Vehicle controls for determining optimal gear shifting opportunities using dynamically determined vehicle parameters

• US 9,694,826 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Sujan, Vivek A., Follen, Kenneth, Puri, Anant, Bellinger, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US14/976,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20170174220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0058 responsive to externally generated signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0657 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/16 Driving resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1882 characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/19 Improvement of gear change, e.g. by synchronisation or smoothing gear shift
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/12 Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/71 Manual or semi-automatic, e.g. automated manual transmissions

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods and systems comprising vehicle gear shifting controls are disclosed. One embodiment is a method comprising operating a vehicle system comprising an engine structured to output torque, a transmission structured to receive torque from the engine and output torque to one or more ground contacting wheels, and an electronic control system in operative communication with the engine and the transmission. The electronic control system is structured to estimate an engine load parameter using one or more dynamically determined vehicle operating parameters, set an engine load threshold using the engine load parameter, evaluate a current engine load relative to the engine load threshold, and selectably perform an operation to control or influence a shifting event in response to the evaluation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating a vehicle system comprising an engine structured to output torque, a manual transmission structured to receive torque from the engine and output torque to one or more ground contacting members, and an electronic control system in operative communication with the engine and the transmission, the electronic control system being structured to perform the acts of;

estimating an engine load parameter using one or more dynamically determined vehicle operating parameters,

setting an engine load threshold using one of the estimated engine load parameter and a predetermined calibratible value,

evaluating a current engine load relative to the engine load threshold,

evaluating an operator gear selection condition of the transmission,

if either the current engine load parameter exceeds the threshold or the operator gear selection is a top gear selection, imposing a first operating speed limit on the engine, and

if the current engine load parameter does not exceed the threshold and the operator gear selection is not a top gear selection, imposing an alternate operating speed limit on the engine, the alternate operating speed limit being lower than the first operating speed limit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

if the current engine load parameter does not exceed the threshold and the operator gear selection is a second-to-top gear selection, imposing and a second operating speed limit on the engine as the alternate operating speed limit, and

if the current engine load parameter does not exceed the threshold and the operator gear selection is lower than the second-to-top gear selection, imposing and a third operating speed limit as the alternate operating speed limit, the third operating speed limit being less than the second operating speed limit.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the engine load threshold changes dynamically with changes in the estimated engine load parameter.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the estimated engine load parameter is an estimated future engine load parameter.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the estimated future engine load parameter accounts for one or more of a future road grade, a future limit on vehicle speed, a future vehicle acceleration, a future speed limit, a future traffic speed information, and a future traffic signal information.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the estimated future engine load parameter is determined utilizing information received from an intelligent transportation system external to the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the information from the intelligent transportation system comprises one or more of speed limit information, traffic speed information, traffic signal information, road grade information, vehicle speed information, and vehicle acceleration information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of setting an engine load threshold utilizes the greater of the estimated engine load parameter and the predetermined calibratible value such that the predetermined calibratible value provides a minimum value for the threshold.

9. A vehicle system comprising:

an engine structured to output torque;

a transmission structured to receive torque from the engine and output torque to one or more ground contacting members; and

an electronic control system in operative communication with the engine and the transmission;

wherein the electronic control system is structured to perform the acts of;

estimating an engine load parameter using one or more dynamically determined vehicle operating parameters,

setting an engine load threshold using the estimated engine load parameter,

evaluating a current engine load relative to the engine load threshold,

evaluating a gear selection condition of the transmission,

if either the current engine load parameter exceeds the threshold or the gear selection is a top gear selection, imposing a first operating speed limit on the engine, and

if the current engine load parameter does not exceed the threshold and the gear selection is not a top gear selection, imposing an alternate operating speed limit on the engine, the alternate operating speed limit being lower than the first operating speed limit.

10. The vehicle system of claim 9 wherein the alternate operating speed limit varies for different gear selections below the top gear.

11. The vehicle system of claim 9 wherein the engine load threshold changes dynamically as a function of the engine load parameter.

12. The vehicle system of claim 9 wherein the estimated engine load parameter is an estimated future engine load parameter.

13. The vehicle system of claim 12 wherein the estimated future engine load parameter accounts for one or more of a future road grade, a future limit on vehicle speed, a future vehicle acceleration, a future speed limit, a future traffic speed information, and a future traffic signal information.

14. The vehicle system of claim 12 wherein the estimated future engine load parameter is determined utilizing information transmitted to the vehicle from system external to the vehicle.

15. The vehicle system of claim 12 wherein information transmitted to the vehicle from system external to the vehicle comprises one of information transmitted via ground-to-vehicle communication system and information transmitted via a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system.

16. A method comprising:

operating a vehicle system comprising an engine structured to output torque, a transmission structured to receive torque from the engine and output torque to one or more ground engaging members, and an electronic control system in operative communication with the engine and the transmission, the electronic control system being structured to perform the acts of;

estimating a future engine load parameter using one or more dynamically determined vehicle operating parameters,

setting an engine load threshold using the engine load parameter,

evaluating a current engine load relative to the engine load threshold, and

outputting a command to induce a transmission gear shift based upon the result of the evaluating.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the transmission is a manual transmission and the command to induce a transmission gear shift comprises one of a limit on engine speed that is below a high speed governor limit on engine speed and an operator perceptible indication to shift gears.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the transmission is an automatic transmission and the command to induce a transmission gear shift comprises a command to the automatic transmission to shift gears.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the estimated future engine load parameter accounts for one or more of a future road grade, a future limit on vehicle speed, a future speed limit, and a future vehicle acceleration.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the estimated future engine load parameter is determined utilizing information received from a system external to the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the received information comprises one or more of road grade information, vehicle speed information, vehicle acceleration information, speed limit information, traffic speed information, and traffic signal information.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the command comprises an upshift command if the current engine load exceeds the threshold and comprises a downshift command if the current engine load does not exceed the threshold.

23. A vehicle system comprising:

an engine structured to output torque;

a transmission structured to receive torque from the engine and output torque to one or more ground engaging members; and

an electronic control system in operative communication with the engine and the transmission, the electronic control system being structured to perform the acts of;

estimating an engine load parameter using one or more dynamically determined vehicle operating parameters, the dynamically determined vehicle operating parameters accounting for variation in vehicle-specific losses experienced during prior vehicle operation,

determining a feedforward transmission shifting parameter using the estimated engine load parameter, and

outputting a command to induce a transmission gear shift using the feedforward shifting parameter, the command being structured to induce a transmission shifting event accounting for the dynamically determined vehicle operating parameters.

24. The vehicle system of claim 23 wherein the transmission is a manual transmission and the command to induce a transmission gear shift comprises one of a limit on engine speed that is below a high speed governor limit on engine speed and an operator perceptible indication to shift gears.

25. The vehicle system of claim 23 wherein the transmission is an automatic transmission and the command to induce a transmission gear shift comprises a command to the automatic transmission to shift gears.

26. The vehicle system of claim 23 wherein the feedforward transmission shifting comprises a modification to a transmission shifting command pattern.

27. The vehicle system of claim 23 wherein the feedforward transmission shifting comprises selection of one of a plurality of predetermined transmission shifting command patterns.