Method and device for controlling a work function of a vehicle and a work vehicle comprising the control device

• US 7,742,863 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Construction Equipment Holding Sweden AB
• Original Assignee: Volvo Construction Equipment Holding Sweden AB
• Inventors: Brattberg, Bjorn
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amin; Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US11/308,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/40, 701/42, 701/43, 701/51, 701/58, 701/60, 701/61, 701/65, 701/50
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2253 Controlling the travelling speed of vehicles, e.g. adjusting travelling speed according to implement loads, control of hydrostatic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/088 Fast forward-reverse-sequence mode
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0227 Shift map selection, i.e. methods for controlling selection between different shift maps, e.g. to initiate switch to a map for up-hill driving
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals

Abstract

A method for controlling the gears of a vehicle that has an automatic transmission that is arranged to change gear according to a plurality of gear modes that differ in that changing to a higher gear is carried out at different minimum engine speeds or, if the changing is carried out steplessly, with different degrees of gearing, with the transmission having a forward gear position for driving the vehicle forwards and a reverse gear position for driving the vehicle backwards, comprising detection of an operating parameter and, in response to this production of a parameter signal for a control unit, selection, that is carried out by the control unit, of one of the gear modes on the basis of the parameter signal'"'"'s value. The parameter signal represents the total distance that the vehicle has been driven during an individual sequence with at least one of the forward gear position and the reverse gear position.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a work function of a vehicle having an automatic transmission that has a forward gear position for driving the vehicle forwards and a reverse gear position for driving the vehicle backwards, comprising:

determining a distance that the vehicle has been driven during at least one sequence of a plurality of sequences after a first sequence of the plurality of sequences, the transmission being in one of the forward gear position or the reverse gear position for the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences; and

for the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences, identifying a desired gear mode depending upon the distance that the vehicle has been driven during the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gear modes differ in that changing to a higher gear takes place at different minimum engine speeds.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising determining distances driven during each of a plurality of consecutive sequences, comparing the distances driven, and identifying a desired gear mode based on a longest distance driven.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising, upon commencement of driving the vehicle, arranging the control unit to select a highest gear mode, and changing to a higher gear at a lowest minimum engine speed of all the gear modes.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising continuously determining a distance driven during an ongoing sequence with the transmission in the forward gear position or the reverse gear position, and, when the distance driven exceeds a greatest distance for immediately preceding sequences, changing to a next higher gear mode.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gear modes differ in that changing down to a lower gear is carried out at different minimum speeds.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, comprising detecting a plurality of respective total distances that the vehicle is driven during respective individual sequences in one of each of the forward gear position and the reverse gear position, and controlling the gear mode based on a plurality of the detected total distances'"'"' values.

20. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one sequence is a single sequence.

22. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one sequence comprises a sequence in which the transmission is in the forward gear position and a sequence in which the transmission is in the reverse gear position.

23. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the identified gear mode is selected during a sequence subsequent to the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences.

7. A computer readable medium comprising a computer program comprising software code for carrying out steps in a method for controlling a work function of a vehicle having an automatic transmission that has a forward gear position for driving the vehicle forwards and a reverse gear position for driving the vehicle backwards when the program is run on a computer, the program carrying out the steps of:

determining a distance that the vehicle has been driven during at least one sequence of a plurality of sequences after a first sequence of the plurality of sequences, the transmission being in one of the forward gear position or the reverse gear position for the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences; and

for the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences, identifying a desired gear mode depending upon the distance that the vehicle has been driven during the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences.

8. A computer program product comprising the computer program comprising the software code as set forth in claim 7, the computer program product being stored on a medium that can be read by a computer.

9. A device for controlling a work function of a vehicle having an automatic transmission that has a forward gear position for driving the vehicle forwards and a reverse gear position for driving the vehicle backwards, comprising:

a control arrangement including at least one sensor, the control arrangement being arranged to determine a distance that the vehicle has been driven during at least one sequence of a plurality of sequences after a first sequence of the plurality of sequences, the transmission being in one of the forward gear position or the reverse gear position for the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences, and the control arrangement being arranged to change gear in the transmission according to a plurality of gear modes and, for the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences, to identify a desired gear mode based on the distance that the vehicle has been driven during the at least one sequence of the plurality of sequences.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the gear modes differ in that corresponding changes to a higher gear take place at different minimum engine speeds.

11. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the distance driven for an individual sequence is the distance driven for the individual sequence with the forward gear position or the distance driven for the individual sequence with the reverse gear position.

12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control unit is arranged to collect from the sensor a distance driven from each of a plurality of consecutive sequences and the control unit is arranged to compare the distances driven and identify the gear mode based on a longest distance driven.

13. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit is arranged to identify a highest gear mode when driving of the vehicle commences, and to change to a higher gear at a lowest minimum engine speed of all of the gear modes.

14. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sensor is arranged, during an ongoing sequence with the transmission in the forward gear position or the reverse gear position, to continually determine a distance driven, and the control unit is arranged, when the distance driven exceeds a largest distance for immediately preceding sequences, to change to a next higher gear mode.

15. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the gear modes differ in that changing down to a lower gear is carried out at different minimum speeds.

16. The device as claimed in claim 9, comprising a sensor for detecting a selected forward or reverse gear, the gear sensor being arranged to produce a parameter signal for the control unit with information concerning a selected gear.

17. A work vehicle comprising a device as claimed in claim 9.

19. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the sensor is arranged to detect a plurality of respective total distances that the vehicle is driven during respective individual sequences in one of each of the forward gear position and the reverse gear position, and the control unit is arranged to control the gear mode based on values of a plurality of the plurality of total distances.

21. The method as set forth in 20, wherein the transmission is in the forward gear position during the single sequence.