Method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle with a gear-shift transmission
First Claim
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1. A method of controlling a motor vehicle with an engine, a clutch, a gear-shift transmission, and a control device;
- said control device being operable to detect when a gear shift is to be performed in the gear-shift transmission, said control device also being operable to detect a vehicle acceleration at which the motor vehicle is traveling, and said control device further being operable to change said vehicle acceleration to a different level;
the method comprising the steps of;
a) detecting when a gear shift is to be performed;
b) detecting the vehicle acceleration; and
c) prior to starting the gear shift, reducing the vehicle acceleration to a first acceleration level.
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Abstract
In a vehicle with a gear-shift transmission of a kind that requires a torque-free state to shift gears, the riding comfort is improved by a method of shifting gears where a gear shift is preceded by the steps of:
reducing the vehicle acceleration at a time t1 from an existing level (1) to a first acceleration level (3),
maintaining the vehicle acceleration at the reduced level (3) for a predetermined time interval, and
at the end point t3 of the predetermined time interval, reducing the acceleration further to a second acceleration level that is lower than the first level.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method of controlling a motor vehicle with an engine, a clutch, a gear-shift transmission, and a control device;
- said control device being operable to detect when a gear shift is to be performed in the gear-shift transmission, said control device also being operable to detect a vehicle acceleration at which the motor vehicle is traveling, and said control device further being operable to change said vehicle acceleration to a different level;
the method comprising the steps of;a) detecting when a gear shift is to be performed;
b) detecting the vehicle acceleration; and
c) prior to starting the gear shift, reducing the vehicle acceleration to a first acceleration level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 34)
in mode (a), the predetermined time interval corresponds substantially to one-fourth of said drive-train oscillation period, in mode (b), the predetermined time interval is longer than said drive-train oscillation period, and in mode (c), the predetermined time interval is shorter than one-fourth of said drive-train oscillation period and a time interval for disengaging the clutch corresponds substantially to one-fourth of the chatter-vibration period.
- said control device being operable to detect when a gear shift is to be performed in the gear-shift transmission, said control device also being operable to detect a vehicle acceleration at which the motor vehicle is traveling, and said control device further being operable to change said vehicle acceleration to a different level;
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25. The motor vehicle of claim 15, wherein the drive train can be excited into a drive train oscillation with a drive-train oscillation period, and the drive train can further be excited into a chatter vibration with a chatter-vibration period, said drive-train oscillation period and said chatter-vibration period being specific to a gear level at which the transmission is operating;
- wherein the control device comprises means for issuing a clutch command to the clutch-actuator device to disengage the clutch and for issuing an out-shift command to the transmission-actuator to shift the transmission out of gear in accordance with one of the modes (a), (b), (c), so that;
in mode (a), the predetermined time interval corresponds substantially to one-fourth of said drive-train oscillation period, whereupon the control device issues at least one of the clutch command and the out-shift command;
in mode (b), the predetermined time interval is longer than said drive-train oscillation period, whereupon the control device issues at least one of the clutch command and the out-shift command;
in mode (c), the predetermined time interval is shorter than one-fourth of said drive-train oscillation period, whereupon the control device issues the clutch command and, after a further time interval of substantially one-fourth of the chatter-vibration period, issues the out-shift command.
- wherein the control device comprises means for issuing a clutch command to the clutch-actuator device to disengage the clutch and for issuing an out-shift command to the transmission-actuator to shift the transmission out of gear in accordance with one of the modes (a), (b), (c), so that;
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26. The motor vehicle of claim 15, wherein the gear-shift transmission is automated.
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27. The motor vehicle of claim 26, comprising an indicator device to alert a driver when a gear shift is imminent.
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28. The motor vehicle of claim 27, wherein the indicator device comprises at least one of a group that consists of acoustic, optical, and haptic indicator devices.
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34. The method of claim 18, wherein the control device initiates step c) by sending to the engine a signal to reduce the torque to said first level dependent on the engine torque detected in step b) and further dependent on substantially one-half of said drive-train oscillation period.
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29. A method of controlling a motor vehicle by means of a control device;
- said motor vehicle having a drive train that includes an engine, a gear-shift transmission of a kind that has to be in a torque-free state to shift gears, and an engageable and disengageable clutch between the gear-shift transmission and the engine;
the method comprising the steps of;a) detecting when a gear shift is to be performed;
b) detecting an engine torque delivered by the engine;
c) prior to starting the gear shift, reducing the engine torque to a first torque level;
d) maintaining the first torque level for a predetermined time interval;
e) reducing the torque further after the predetermined time interval has elapsed; and
f) initiating the gear shift. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
- said motor vehicle having a drive train that includes an engine, a gear-shift transmission of a kind that has to be in a torque-free state to shift gears, and an engageable and disengageable clutch between the gear-shift transmission and the engine;
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40. A method of controlling a motor vehicle by means of a control device;
- said motor vehicle having a drive train that includes an engine, an automated gear-shift transmission with a transmission-actuator device, and an engageable and disengageable clutch with a clutch-actuator device between the automated gear-shift transmission and the engine;
the method comprising the steps of;a) detecting when a gear shift is to be performed;
b) detecting an engine torque delivered by the engine;
c) prior to starting the gear shift, reducing the torque to a first torque level;
d) maintaining the first torque level for a predetermined time interval;
e) reducing the torque further after the predetermined time interval has elapsed; and
f) initiating the gear shift. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
condition (a) requiring the predetermined time interval to correspond substantially to one-fourth of said drive-train oscillation period, condition (b) requiring the predetermined time interval to be longer than said drive-train oscillation period, and condition (c) requiring the predetermined time interval to be shorter than one-fourth of said drive-train oscillation period and simultaneously requiring a time interval for disengaging the clutch to correspond substantially to one-fourth of the chatter-vibration period.
- said motor vehicle having a drive train that includes an engine, an automated gear-shift transmission with a transmission-actuator device, and an engageable and disengageable clutch with a clutch-actuator device between the automated gear-shift transmission and the engine;
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42. The method of claim 40, wherein the drive train can be excited into a drive train oscillation with a drive-train oscillation period, and the drive train can further be excited into a chatter vibration with a chatter-vibration period, said drive-train oscillation period and said chatter-vibration period being specific to a gear level at which the transmission is operating, wherein the control device is operable to send a clutch command to the clutch-actuator device to disengage the clutch and to send an out-shift command to the transmission actuator to shift the transmission out of gear, and wherein the control device controls the engine in a manner meeting one of the conditions (a), (b), (c), so that;
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under condition (a), the predetermined time interval corresponds substantially to one-fourth of said drive-train oscillation period, whereupon the control device issues at least one of the clutch command and the out-shift command;
under condition (b), the predetermined time interval is longer than said drive-train oscillation period, whereupon the control device issues at least one of the clutch command and the out-shift command;
under condition (c), the predetermined time interval is shorter than one-fourth of said drive-train oscillation period, whereupon the control device issues the clutch command and, after a further time interval of substantially one-fourth of the chatter-vibration period, issues the out-shift command.
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43. The method of claim 40, wherein the drive train can be excited into a drive train oscillation with a drive-train oscillation period, said drive-train oscillation being specific to a gear level at which the transmission is operating, and wherein the predetermined time interval is substantially equal to one-half of the drive-train oscillation period.
Specification