Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Transmission control
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-15
2002-11-12
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Transmission control
C701S055000, C701S057000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06480776
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and an arrangement for control of an automated gearbox. The invention is particularly applicable to mechanical servo-assisted gearboxes for heavy vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today's gearboxes of this kind are controlled by a control unit which controls gear selection so as to achieve engine operation which is appropriate in the light of experience. This has hitherto involved determining engine reference speeds at which changing up/down is in principle initiated. However, the control unit may also be designed to incorporate in the calculations the vehicle's acceleration and the accelerator pedal position in order to modify the control so that gear changing takes place at an engine speed which may be somewhat lower or somewhat higher than said reference speed. It is also possible for gear changing to be initiated in, for example, two stages instead of one. However, the known system is to be regarded as approximate and no optimisation of operation is possible on vehicles where that system is applied.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to indicate a process and an arrangement for control of an automated gearbox, whereby control is further refined so that the operation of the vehicle can be optimised.
This object is achieved according to the invention by means of the features in the characterising part of patent claims
1
and
5
respectively.
The result is the possibility of selecting in each situation a gear combination which optimises or in practice minimises the vehicle's specific fuel consumption. By means of the invention, various possible and permissible gear alternatives can thus be compared with respect to specific fuel consumption at the operating point concerned so that the latter can be caused to lead to as economic driving as possible.
The process according to the invention involves:
the necessary drive power F being determined on the basis of the calculated running resistance at the prevailing running speed and in the prevailing operating conditions,
possible gear combinations for driving being determined,
possible gear combinations being monitored with respect to torque delivered and permissible engine speed,
the operating points for the possible and permissible gear combinations being determined,
the specific fuel consumption at said operating points being determined,
the gear combination with the lowest specific fuel consumption being selected, and
a command signal for changing to the selective gear being emitted.
The initiation of gear changes which involve one or more gears being skipped is thus not excluded.
A preferred aspect of the invention involves the process being initiated as an economy position after the control unit has, for example, detected that the running speed has for a certain period of time been approximately constant or that the accelerator pedal position has for a certain period of time been below a certain threshold value. This means that the control unit can independently initiate the process sequence, including the economy position, and achieve optimum specific fuel consumption.
Suppressing changes to a new gear combination so that the latter may only be initiated after a certain period of time eliminates excessive gear changing and the driver irritation involved in frequent gear changes.
The invention also relates to a control system suitable for implementing the process. This results in corresponding advantages. Further advantages are achieved as indicated by the following detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4905544 (1990-03-01), Ganoung
patent: 5319555 (1994-06-01), Iwaki et al.
patent: 5510982 (1996-04-01), Ohnishi et al.
patent: 5595551 (1997-01-01), Hedstrom et al.
patent: 5672139 (1997-09-01), Horiguchi
patent: 0752548 (1997-01-01), None
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Marc-Coleman Marthe Y.
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
Scania CV AB (pub)
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