Method for directing an up-shift operation for a vehicle having a manual transmission

• US 4,752,883 A
• Filed: 09/27/1985
• Issued: 06/21/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Amano, Katsuhisa, Asakura, Masahiko, Ueda, Masahiro, Hasebe, Hiroshi, Shiina, Takanori, Kawanabe, Tomohiko, Kushida, Noritaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Gruber, Felix D.
• Application Number:
  US06/781,042
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 364/442, 364/424.1, 74/866, 73/117.3, 340/52 F
• US Class Current: 701/64
• 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 59/44 dependent on machine speed of the machine, e.g. the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/48 Inputs being a function of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/70 dependent on the ratio established
• 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 method for directing an up shift operation for a vehicle having an engine and a manual transmission generates a direction of an up-shift operation when the vehicle speed exceeds a reference speed determined for each gear position. The reference speed of a medium speed gear is varied according to the degree of acceleration at the time of the previous up-shift operation. If the up-shift operation from a low speed gear to the medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is not accelerating rapidly, the reference speed for an up shift operation from the medium speed gear is lowered. Further, if a cruising state of the vehicle with the medium speed gear after the acceleration is continued for more than a predetermined time period, the reference speed for an up-shift operation from the medium speed gear is also lowered.

Claims

1. A method for directing an up-shift operation for a vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a manual transmission of at least three forward gear positions comprising the steps of:

detecting whether an up-shift operation from a low speed gear to a medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is accelerating rapidly;

detecting whether or not a cruising state of the vehicle when the manual transmission is engaged at the medium speed gear has continued for more than a predetermined time period;

determining a reference speed of up-shift operation, if said cruising state has continued for more than the predetermined time period, in such a manner that when it is detected that the up-shift operation from the low speed gear to the medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is not accelerating rapidly, a level of said reference speed is determined to be lower than a level to be used in a case where the up-shift operation from the low speed gear to the medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is accelerating rapidly; and

generating a direction of up-shift operation when the vehicle speed exceeds said reference speed of up-shift operation.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

memorizing in a predetermined memory means a result of detection of said detecting whether an up-shift operation from a low speed gear to a medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is accelerating rapidly; and

resetting said result of detection when a low speed state or stopping of the vehicle is detected.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein a rapid acceleration of the vehicle is determined as a state in which a pressure within an intake manifold of said internal combustion engine is higher than a predetermined pressure level.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:

detecting a deceleration of the vehicle by means of a variation of the speed of the vehicle; and

stopping said generating of the direction of up-shift operation when the decceleration of the vehicle is detected.

5. The method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a deceleration of the vehicle by means of a variation of the speed of the vehicle; and

stopping said generating of the direction of up-shift operation when the deceleration of the vehicle is detected.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a rapid acceleration of the vehicle is determined as a state in which a pressure within an intake manifold of said internal combustion engine is higher than a predetermined pressure level.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a deceleration of the vehicle by means of a variation of the speed of the vehicle; and

stopping said generating of the direction of up-shift operation when the decelaration of the vehicle is detected.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a level of said reference speed is set differently depending on an engine temperature.

9. A method for directing an up-shift operation for a vehicle having an internal combustion engine and a manual transmission of at least three forward gear positions comprising the steps of;

detecting whether an up-shift operation from a low speed gear to a medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is accelerating rapidly;

detecting whether or not a cruising state of the vehicle when the manual transmission is engaged at the medium speed gear has continued for more than a predetermined time period;

determining a reference speed of up-shift operation, if said cruising state has continued for more than the predetermined time period, in such a manner that when it is detected that the up-shift operation from the low speed gear to the medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is not accelerating rapidly, a level of said reference speed is determined to be lower than a level to be used in a case wheren the up-shift operation from the low speed gear to the medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is accelerating rapidly;

generating a direction of up-shift operation when the vehicle speed exceeds said reference speed of up-shift operation; and

setting a level of reference speed from the medium speed gear to the high speed gear lower than a predetermined level when it is detected that the cruising of the vehicle has been continued for more than the predetermined time period.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein said level of reference speed from the medium speed gear to the high speed gear when the cruising of the vehicle has been continued for more than the predetermined time period is made equal to a level of the reference speed from the medium speed gear to the high speed gear set when an up-shift operation from the low speed gear to the medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is not accelerating rapidly.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, further comprising:

memorizing in a predetermined memory means a result of detection of said step for detecting whether an up-shift operation from a low speed gear to a medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is accelerating rapidly; and

resetting said result of detection when a low speed state or stopping of the vehicle is detected.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein a rapid acceleration of the vehicle is determined as a state in which a pressure within an intake manifold of said internal combustion engine is higher than a predetermined pressure level.

13. The method as set forth in claim 9, further comprising:

memorizing in a predetermined memory means a result of detection of said detecting whether an up-shift operation from a low speed gear to a medium speed gear is effected while the vehicle is accelerating rapidly; and

resetting said result of detection when a low speed state or stopping of the vehicle is detected.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein a rapid acceleration of the vehicle is determined as a state in which a pressure within an intake manifold of said internal combustion engine is higher than a predetermined pressure level.

15. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein a rapid acceleration of the vehicle is determined as a state in which a pressure within an intake manifold of said internal combustion engine is higher than a predetermined pressure level.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein a rapid acceleration of the vehicle is determined as a state in which a pressure within an intake manifold of said internal combustion engine is higher than a predetermined pressure level.