Engine fuel control for completing shifts in controller-assisted, manually shifted transmission

• US 5,989,155 A
• Filed: 04/01/1998
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Wadas, David L., Gualtieri, Sharon L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, Dirk
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kwon, Peter T.
• Application Number:
  US09/053,092
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 477/109, 477/111, 477/121, 701/54, 701/62, 701/58
• US Class Current: 477/111
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/111 with separate change-speed gear trains arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0652 Speed change rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1015 Input shaft speed, e.g. turbine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/104 Output speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1045 Output speed change rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/19 Improvement of gear change, e.g. by synchronisation or smoothing gear shift
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/702 using electric or electrohydraulic control means
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/502 for smoothing gear shifts

Abstract

A control for enhanced manual shifting in a computer (48) -assisted vehicular compound transmission having a main section (16A) shifted by a manually operated shift lever (31) and an engine fuel controller (36). Engine fueling will be in accordance with the operator-set throttle pedal position (THL) unless the control logic determines that such fueling will prevent acceptable engagement of a target gear ratio (GR_T), in which case engine fueling will be automatically controlled to complete the shift.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a vehicular control unit-assisted, manually shifted transmission system during an operator attempt to engage a target gear ratio (GR_T), said transmission system comprising an operator-set fuel throttle demand device for providing a signal indicative of operator engine fueling demand (THL), a fuel-controlled engine, an engine controller for controlling the supply of fuel to the engine in response to command signals, said engine controller having at least one mode of operation wherein engine fueling is provided in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device and at least one mode of operation wherein engine fueling is provided to achieve a requested engine speed (ES) value, a mechanical change-gear transmission having an input shaft driven by said engine, an output shaft and defining a plurality of selectively engaged and disengaged gear ratios for providing various ratios of input shaft rotational speed to output shaft rotational speed (IS/OS), said gear ratios engaged by engaging at least a selected set of positive jaw clutch members, said control unit receiving input signals indicative of vehicle operating conditions including at least one of (i) throttle demand device setting (THL), (ii) engine rotational speed (ES), (iii) input shaft rotational speed (IS) and (iv) output shaft rotational speed (OS) and processing same according to logic rules to issue command signals to at least said engine controller, said method comprising the steps of:

determining if the operator is attempting to engage a specific target gear ratio (GR_T);

determining if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio;

if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will not prevent engagement of said target gear ratio, commanding the engine controller to fuel said engine in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device; and

if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio, commanding said engine controller to cease fueling said engine in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device and instead to fuel said engine to achieve a requested engine speed value determined to allow engagement of said target ratio.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said control unit is microprocessor-based.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said requested engine speed value is determined as a function of the numerical values of the target gear ratio and of output shaft rotational speed.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio is a function of three or more of engine speed, rate of change of engine speed, output shaft speed, rate of change of output shaft speed, and throttle demand device setting.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said transmission is a compound transmission having a main transmission section connected in series with an auxiliary transmission section, said main transmission section shifted by an operator-manipulated shift lever.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said transmission comprises a main transmission section and a splitter section, said engine controller commanded to fuel said engine to achieve a requested engine speed determined to allow engagement of said target ratio only if the main section is engaged and the splitter section is not engaged.

7. A vehicular control unit-assisted, manually shifted transmission system comprising an operator-set fuel throttle demand device for providing a signal indicative of operator engine fueling demand (THL), a fuel-controlled engine, an engine controller for controlling the supply of fuel to the engine in response to command signals, said engine controller having at least one mode of operation wherein engine fueling is provided in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device and at least one mode of operation wherein engine fueling is provided to achieve a requested engine speed (ES) value, a mechanical change-gear transmission having an input shaft driven by said engine, an output shaft and defining a plurality of selectively engaged and disengaged gear ratios for providing various ratios of input shaft rotational speed to output shaft rotational speed, said gear ratios engaged by engaging at least a selected set of positive jaw clutch members, said control unit receiving input signals indicative of vehicle operating conditions including at least one of (i) throttle demand device setting (THL), (ii) engine rotational speed (ES), (iii) input shaft rotational speed (IS) and (iv) output shaft rotational speed (OS) and processing same according to logic rules to issue command signals to at least said engine controller, said system comprising:

means for determining if the operator is attempting to engage a specific target gear ratio (GR_T);

means for determining if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio;

means effective, if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will not prevent engagement of said target gear ratio, for commanding the engine controller to fuel said engine in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device; and

means effective, if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio, for commanding said engine controller to cease fueling said engine in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device and instead to fuel said engine to achieve a requested engine speed value determined to allow engagement of said target ratio.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said control unit is microprocessor based.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein said requested engine speed value is determined as a function of the numerical values of the target gear ratio and of output shaft rotational speed.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein determining if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio is a function of three or more of engine speed, rate of change of engine speed, output shaft speed, rate of change of output shaft speed, and throttle demand device setting.

11. The system of claim 7 therein said transmission is a compound transmission having a main transmission section connected in series with an auxiliary transmission section, said main transmission section shifted by an operator-manipulated shift lever.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein said transmission comprises a main transmission section and a splitter section, said engine controller commanded to fuel said engine to achieve a requested engine speed determined to allow engagement of said target ratio only if the main section is engaged and the splitter section is not engaged.

13. A computer program product for controlling a vehicular control unit-assisted, manually shifted transmission system during an operator attempt to engage a target gear ratio (GR_T), said transmission system comprising an operator-set fuel throttle demand device for providing a signal indicative of operator engine fueling demand (THL), a fuel-controlled engine, an engine controller for controlling the supply of fuel to the engine in response to command signals, said engine controller having at least one mode of operation wherein engine fueling is provided in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device and at least one mode of operation wherein engine fueling is provided to achieve a requested engine speed (ES) value, a mechanical change-gear transmission having an input shaft driven by said engine, an output shaft and defining a plurality of selectively engaged and disengaged gear ratios for providing various ratios of input shaft rotational speed to output shaft rotational speed, said gear ratios engaged by engaging at least a selected set of positive jaw clutch members, said control unit receiving input signals indicative of vehicle operating conditions including at least one of (i) throttle demand device setting (THL), (ii) engine rotational speed (ES), (iii) input shaft rotational speed (IS) and (iv) output shaft rotational speed (OS) and processing same according to logic rule codes to issue command signals to at least said engine controller, said product having logic rule codes for:

determining if the operator is attempting to engage a specific target gear ratio (GR_T);

determining if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio;

if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will not prevent engagement of said target gear ratio, commanding the engine controller to fuel said engine in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device; and

if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio, commanding said engine controller to cease fueling said engine in accordance with said operator-set fuel throttle demand device and instead to fuel said engine to achieve a requested engine speed value determined to allow engagement of said target ratio.

14. The product of claim 13 wherein said control unit is microprocessor based.

15. The product of claim 13 wherein said requested engine speed value is determined as a function of the numerical values of the target gear ratio and of output shaft rotational speed.

16. The product of claim 13 wherein determining if current engine speed and throttle demand device setting will prevent engagement of said target gear ratio is a function of three or more of engine speed, rate of change of engine speed, output shaft speed, rate of change of output shaft speed, and throttle demand device setting.

17. The product of claim 13 wherein said transmission is a compound transmission having a main transmission section connected in series with an auxiliary transmission section, said main transmission section shifted by an operator-manipulated shift lever.

18. The product of claim 13 wherein said transmission comprises a main transmission section and a splitter section, said engine controller commanded to fuel said engine to achieve a requested engine speed determined to allow engagement of said target ratio only if the main section is engaged and the splitter section is not engaged.