Device for inclination determination and arrangement for the setting of a driver command

• US 7,092,807 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2001
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Voith Turbo GmbH & Company KG (Voith GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Voith Turbo GmbH & Company KG (Voith GmbH)
• Inventors: Bürk, Richard, Dietzel, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/344,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/51, 701/65, 731/05, 731/46
• US Class Current: 701/65
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/663 Road slope
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/62 Atmospheric pressure
• 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: G01P 15/008 by using thermal pick-up

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the determination of the inclination of the roadway in a vehicle, with an arrangement (4), for at least the indirect determination of parameters, which at least indirectly characterize the inclination of the roadway. Said arrangement (4), for the at least indirect determination of parameters which at least indirectly characterize the inclination of the roadway, forms a construction unit (5) with a device (1) which may be operated by the driver for setting a driver command which alters or sets the driving state of a gearbox unit.

Claims

1. A device for operating a vehicle transmission, comprising:

a computation unit,

a transmission control unit operated by the computation unit;

a first device configured to sense a variable from which inclination of a roadway can be determined and to communicate a first signal representing the variable to the computation unit; and

a second device operable by a driver to select a driving state for the transmission, and to communicate a second signal representing the selected driving state to the computation unit, the computation unit being operative to process the first and second signals and thereby to control operation of the transmission;

wherein the first and second devices and at least a part of the computation unit are arranged in a common housing, or in two housings mounted one on the other, to form a compact and easily exchangeable structural unit, the structural unit being arranged within reach of the driver, whereby the first device is substantially protected from factors that may influence the operation thereof.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second devices include respective housings having respective flanges, the first and second devices being connected to one another by the respective flanges to form the structural unit.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is at least partially integrated into the second device to form the structural unit.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first device includes a pressure sensor to sense the air pressure.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first device includes at least one temperature sensor to sense an air temperature, the air pressure being sensed in accordance with the sensed air temperature.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the first device includes a hermetically sealed housing and a sensor unit arranged inside the housing, the sensor unit including a bridge, at least two temperature sensors connected to one another via the bridge, and a heating element arranged between the two temperature sensors, wherein the sensor unit is configured to sense the variable that at least indirectly characterizes the inclination of the roadway in accordance with a thermal convection of an air flow within the housing.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the temperature sensors include respective silicon webs and respective resistance measuring devices assigned to the respective silicon webs, wherein the temperature sensors are configured to sense the air temperature in accordance with a respective current flow through the respective resistance measuring devices.

8. The device according to claim 4, wherein the first device receives a third variable characterizing a route traveled by the vehicle, the first device being configured to determine a length of the roadway in accordance with the third variable and configured to determine an altitude of the vehicle in accordance with the sensed air pressure, the first device determining the altitude at a time corresponding to two reference events to produce first and second altitude measurements, the first device configured to determine the inclination of the roadway in accordance with a difference between the first and second altitude measurements and the length of the roadway.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second device includes at least one actuation element of the transmission, the second device configured to produce a physical variable describing an actuation state of the actuation element to change the driving state of the vehicle.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the at least one actuation element includes at least one switching element, the second device configured to produce the physical variable in accordance with an actuation state of the switching element.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the structural unit includes the computation unit.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second device includes at least one pushbutton key switch configured to be operated by the driver of the vehicle.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the pushbutton key switch includes at least one of pressure switch, a toggle switch, and a manually operable lever.