METHOD FOR CONTROL AND/OR REGULATION OF A MOTOR VEHICLE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ACCORDING TO DRIVING ROUTE SLOPE

• US 20100017082A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Wolfgang, Werner, Wengert, Bertram, Winkel, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,623 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/65
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/0809 Driver authorisation; Driver identity check
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/142 of driving resistance calculated from weight, slope, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/663 Road slope
• 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 59/66 Road conditions, e.g. slope, slippery
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals

Abstract

A method for controlling and/or regulating an automatic transmission of a vehicle, depending on the driving route slope in which a winding mountain pass road detection is carried out, depending upon a topography of the driving route, in such a way that a time for either setting or resetting winding mountain pass road detection is determined.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A method of managing an automatic transmission of a vehicle depending on a driving route incline, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a winding mountain pass road depending, on a topography of the driving route, and

determining, a point in time, for either setting or resetting winding mountain pass road detection.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of either activating or deactivating a predetermined function, depending on the determined point in time, for either setting or resetting winding mountain pass road detection

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of determining either the setting or resetting of winding mountain pass road detection depending on at least one of a driving resistance (f_fw) of the vehicle and a pitch angle (alpha) of the driving route.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of defining a first limit value (f_fw_passf_on) and a second limit value (f_fw_passf_off) for the driving resistance for detecting the winding mountain pass road.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of starting a first time counter (t_passf_zz), when the driving resistance (f_fw) rises above the first limit value (f_fw_passf_on) and freezing the first time counter (t_passf_zz), when the driving resistance (f_fw) drops below the first limit value (f_fw_passf_on).

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of setting winding mountain pass road detection when the first time counter (t_passf_zz) reaches either a value of zero or a predeterminable reference value.

36. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of defining a first limit value (alpha_hang_passf_on) and a second limit value (alpha_hang_passf_off) for pitch angle (alpha) of the driving route for detection of the winding mountain pass road.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising the step of starting a first time counter (t_passf_zz), when the pitch angle (alpha) rises above a first limit value (alpha_hang_passf_on), and freezing the first time counter (t_passf_zz) when the pitch angle (alpha) drops below the second limit value (alpha_hang_passf_off).

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising the step of setting the winding mountain pass road detection, when the first time counter (t_passf_zz) reaches either a value of zero or a predeterminable reference value.

39. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of resetting the winding mountain pass road detection, when respective conditions for setting the winding mountain pass road detection are present, and interchanging the first limit value (f_fw_passf_on, alpha_hang_passf_on) with the second limit value (f_fw_passf_off, alpha_hang_passf_off).

40. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of connecting the first limit values (f_fw_passf_on, alpha_hang_passf_on) by an OR function and the second limit values (f_fw_passf_off, alpha_hang_passf_off) by an AND function, to either set or reset the winding mountain pass road detection with the driving route detection depending either on a driving resistance (f_fw) of the vehicle and a pitch angle (alpha) of the driving route.

41. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of defining a first limit value (f_fw_res_passf_on) and a second limit value (f_fw_res passf_off) for a driving resistance (f_fw) to prevent setting of the winding mountain pass road detection.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising the step of starting a second time counter (t_res_passf_zz), when the driving resistance (f_fw) drops below the first limit value (f_fw_res_passf_on) and the first time counter (t_passf_zz) is already started and freezing the second time counter (t_res_passf_zz) when the driving resistance (f_fw) rises above the second limit value (f_fw_res_passf_off).

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising the step of initializing a first time counter (t_passf_zz) and the second time counter (t_res_passf_zz), when the second time counter (t_res_passf_zz) reaches either a value of zero or a predeterminable reference value.

44. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of defining a first limit value (alpha_hang_res_passf_on) and a second limit value (alpha_hang_res_passf_off) for a pitch angle (alpha) of the driving route to prevent setting of the winding mountain pass road detection.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising the step of freezing a second time counter (t_res_passf_zz) when the pitch angle (alpha) drops below the first limit value (alpha_res_passf_on) and the first time counter (t_passf_zz) is already started, when the pitch angle (alpha) rises above the second limit value (alpha_hang_res_passf_off).

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising the step of initializing the first time counter (t_passf_zz) and the second time counter (t_res_passf_zz) when the second time counter (t_res_passf_zz) reaches one of a value of zero and a predeterminable reference value.

47. The method of claim 41, further comprising the step of preventing resetting of the winding mountain pass road detection by interchanging the first limit value (f_fw_res_passf_on, alpha_hang_res_passf_on) with the second limit value (f_fw_res_passf_off, alpha_hang_res_passf_off).

48. The method of claim 41, further comprising the step of preventing setting of the winding mountain pass road detection with the driving route detection, depending on the driving resistance (f_fw) and the pitch angle (alpha), by connecting the first limit values (f_fw_res_passf_on, alpha_hang_res_passf_on) with an AND function and the second limit values (f_fw_res_passf_off, alpha_hang_res_passf_off) with an OR function.

49. The method of claim 45, further comprising the step of one of incrementing or decrementing the first time counter (t_passf_zz) and the second time counter (t_res_passf_zz) depending on at least one of a current driving resistance value and a current pitch angle value.

50. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of utilizing a respectively traveled driving route as parameter for the winding mountain pass road detection.

51. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of utilizing several driving route conditions as parameters for the winding mountain pass road detection.

52. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of, when an ignition is switched off, storing a current condition by the winding mountain pass road detection and loading the current condition again upon turning on the ignition.

53. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of carrying out the winding mountain pass road detection depending on a duration of stay of the vehicle on one of an uphill grade and a downhill grade.

54. The method of claim 53, further comprising the step of assessing a slope characteristic line (steig_passf_incr) on a basis of one of an occurring uphill grade and an occurring downhill grade via at least a further characteristic line (set_passf_incr, res_passf_incr).

55. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of adding one of increments and decrements predetermined by the further characteristic lines (set_passf_incr, res_passf_incr) depending on one of an occurring uphill grade and an occurring downhill grade by a counter starting from a start value (zlr_start_passf.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising the step of, when the counter reaches either a value of zero or a predetermined reference value, one of setting and resetting a marker (z_passf).

57. The method of claim 56, further comprising the step of setting the counter to the start value (zlr_start_passf).

58. The method of claim 55, further comprising the step of switching a specification of one of the increments and the decrements over either to the further characteristic line (set_passf_incr) for setting the winding mountain pass road detection or the further characteristic line (res_passf_incr) for resetting the winding mountain pass road detection.