Shift control device for vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a shift control device for a vehicle. The shift control device is capable of executing a shift in which a shift intention of a driver is better reflected. The present invention is provided with: a manual shift determination unit (17a) that determines that manual shift control is being executed; an automatic upshift determination unit (17b) that determines whether or not an automatic upshift performed on the basis of the travel state is prohibited; a manual downshift detection unit (17c) that detects that a manual operation requesting a downshift has been performed; a vehicle speed detection unit (17d) that detects the vehicle speed; and a downshift permission setting unit (17e) that permits a downshift requested by a manual operation, the downshift permission setting unit (17e) setting the permissible value to a greater value when the automatic upshift is not prohibited than when the automatic upshift is prohibited.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a device for controlling the shifting of a transmission mounted in a vehicle. More particularly, it relates to a device for controlling the shifting of a transmission that automatically controls the gear ratio and also includes a manual shifting function based on manual operation. Background Technology

[0002] Conventionally, transmissions for vehicles that allow for phased changes in gear ratio have included automatic transmissions that set the gear ratio based on driving conditions determined by vehicle speed, drive request amount (accelerator opening), etc., and also include a manual transmission function that performs gear changes based on upshift or downshift requests made manually. The manual transmission function performs gear changes to meet the driver's acceleration and deceleration requests. However, from the viewpoint of protecting the drive unit and maintaining vehicle stability, a downshift allowable speed or downshift allowable RPM is set. When the RPM is higher than the downshift allowable RPM, and a downshift request is made manually, downshifting is prohibited until a predetermined RPM, such as the engine speed, drops to the downshift allowable RPM. Downshifting is permitted when the predetermined RPM, such as the engine speed, drops to the downshift allowable RPM, and the requested downshift is executed.

[0003] In such a control system, if the driver's request to downshift is not immediately executed when the vehicle is traveling at a relatively high speed, the intended driving may not be possible. Furthermore, downshifting inevitably requires a predetermined shift time; therefore, during rapid deceleration, the engine speed may drop significantly during the shift time, from the manual downshift request to the downshift being permitted. In such cases, it may be impossible to maintain the engine speed above a certain level.

[0004] Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe control devices designed to eliminate such adverse conditions. In the device described in Patent Document 1, when the deceleration is below a threshold, the allowable downshift speed is changed to a higher speed based on the amount of engine speed reduction during the shift time required for downshifting. Furthermore, in the device described in Patent Document 2, based on the deceleration when a downshift request based on a downshift operation occurs, the allowable downshift speed is corrected towards the higher speed side, and the correction amount is increased according to the deceleration.

[0005] Existing technical documents

[0006] Patent documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-258125

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-067209 Summary of the Invention

[0009] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0010] The downshift allowable speed or downshift allowable RPM correction described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is a correction that suppresses the upper limit of engine speed reached during downshifting to below a predetermined RPM. That is, in the devices described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the downshift allowable speed or downshift allowable RPM is limited by a uniformly determined upper limit RPM. Therefore, downshifting is not allowed at high RPMs or vehicle speeds where engine speed or other RPMs may exceed the uniformly determined upper limit RPM, which sometimes prevents the driver from achieving the desired driving experience.

[0011] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned technical problems. The purpose of this invention is to provide a gear shift control device that can perform gear shifting that better reflects the driver's gear shifting intention.

[0012] Solution for solving the problem

[0013] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a vehicle transmission control device, characterized in that the vehicle includes a transmission capable of manual transmission control based on human operation to instruct gear shifting and automatic transmission control based on a driving state including vehicle speed and requested drive quantity, and capable of selectively disabling automatic upshifting that reduces the gear ratio based on the driving state. The vehicle transmission control device includes a controller that controls the changing of the gear ratio during the automatic and manual transmission control. The controller includes a manual transmission determination unit that determines whether a manual transmission is in progress. When the manual transmission control is executed; the automatic upshift determination unit determines whether automatic upshifting to reduce the gear ratio based on the driving state is prohibited; the manual downshift detection unit detects the case where the manual operation requests a downshift to increase the gear ratio; the vehicle speed detection unit detects the vehicle speed or a parameter equivalent to the vehicle speed; and the downshift allow setting unit sets an allowable value for the vehicle speed or the parameter that allows the downshift requested by the manual operation. Compared to the case where automatic upshifting is prohibited, when automatic upshifting is not prohibited, the downshift allow setting unit sets the allowable value to be larger.

[0014] In this invention, the vehicle may have an internal combustion engine whose output increases according to the increase of the drive request, and the output of the internal combustion engine is limited by the internal combustion engine reaching a predetermined upper limit speed.

[0015] In this invention, the vehicle may have a switch that can be manually operated to prevent automatic upshifting, and the automatic upshifting determination unit determines whether automatic upshifting is prohibited based on a signal from the switch.

[0016] The effects of the invention

[0017] According to the control device of the present invention, when automatic upshifting is prohibited, downshifting based on manual operation is permitted, for example, at high vehicle speeds; and when automatic upshifting is not prohibited, downshifting based on manual operation is permitted, for example, at low vehicle speeds, compared to when it is prohibited. Therefore, if a downshifting operation is performed while traveling at a relatively high vehicle speed, there is no need to wait for the vehicle speed to decrease before performing the downshift. Thus, the delay from the manual operation for downshifting to the execution of the downshift is minimal, enabling gear changes that meet the driver's downshifting requests, and avoiding or suppressing deterioration in operability and discomfort. In this situation, the input speed of the transmission may sometimes increase, but if automatic upshifting is prohibited, it is assumed that the driver will tolerate the increased input speed; therefore, the increased input speed will not cause discomfort or make it feel abnormal.

[0018] Conversely, when automatic upshifting is not prohibited, a downshift based on manual operation is performed after the allowable value decreases to a predetermined lower value. Therefore, even if the input speed of the transmission decreases due to the downshift, the input speed will not become particularly high because the vehicle speed, i.e., the output speed of the transmission, also decreases. Thus, it is possible to avoid implementing control that suppresses the input speed, and to avoid the changes in input speed and the associated discomfort that occur when such control is implemented. In this way, the control device according to the invention does not limit the input speed or the speed of the internal combustion engine to a uniformly determined upper limit speed. When automatic upshifting is prohibited, exceeding this upper limit speed is permitted, thus enabling downshifting based on manual operation without significant delay, resulting in gear changes that better reflect the driver's intentions. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional structure of the T-ECU, which corresponds to the controller in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of control performed in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a chart showing examples of permissible vehicle speeds for downshifting from 1st to 3rd gear based on deceleration.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a timing diagram that shows the timing of downshifting when automatic upshifting is prohibited and when it is not prohibited.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0025] 1. Vehicle; 2. Engine; 3. Transmission; 4. Torque converter; 5. Gearbox; 6. Output shaft; 7. Differential gear; 8. Rear wheel; 9. Accelerator pedal; 10. Accelerator sensor; 11. Transmission mechanism; 12. Lever; 13. Position sensor; 14. Speed ​​sensor; 15. Vehicle speed sensor; 16. Engine electronic control unit (E-ECU); 17. Transmission electronic control unit (T-ECU); 17a. Manual shifting detection unit; 17b. Automatic upshifting detection unit; 17c. Manual downshifting detection unit; 17d. Vehicle speed detection unit; 17e. Downshifting allowance setting unit; 18. Switch; 19. Paddle shifter switch; A, B, C. Downshifting allowance speed. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments described below are merely examples of implementing the present invention and do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0027] In the embodiments of the present invention, vehicle 1 is a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as an engine) 2 and a stepped transmission 3. It should be noted that vehicle 1 can also be a so-called hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine 2 and an electric motor (not shown) as a driving power source. Figure 1 The diagram schematically illustrates a vehicle 1 that uses engine 2 as its driving force. The vehicle 1 shown here is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (FR) vehicle.

[0028] A transmission 3 is connected to the output side of engine 2. Engine 2 can be a gasoline engine or a diesel engine capable of electronically controlling throttle opening, fuel injection quantity, etc. Transmission 3 includes a torque converter 4 and a gear transmission 5. Gear transmission 5 has multiple gear pairs and multiple planetary gear mechanisms for each gear ratio, configured to allow for staged changes in the gear ratio. Furthermore, the transmission path of the driving force via the gear pairs and planetary gear mechanisms related to the transmission of driving force is switched by an electrically controllable actuator (not shown). The output shaft 6 of transmission 3 is connected to a differential gear 7, which serves as the final reducer. Drive torque is transmitted from the differential gear 7 to the left and right rear wheels 8.

[0029] An accelerator pedal 9 is installed in vehicle 1. Accelerator pedal 9 is a pedal used to control the output of engine 2 and is operated by a driver (not shown). An accelerator sensor 10 is provided to detect the amount of operation of accelerator pedal 9, i.e., the accelerator opening. The accelerator opening is the angle at which accelerator pedal 9 is depressed, measured from a state where the amount of pressure applied to accelerator pedal 9 is "0", corresponding to the drive request amount in this embodiment of the invention.

[0030] Furthermore, the transmission 3 is capable of both automatic and manual transmission control. The automatic transmission control performs gear shifting based on a driving state defined by multiple parameters, including at least two parameters: vehicle speed and drive request amount. The manual transmission control performs gear shifting based on driver input. A transmission mechanism 11 is provided in the vehicle 1, which selects these control methods or modes and performs manual operations to indicate gear shifting. The transmission mechanism 11 can be a conventionally known gear shifting mechanism; for example, it is configured to select a position via a lever 12. Examples of such positions include a parking (P) position for keeping the vehicle 1 stationary, a reverse (R) position for reversing the vehicle 1, a neutral (N) position for cutting off torque to the rear wheels 8 (which are the drive wheels), a drive (D) position for automatically setting multiple forward gears, a manual position with a fixed gear ratio, an upshift position for shifting a fixed gear one gear to a higher speed, and a downshift position for shifting a fixed gear one gear to a lower speed. A position sensor 13 is provided to detect the position selected by moving the lever 12.

[0031] Furthermore, a speed sensor 14 and a vehicle speed sensor 15 are provided to detect the rotational speed of the engine 2. The speed sensor 14 may be a sensor that detects the rotational speed of an output shaft (not shown) such as the crankshaft of the engine 2. The vehicle speed sensor 15 may be a sensor that detects the rotational speed of the output shaft 6 of the transmission 3.

[0032] An engine electronic control unit (E-ECU) 16 is provided to control engine 2. The E-ECU 16 is primarily composed of a microcomputer consisting of a processing unit (CPU) and storage units (RAM, ROM), etc. It performs calculations using input data and pre-stored data, and outputs the result as a control signal. The detection signals from the aforementioned acceleration sensor 10 and speed sensor 14 are input to the E-ECU 16. The E-ECU 16 outputs signals controlling the throttle opening and the fuel injection quantity as control signals.

[0033] In addition, a transmission electronic control unit (T-ECU) 17 for controlling the transmission 3 is provided. The T-ECU 17 is mainly composed of a microcomputer consisting of a computing element (CPU) and storage elements (RAM, ROM), etc. It performs calculations using input data and pre-stored data, and outputs the result of the calculations as a control signal. The detection signals from the aforementioned acceleration sensor 10, the speed sensor 14, the position sensor 13, and the vehicle speed sensor 15 are input to the T-ECU 17. The T-ECU 17 outputs a shift signal indicating the gear or gear ratio, or an upshift signal or downshift signal that changes the gear or gear ratio by one gear from the current gear or gear ratio, as a control signal.

[0034] Furthermore, the T-ECU17 stores a gear shift mapping. This mapping determines the gear ratio based on drive requests such as accelerator opening and vehicle speed. This gear shift mapping is used in automatic transmission control. In manual transmission control, regardless of the gear shift mapping, the gear ratio is selected based on control signals from manual operation. Furthermore, the T-ECU17 stores the vehicle speed or engine speed at which a downshift is permitted when a downshift is requested manually (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as the downshift-permitted vehicle speed). This downshift-permitted vehicle speed is predetermined in the design through experiments, simulations, etc. Furthermore, the T-ECU17 stores the automatic upshift-permitted vehicle speed.

[0035] Furthermore, a switch 18 is provided in vehicle 1 to restrict automatic upshifting based on driving conditions determined by vehicle speed, accelerator opening, etc. The control that restricts automatic upshifting is called Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), or a control that is part of VSC called Traction Control (TRC, TCS, TCL). In these controls, even if it is determined that any rear wheel 8 is rotating and the vehicle speed is increasing, upshifting is prohibited, and the current gear ratio is maintained. This avoids mistakenly interpreting the rotation of the rear wheel 8 due to wheel slippage as an increase in vehicle speed, which could lead to a decrease in drive torque based on upshifting.

[0036] It should be noted that vehicle 1 is equipped with a paddle shifter switch 19. The paddle shifter switch 19 is a switch located on the steering column (not shown), and it is operated by the driver with their finger to output downshift and upshift signals. The output signal of the paddle shifter switch 19 is input to the T-ECU 17.

[0037] The aforementioned T-ECU17 corresponds to the controller in the embodiments of the present invention, and performs transmission control using signals input from the aforementioned sensors and pre-stored data. Specifically, in embodiments of the present invention, the T-ECU17 controls the set permissible downshift speed based on whether automatic upshifting is possible when a downshift instruction has been manually given. To perform this control, the T-ECU17 has the following functions. Figure 2 It is a block diagram used to illustrate its functional structure.

[0038] The T-ECU 17 includes a manual shift determination unit 17a that determines whether manual shift control is being performed. Manual shift control is achieved by controlling gear changes based on signals from manual operation. For example, in the aforementioned shift mechanism 11, when the manual position is selected via lever 12, the determination of whether manual shift control is being performed is based on a signal output from position sensor 13. The T-ECU 17 also includes an automatic upshift determination unit 17b that determines whether automatic upshifting is prohibited. If a switch (not shown) used to activate the aforementioned VSC or TRC is turned on, automatic upshifting is allowed; if it is turned off, automatic upshifting is prohibited. Therefore, the automatic upshift determination unit 17b determines whether automatic upshifting is prohibited based on a signal from such a switch.

[0039] A manual downshift detection unit 17c is provided in the T-ECU 17. The manual downshift detection unit 17c determines that a manual operation requesting a downshift has been performed. For example, in the aforementioned transmission mechanism 11, a manual operation requesting a downshift is determined based on the signal output from the position sensor 13 when the lever 12 moves to the downshift position. Additionally, the T-ECU 17 includes a vehicle speed detection unit 17d. The vehicle speed detection unit 17d detects the vehicle speed based on the signal input from the aforementioned vehicle speed sensor 15. Furthermore, a downshift allowance setting unit 17e is provided in the T-ECU 17. The downshift allowance setting unit 17e sets the aforementioned downshift allowance speed value, i.e., the allowance value. This allowance value can be preset and stored in the T-ECU 17 depending on whether automatic upshifting is prohibited or not. Alternatively, this allowance value can also be a value set based on the deceleration during downshifting.

[0040] exist Figure 3 The flowchart illustrates an example of the control performed by the aforementioned T-ECU 17. The routine shown in the flowchart is repeatedly executed by the T-ECU 17 at predetermined short intervals when the vehicle 1 is in a so-called starting state or in motion. In step S1, it is determined whether manual transmission control (in other words, manual mode) is being performed. The function of performing this determination in step S1 is the same as that of the aforementioned manual transmission determination unit 17a. Therefore, when manual transmission control is being performed, the determination result of step S1 is "yes," and when automatic transmission control is being performed, the determination result of step S1 is "no."

[0041] If the judgment result of step S1 is "yes", then proceed to step S2 to determine whether automatic upshift control is enabled. That is, in step S2, it is determined whether automatic upshift is prohibited. If automatic upshift is not prohibited due to the aforementioned VSC or TRC activation, that is, if the judgment result of step S2 is "yes", then in step S3, the on signal of the manual downshift switch (SW) is detected. For example, by operating the lever 12 to the down position in the aforementioned transmission mechanism 11, the output position sensor 13 outputs a so-called downshift signal, based on which the aforementioned manual downshift detection unit 17c detects a request for downshift based on manual operation.

[0042] Upon detecting a downshift request based on manual operation, the first permissible downshift speed A is calculated in step S4. This first permissible downshift speed A is a speed designed so that even if the engine speed increases due to downshifting, the engine speed will not increase to a predetermined upper limit speed, and is pre-stored in the T-ECU17 in the form of a mapping or the like. Furthermore, the first permissible downshift speed A can be determined according to each gear ratio at the time the downshift request is received. Alternatively, the first permissible downshift speed A can also be a speed corrected based on deceleration and the presence or absence of braking.

[0043] Next, in step S5, it is determined whether the vehicle speed V at the current time point is below the pre-stored automatic upshift allowable speed Vu. If the determination result of step S5 is "yes", then in step S6, the transmission output for performing the requested downshift is executed. That is, a control signal for downshifting is output. After that, the process temporarily ends. Figure 3 The series of routines shown. Conversely, if the result of step S5 is "no", then no control signal for downshifting is output, and the process immediately terminates temporarily. Figure 3 The series of routines shown.

[0044] On the other hand, if the judgment result of step S2 is "no" because the switch (not shown) used to activate the aforementioned VSC or TRC is open, then proceed to step S7. That is, in the case where automatic upshifting is prohibited, proceed to step S7 and detect the on signal of the manual downshift switch (SW). This is the same control as in step S3 above.

[0045] Next, in step S8, the permissible downshift speed B for the second downshift is calculated. This permissible downshift speed B is a permissible value larger than the permissible downshift speed A for the first downshift, and is a speed determined by design that is not constrained by the aforementioned predetermined upper limit speed regarding engine speed. It is pre-stored in the T-ECU17 in the form of a mapping or the like. Furthermore, the permissible downshift speed B for the second downshift can be determined according to each gear ratio at the point in time when a downshift request based on manual operation is received. Alternatively, the permissible downshift speed B for the second downshift can also be a speed corrected based on deceleration and whether or not braking is applied.

[0046] Thus, after calculating the permissible downshift speed B for the second downshift, in step S9, it is determined whether the current vehicle speed V is below the pre-stored permissible upshift speed Vu. If the determination result of step S9 is "yes", then in step S10, the transmission output for performing the requested downshift is executed. That is, a control signal for downshifting is output. After that, the process temporarily ends. Figure 3 The series of routines shown. Conversely, if the result of step S9 is "no", then no control signal for downshifting is output, and the process immediately terminates temporarily. Figure 3 The series of routines shown.

[0047] It should be noted that in the vehicle 1 equipped with the aforementioned paddle switch 19, a shift mode can be implemented by activating the paddle switch 19. This shift mode can be called the D-gear paddle shift mode. In this shift mode, manual shift control based on the signal from the paddle switch 19 can intervene in automatic shift control based on the driving state of the vehicle 1.

[0048] Therefore, in Figure 3 In the control example shown, if the judgment result in step S1 is "No", step S11 determines whether it is the D gear paddle shift mode. If the judgment result in step S11 is "No" because the paddle switch 19 is not activated, no special control is performed, and the process is temporarily terminated. Figure 3 The following series of routines are shown. Conversely, if the judgment result of step S11 is "yes", then proceed to step S12 to detect the on signal of the manual downshift switch (SW). The on signal of the manual downshift switch (SW) is the signal output by the toggle switch 19 based on the manual downshift operation. The control in step S12 is the same as the control in steps S3 and S7 described above.

[0049] Next, in step S13, the allowable downshift speed C for the third gear is calculated. This allowable downshift speed C is a smaller allowable value than the allowable downshift speed A for the first gear, and is a speed determined in the design considering the aforementioned predetermined upper limit speed of the engine speed, and is pre-stored in the T-ECU17 in the form of a mapping or the like. Alternatively, the allowable downshift speed C for the third gear can also be determined according to each gear ratio at the point in time when a downshift request based on manual operation is received. Furthermore, the allowable downshift speed C for the third gear can also be a speed corrected based on deceleration and whether or not braking is applied.

[0050] Thus, after calculating the permissible downshift speed C for the third gear, in step S14, it is determined whether the current vehicle speed V is below the pre-stored permissible upshift speed Vu. If the determination result of step S14 is "yes", then in step S15, the transmission output for performing the requested downshift is executed. That is, a control signal for downshifting is output. After that, the process temporarily ends. Figure 3 The series of routines shown. Conversely, if the result of step S14 is "no", then no control signal for downshifting is output, and the process immediately terminates temporarily. Figure 3 The series of routines shown.

[0051] Here, in Figure 4 The text represents examples of permissible speeds A, B, and C for downshifting from 1st to 3rd gear. As mentioned earlier, the permissible speed B for downshifting 2nd gear is the highest, the permissible speed A for downshifting 1st gear is lower than the permissible speed B for downshifting 2nd gear, and the permissible speed C for downshifting 3rd gear is the lowest. Additionally, in... Figure 4 In this configuration, the deceleration X1 is, for example, "0". As the deceleration X increases, the allowable vehicle speeds A, B, and C for each downshift are set to larger values. This is because it is generally believed that during a significant deceleration, the vehicle speed decreases substantially during the downshifting process.

[0052] exist Figure 5 The diagram uses line graphs to illustrate the difference in downshifting timing when automatic upshifting is prohibited versus when it is not. Figure 5 The diagram shows the change in engine speed Ne at time point t1 when the accelerator opening is "0" and the engine speed Ne is a high speed higher than the vehicle speed B allowed for the second downshift, for example, when the lever 12 of the aforementioned transmission mechanism 11 is operated and the position sensor 13 outputs a downshift signal.

[0053] When automatic upshifting is prohibited, the permitted downshift speed B for the second downshift is read as the permitted downshift speed. Therefore, downshifting is performed at time t2 when the vehicle speed V decreases to the permitted downshift speed B for the second downshift. The engine speed Ne increases to the speed calculated as the product of the downshifted gear ratio and the vehicle speed V, and then gradually decreases in response to the decrease in vehicle speed V. In this case, the engine speed Ne may sometimes exceed the pre-defined target speed (or upper limit speed) Ne0. If the accelerator pedal 9 is pressed in this state, fuel cut-off, ignition delay, and other limiting controls that restrict the output of engine 2 may be executed to reduce the output of engine 2. The execution of such controls and the accompanying temporary changes in the behavior of vehicle 1 are changes that usually occur with so-called manual shifting, and therefore do not cause particular discomfort to the driver.

[0054] On the other hand, when automatic upshifting is not disabled, the first downshift permissible speed A is read as the permissible downshift speed. Therefore, the downshift is executed after the vehicle speed V decreases to the first downshift permissible speed A, which is lower than the aforementioned second downshift permissible speed B. Figure 5 This time point is denoted as t3. In this case, the engine speed Ne increases to the speed calculated as the product of the downshifted gear ratio and the vehicle speed V. However, at time t3 when the downshift is executed, the vehicle speed V decreases. Therefore, the engine speed Ne reached after the downshift is a lower speed than the speed when automatic upshifting is not prohibited. Consequently, when the accelerator pedal 9 is pressed after downshifting to execute upshifting, the engine speed Ne immediately decreases as the gear ratio decreases, avoiding the execution of fuel cut-off, ignition delay, and other controls.

[0055] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the case where automatic upshifting is prohibited, the second permissible downshift speed B for performing a downshift based on manual operation is set to a higher speed than the first permissible downshift speed A when automatic upshifting is not prohibited. Therefore, the delay from the manual operation for downshifting to the execution of the downshift is reduced, resulting in the elimination or suppression of discomfort caused by the downshifting delay, and further improving shift operability.

[0056] It should be noted that the present invention can be configured with structures other than those described in the above embodiments, for example, in... Figure 3 In the flowchart shown, if the result of step S1 is "no", the process can also end immediately instead of proceeding to step S11. Figure 3 The system performs a series of routines to control the automatic transmission as usual. Therefore, the control device of the present invention can also be used in vehicles that do not have paddle switches. In addition, the transmission mechanism of the vehicle targeted in the present invention can have a structure that indicates the shift via a button, in addition to having the structure of the lever 12 described above. Furthermore, the parameters corresponding to the vehicle speed in the present invention can be parameters corresponding to the vehicle speed, such as the rotational speed of the transmission output shaft, or values ​​calculated based on the rotational speed of each wheel.

Claims

1. A vehicle transmission control device, characterized in that, The vehicle is equipped with a transmission capable of manual transmission control based on human operation to instruct gear shifting, and automatic transmission control based on driving conditions including vehicle speed and drive request quantity. Furthermore, the transmission can selectively disable automatic upshifting that reduces the gear ratio based on the driving conditions. The vehicle's transmission control device includes a controller that controls the changing of the gear ratio in both automatic and manual transmission control. The controller has: The manual transmission determination unit determines whether the manual transmission control is being executed. The automatic upshift determination unit determines whether automatic upshifting, which reduces the gear ratio based on the driving state, is prohibited. The manual downshift detection unit detects situations where a manual operation has been performed to request a downshift with an increased gear ratio. A vehicle speed detection unit detects the vehicle speed or a parameter equivalent to the vehicle speed; and The downshift permission setting unit sets a permissible value for the vehicle speed or parameter that allows downshifting upon request by the human operator. Compared to the case where automatic upshifting is disabled, when automatic upshifting is not disabled, the downshifting permission setting unit sets the permission value to be larger.

2. The vehicle transmission control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vehicle has an internal combustion engine whose output increases according to the increase in the amount of the drive request. Limiting control of the internal combustion engine's output is performed by causing the engine's rotational speed to reach a predetermined upper limit.

3. The vehicle transmission control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The vehicle has a switch that can be manually operated to prevent the automatic upshifting. The automatic upshift determination unit determines whether the automatic upshift is prohibited based on the signal from the switch.

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