Vehicle control system for suppressing shift determinations at a corner using road data

• US 6,220,986 B1
• Filed: 07/31/1998
• Issued: 04/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ota, Takashi, Shiimado, Toshihiro, Aruga, Hideki, Iwatsuki, Kunihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Ta, Khoi Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/126,754
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 477/110, 477/97, 477/107, 477/109, 701/65, 701/53
• US Class Current: 477/97
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/666 Determining road conditions by using vehicle location or position, e.g. from global navigation systems [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/163 Holding the gear for delaying gear shifts under unfavorable conditions, e.g. during cornering
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/24 dependent on the throttle opening
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/44 dependent on machine speed of the machine, e.g. the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/58 dependent on signals from the steering
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/16 Inhibiting or initiating shift during unfavourable conditions, e.g. preventing forward reverse shift at high vehicle speed, preventing engine over speed unintentional control input F16H61/18

Abstract

A vehicle control system comprising a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the speed of a vehicle; a recommended gear stage determine device for determining a recommended gear stage of an automatic transmission based on the vehicle speed and road situation; an upper limit gear stage set device for setting an upper limit gear stage on the basis of the recommended gear stage; and a shift device for changing the speed at the upper limit gear stage. The recommended gear stage determine device includes a suppress device for suppressing the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage at a corner.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of a vehicle;

memory means for storing road information;

vehicle position detecting means for determining a vehicle position using said road information;

recommended gear stage determine means for determining a recommended gear stage of an automatic transmission corresponding to a road situation determined by the vehicle position on the basis of the road information and a vehicle speed;

upper limit gear stage set means for setting an upper limit gear stage on the basis of the recommended gear stage; and

shift means for changing a gear stage of the automatic transmission on the basis of the set upper limit gear stages, wherein said recommended gear stage determine means includes suppress means for suppressing the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage at a corner.

12. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein said recommended gear stage determine means includes suppress means for suppressing the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage at a corner.

2. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of a vehicle;

recommended gear stage determine means for determining a recommended gear stage of an automatic transmission based on a vehicle speed and a corner;

upper limit gear stage set means for setting an upper limit gear stage on the basis of the recommended gear stage; and

shift means for changing a gear stage of the automatic transmission on the basis of the set upper limit gear stage, wherein said recommended gear stage determine means includes suppress means for suppressing the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage at a corner, and said recommended gear stage determine means performs a hold control to keep the present gear stage when the vehicle speed exceeds a first set value, and a shift allowance control to determine a recommended gear stage to allow a downshift when the vehicle speed exceeds a second set value which is greater than the first value.

3. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of a vehicle;

recommended gear stage determine means for determining a recommended gear stage of an automatic transmission based on a vehicle speed and road situation;

upper limit gear stage set means for setting an upper limit gear stage on the basis of the recommended gear stage; and

shift means for changing a gear stage of the automatic transmission on the basis of the set upper limit gear stage, wherein said recommended gear stage determine means includes suppress means for suppressing the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage at a corner, said recommended gear stage determine means performs a hold control to keep the present gear stage when the vehicle speed exceeds a first set value, and a shift allowance control to determine a recommended gear stage to allow a downshift when the vehicle speed exceeds a second set value, and the suppress means suppresses the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage by widening the area of the hold control.

4. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of a vehicle;

recommended rear stage determine means for determining a recommended gear stage of an automatic transmission based on a vehicle speed and road situation;

upper limit gear stage set means for setting an upper limit gear stage on the basis of the recommended gear stage; and

shift means for changing a gear stage of the automatic transmission on the basis of the set upper limit gear stage, wherein said recommended gear stage determine means includes suppress means for suppressing the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage at a corner, and the suppress means suppresses the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage by widening the area of the shift control.

5. A vehicle control system, comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of a vehicle;

recommended gear stage determine means for determining a recommended gear stage of an automatic transmission based on a vehicle speed and road situation;

upper limit gear stage set means for setting an upper limit gear stage on the basis of the recommended gear stage;

shift means for changing a gear stage of the automatic transmission on the basis of the set upper limit gear stager; and

corner continuity decide means for deciding whether the corner continues, wherein said recommended gear stage determine means includes suppress means for suppressing the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage at a corner when the corner continues.

6. A recording medium including a plurality of programs, the plurality of programs stored in the recording medium comprising:

a program for determining a recommended gear stage of an automatic transmission based on a vehicle speed and a road situation including at least a corner;

a program for setting an upper limit gear stage on the basis of the recommended gear stage;

a program for changing a gear stage of the automatic transmission on the basis of the set upper limit gear stage; and

a program for suppressing the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage at a corner.

7. A vehicle control system including a recording medium for storing programs and data, comprising:

a speed sensor that outputs vehicle speed;

a position sensor that outputs signals related to vehicle position;

a processing unit that uses the output vehicle speed, a position determined from the signals from the position sensor and programs and data from the recording medium to;

determine a recommended gear stage based on the vehicle speed, position and pending road conditions that include an upcoming corner;

sets an upper limit gear stage based on the recommended gear stage;

changes a gear stage on the basis of the set upper limit gear stage; and

determines whether a length of the upcoming corner exceeds a predetermined value, and when so, suppresses the number of determinations of the recommended gear stage.

8. The vehicle control system according to claim 7, further performs a hold control to maintain the present gear stage when the vehicle speed is greater than a first value but less than a second value.

9. The vehicle control system according to claim 8, further recommended a down shift when the vehicle speed exceeds the second value.

10. The vehicle control system according to claim 8, adjusts a reference vehicle parameter to widen the hold control area thereby reducing the number of determinations.

11. The vehicle control system according to claim 9, adjusts a reference vehicle parameter to widen the area of shift allowance control thereby reducing the number of gear shifts.