Gear control method and apparatus, and device

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of new energy vehicles, and specifically relates to a gear position control method and apparatus, and a device. The gear position control method comprises: in a drivable state, on the basis of a position change of a gear shifter, determining a gear shifting instruction issued by a user, the gear shifting instruction comprising a target gear position; on the basis of a vehicle state, determining whether a vehicle satisfies a switching condition for switching the current gear position to the target gear position; when it is determined that the vehicle state satisfies the switching condition, switching the current gear position of the vehicle to the target gear position; and when it is determined that the vehicle state does not satisfy the switching condition, keeping the current gear position of the vehicle unchanged, or switching the current gear position of the vehicle to an N gear position. In the embodiments of the present invention, a gear shifting request of a driver is accurately identified on the basis of a gear shifter, rational gear shifting determination logic is used to determine whether the gear shifting request of the driver is rational in different driving scenarios, different vehicle states, and different current gear positions, and gear shifting is completed when the gear shifting request is rational, thereby avoiding dangers caused by accidental gear shifting of vehicles.

Description

Gear control methods, devices and equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510058877.4, filed on January 14, 2025, entitled “Gear Control Method, Apparatus and Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of new energy vehicle technology, specifically to a gear control method, device, and equipment. Background Technology

[0003] Most vehicles on the market are equipped with electronic gear shifters, generally including lever-type, rotary-type, and column-mounted shifters. These shifters include a gear position controller module (SCU), which transmits the driver's gear request and the actual gear position to the vehicle control unit (VCU) via a CAN network. The VCU then decides whether to allow the driver to shift gears. However, column-mounted shifters still have many problems, such as the inability to accurately identify the driver's shifting needs, a lack of comprehensive consideration of user scenarios, and the absence of corresponding measures to ensure driving safety in case of misoperation under specific operating conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a gear control method, apparatus, and device to solve the technical problems in the prior art where column shifter control cannot accurately identify the driver's shifting needs, does not comprehensively consider user scenarios, and lacks corresponding handling measures to ensure driving safety when misoperation occurs under specific working conditions.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a gear control method, the method comprising:

[0006] In a drivable state, the shift command issued by the user is determined based on the position change of the shifter, and the shift command includes the target gear.

[0007] Determine whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions to shift from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle status;

[0008] When it is determined that the vehicle status meets the switching conditions, the vehicle's current gear is switched to the target gear;

[0009] When it is determined that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, the current gear of the vehicle remains unchanged, or the current gear of the vehicle is switched to N gear.

[0010] Optionally, determining the shift command issued by the user based on the position change of the shifter includes:

[0011] When a change in the mechanical position of the gear shifter is detected, it is determined whether the time the gear shifter stays in each mechanical position exceeds a preset time threshold.

[0012] When it is determined that the time the gear shifter stays at any target mechanical position exceeds a preset time threshold, it is determined that the user has issued a gear shift command, and the target gear in the gear shift command is determined according to the vehicle's current gear and the target mechanical position.

[0013] Optionally, determining the target gear in the shift command based on the vehicle's current gear and the target mechanical position includes:

[0014] When the current gear of the vehicle is P, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position or the third mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be N; if the target mechanical position is the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; if the target mechanical position is the fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D.

[0015] When the current gear of the vehicle is N gear, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position or the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R gear; if the target mechanical position is the third mechanical position or the fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D gear.

[0016] When the current gear of the vehicle is R, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position or the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; if the target mechanical position is the third mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be N; if the target mechanical position is the fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D.

[0017] When the current gear of the vehicle is D, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be N; if the target mechanical position is the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; if the target mechanical position is the third or fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D.

[0018] To reach the first and second mechanical positions, the gear shifter needs to be moved upwards, and the distance required to move the gear shifter to the second mechanical position is longer than that required to move the gear shifter to the first mechanical position. To reach the third and fourth mechanical positions, the gear shifter needs to be moved downwards, and the distance required to move the gear shifter to the fourth mechanical position is longer than that required to move the gear shifter to the third mechanical position.

[0019] Optionally, the method further includes determining the target gear in the shift command:

[0020] Determine if the P gear button is malfunctioning;

[0021] When it is determined that the P gear button is not malfunctioning, the target gear is determined to be P gear when the P gear button is pressed.

[0022] When it is determined that the P gear button is malfunctioning, the P gear button will no longer be responded to.

[0023] Optionally, determining whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions for shifting from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle status includes:

[0024] When the current gear of the vehicle is P gear, if it is determined that the brake pedal has been pressed, then it is determined that the vehicle meets the switching conditions to switch to any target gear.

[0025] When the current gear of the vehicle is N gear, if it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than the first speed threshold, or if it is determined that the brake pedal has been pressed and the vehicle speed is less than the first speed threshold, then the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to D gear. If it is determined that the brake pedal has been pressed and the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to R gear.

[0026] When the current gear of the vehicle is R, it is determined that the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to N gear. If it is determined that the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, it is determined that the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to D gear.

[0027] When the vehicle's current gear is D, if it is determined that the brake pedal has been pressed and the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to R gear; if it is determined that the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to N gear.

[0028] Optionally, when it is determined that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, the vehicle's current gear is switched to neutral (N), including:

[0029] When the vehicle's current gear is R, if the target gear is D and the vehicle speed is greater than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle's current gear will be switched to N.

[0030] When the vehicle's current gear is D, if the target gear is R, and it is confirmed that the brake pedal is not depressed and the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle's current gear will be switched to N.

[0031] Optionally, after determining that the vehicle state does not meet the switching conditions, the method further includes:

[0032] Display the corresponding error operation prompt message based on the switching conditions that the vehicle does not meet;

[0033] When the shifting conditions are not met due to the brake pedal not being pressed, a first misoperation prompt message is displayed. The first prompt message is used to prompt the user to reissue the shifting command after pressing the brake pedal.

[0034] When the switching conditions are not met because the vehicle speed is not lower than the preset speed threshold, a second misoperation prompt message is displayed. The second prompt message is used to prompt the user to reissue the shift command after reducing the vehicle speed to the speed threshold.

[0035] When shifting the vehicle to P gear, if the shifting conditions are not met because the vehicle is not stationary, a third misoperation prompt message is displayed. The third prompt message is used to prompt the user to control the vehicle to come to a stop and reissue the shift command.

[0036] The error message also includes:

[0037] When the vehicle is not in Park (P) gear, determine if there is a risk of it rolling away.

[0038] When a risk of vehicle rollover is identified, the fourth error operation warning message will be displayed;

[0039] The risk of the vehicle rolling away is determined by the vehicle's power status, handbrake status, vehicle speed, driver's side door open / closed status, driver's side seatbelt status, and brake pedal status.

[0040] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a gear control device, the device comprising:

[0041] The determination module, in a drivable state, determines the shift command issued by the user based on the position change of the shifter, and the shift command includes the target gear;

[0042] The judgment module determines whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions to switch from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle status.

[0043] The first control module, when determining that the vehicle status meets the switching conditions, switches the vehicle's current gear to the target gear;

[0044] The second control module, when determining that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, either keeps the vehicle's current gear unchanged or switches the vehicle's current gear to N gear.

[0045] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device, including:

[0046] At least one processor; and

[0047] At least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein:

[0048] The memory stores program instructions that can be executed by the processor, which can invoke the program instructions to perform the method as described in any of the first aspects.

[0049] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a storage medium including a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the device where the storage medium is located to perform the method described in any of the first aspects.

[0050] This invention provides a column shifter-type gear control strategy. Based on the shifter's accurate identification of the driver's shift requests, it utilizes reasonable shift judgment logic to determine the rationality of the driver's shift request under different driving scenarios, vehicle states, and current gears. When the request is reasonable, it completes the gear shift, preventing dangers caused by accidental gear changes. Furthermore, it provides a warning when the shift command is unreasonable, guiding the driver to perform the correct shift operation and avoiding dangerous driving, thus ensuring driving safety. Simultaneously, it pre-sets corresponding handling measures for potential malfunctions in the gear control system, such as a faulty P-gear button, to be implemented in the event of an actual malfunction, ensuring driving safety. Attached Figure Description

[0051] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0052] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a gear control system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a gear control method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the gear position of a gear shifter provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a gear control device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0057] To better understand the technical solution of this application, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] It should be understood that the described embodiments are merely some, not all, of the embodiments in this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0059] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a gear shift control system provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, the gear shift control system includes: a Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) 110, a Shift Control Unit (SCU) 120, an Electronic Stability Controller (ESC) 130, and other modules 140. The VCU establishes communication connections with the SCU, ESC, and other modules.

[0060] The SCU is used to sense changes in the position of the gear shifter to obtain the shift command given by the user, and then send the shift command to the VCU.

[0061] ESC is used to detect the status of the P gear button. When the P gear button is pressed, it sends a shift command to the VCU, prompting the VCU to adjust the gear to P gear.

[0062] The VCU receives shift commands from the SCU and ESC, and determines whether the vehicle meets the shifting conditions to change from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle's status. If the vehicle status meets the shifting conditions, the VCU shifts the vehicle's current gear to the target gear; if the vehicle status does not meet the shifting conditions, the VCU either keeps the current gear unchanged or shifts the vehicle's current gear to neutral (N). The VCU also sends the current gear status to the SCU and ESC after the shift is complete.

[0063] Other modules 140 contain several sub-modules, all of which are connected to the VCU. They are used to monitor the vehicle status in real time and feed it back to the VCU to help the VCU determine whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions for shifting from the current gear to the target gear, or to determine whether there is any misoperation of the vehicle.

[0064] In some embodiments, other modules specifically include functional modules such as Electronic Brake Systems (EBS), On-board Charger (CDU), Battery Management System (BMS), Body Control Module (IBC / BCM), and Sensor Diagnostic Module (SDM).

[0065] Specifically, EBS is used to detect whether the brake pedal is pressed and the validity of the brake pedal signal; CDU is used to detect the connection status of the vehicle's slow charging; BMS is used to detect the connection status of the vehicle's fast charging; IBC / BCM is used to detect the vehicle's power mode and the driver's side door open / closed status; SDM is used to detect the driver's seatbelt status and the occupancy status of the driver's seat.

[0066] Optionally, in some embodiments, other modules of the gear shift control system also include a display instrument. The display instrument is connected to the VCU via an IC chip, and is used to receive commands from the VCU through the IC chip and display relevant prompts. For example, it can display a prompt indicating that the gear shift is complete, or a prompt indicating an incorrect operation.

[0067] Figure 2 shows a flowchart of a gear control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. This method is applied to the gear control system shown in Figure 1. Referring to Figure 2, the specific steps of the method include:

[0068] S201, in a drivable state, determines the shift command issued by the user based on the position change of the shifter, and the shift command includes the target gear.

[0069] Specifically, the power mode of the vehicle's power supply is determined through the IBC / BCM. When it is determined that the vehicle's power supply is powered on and the vehicle is in a ready state, the vehicle is determined to be in a drivable state. After the vehicle's power supply is powered on, the SCU is initialized, and the default position after initialization is P (Park) is reached.

[0070] When the vehicle is in a driving state, the SCU uses Hall effect photoelectric sensors to sense the mechanical position of the gear shifter in real time. When a change in the mechanical position of the gear shifter is detected, the SCU determines the shift command issued by the user based on the changed mechanical position. The change in the mechanical position of the gear shifter is used to output R, D, N, and P as the target gear.

[0071] When the mechanical position of the gear shifter changes between preset positions due to the user's toggle action, it is further determined whether the time the gear shifter remains in each mechanical position exceeds a preset time threshold. Specifically, when the user issues a shift command between R, N, and D by toggling the gear shifter, it is necessary to determine whether the time threshold has been exceeded. However, when the user issues a shift command with P as the target gear by pressing the P button, no time threshold is required.

[0072] When the time the gear shifter spends at any target mechanical position exceeds a preset time threshold, a shift command is confirmed as issued by the user. The target gear in the shift command is then determined based on the vehicle's current gear and the target mechanical position. Conversely, if the time the gear shifter spends at any target mechanical position does not exceed the preset time threshold, these mechanical positions are simply the points the shifter must pass through to reach the target position, and the target gear is not determined based on these positions. Typically, a time threshold of 50ms can be set; that is, a shift command is issued when the gear shifter spends more than 50ms at a certain mechanical position, and the target gear is determined based on that mechanical position and the current gear.

[0073] When determining the target gear based on the vehicle's current gear and the target mechanical position, if the vehicle's current gear is P and the target mechanical position is the first or third mechanical position, then the target gear is determined to be N; if the target mechanical position is the second mechanical position, then the target gear is determined to be R; and if the target mechanical position is the fourth mechanical position, then the target gear is determined to be D.

[0074] When the vehicle's current gear is N, if the target mechanical position is the first or second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; if the target mechanical position is the third or fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D.

[0075] When the vehicle's current gear is R, if the target mechanical position is the first or second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; if the target mechanical position is the third mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be N; and if the target mechanical position is the fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D.

[0076] When the vehicle's current gear is D, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be N; if the target mechanical position is the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; and if the target mechanical position is the third or fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D.

[0077] To reach the first and second mechanical positions, the shifter needs to be moved upwards, with the second position requiring a longer movement than the first. To reach the third and fourth mechanical positions, the shifter needs to be moved downwards, with the fourth position requiring a longer movement than the third. After the shifter is moved to the corresponding mechanical position to determine the target gear and issue the shift command, it automatically resets from the target mechanical position to the initial zero mechanical position.

[0078] Optionally, the SCU will only determine the shift command and target gear based on the change in the mechanical position of the shifter when the shifter is in its initial position, i.e., the zeroth mechanical position. When the shifter is not in the zeroth mechanical position, the shifter needs to be reset first before the SCU responds to the shift command.

[0079] In addition to outputting the target gear as R, D, and N through changes in mechanical position, the gear shifter can also output the target gear as P via the P gear button located on the gear shifter.

[0080] When the P (Park) button is functioning correctly, its status is monitored in real time via the ESC (Electronic Stability Control). When the P button is detected as pressed, the ESC synchronizes its status with the SCU (Self-Controlled Controller) via the CAN bus. The SCU then determines that the user has issued a shift command and identifies the target gear as P.

[0081] Optionally, if it is determined that the P gear button is malfunctioning, then the P gear button command will no longer be responded to.

[0082] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a gear shifter position provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] Referring to Figure 3, the gear shifter is a column shifter. The shifter includes a P (Park) button on one side. The default mechanical position of the shifter is position zero. The shifter can be moved up two mechanical positions or down two mechanical positions. Moving one mechanical position up moves the shifter to position one; moving it up from position one moves it to position two. Moving it down moves the shifter to position three; moving it up from position three moves it to position four. After being moved to position one, two, three, or four, the shifter automatically returns to position zero.

[0084] In one specific embodiment, in conjunction with the gear shifter shown in Figure 3, the specific correspondence between the vehicle's current gear and the determined target gear, based on the mechanical position of the gear shifter, is shown in Table 1.

[0085] Table 1

[0086] When the P gear button is not pressed, the shift command is output based on the current gear, whether the shifter moves up or down one or two gears, and the target gear.

[0087] S202, determine whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions to switch from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle status.

[0088] Specifically, the VCU determines whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions for changing the current gear to the target gear sent by the SCU, based on the current vehicle status.

[0089] When it is confirmed that the vehicle's power supply is on and the vehicle is in a ready state, the vehicle is determined to be in a drivable state. In the drivable state, based on the vehicle's current gear, combined with information such as the brake pedal status and vehicle speed, it is determined whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions.

[0090] When the vehicle's current gear is P, it can switch to N, D, or R depending on the target gear. If the brake pedal is depressed when the target gear is any of these gears, the vehicle meets the conditions for switching to any target gear.

[0091] When the vehicle's current gear is N (Neutral), it can switch to D (Drive) or R (Reverse) gear depending on the target gear. When the target gear is D, if the vehicle speed is greater than a first speed threshold, or if the brake pedal is depressed and the vehicle speed is less than the first speed threshold, the vehicle meets the switching conditions for D gear. When the target gear is R, if the brake pedal is depressed and the vehicle speed is less than a second speed threshold, the vehicle meets the switching conditions for R gear. Generally, the first speed threshold is set to 3 km / h, and the second speed threshold is set to 6 km / h.

[0092] When the vehicle's current gear is R (Reverse), it can switch to N (Neutral) or D (Drive) gear depending on the target gear. When the target gear is N, the vehicle meets the switching conditions for N gear regardless of vehicle speed or whether the brake pedal is depressed. When the target gear is D, the vehicle meets the switching conditions for D gear if the vehicle speed is determined to be below a second speed threshold.

[0093] When the vehicle's current gear is D, it can switch to R or N gear depending on the target gear. When the target gear is R, if the brake pedal is depressed and the vehicle speed is below a second speed threshold, the vehicle meets the switching conditions for R. When the target gear is N, if the vehicle speed is below a second speed threshold, the vehicle meets the switching conditions for N.

[0094] When the vehicle's current gear is N, R, or D, it can be switched to P gear based on the target gear. If the vehicle is stationary when the target gear is P, then the conditions for switching to P gear are met. Generally, a vehicle is considered stationary when its speed is below 2 km / h.

[0095] Optionally, when it is determined that the vehicle power supply is in the powered-on state, but the vehicle is not in the ready state, when the vehicle speed is lower than the first speed threshold, it can only switch between P and N gears, and cannot switch to D or N gears.

[0096] S203: When it is determined that the vehicle status meets the switching conditions, the vehicle's current gear is switched to the target gear.

[0097] Specifically, once the vehicle completes a gear shift, a shift completion command is sent to the display instrument, which then displays the current gear to indicate to the driver that the gear shift has been completed.

[0098] S204, when it is determined that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, keep the current gear of the vehicle unchanged, or switch the current gear of the vehicle to N gear.

[0099] Specifically, when determining whether the switching conditions are met by executing S202, if the vehicle's current gear is R and the target gear is D and the vehicle speed is greater than the second speed threshold, then it is determined that the switching conditions are not met, and the vehicle's current gear is switched to N.

[0100] When the vehicle's current gear is D, and the target gear is R, if the brake pedal is not depressed and the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the switching conditions are not met, and the vehicle's current gear is switched to N.

[0101] In the event of other circumstances where the switching conditions are not met, in order to maintain vehicle stability and avoid accidents caused by gear changes during driving, the current gear of the vehicle shall remain unchanged.

[0102] This invention provides a column shifter gear control strategy that accurately identifies the driver's shift request based on the shifter. It uses reasonable shift judgment logic to determine whether the driver's shift request is reasonable under different driving scenarios, different vehicle states, and different current gears. When the request is reasonable, the shift is completed to avoid danger caused by the vehicle shifting gears incorrectly.

[0103] Optionally, in some embodiments, when it is determined by S204 that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, the VCU controls the vehicle's display instrument to display the corresponding misoperation prompt information according to the switching conditions that the vehicle does not meet, so as to prompt the user to complete the gear shift after correcting the misoperation.

[0104] Specifically, when the shifting conditions are not met due to the brake pedal not being pressed, a first misoperation prompt message is displayed to remind the driver to press the brake pedal and then re-enter the shifting command to perform the shifting.

[0105] During vehicle operation, the brake pedal needs to be depressed to determine whether the shift condition is met based on the vehicle's speed, current gear, and target gear. However, when the vehicle has just started and is not moving, the brake pedal must be depressed to meet the shift condition.

[0106] When the switching conditions are not met because the vehicle speed is not lower than the preset speed threshold, a second misoperation prompt message is displayed to remind the driver to re-shift the gear by issuing a shift command after reducing the vehicle speed.

[0107] When the vehicle is switched to P gear by triggering the P gear button, if the switching conditions are not met because the vehicle is not stationary, a third misoperation prompt message is displayed to prompt the driver to stop the vehicle and then re-enter the gear shift command.

[0108] In one specific embodiment, the VCU's shifting logic, i.e., the method by which the VCU determines whether the vehicle meets the requirements for shifting from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle's state, is shown in Table 2. The first speed threshold is 3 km / h, and the second speed threshold is 6 km / h.

[0109] Table 2

[0110] Referring to Table 2, when the P gear button is not pressed, the vehicle shifts between P, N, R, and D gears according to the shift indicator. Specifically, it determines whether the vehicle conditions meet the shifting criteria by judging whether the brake pedal is depressed, whether the current vehicle speed exceeds the first speed threshold of 3 km / h and the second speed threshold of 6 km / h, and the current gear and target gear. When the shifting conditions are met, the VCU shifts to the corresponding target gear; when the shifting conditions are not met, it maintains the current gear or shifts to N gear, and displays the corresponding misoperation prompt message to the user via the IC.

[0111] Optionally, in addition to displaying a prompt message when the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, a corresponding prompt message will also be displayed to remind the driver when the driver performs other erroneous operations inside the vehicle, in order to assist the driver in correcting the erroneous operations.

[0112] When the vehicle is not in Park (P) gear, for example, when the current gear is Neutral (N), the system determines whether there is a risk of the vehicle rolling by checking the vehicle's power status, handbrake status, vehicle speed, driver's door open / closed status, driver's seatbelt status, and brake pedal status. If the vehicle simultaneously meets the following conditions: power is on, handbrake is released, speed is below a preset threshold, driver's door is open, driver's seatbelt is unfastened, and brake pedal is not depressed, it can be determined that the user attempted to leave the vehicle without parking it, posing a risk of rolling. A fourth misoperation warning message is displayed to remind the user to park the vehicle before leaving, preventing various dangers caused by the vehicle rolling.

[0113] Optionally, in this embodiment of the invention, the vehicle may malfunction during operation, leading to gear control failure or other problems. The VCU will control the gears according to the corresponding malfunction to avoid danger to the driver, passengers, and pedestrians around the vehicle.

[0114] When the vehicle's position sensor malfunctions, a fault signal is sent to the VCU. The VCU determines the position sensor is faulty based on the fault signal and enters fault mode. In fault mode, the vehicle's malfunction indicator lamps illuminate, and the vehicle is shifted to neutral (N). If the vehicle is traveling at high speed, the current gear is maintained until the speed decreases to a safe level before shifting to neutral.

[0115] When a communication bus failure occurs, a fault code is recorded via the VCU, and the shifting function is temporarily disabled. The shifting function is restored once the signal bus fault is resolved.

[0116] The status of the P gear button is monitored in real time via ESC. When the ESC detects a malfunction in the P gear, it sends a fault code to the VCU via the communication bus. The VCU determines that the P gear button is faulty based on the fault code and treats the P gear button as if it were not pressed, meaning it will no longer respond to the P gear button and will not shift to P gear even if it receives a signal that the P gear button has been pressed.

[0117] This invention provides a warning when a shift command is incorrect, guiding the driver to perform the correct shifting operation, thus avoiding dangerous driving and ensuring driving safety. Simultaneously, it pre-sets corresponding handling measures for potential malfunctions in the gear control system, such as a faulty P-gear button, to be implemented in the event of an actual malfunction, ensuring driving safety.

[0118] Corresponding to the above-described gear control method, this application also provides a gear control device. Referring to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the structure of a gear control device provided in this application embodiment, the gear control device may include: a determining module 401, a judging module 402, a first control module 403, and a second control module 404.

[0119] The determination module 401, in a drivable state, determines the shift command issued by the user based on the position change of the shifter, and the shift command includes the target gear.

[0120] The judgment module 402 determines whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle status.

[0121] The first control module 403, when determining that the vehicle status meets the switching conditions, switches the vehicle's current gear to the target gear.

[0122] The second control module 404, when determining that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, keeps the vehicle's current gear unchanged, or switches the vehicle's current gear to N gear.

[0123] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the electronic device described in this specification. As shown in Figure 5, the electronic device may include at least one processor; and at least one memory communicatively connected to the processing unit, wherein the memory stores program instructions executable by the processing unit, and the processor can execute the gear control method provided in this embodiment by calling the program instructions.

[0124] The aforementioned electronic device can be a device capable of intelligent dialogue with the user, such as a cloud server. This specification does not limit the specific form of the electronic device in the embodiments. It is understood that the electronic device here refers to the machine mentioned in the method embodiments.

[0125] Figure 5 shows a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device suitable for implementing the embodiments of this specification. The electronic device shown in Figure 5 is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the functionality and scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0126] As shown in Figure 5, the electronic device is presented in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device may include, but are not limited to: one or more processors 510, communication interface 520, memory 530, and communication bus 540 connecting different system components (including memory 530, communication interface 520 and processor 510).

[0127] The communication bus 540 represents one or more of several bus architectures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processor, or a local bus using any of the various bus architectures. Examples of these architectures include, but are not limited to, the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, the Micro Channel Architecture (MAC) bus, the Enhanced ISA bus, the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0128] Electronic devices typically include a variety of computer-readable media. These media can be any available media that can be accessed by the electronic device, including volatile and non-volatile media, and removable and non-removable media.

[0129] Memory 530 may include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory. The electronic device may further include other removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile computer system storage media. Memory 530 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules configured to perform the functions of the embodiments described herein.

[0130] A program / utility having a set (at least one) of program modules may be stored in memory 530. Such program modules include, but are not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment. The program modules typically perform the functions and / or methods described in the embodiments of this specification.

[0131] The processor 510 executes various functional applications and data processing by running programs stored in the memory 530, such as implementing the gear control method provided in the embodiments shown in this specification.

[0132] This specification provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer instructions that cause the computer to execute the gear control method provided in the embodiments shown in this specification.

[0133] The aforementioned non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable media. A computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media (a non-exhaustive list) include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or flash memory, optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In this document, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that may be used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0134] Computer-readable signal media may include data signals propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. Computer-readable signal media may also be any computer-readable medium other than computer-readable storage media, capable of sending, propagating, or transmitting programs for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0135] Program code contained on a computer-readable medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wire, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0136] Computer program code for performing the operations described herein can be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving remote computers, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0137] The foregoing has described specific embodiments of this specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recited in the claims may be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and may still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific or sequential order shown to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are possible or may be advantageous.

[0138] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this specification, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0139] Any process or method described in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing custom logic functions or processes, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of this specification includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the functions involved, as will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of this specification pertain.

[0140] Depending on the context, the word "if" as used here can be interpreted as "when," "when," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, depending on the context, the phrase "if determination" or "if detection (of the stated condition or event)" can be interpreted as "when determination," "in response to determination," "when detection (of the stated condition or event)," or "in response to detection (of the stated condition or event)."

[0141] It should be noted that the terminals involved in the embodiments of this specification may include, but are not limited to, personal computers (hereinafter referred to as PCs), personal digital assistants (hereinafter referred to as PDAs), wireless handheld devices, tablet computers, mobile phones, MP3 players, MP4 players, etc.

[0142] In the embodiments provided in this specification, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0143] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this specification can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware and software functional units.

[0144] The integrated units implemented as software functional units described above can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. These software functional units, stored in a storage medium, include several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute some steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this specification.

[0145] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this specification and is not intended to limit this specification. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this specification should be included within the scope of protection of this specification.

Claims

1. A gear control method, characterized in that, The method includes: In a drivable state, the shift command issued by the user is determined based on the position change of the shifter, and the shift command includes the target gear. Determine whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions to shift from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle status; When it is determined that the vehicle status meets the switching conditions, the vehicle's current gear is switched to the target gear; When it is determined that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, the current gear of the vehicle remains unchanged, or the current gear of the vehicle is switched to N gear.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process of determining the user's shift command based on the position change of the shifter includes: When a change in the mechanical position of the gear shifter is detected, it is determined whether the time the gear shifter stays in each mechanical position exceeds a preset time threshold. When it is determined that the time the gear shifter stays at any target mechanical position exceeds a preset time threshold, it is determined that the user has issued a gear shift command, and the target gear in the gear shift command is determined according to the vehicle's current gear and the target mechanical position.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the target gear in the shift command based on the vehicle's current gear and the target mechanical position includes: When the current gear of the vehicle is P, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position or the third mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be N; if the target mechanical position is the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; if the target mechanical position is the fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D. When the current gear of the vehicle is N gear, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position or the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R gear; if the target mechanical position is the third mechanical position or the fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D gear. When the current gear of the vehicle is R, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position or the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; if the target mechanical position is the third mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be N; if the target mechanical position is the fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D. When the current gear of the vehicle is D, if the target mechanical position is the first mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be N; if the target mechanical position is the second mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be R; if the target mechanical position is the third or fourth mechanical position, the target gear is determined to be D. To reach the first and second mechanical positions, the gear shifter needs to be moved upwards, and the distance required to move the gear shifter to the second mechanical position is longer than that required to move the gear shifter to the first mechanical position. To reach the third and fourth mechanical positions, the gear shifter needs to be moved downwards, and the distance required to move the gear shifter to the fourth mechanical position is longer than that required to move the gear shifter to the third mechanical position.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method for determining the target gear in a shift command further includes: Determine if the P gear button is malfunctioning; When it is determined that the P gear button is not malfunctioning, the target gear is determined to be P gear when the P gear button is pressed. When it is determined that the P gear button is malfunctioning, the P gear button will no longer be responded to.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions for shifting from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle status includes: When the current gear of the vehicle is P gear, if it is determined that the brake pedal has been pressed, then it is determined that the vehicle meets the switching conditions to switch to any target gear. When the current gear of the vehicle is N gear, if it is determined that the vehicle speed is greater than the first speed threshold, or if it is determined that the brake pedal has been pressed and the vehicle speed is less than the first speed threshold, then the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to D gear. If it is determined that the brake pedal has been pressed and the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to R gear. When the current gear of the vehicle is R, it is determined that the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to N gear. If it is determined that the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, it is determined that the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to D gear. When the vehicle's current gear is D, if it is determined that the brake pedal has been pressed and the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to R gear; if it is determined that the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle meets the switching conditions for switching to N gear.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, When it is determined that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, the vehicle's current gear is switched to neutral (N), including: When the vehicle's current gear is R, if the target gear is D and the vehicle speed is greater than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle's current gear will be switched to N. When the vehicle's current gear is D, if the target gear is R, and it is confirmed that the brake pedal is not depressed and the vehicle speed is less than the second speed threshold, then the vehicle's current gear will be switched to N.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When it is determined that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, the method further includes: Display the corresponding error operation prompt message based on the switching conditions that the vehicle does not meet; When the shifting conditions are not met due to the brake pedal not being pressed, a first misoperation prompt message is displayed. The first prompt message is used to prompt the user to reissue the shifting command after pressing the brake pedal. When the switching conditions are not met because the vehicle speed is not lower than the preset speed threshold, a second misoperation prompt message is displayed. The second prompt message is used to prompt the user to reissue the shift command after reducing the vehicle speed to the speed threshold. When shifting the vehicle to P gear, if the shifting conditions are not met because the vehicle is not stationary, a third misoperation prompt message is displayed. The third prompt message is used to prompt the user to control the vehicle to come to a stop and reissue the shift command. The error message also includes: When the vehicle is not in Park (P) gear, determine if there is a risk of it rolling away. When a risk of vehicle rollover is identified, the fourth error operation warning message will be displayed; The risk of the vehicle rolling away is determined by the vehicle's power status, handbrake status, vehicle speed, driver's side door open / closed status, driver's side seatbelt status, and brake pedal status.

8. A gear control device, characterized in that, The device includes: The determination module, in a drivable state, determines the shift command issued by the user based on the position change of the shifter, and the shift command includes the target gear; The judgment module determines whether the vehicle meets the switching conditions to switch from the current gear to the target gear based on the vehicle status. The first control module, when determining that the vehicle status meets the switching conditions, switches the vehicle's current gear to the target gear; The second control module, when determining that the vehicle status does not meet the switching conditions, either keeps the vehicle's current gear unchanged or switches the vehicle's current gear to N gear.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory communicatively connected to the processor, wherein: The memory stores program instructions that can be executed by the processor, and the processor can invoke the program instructions to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium includes a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the device on which the storage medium is located to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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