches the characteristic downshift indication curve; and

wherein the downshift indication is output to the driver until the driver carries out a downshift operation or until the current operating point at least one of reaches and exceeds a characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve that is greater than the characteristic downshift indication curve.

3. A system for providing shifting advice in a motor vehicle having a manual transmission and a control unit for determining a current operating point of the motor vehicle, the system comprising:

an electronic memory having stored therein at least one characteristic upshift indication curve and at least one characteristic downshift indication curve;

a determination unit that outputs an upshift indication when the current operating point of the motor vehicle reaches the characteristic upshift indication curve and outputs a downshift indication when the current operating point reaches the characteristic downshift indication curve;

wherein the upshift indication is output to the driver until the driver carries out an upshift operation or until the current operating point at least one of reaches and falls below a characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve that is smaller than the characteristic upshift indication curve; and

wherein the downshift indication is output to the driver until the driver carries out a downshift operation or until the current operating point at least one of reaches and exceeds a characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve that is greater than the characteristic downshift indication curve.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the characteristic upshift indication curve and a pertaining characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve, and the characteristic downshift indication curve and a pertaining characteristic downshift indication hysteresis curve, is stored in the electronic memory for more than one gear of the motor vehicle.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the current operating point is determined as a function of a rotational output speed and a load signal.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the at least one of the characteristic upshift indication curve and the characteristic downshift indication curve is stored as a function of the rotational output speed and the load signal.

8. The system according to claim 3, wherein, for several stored characteristic upshift indication curves, an upshift indication is displayed that is assigned to a maximally reached characteristic upshift indication curve, or wherein for several stored characteristic downshift indication curves, a downshift indication is displayed that is assigned to a maximally reached characteristic downshift indication curve.

9. The system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the upshift indication and the downshift indication is suppressed when the motor vehicle is in one of a:

downhill operation, cornering, non-frictional connection between a drive unit and the transmission of the vehicle, and an engaged reverse gear of the vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 3, wherein the upshift indication is suppressed when a brake of the vehicle is operated.

11. The system according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the characteristic upshift indication curve and the characteristic downshift indication curve is based upon an optimal fuel consumption characteristic.

12. A method for providing a shift indication to a driver of a motor vehicle having a manual transmission, the method comprising the acts of:

storing at least one characteristic upshift or downshift indication curve in the vehicle;

determining a current operating point of the vehicle;

when the current operating point reaches one of the characteristic upshift or downshift indication curves, outputting a shifting indication to the driver; and

maintaining the output shifting indication to the driver until the current operating point reaches or falls below a characteristic upshift indication hysteresis curve that is smaller than the characteristic upshift indication curve or the current operating point reaches or exceeds a characteristic downshift hysteresis curve that is greater than the characteristic downshift indication curve.