System for controlling shift of vehicle

• US 9,182,035 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2014
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Jeong, Dong Hoon, Chang, Joseph D., Jeon, Byeong Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US14/502,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 59/66 Road conditions, e.g. slope, slippery
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0204 for gearshift control, e.g. control functions for performing shifting or generation of shift signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence

Abstract

A shift control apparatus for a vehicle may include a GPS sensor detecting a vehicle location, a navigation device outputting short-distance road information and long-distance road information using the vehicle location, a vehicle controller restoring forward road information using the short-distance road information and the long-distance road information, and determining a degree of curve and an average degree of inclination of a road using the forward road information, and a vehicle shifting unit having a shift controller controlling a shift pattern of a transmission using the degree of curve and the average degree of inclination.

Claims

1. A shift control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a GPS sensor detecting a vehicle location;

a navigation device outputting short-distance road information and long-distance road information using the vehicle location;

a vehicle controller restoring forward road information using the short-distance road information and the long-distance road information, and determining a degree of curve and an average degree of inclination of a road using the forward road information; and

a vehicle shifting unit having a shift controller controlling a shift pattern of a transmission using the degree of curve and the average degree of inclination.

2. The shift control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the navigation device sets a plurality of spots that are separated from each other with a regular interval on the road, and outputs a relative distance with respect to a first direction between the plurality of spots, a relative distance with respect to a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, and a relative altitude as the short-distance road information and the long-distance road information.

3. The shift control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the vehicle controller detects a driving direction of the vehicle using the relative distance with respect to the first and second directions, and determines the degree of curve and the degree of inclination using the driving direction of the vehicle.

4. The shift control apparatus of claim 3, wherein the vehicle controller determines the degree of curve according to a relative angle formed by a driving direction of the vehicle with respect to a first spot and a driving direction of the vehicle with respect to a second spot among the plurality of spots.

5. The shift control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the degree of curve c(i, j) of the second spot (j) at the first spot (i) is defined as given in an equation of

6. The shift control apparatus of claim 5, wherein the vehicle controller determines a direction of curve according to a sign of the relative angle as given in an equation of

sign(c(i,j))=sign(v(i)×

v(j)).

7. The shift control apparatus of claim 4, wherein an average degree of inclination r(i, j) between the first spot (i) and the second spot (j) is defined as given in an equation of

8. The shift control apparatus of claim 7, wherein an average degree of inclination of the road corresponding to the current vehicle location is defined as given in an equation of

9. The shift control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vehicle shifting unit comprises:

a memory unit storing a lookup table including gear stage information corresponding to the degree of curve and a speed of the vehicle, information of a gradient program to which a first shift pattern that corresponds to the average degree of inclination is programmed, and information on a shift program to which a second shift pattern that corresponds to operation of an acceleration pedal and a brake pedal of the vehicle is programmed; and

the shift controller controlling the transmission by extracting a gear stage from at least one of the lookup table, the gradient program information, and the shift program information according to the determined degree of curve and the average degree of inclination.

10. The shift control apparatus of claim 9, wherein the shift controller selects a lowest gear stage when an extracted gear stages are different from each other.