Device and method for controlling a vehicle transmission

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling a vehicle transmission. The apparatus may include: a determination device, a calculation device, a mode correction device, and a control device. The determination device is configured to determine whether there is a curved road within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle based on information about the road ahead; the calculation device is configured to correct the vehicle speed when starting to turn on the curved road based on information about the slope of the curved road, determine a predicted lateral acceleration based on the corrected vehicle speed and information about the curvature of the curved road, and determine a mode correction coefficient based on the determined predicted lateral acceleration; the mode correction device is configured to correct a preset shift mode of the transmission based on the mode correction coefficient; the control device is connected to the determination device, the calculation device, and the mode correction device, and is configured to control the transmission based on the corrected shift mode when the vehicle enters the curved road.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0063809 filed on May 27, 2020, which is incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes by this reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a transmission of a vehicle, and more particularly, to a technology for predicting lateral acceleration based on a slope of a curved road. Background Art

[0004] An automatic transmission is a device that automatically controls the gear shift according to driving conditions and the driver's acceleration intention to improve the driver's convenience.

[0005] A conventional automatic transmission controls a shift speed based on a shift pattern determined according to a vehicle speed and a degree of depression of an accelerator pedal.

[0006] As described above, since the shift speed is determined according to the vehicle speed and the degree of depression of the accelerator pedal, the conventional automatic transmission cannot reflect various road conditions and driving situations.

[0007] For example, a shift pattern determined during straight-line driving is also applied to driving on a curved road.

[0008] As described above, when the existing shift pattern is reflected in the travel on the curved road, the driver may feel an increasing sense of discomfort because the shift is performed while the accelerator is off and upshifting to a higher gear occurs.

[0009] The information disclosed in the background section of the present invention is only intended to deepen the understanding of the general background technology of the present invention, and should not be regarded as acknowledging or suggesting in any form that the information constitutes the prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0010] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing an apparatus and method for controlling a vehicle transmission, which is configured to correct a shifting pattern according to a predicted lateral acceleration based on a vehicle speed, a curvature of the curved road, and a slope of the curved road when there is a curved road ahead of the vehicle, thereby enabling not only stable driving on the curved road but also improved engine braking effect and re-acceleration response.

[0011] Technical problems solved by various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the aforementioned problems, and any other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which various exemplary embodiments of the present invention pertain from the following description.

[0012] According to various aspects of the present invention, an apparatus for controlling a vehicle transmission may include: a determination device, a calculation device, a mode correction device, and a control device. The determination device is configured to determine whether there is a curved road within a specific distance in front of the vehicle based on information about the road ahead; the calculation device is configured to correct the vehicle speed when starting to turn on the curved road based on information about the slope of the curved road, determine a predicted lateral acceleration based on the corrected vehicle speed and information about the curvature of the curved road, and determine a mode correction coefficient based on the determined predicted lateral acceleration; the mode correction device is configured to correct a preset shift mode of the transmission based on the mode correction coefficient; the control device is connected to the determination device, the calculation device, and the mode correction device, and is configured to control the transmission based on the corrected shift mode when the vehicle enters the curved road.

[0013] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, based on the distance of the section of the curved road and information about the curvature of the curved road, the determination device may determine whether the curved road satisfies the effective curved road condition.

[0014] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the curved road satisfies the effective curved road condition, the determination device may determine whether the vehicle reaches an expected shift point before the vehicle reaches the starting point of the curved road.

[0015] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the expected shift point may be a point before a predetermined time of reaching the starting point of the curved road.

[0016] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the determination device may determine a speed correction coefficient learned according to the degree of the slope of the curved road.

[0017] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the vehicle reaches the expected shift point, the determination device may determine the speed at the starting point of the curved road based on the vehicle speed and the speed correction coefficient at the expected shift point.

[0018] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the determination device may determine a predicted lateral acceleration based on the speed at the starting point of the curved road and the curvature of the curved road.

[0019] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the determination device may determine a mode correction coefficient based on the difference between the determined predicted lateral acceleration and a lower reference value of the lateral acceleration and the difference between the lower reference value of the lateral acceleration and an upper reference value of the lateral acceleration.

[0020] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the mode correction coefficient may be defined as a value between "0" and "1".

[0021] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the mode correction coefficient is "0", the shift mode may be determined as a first shift mode based on a normal mode; when the mode correction coefficient is "1", the shift mode may be determined as a second shift mode based on a sport mode; and when the mode correction coefficient is greater than "0" and less than "1", the shift mode may be determined as a third shift mode based on a winding road.

[0022] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the shift mode is determined as the third shift mode, the mode correction device may shift the shift mode based on the first shift mode by a value obtained by multiplying the difference between the second shift mode and the first shift mode by the mode correction coefficient.

[0023] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the vehicle passes through a winding road, the control device may return the corrected shift mode to the previous shift mode.

[0024] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the vehicle passes through a winding road, the determination device may determine whether there is a continuous winding road on the road ahead.

[0025] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when there is a next winding road on the road ahead within a reference distance after the vehicle passes through a winding road and the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the reference speed, the determination device may determine that there is a continuous winding road on the road ahead.

[0026] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that there is a continuous winding road on the road ahead, the control device may maintain the corrected shift mode.

[0027] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when it is determined that there is no continuous winding road on the road ahead, the control device may return the corrected shift mode to the previous shift mode.

[0028] According to various aspects of the present invention, a method for controlling a vehicle transmission may include: determining whether there is a winding road within a specific distance in front of the vehicle based on information about the road ahead; determining a vehicle speed at the start of turning on the winding road based on information about the slope of the winding road; determining a predicted lateral acceleration based on the vehicle speed and information about the curvature of the winding road, and thus determining a mode correction coefficient based on the determined predicted lateral acceleration; correcting a preset shift mode of the transmission based on the mode correction coefficient; and controlling the transmission based on the corrected shift mode when the vehicle enters the winding road.

[0029] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, determining whether there is a curved road may include: determining whether the curved road meets the effective curved road condition based on the section distance of the curved road and information about the curvature of the curved road; when the curved road meets the effective curved road condition, determining whether the vehicle reaches an expected shift point before the vehicle reaches the starting point of the curved road.

[0030] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, determining the predicted lateral acceleration may include: determining a speed correction coefficient learned according to the slope of the curved road; when the vehicle reaches the expected shift point before the vehicle reaches the starting point of the curved road, determining the vehicle speed at the starting point of the curved road based on the vehicle speed at the expected shift point and the speed correction coefficient.

[0031] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, determining the predicted lateral acceleration may further include: determining the predicted lateral acceleration based on the speed at the starting point of the curved road and the curvature of the curved road.

[0032] The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have other characteristics and advantages, which will be apparent from or will be described in detail in the accompanying drawings and subsequent detailed description incorporated herein. These accompanying drawings and detailed description are used together to explain the specific principles of the present invention. Description of the Drawings

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle exemplarily showing a device for controlling a vehicle transmission applying various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram exemplarily showing the configuration of a device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 、 Figure 4 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 、 Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B and Figure 7C are schematic diagrams showing the embodiments referred to when describing the operation of a device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 8 and Figure 9 show flowcharts of operations of a method for controlling a vehicle transmission according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 10FIG. 0 is a schematic diagram of a computing system that exemplarily illustrates a method of performing various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0038] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale and are merely appropriately simplified drawings for illustrating the basic principles and various features of the present invention. Specific design features of the present invention disclosed herein, such as specific dimensions, directions, positions, and shapes, will be determined in part by the specific application and usage environment.

[0039] In these figures, throughout the various figures of the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or equivalent parts of the present invention. Detailed Description

[0040] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention. Examples of the various embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described as follows. Although the present invention will be described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that this specification is not intended to limit the present invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the other hand, the present invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the present invention but also various alternative embodiments, modified embodiments, equivalent embodiments, or other embodiments included within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0041] Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that even if the same or equivalent components are shown in other drawings, they are represented by the same reference numerals. In addition, when describing the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, specific descriptions of known features or functions will be excluded to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the gist of the present invention.

[0042] When describing the components of the exemplary embodiments according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, "A", "B", (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish one component from another, and these terms do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the components. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical terms or scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention belong. Terms defined in a general dictionary are interpreted to have the same meaning as the context meaning in the relevant technical field and are not interpreted to have an ideal or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined as having such a meaning in the present invention.

[0043] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus and a method for controlling a vehicle transmission relate to a technology for automatically controlling a transmission during driving. The vehicles applicable to the present invention may include various vehicles as long as they implement an automatic transmission function.

[0044] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic view of a vehicle to which an apparatus for controlling a vehicle transmission is applied.

[0045] Referring to Figure 1 , an apparatus 100 for controlling a transmission of a vehicle 10 may control the transmission based on a shift pattern determined during driving of the vehicle 10. In this case, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission may obtain information about a road ahead from one or more sensors and / or a navigation system during driving, and may determine a shift pattern based on the obtained road conditions and / or driving situations. Therefore, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission may improve forward driving stability and may enable a driver to feel shifting naturally.

[0046] Therefore, a detailed configuration and operation of the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission will be specifically described with reference to Figure 2 .

[0047] According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission may be implemented inside a vehicle. In this case, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission may be integrally formed with an internal controller of the vehicle 10. At the same time, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission may be implemented in the form of a separate device and may be connected to a controller of the vehicle 10 through a separate connection part. The apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission may be integrally formed with an internal controller of the vehicle or may be separately implemented from the internal controller of the vehicle to be connected to the internal controller of the vehicle through a separate connector.

[0048] Figure 2 FIG. is a schematic view showing a configuration of an apparatus for controlling a vehicle transmission according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0049] Referring to Figure 2 , the apparatus 100 may include a control device 110, an interface 120, a sensor 130, a communication device 140, a storage device 150, a determination device 160, a calculation device 170, and a mode correction device 180. In this case, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the control device 110, the determination device 160, the calculation device 170, and the mode correction device 180 in the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission may be implemented by at least one processor.

[0050] Interface 120 may include: an input device and an output device, where the input device is used to receive control instructions from a user; the output device outputs the operating state and operating result of device 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission.

[0051] In this case, the input device may include buttons and may include a mouse, a joystick, a jog shuttle, a stylus, etc. In addition, the input device may include a soft keyboard implemented on a display.

[0052] The output device may include a display and may include a sound output device, such as a speaker. In the case where a touch sensor such as a touch film, a touch sheet, or a touch pad is installed in the display, the display may operate as a touch screen, and the input device and the output device may be implemented in an integrated form.

[0053] In this case, the display may include at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display, a field emission display (FED), or a three-dimensional display (3D display).

[0054] Sensor 130 may include at least one sensor for detecting road information around vehicle 10. For example, sensor 130 may include a global positioning system (GPS) sensor to detect whether there is a curved road ahead of the vehicle, or information about the curvature of the curved road ahead, or information about the slope of the curved road.

[0055] In addition, sensor 130 may further include a sensor for measuring the speed of vehicle 10 and / or an accelerator pedal sensor (APS).

[0056] Communication device 140 may include a communicator for communicating with electronic components and / or controllers provided in the vehicle. The communicator may communicate with a navigation system 15 provided in vehicle 10 to receive information about the road ahead from navigation system 15. For example, the communicator may receive information about the position of the road ahead, the distance of the curved road section, the curvature of the curved road, and the slope of the curved road.

[0057] In addition, the communicator may receive the driving data of vehicle 10 (e.g., speed, acceleration, or APS) from sensors provided in vehicle 10. In this case, the vehicle network communication technology may include controller area network (CAN) communication technology, local interconnect network (LIN) communication technology, FlexRay communication technology.

[0058] In addition, the communication device 140 may further include a communicator supporting wireless Internet access or a communicator supporting short-range communication. In this case, the wireless Internet technology may include Wireless LAN (WLAN), Wireless Broadband (Wibro), Wi-Fi, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX). The short-range communication technology may include Bluetooth, ZigBee, Ultra Wide Band (UWB), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Infrared Data Association (IrDA).

[0059] The storage device 150 may store data or algorithms required for the operation of the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission.

[0060] For example, the storage device 150 may store information about the road ahead obtained through the navigation system 15 or the sensor 130 (e.g., information related to the curvature or slope of a curved road), and may store the driving data of the vehicle 10 obtained during driving. In addition, the storage device 150 may store a learning algorithm for learning a speed correction coefficient based on information about the slope of a curved road, and may store the speed correction coefficient learned based on the slope of the curved road. In addition, the storage device 150 may store a shift pattern according to the vehicle state and / or road conditions. In addition, the storage device 150 may store condition information applied to determine the shift pattern.

[0061] The storage device 150 may store one or more instructions and / or algorithms for determining a predicted lateral acceleration based on the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10, the curvature and slope of a curved road, determining a mode correction coefficient, and correcting the shift pattern based on the mode correction coefficient. In addition, the storage device 150 may store instructions or algorithms for controlling the transmission of the vehicle 10 during driving according to the shift pattern.

[0062] In this case, the storage device 150 may include a storage medium such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, etc.

[0063] Based on the information about the road ahead obtained from the navigation system 15 and / or the sensor 130, the determination device 160 determines whether there is a curved road within a specific distance. In addition, when there is a curved road within a specific distance ahead, based on the distance of the section and the information about the curvature of the curved road, the determination device 160 may determine whether the curved road satisfies the effective curved road condition.

[0064] In this case, when observed from the starting point of the curved road of the vehicle 10, the determination device 160 can determine whether the vehicle 10 reaches the first point before the first time before reaching the starting point of the curved road, whether the vehicle 10 reaches the second point before the second time before reaching the starting point of the curved road, whether the vehicle 10 reaches the third point before the third time before reaching the starting point of the curved road, and whether the vehicle 10 reaches the fourth point before the fourth time before reaching the starting point of the curved road. In this case, the second time is shorter than the first time and longer than the third time. In addition, the first point is the point farthest from the starting point of the curved road, the second point is the point between the first point and the third point, and the third point is the point between the second point and the fourth point. Reference will be made to Figure 3 describe the related exemplary embodiments thereof.

[0065] Reference Figure 3 , the first point "P1" is the point before the first time (=T1 + T2 + T3 seconds) when the vehicle 10 reaches the fourth point "P4" set as the starting point of the curved road. For example, the first point "P1" is the point seven seconds before the vehicle 10 reaches the fourth point "P4". The determination device 160 can determine whether the curved road ahead satisfies the effective curved road condition when the vehicle 10 reaches the first point "P1".

[0066] The second point "P2" is the point before the second time (=T1 + T2 seconds) when the vehicle 10 reaches the fourth point "P4" set as the starting point of the curved road. For example, the second point "P2" is the point five seconds before the vehicle 10 reaches the fourth point "P4". The determination device 160 can determine whether the vehicle 10 satisfies the upshift prohibition condition when reaching the second point "P2".

[0067] For example, when the curved road ahead satisfies the effective curved road condition and the vehicle speed when the vehicle 10 passes the first point "P1" is equal to or greater than the reference vehicle speed (e.g., 10 kph), the determination device 160 can determine that the vehicle 10 satisfies the upshift prohibition condition. The determination device 160 can send the determination result to the control device 110.

[0068] Therefore, when it is recognized by the determination device 160 that the upshift prohibition condition is satisfied, the control device 110 can prevent controlling the transmission when the accelerator is turned off to prohibit upshifting.

[0069] Reference Figure 3 , the third point "P3" is the point before the third time (=T1 seconds) when the vehicle 10 reaches the fourth point "P4" set as the starting point of the curved road. For example, the third point "P3" is the point two seconds before the vehicle 10 reaches the fourth point "P4". In this case, the third point "P3" can be the expected shift point.

[0070] The determination device 160 can determine whether the vehicle 10 satisfies the shift condition when it reaches the third point "P3".

[0071] For example, when the vehicle 10 reaches the third point "P3", if the forward curved road satisfies the effective curved road condition, the determination device 160 can recognize that the shift condition is satisfied. The determination device 160 can send the determination result to the control device 110, the calculation device 170, or the mode correction device 180.

[0072] When the vehicle 10 reaches the third point "P3", if it is recognized that the shift condition is satisfied, the control device 110 determines the correction (shift) of the shift mode. Therefore, the control device 110 can send control signals to both the calculation device 170 and the mode correction device 180 to correct the shift mode.

[0073] The calculation device 170 can determine the speed (V B ) at the fourth point "P4" set as the starting point for turning on the curved road by using the speed (V C ) at the third point "P3" set as the expected shift point and the speed correction coefficient "H", as shown in Equation 1 below. In other words, the calculation device 170 can determine the speed at the fourth point "P4" by correcting based on the speed at the third point "P3" and the speed correction coefficient "H".

[0074] Equation 1:

[0075] V C = V B * H

[0076] In Equation 1, "H" can represent the speed correction coefficient, and "H" can correspond to the average value of the "H" values corresponding to the grade intervals based on the slope.

[0077] In other words, the calculation device 170 can determine the speed correction coefficient by accumulating the information of the vehicle speeds at each slope on the curved road during vehicle travel. Specifically, in a specific slope grade interval, the calculation device 170 accumulates the speed (V B ) at the third point "P3" set as the expected shift point and the speed (V C ) at the fourth point "P4" set as the starting point of the curved road, and determines and accumulates the speed correction coefficient, which is the speed (V C ) at the fourth point "P4" set as the starting point of the curved road divided by the speed (V B) ratio. As described above, the computing device 170 can determine and accumulate the speed correction coefficient for each specific slope grade interval, and can determine the average value of the accumulated speed correction coefficients as the final speed correction coefficient.

[0078] Table 1

[0079] Gradient (grade group) Speed correction factor Expected vehicle speed correction equation -5% or less <![CDATA[H1]]> <![CDATA[V C = V B * H1]]> -5% to 5% <![CDATA[H2]]> <![CDATA[V C = V B * H2]]> 5% or greater <![CDATA[H3]]> <![CDATA[V C = V B *H3]]>

[0080] Table 1 shows the speed correction coefficients for each slope and the expected vehicle speed correction equation.

[0081] For example, the final speed correction coefficient, which is the average value of the speed correction coefficients determined in the grade interval where the slope of the curved road is -5% or less, is H1. The final speed correction coefficient, which is the average value of the speed correction coefficients determined in the grade interval where the slope of the curved road is -5% to 5%, is H2. The final speed correction coefficient, which is the average value of the speed correction coefficients determined in the grade interval where the slope of the curved road is 5% or more, is H3. The speed correction coefficient can be continuously learned based on the ratio of the speed (V C ) at the fourth point "P4" set as the starting point of the curved road obtained each time the vehicle travels to the speed (V B ) at the third point "P3" set as the expected shift point.

[0082] As described above, the speed correction coefficient according to the slope of the curved road can be continuously determined and accumulated in advance by a learning algorithm. The computing device 170 can determine the vehicle speed at the starting point of the curved road by using the final speed correction coefficient, which is determined as the average value of the speed correction coefficients accumulated according to the slope of the curved road on which the vehicle is currently traveling.

[0083] In this case, the computing device 170 can limit the range of the speed correction coefficient to a specific range (for example, the range of 0.7 to 1.2) to prevent the learned value of the speed correction coefficient from diverging. In other words, the computing device 170 can improve the accuracy of the speed correction coefficient by excluding the cases where the speed at the expected shift point and the speed at the point where the vehicle actually enters the corner (the vehicle stops at the midpoint of the corner) show large values.

[0084] As described above, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the vehicle turns on a curved road, the vehicle speed can be obtained by reflecting the slope of the curved road and the curvature of the curved road. The vehicle speed at the starting point of the curved road is determined by using the average value of the speed correction coefficients accumulated based on the vehicle speed during traveling on the curved road, thereby reflecting the tendency of each driver when turning on the curved road, and thereafter, the pattern movement is changed by reflecting the tendency of each driver.

[0085] After that, the computing device 170 determines the predicted lateral acceleration based on the vehicle speed (V C ) at the moment when the vehicle 10 passes through the fourth point "P4" which is set as the starting point of the curved road and the curvature of the curved road. In this case, the computing device 170 can determine the predicted lateral acceleration through the following Equation 2.

[0086] Equation 2:

[0087]

[0088] In Equation 2, "G y_predict " represents the predicted lateral acceleration, "V" represents the vehicle speed at the moment when the vehicle passes through the fourth point "P4", "R" represents the curvature of the curved road, and "k" represents a specific coefficient. In this case, "k" can vary according to road and vehicle conditions.

[0089] As described above, the computing device 170 can determine the predicted lateral acceleration (G C ) at the fourth point "P4" based on the vehicle speed (V y_predict ) at the moment when the vehicle passes through the fourth point "P4" determined by considering the slope of the curved road and the curvature of the curved road.

[0090] When the determination of the predicted lateral acceleration is completed through Equation 2, the computing device 170 determines the mode correction coefficient based on the determined predicted lateral acceleration. In this case, the computing device 170 can determine the mode correction coefficient by using the above-determined predicted lateral acceleration and the lower limit reference value and upper limit reference value of the lateral acceleration.

[0091] Equation 3:

[0092]

[0093] In Equation 3, "K" represents the mode correction coefficient, "G y _ predict " represents the predicted lateral acceleration, "A" represents the lower limit reference value of the lateral acceleration, and "B" represents the upper limit reference value of the lateral acceleration. In this case, "K" can be defined as a value equal to "0" or greater than "0".

[0094] As Figure 4 shown in the graph of, the mode correction coefficient can be defined according to the predicted lateral acceleration.

[0095] Refer to Figure 4, when the predicted lateral acceleration reaches the lower reference value (A), the mode correction coefficient (K) becomes "0". In the state where the mode correction coefficient is zero (K = 0), the shift mode can be determined as the normal mode (NOR).

[0096] In addition, when the predicted lateral acceleration reaches the upper reference value (B), the mode correction coefficient (K) becomes "1". In the state where the mode correction coefficient is 1 (K = 1), the shift mode can be determined as the sport mode (P SPT ).

[0097] Meanwhile, when the predicted lateral acceleration is a value between the lower reference value and the upper reference value, the mode correction coefficient (K) becomes the "C" value (0 < C < 1). In this case, the shift mode can be determined as the curved road mode (P CURVE ).

[0098] Therefore, the mode correction device 180 corrects (shifts) the shift mode based on the mode correction coefficient determined by the calculation device 170.

[0099] In this case, the mode correction device 180 can correct the shift mode by the following Equation 4.

[0100] Equation 4:

[0101] P CURVE = P NOR + (P SPT - P VOR ) × K

[0102] The following will describe an exemplary implementation for correcting (shifting) the shift mode with reference to Figure 5 .

[0103] With reference to Figure 5 , assuming that the current shift mode is the normal mode (P NOR ), the mode correction device 180 can shift the mode by "(P NOR - P ST ) × K" based on the normal mode (P NOR ).

[0104] Meanwhile, Figure 3 the fourth point "P4" of Figure 5 is the starting point of the curved road. Therefore, when reaching the fourth point "P4", the control device 110 controls the shifting based on the shift mode corrected (shifted) by the mode correction device 180 until the vehicle 10 passes through the curved road section. For example, the control device 110 controls the shifting based on the curve mode (P CURVE ) as shown in

[0105] In this case, the determination device 160 can determine whether the shift condition is satisfied while the vehicle 10 is traveling on a curved road section. For example, the determination device 160 can determine whether the shift condition is satisfied while the vehicle 10 is traveling on a curved road section, based on whether the vehicle speed remains greater than or equal to a reference vehicle speed. In this case, when the vehicle speed is less than the reference vehicle speed, the determination device 160 can determine that the shift condition is not satisfied. Therefore, as Figure 6 shown in the embodiment of

[0106] , when the vehicle 10 is traveling on a curved road section, the control device 110 controls the shift according to a corrected shift pattern. If the shift condition is not satisfied while the vehicle 10 is traveling on a curved road section, the control device 110 can return the shift pattern to the normal mode which is the existing shift pattern.

[0107] In addition, when the vehicle 10 passes through a curved road section, the control device 110 can return the shift pattern to the normal mode which is the existing shift pattern.

[0108] When the vehicle 10 passes through a curved road section, the determination device 160 can determine whether there is a continuous curved road section. In this case, when it is determined that there is no continuous curved road section, the control device 110 can return the shift pattern to the normal mode which is the existing shift pattern.

[0109] Meanwhile, when it is determined that there is a continuous curved road section after the vehicle 10 passes through a curved road section, the control device 110 can maintain the corrected (shifted) shift pattern.

[0109] In this case, based on the distance and vehicle speed from the vehicle 10 after passing through a curved road section to the next curved road section, the determination device 160 can determine whether there is a continuous curved road section.

[0110] Exemplary embodiments for determining a continuous curved road section will be described below with reference to Figure 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 7C .

[0111] Figure 7A shows an exemplary embodiment in which the distance (D1) between the end point of the first curved section (R1) and the start point of the second curved section (R2) is less than the reference distance (D ref ), and the vehicle speed (V1) is equal to or greater than the reference vehicle speed (V ref ).

[0112] In Figure 7A , since the distance (D1) between the end point of the first curved section (R1) and the start point of the second curved section (R2) is less than the reference distance (D ref), and the vehicle speed (V1) is equal to or greater than the reference vehicle speed (V ref ), thus satisfying the distance condition and the speed condition.

[0113] Therefore, the determination device 160 can determine the second curved section as a continuous curved road section. Thus, based on the determination result of the determination device 160, even after the vehicle passes through the first curved section (R1), the controller 110 continues to maintain the corrected shift pattern.

[0114] Figure 7B Illustrates an exemplary embodiment when the distance (D2) between the end point of the first curved section (R1) and the start point of the second curved section (R2) is less than the reference distance (D ref ), and the vehicle speed (V2) is less than the reference vehicle speed (V ref ).

[0115] In Figure 7B , since the distance (D2) between the end point of the first curved section (R1) and the start point of the second curved section (R2) is less than the reference distance (D ref ), the determination device 160 determines that the distance condition is satisfied, but since the vehicle speed (V2) is less than the reference vehicle speed (V ref ), the determination device 160 determines that the speed condition is not satisfied.

[0116] Therefore, the determination device 160 can determine that the second curved section is not a continuous curved road section. Thus, based on the determination result of the determination device 160, the control device 110 can return the corrected shift pattern to the existing normal mode after the vehicle passes through the first curved section (R1).

[0117] Figure 7C Illustrates an exemplary embodiment when the distance (D3) between the end point of the first curved section (R1) and the start point of the second curved section (R2) is equal to or greater than the reference distance (D ref ), and the vehicle speed (V3) is equal to or greater than the reference vehicle speed (V ref ).

[0118] In Figure 7C , since the vehicle speed (V3) is equal to or greater than the reference vehicle speed (V ref ), the determination device 160 determines that the speed condition is satisfied, but since the distance (D3) between the end point of the first curved section (R1) and the start point of the second curved section (R2) is equal to or greater than the reference distance (D ref ), the determination device 160 determines that the distance condition is not satisfied.

[0119] Accordingly, the determination device 160 can determine that the second bending interval is not a continuous bending road interval. Thus, the control device 100 can return the corrected shift pattern to the existing normal mode after the vehicle passes through the first bending interval (R1).

[0120] As described above, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, when the vehicle enters a bending road or after the vehicle passes through a bending road, the device 100 for controlling the transmission can determine the shift pattern according to the road conditions ahead and the state of the vehicle 10, thereby preventing excessive upshifting when driving on a bending road, so as to improve the driver's driving satisfaction.

[0121] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission having the above operations can be implemented in the form of an independent hardware device including a memory and a processor for processing each operation, and can be run in the form included in another hardware device (such as a microprocessor or a general computer system).

[0122] The flowchart of the operation of the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission will be described below according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0123] Figure 8 and Figure 9 The flowchart of the operation of the method for controlling the vehicle transmission according to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0124] Reference Figure 8 , based on the information about the road ahead obtained from the navigation system 15 or the sensor, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission determines whether there is a bending road within a specific distance in front of the vehicle (step S110), and determines whether the relevant bending road satisfies the effective bending road condition (step S120). In this case, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission can execute step S120 when the vehicle 10 reaches Figure 3 the first point.

[0125] When it is determined in step S120 that the relevant bending road satisfies the effective bending road condition, if the current vehicle speed of the vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than the reference speed (x), the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission prevents shifting when the accelerator is turned off to prevent upshifting when the accelerator is turned off (step S140). In this case, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission can execute steps S130 and S140 when the vehicle 10 reaches Figure 3 the second point.

[0126] In step S150, when reaching the expected shift point (i.e., Figure 3When it comes to the third point in [description], the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission corrects the vehicle speed at the starting point of the curved road based on the speed correction coefficient "H" learned according to the slope of the curved road (step S160), determines the predicted lateral acceleration based on the corrected vehicle speed and the curvature of the curved road (step S165), and determines the mode correction coefficient based on the predicted lateral acceleration in step S160 (step S170). In this case, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission can correct (shift) the shift mode based on the mode correction coefficient determined in step S170 (step S180).

[0127] In this case, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission controls the gearshift based on the corrected (shifted) shift mode in step S180 (step S190). In this case, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission can maintain the corrected shift mode until the vehicle 10 passes through the curved section and can control the gearshift.

[0128] In step S200, when the vehicle 10 passes through the curved road section, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission returns the corrected shift mode to the previous shift mode (step S210).

[0129] Meanwhile, when the upcoming curved road does not meet the effective curved road conditions, or when the vehicle speed is less than the reference vehicle speed, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission maintains the reference shift mode and controls the gearshift (step S220).

[0130] Meanwhile, after it is determined in step S200 that the vehicle has passed through the curved road section, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission does not immediately return to the previous shift mode. In other words, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission can return to the previous shift mode according to the determination result after determining whether there is a continuous curved road.

[0131] Reference Figure 9 As shown in [reference], in step S310, when the vehicle 10 passes through the curved road section, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission determines whether there is a next curved road within the reference distance of the forward road (step S320). In step S320, when there is no curved road within the reference distance, the device 100 for controlling the vehicle transmission determines that there is no continuous curved road, and thus returns to the previous shift mode in step S210.

[0132] When it is determined in step S320 that there is a next curved road within the reference distance of the forward road, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission determines whether the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the reference speed (step S330). When the vehicle speed is less than the reference speed in step S330, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission determines that there is no continuous curved road, and thus returns to the previous shift mode in step S210.

[0133] Meanwhile, when it is determined in step S320 that there is a curved road within the reference distance and when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the reference speed in step S330, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission maintains the corrected shift mode until the vehicle enters the second curved road (step S340).

[0134] In step S350, when the vehicle enters the second curved road section, the apparatus 100 for controlling a vehicle transmission may perform Figure 8 the operations after step S160.

[0135] As described above, according to the present invention, when a vehicle makes a turn on a curved road having a slope and a corner, the vehicle speed is predicted based on the slope and curvature of the curved road, and the lateral acceleration is determined based on the predicted acceleration, thereby controlling the transmission.

[0136] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a computing system that exemplarily shows a method of performing various exemplary embodiments according to the present invention.

[0137] Refer to Figure 10 , the computing system 1000 may include at least one processor 1100, a memory 1300, a user interface input device 1400, a user interface output device 1500, a storage device 1600, and a network interface 1700 that are connected to each other via a bus 1200.

[0138] The processor 1100 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device configured to process instructions stored in the memory 1300 and / or the storage device 1600. Each of the memory 1300 and the storage device 1600 may include various types of volatile or non-volatile storage media. For example, the memory 1300 may include a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0139] Accordingly, the operations of the methods or algorithms described in connection with the exemplary embodiments included in various exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be implemented directly in hardware modules, software modules, or a combination thereof executed by the processor 1100. The software modules may be located on a storage medium (i.e., the memory 1300 and / or the storage device 1600), such as RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically EPROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, or CD-ROMs. The exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor 1100. The processor 1100 may read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor 1100. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may be located in the user terminal. Optionally, the processor and the storage medium may exist as separate components of the user terminal.

[0140] According to each exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when there is a curved road ahead of the vehicle, the shift pattern is corrected according to the predicted lateral acceleration based on the vehicle speed, the curvature of the curved road, and the slope of the curved road, which can not only enable stable driving on the curved road, but also improve the engine braking effect and the re-acceleration response.

[0141] For the sake of convenience in explanation and for the purpose of precise definition of the appended claims, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "above", "below", "upward", "downward", "front", "rear", "back", "inner side", "outer side", "inward", "outward", "internal", "external", "inner side", "outer side", "forward", and "backward" are used to describe the features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of these features shown in the drawings. It will be further understood that the term "connected" or its derivatives refer to direct and indirect connections.

[0142] The foregoing description of the specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention is for the purposes of illustration and description. The above description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise embodiments disclosed, and obviously, various modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the specific principles of the present invention and its practical applications so that others skilled in the art may implement and utilize the present invention in its various exemplary embodiments and their various alternative forms and modifications. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a vehicle transmission, the device comprising: Determination device configured to determine whether there is a curved road within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle based on information about the road ahead; Calculation device configured to: correct the vehicle speed when starting to turn on the curved road according to information about the slope of the curved road, determine the predicted lateral acceleration of the vehicle according to the corrected vehicle speed and information about the curvature of the curved road, and determine a mode correction coefficient according to the determined predicted lateral acceleration; Mode correction device configured to correct the shift mode of a preset transmission according to the mode correction coefficient; and Control device connected to the determination device, the calculation device and the mode correction device, and configured to control the transmission according to the corrected shift mode when the vehicle enters the curved road.

2. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 1, wherein, The determination device is configured to: determine whether the curved road meets the effective curved road condition according to the distance of the curved road section and information about the curvature of the curved road.

3. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 2, wherein, The determination device is configured to: when the curved road meets the effective curved road condition, determine whether the vehicle reaches an expected shift point before the vehicle reaches the starting point of the curved road.

4. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 3, wherein, The expected shift point is a point before a predetermined time when the vehicle reaches the starting point of the curved road.

5. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 1, wherein, The determination device is configured to: determine a speed correction coefficient learned according to the degree of the slope of the curved road.

6. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 5, wherein, The determination device is configured to: when the vehicle reaches the expected shift point, determine the vehicle speed at the starting point of the curved road according to the vehicle speed at the expected shift point and the speed correction coefficient.

7. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 6, wherein, The calculation device is configured to: determine the predicted lateral acceleration of the vehicle according to the vehicle speed at the starting point of the curved road and the curvature of the curved road.

8. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 1, wherein, The calculation device is configured to: determine the mode correction coefficient according to the difference between the determined predicted lateral acceleration and the lower reference value of the lateral acceleration and the difference between the lower reference value and the upper reference value of the lateral acceleration.

9. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 1, wherein, The mode correction coefficient is defined as a value between "0" and "1".

10. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 9, wherein, The shift mode: When the mode correction coefficient is "0", it is determined as the first shift mode based on the normal mode; When the mode correction coefficient is "1", it is determined as the second shift mode based on the sport mode; When the mode correction coefficient is greater than "0" and less than "1", it is determined as the third shift mode based on the curved road.

11. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 10, wherein, The mode correction device is configured to: when the shift mode is determined as the third shift mode, based on the first shift mode, change the shift mode by a value obtained by multiplying the difference between the second shift mode and the first shift mode by the mode correction coefficient.

12. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 1, wherein, The control device is configured to: when the vehicle has passed the curved road, return the corrected shift mode to the previous shift mode.

13. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 1, wherein, The determination device is configured to: when the vehicle has passed the curved road, determine whether there is a continuous curved road on the road ahead.

14. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 13, wherein, The determination device is configured to: when there is a next curved road on the road ahead within a reference distance after the vehicle passes the curved road and the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the reference vehicle speed, determine that there is a continuous curved road on the road ahead.

15. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 14, wherein, The control device is configured to: maintain the corrected shift pattern when it is determined that there is a continuous curved road on the road ahead.

16. The device for controlling a vehicle transmission according to claim 14, wherein, The control device is configured to: return the corrected shift pattern to the previous shift pattern when it is determined that there is no continuous curved road on the road ahead.

17. A method for controlling a vehicle transmission, the method comprising: Determine whether there is a curved road within a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle based on the information about the road ahead; Determine the vehicle speed when the vehicle starts to turn on the curved road based on the information about the slope of the curved road; Determine the predicted lateral acceleration of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed and the information about the curvature of the curved road, so as to determine the mode correction coefficient according to the determined predicted lateral acceleration; Correct the shift pattern of the preset transmission according to the mode correction coefficient; When the vehicle enters the curved road, the control device controls the transmission according to the corrected shift pattern.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, Determining whether there is a curved road includes: Determine whether the curved road meets the effective curved road condition according to the distance of the section of the curved road and the information about the curvature of the curved road; When the curved road meets the effective curved road condition, determine whether the vehicle reaches the expected shift point before the vehicle reaches the starting point of the curved road.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, Determining the predicted lateral acceleration includes: Determine the speed correction coefficient learned according to the slope of the curved road; When the vehicle reaches the expected shift point before the vehicle reaches the starting point of the curved road, determine the vehicle speed at the starting point of the curved road according to the vehicle speed at the expected shift point and the speed correction coefficient.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, Determining the predicted lateral acceleration further includes: Determine the predicted lateral acceleration of the vehicle according to the vehicle speed at the starting point of the curved road and the curvature of the curved road.

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