Gearbox control device

• US 8,700,277 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Staudinger, Joachim, Sauter, Ingo, Kemler, Johannes, Wrthner, Maik
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US14/013,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20130345942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 229 Days
• Field of Search: 701/65, 701/95, 701/55, 701/51, 701/56, 701/58, 701/54, 701/61, 701/66, 701/67, 701/85, 701/86, 701/93, 701/101, 701/102, 701/103, 701/104, 701/105, 701/29.1, 701/29.5, 477/91, 477/80, 477900-905, 477/120, 477/132, 477/135, 477/187, 477/140, 477/15, 477/111, 477/50, 477/69, 477/76, 477/98, 477/117, 477/37, 477/97, 123/288, 123/258, 123/292, 123/321, 123/90.23, 123/90.4, 123/146, 123/336, 123/348, 123/47.AB, 123/65.V, 123/480, 735/93, 736/60, 738/20, 731/146.3, 7311441-11457, 732/041.9, 744/731, 745/67, 741/17, 748/21, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/142 of driving resistance calculated from weight, slope, or the like
• 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 2061/0216 Calculation or estimation of post shift values for different gear ratios, e.g. by using engine performance tables
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0234 Adapting the ratios to special vehicle conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/52 dependent on the weight of the machine, e.g. change in weight resulting from passengers boarding a bus
• 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 61/68 specially adapted for stepped gearings

Abstract

A transmission control device (6) for an automatic or automated transmission (2). A shifting strategy of the transmission control device (6) controls and/or regulates the operation of the transmission (2) based on driving condition data such as vehicle mass, driving resistance, vehicle inclination, vehicle velocity, vehicle acceleration, engine rotational speed and/or engine torque, and based on data about the driver'"'"'s wishes. The transmission control device (6) continuously calculates the driving condition data of the vehicle mass, driving resistance and/or vehicle inclination based on topographic data of a current position of the motor vehicle, and/or the shifting strategy determines a gear change from an actual gear into a target gear based on topographic data of a defined distance ahead of a motor vehicle. The defined distance ahead of the motor vehicle depends on the currently velocity of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A transmission control device for at least one of controlling and regulating operation of either an automatic or an automated transmission of a motor vehicle, the transmission control device comprising:

a shifting strategy which, is stored in the transmission control device, at least one of controls and regulates the operation of the transmission based on at least one of driving condition data, vehicle mass data, driving resistance data, vehicle inclination data, vehicle velocity data, vehicle acceleration data, engine rotational speed data, and engine torque data,

the transmission control device is configured to continuously calculate at least one of current driving condition data, the vehicle mass data, the driving resistance data and the vehicle inclination data based on topographic data of a current position of the motor vehicle,

the transmission control device, upon at least one of switching on an ignition and at a standstill of the motor vehicle with a switched on ignition, calibrates an inclination sensor based on the topographic data of the current position of the motor vehicle, and

the transmission control device calculates, from the topographic data of the current position of the motor vehicle, a current vehicle inclination, and with the current vehicle inclination corrects a measured value of the inclination sensor.

2. The transmission control device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control device, during travel of the motor vehicle, calculates a current driving resistance from the topographic data, of the current position of the motor vehicle, the current rolling resistance, the current aerodynamic resistance and from the vehicle mass data.

3. The transmission control device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission control device calculates the current rolling resistance from the topographic data of the current position of the motor vehicle, the current tractive force, the current aerodynamic resistance and from the current vehicle acceleration.

4. The transmission control device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission control device determines the current tractive force from a current engine torque and the current vehicle acceleration either by measurement or calculation from a current vehicle velocity.

5. The transmission control device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control device during travel of the motor vehicle, is configured to calculate a current vehicle mass from at least one of the topographic data, of the current position of the motor vehicle, a current aerodynamic resistance, a current rolling resistance, current vehicle acceleration and current tractive force.

6. The transmission control device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission control, device during a start-up of the motor vehicle from a standstill, calculates the current vehicle mass.