Systems and methods for determining speed control management settings

• US 9,026,414 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2011
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PACCAR Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PACCAR Incorporated
• Inventors: Johnson, Erik S., Hampson, Richard, Slaton, Zachary
• Primary Examiner(s): Chad, Aniss
• Assistant Examiner(s): Healey, Michael P
• Application Number:
  US13/312,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0067 Confirmation by the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0082 for initialising the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/184 Preventing damage resulting from overload or excessive wear of the driveline
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/1843 Overheating of driveline components B60W30/186 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/022 Calculation or estimation of optimal gear ratio, e.g. best ratio for economy drive or performance according driver preference, or to optimise exhaust emissions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0223 Generating of new shift maps, i.e. methods for determining shift points for a schedule by taking into account driveline and vehicle conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2063/426 with means for advising the driver for proper shift action, e.g. prompting the driver with allowable selection range of ratios
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Methods and devices for determining speed control management settings are provided. A vehicle configuration is obtained, specifying at least a transmission, including a number of gears present in the transmission. One or more speed control management modules, such as progressive shift and/or gear down protection modules, are selected by a customer. One or more default progressive shift limits and a default gear down protection limit are calculated, along with gears for which they are active. Performance of the vehicle using the default speed control management settings is simulated and compared to typical vehicle performance. The customer may alter the speed control management settings within dynamically determined valid ranges. The speed control management settings are used in the manufacture or other configuration of the vehicle for the customer.

Claims

1. A nontransitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, if executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform actions for configuring a vehicle, the actions comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, a vehicle configuration;

determining, by the computing device, a progressive shift limit and a gear down protection limit associated with the vehicle;

determining, by the computing device, whether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit result in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration; and

in response to determining that the limits result in any dead gears;

modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear down protection limit to eliminate any dead gears; and

storing, by the computing device in an order data store, the modified progressive shift limit or the modified gear down protection limit;

wherein determining whether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit result in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration includes;

determining a vehicle speed in a highest gear for which progressive shift is active based on the progressive shift limit and the vehicle configuration;

determining an engine speed in a lowest gear for which gear down protection is active based on the determined vehicle speed and the vehicle configuration; and

indicating that the limits result in a dead gear in response to determining that the engine speed is below a peak torque range for an engine model specified in the vehicle configuration.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit associated with the vehicle includes receiving a selected progressive shift limit and selected gear down protection limit from a customer.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear down protection limit to eliminate any dead gears includes prompting the customer to provide a new progressive shift limit or a new gear down protection limit.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, wherein prompting the customer to provide the new progressive shift limit or the new gear down protection limit includes presenting to the customer a range of valid progressive shift limits or gear down protection limits.

5. A computer-implemented method of configuring a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a vehicle configuration;

determining, by the computing device, a progressive shift limit and a gear down protection limit associated with the vehicle;

determining, by the computing device, whether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit result in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration; and

in response to determining that the limits result in any dead gears;

modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear down protection limit to eliminate any dead gears; and

storing, by the computing device in an order data store, the modified progressive shift limit or the modified gear down protection limit;

wherein determining whether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit result in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration includes;

determining a vehicle speed in a highest gear for which progressive shift is active based on the progressive shift limit and the vehicle configuration;

determining an engine speed in a lowest gear for which gear down protection is active based on the determined vehicle speed and the vehicle configuration; and

indicating that the limits result in a dead gear in response to determining that the engine speed is below a peak torque range for an engine model specified in the vehicle configuration.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit associated with the vehicle includes receiving a selected progressive shift limit and a selected gear down protection limit from a customer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear down protection limit to eliminate any dead gears includes prompting the customer to provide a new progressive shift limit or a new gear down protection limit.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein prompting the customer to provide the new progressive shift limit or the new gear down protection limit includes presenting to the customer a range of valid progressive shift limits or gear down protection limits.

9. A computing device, comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory; and

a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform actions for configuring a vehicle, the actions comprising;

receiving, by the computing device, a vehicle configuration;

determining, by the computing device, a progressive shift limit and a gear down protection limit associated with the vehicle;

determining, by the computing device, whether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit result in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration; and

in response to determining that the limits result in any dead gears;

modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear down protection limit to eliminate any dead gears; and

storing, by the computing device in an order data store, the modified progressive shift limit or the modified gear down protection limit;

wherein determining whether the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit result in any dead gears based on the vehicle configuration includes;

determining a vehicle speed in a highest gear for which progressive shift is active based on the progressive shift limit and the vehicle configuration;

determining an engine speed in a lowest gear for which gear down protection is active based on the determined vehicle speed and the vehicle configuration; and

indicating that the limits result in a dead gear in response to determining that the engine speed is below a peak torque range for an engine model specified in the vehicle configuration.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein determining the progressive shift limit and the gear down protection limit associated with the vehicle includes receiving a selected progressive shift limit and a selected gear down protection limit from a customer.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein modifying the progressive shift limit or the gear down protection limit to eliminate any dead gears includes prompting the customer to provide a new progressive shift limit or a new gear down protection limit.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein prompting the customer to provide the new progressive shift limit or the new gear down protection limit includes presenting to the customer a range of valid progressive shift limits or gear down protection limits.