Motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine and an automatic transmission

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle (10) comprising a drive unit, which has at least an internal combustion engine (11), and an automatic transmission (12), wherein the automatic transmission (12) is designed to automatically carry out, in a first automatic shifting mode, gear changes on the basis of a driver-side actuation of a first foot pedal (24) of the motor vehicle (10), the first foot pedal being in the form of an accelerator pedal, and / or a second foot pedal (25) of the motor vehicle (10), the second foot pedal being in the form of a brake pedal, and the automatic transmission (12) is designed to sequentially carry out, in a second sequential shifting mode, gear changes on the basis of a driver-side actuation of at least one sequential operating element in the form of a rocker switch (21, 22) or shift lever (23). The motor vehicle (10) has a third foot pedal (26), and the automatic transmission (12) is designed to carry out, in a third shifting mode, gear changes on the basis of a driver-side actuation of the third foot pedal (26) and the shift lever (23).

Description

[0001] Motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine and an automatic transmission

[0002] The invention relates to a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine and an automatic transmission.

[0003] To reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, automatic transmissions are increasingly being used in vehicles with internal combustion engines, whether they are purely combustion engine vehicles or hybrid vehicles. In an automatic transmission, gear changes are performed automatically. A vehicle's automatic transmission can be a torque converter automatic transmission or a dual-clutch transmission. In a dual-clutch transmission, gear changes can be executed faster and more sportily than in a torque converter automatic transmission.

[0004] In motor vehicles where an automatic transmission is installed between the internal combustion engine and a power output, it is already known that the automatic transmission can operate in either a first, automatic shifting mode or a second, sequential shifting mode. In an automatic shifting mode, gear changes are performed automatically in the automatic transmission depending on the driver's actuation of a first foot pedal designed as an accelerator pedal and / or a second foot pedal designed as a brake pedal. In a sequential shifting mode, gear changes in the automatic transmission are performed depending on the driver's actuation of at least one sequential control element designed as a shift paddle or shift lever.It is common practice to install paddle shifters on the steering wheel of a vehicle with an internal combustion engine and automatic transmission, with one paddle shifter used for sequential downshifting and a second paddle shifter for sequential upshifting. A gearshift lever installed in a center console can also be used as a sequential control element for sequential shifting in sequential shift mode.

[0005] Drivers of sporty vehicles equipped with a manual transmission perceive vehicles with an automatic transmission as not very sporty and not very emotional, regardless of whether the automatic transmission is operated in the first, automatic shift mode or in the second, sequential shift mode, even if the automatic transmission is a dual-clutch transmission.

[0006] There is therefore a need for a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine and an automatic transmission, in particular a dual-clutch transmission, which is perceived by a driver as being just as sporty and unemotional with regard to the execution of gear changes as a motor vehicle with a manual transmission. The object of the invention is to create such a motor vehicle. This object is achieved by a motor vehicle according to claim 1. According to the invention, the motor vehicle has a third foot pedal, wherein the automatic transmission is configured to execute gear changes in a third shift mode depending on the driver's actuation of the third foot pedal and the shift lever.

[0007] The present invention proposes for the first time the provision of a third foot pedal in a motor vehicle with an internal combustion engine and an automatic transmission, wherein the automatic transmission is configured to perform gear changes in a third shift mode depending on the driver's actuation of the third foot pedal and the shift lever. In this third shift mode, the motor vehicle with an automatic transmission can then be operated like a motor vehicle with a manual transmission, namely by performing gear changes in the automatic transmission depending on the actuation of the third foot pedal and the shift lever, the shift lever then dividing the available gears of the automatic transmission into several adjacent shift gates.

[0008] Preferably, when the first, automatic shift mode is active, the shift lever is configured to function as a direction switch for selecting one of the drive positions: forward (D), reverse (R), or neutral (N), with the third foot pedal being configured to open or close a closed drivetrain depending on its actuation. Preferably, when the second, sequential shift mode is active, the shift lever is configured to function as a sequential control, with the third foot pedal being configured to open or close a closed drivetrain depending on its actuation.

[0009] Preferably, when the third shift mode is active, the shift lever is configured to provide the function of a gear selector lever of a manual transmission, and the third foot pedal is configured to provide the function of a clutch pedal of a manual transmission. This is particularly preferred for providing the different shift modes via the shift lever and the third foot pedal.

[0010] Preferably, the motor vehicle has a control unit configured to receive input signals from the gearshift lever, at least one shift paddle, and the third foot pedal, and, depending on these signals and the active shift mode, to control the automatic transmission to execute gear changes. This allows for particularly advantageous operation of the automatic transmission, namely, a particularly advantageous execution of gear changes in the three different shift modes. The control unit receives input signals from the third foot pedal and the at least one shift paddle, which it evaluates depending on the active shift mode in order to execute gear changes in the automatic transmission based on this evaluation, i.e., to control the automatic transmission accordingly to perform gear changes.

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims and the following description. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, without being limited thereto. The drawing shows:

[0012] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a motor vehicle according to the invention.

[0013] Fig. 2 shows a detail of the motor vehicle according to the invention.

[0014] Fig. 3 shows the function of the gearshift lever in the first, automatic shifting mode.

[0015] Fig. 4 shows the function of the gearshift lever in the second, sequential shifting mode.

[0016] Fig. 5 shows the function of the gearshift lever in the third shift mode.

[0017] The present invention relates to a motor vehicle 10 which has at least one internal combustion engine 11 as a drive unit and which has an automatic transmission shifted between the internal combustion engine 11 and an output 14.

[0018] The automatic transmission shown in Fig. 2 is a dual-clutch transmission 12. The dual-clutch transmission 12 has two sub-transmissions 12a, 12b, with the gears of the dual-clutch transmission 12 being distributed between the two sub-transmissions 12a, 12b. Each sub-transmission 12a, 12b is acted upon by a clutch 13a, 13b of the dual-clutch transmission 12.

[0019] The design of a dual-clutch transmission 12 is familiar to the expert addressed here and requires no further explanation. The dual-clutch transmission 12 is connected between the internal combustion engine 11 and the output 14 of the motor vehicle 10. The output 14 consists of the driven wheels of the motor vehicle 10.

[0020] Although only an internal combustion engine 11 is shown in Fig. 2, the drive unit of the motor vehicle 10 can also include at least one electric machine in addition to the internal combustion engine 11. If the drive unit of the motor vehicle 10 also includes at least one electric machine, the motor vehicle 10 is designed as a hybrid vehicle.

[0021] Figure 2 shows an engine control unit 15 and a transmission control unit 16 of the motor vehicle 10. The engine control unit 15 exchanges data with the internal combustion engine 11, as indicated by the double arrow 17, to control and / or regulate its operation. The transmission control unit 16 exchanges data with the dual-clutch transmission 12, as indicated by the double arrow 18, to control and / or regulate its operation. Furthermore, as indicated by the double arrow 19, the engine control unit 15 and the transmission control unit 16 exchange data with each other.

[0022] Fig. 2 further shows a steering wheel 20 of the motor vehicle 10 with shift paddles 21, 22 installed on the steering wheel 20, a shift lever 23 preferably installed in a center console of the motor vehicle 10 and a total of three foot pedals 24, 25 and 26 of the motor vehicle 10 installed in a driver's footwell of the motor vehicle 10.

[0023] The first foot pedal 24 of the motor vehicle 10 is an accelerator pedal, also known as the gas pedal. The second accelerator pedal 25 of the motor vehicle 10 is a brake pedal. The first accelerator pedal 24 and the second accelerator pedal 25 are operated by the driver with the same foot.

[0024] In addition, the motor vehicle 10 with the internal combustion engine 11 and the dual-clutch transmission 12 has a third foot pedal 26, which is operated by the driver with a different foot than the first and second accelerator pedals 24, 25.

[0025] The dual-clutch transmission 12 is designed to perform gear changes automatically in a first, automatic shifting mode, depending on the driver's activation of the first foot pedal 24, designed as an accelerator pedal, and / or the second foot pedal 25, designed as a brake pedal. In this case, gear changes are then performed fully automatically 2 in the dual-clutch transmission 12.

[0026] The dual clutch transmission 12 is further equipped to perform gear changes sequentially in a second, sequential shifting mode depending on a driver-side actuation of a sequential control element, whereby in the second shifting mode the shift paddles 21, 22 and / or the shift lever 23 can be used as the sequential control element.

[0027] Furthermore, the dual-clutch transmission 12 is equipped to perform gear changes in the dual-clutch transmission 12 in a third shift mode depending on a driver-side actuation of the third foot pedal 26 and the shift lever 23, in order to then enable the driver to shift the transmission in the third shift mode as he is used to from manual transmissions.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 2, a control element 27 is installed on the steering wheel 20, which is designed to select and activate one of the three switching modes mentioned above when actuated. Specifically, this control element 27 is a rotary-push control element, which is designed to select one of the three switching modes mentioned above by turning it and to activate the selected switching mode by pressing it.

[0029] The control element 27, by pressing which one of the three switching modes above can be selected and activated, can also be installed in the area of ​​a center console or dashboard. The control element, by pressing which one of the three switching modes above can be selected and activated, can also be designed as a push button or switch.

[0030] Then, when the first, automatic shift mode is activated by the driver operating the control element 27, the shift lever 23 is configured to function as a direction switch for selecting one of the driving modes: Forward (D), Reverse (R), and Neutral (N). The function of the shift lever 23 as a direction switch in the first, automatic shift mode is visualized in Fig. 3.

[0031] In the active, first, automatic shift mode, the third accelerator pedal 26 is configured to open a closed drivetrain or close an open drivetrain, depending on its actuation. Specifically, it is provided that by pressing the third accelerator pedal 26 and exceeding a corresponding actuation threshold, the previously closed drivetrain is opened, causing the vehicle 10 to roll, and the opened drivetrain is closed when the third accelerator pedal 26 is subsequently released.

[0032] When the first, automatic switching mode is active, at least one rocker switch 21, 22 is configured to provide the function of a sequential control element for a defined period of time when pressed, thus switching to the second, sequential switching mode for a defined period. For this defined period, the first, automatic switching mode is deactivated and the second, sequential switching mode is activated, after which the system automatically returns to the first, automatic switching mode.

[0033] Then, when the second, sequential shift mode is activated by the driver's operation of the control element 27, the at least one shift rocker 21, 22 and the shift lever 23 are configured to provide the function of a respective sequential control element, whereby gears are shifted sequentially by operating the shift lever 23 in a defined direction. All gears are then located in one shift gate, with Fig. 4 visualizing the function of the shift lever 23 in the second, sequential shift mode.

[0034] The third foot pedal 26 is configured in the second, sequential shifting mode as in the first, automatic shifting mode, depending on its actuation to open a closed drive train or to close an open drive train.

[0035] The at least one rocker switch 21, 22 is set up in the second, sequential switching mode to provide the function of another sequential control element to sequentially perform either downshifts or upshifts.

[0036] When the third shift mode is activated by the driver's operation of the control element 27, the shift lever 23 is configured to provide the function of a gear selector lever of a manual transmission, as illustrated in Fig. 5. The third foot pedal 26 is configured in the third shift mode to provide the function of a clutch pedal of a manual transmission. In the third shift mode, the vehicle 10, which has the automatic transmission designed as a dual-clutch transmission 12, can therefore be operated by the driver like a vehicle with a manual transmission, with gear changes being performed depending on the operation of the third foot pedal 26 and the shift lever 23.

[0037] In the third shift mode, it is possible to adjust the shift parameters of the third shift mode by operating at least one shift paddle, for example to increase the sportiness and emotionality in the third shift mode.

[0038] The operation of the automatic transmission, namely the dual-clutch transmission 12, is controlled and / or regulated by the transmission control unit 16, as already explained above, depending on the shift mode selected via the control element 27.

[0039] According to Fig. 2, the transmission control unit 16 receives data from the foot pedals 24, 25, 26 in the direction of arrow 28, from the shift paddles 21, 22, from the control element 27 in the direction of arrow 29, and from the shift lever 23 in the direction of arrow 30, which the transmission control unit 16 evaluates.

[0040] The evaluation is carried out depending on the shift mode selected and activated on the control element 27, in order to control the dual clutch transmission 12 accordingly to execute the gear changes depending on the active shift mode.

[0041] When the first, automatic shift mode is active and the shift lever 23 provides the functionality of a direction switch visualized in Fig. 3, the shift lever 23 is preferably monostable and has two detent positions on each side, i.e., in both directions of actuation. If, however, in the second shift mode the shift lever 23 provides the function of a sequential shift element as shown in Fig. 4, the shift lever 23 is preferably monostable and has only one detent position on each side, i.e., in both directions of actuation. When the third shift mode is active and the shift lever 23 provides the function of a gear selector lever of a manual transmission with multiple shift gates as shown in Fig. 5, the shift lever 23 is preferably multistable in all end positions.Preselection paths and switching paths are designed to achieve a correspondingly authentic haptic perception.

[0042] This different design of the shift lever 23 in the three shift modes can be ensured, for example, by installing magnetorheological actuators in the shift lever 23.

[0043] However, other actuators, such as electromagnetic actuators, can also be used to provide an authentic haptic actuation of the gearshift lever 23.

[0044] The invention makes it possible to condition a combustion engine vehicle or a hybrid vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission to a driver-selectable shift mode, giving the driver the impression of driving a vehicle with a manual transmission. This enhances the sportiness and emotional appeal of vehicles with automatic transmissions. The vehicle's automatic transmission is preferably a dual-clutch transmission. The automatic transmission can also be a torque converter automatic transmission.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Motor vehicle (10), with a drive unit comprising at least one internal combustion engine (11), with an automatic transmission (12) that is connected between the internal combustion engine (12) and an output shaft (14), wherein the automatic transmission (12) is configured to automatically perform gear changes in a first, automatic shift mode depending on a driver-side actuation of a first foot pedal (24) of the motor vehicle (10) designed as an accelerator pedal and / or a second foot pedal (25) of the motor vehicle (10) designed as a brake pedal, wherein the automatic transmission (12) is configured to perform gear changes sequentially in a second, sequential shifting mode depending on a driver-side actuation of at least one sequential control element designed as a shift rocker (21, 22) or shift lever (23), characterized by a third foot pedal (26), wherein the automatic transmission (12) is configured to perform gear changes in a third shift mode depending on a driver-side actuation of the third foot pedal (26) and the shift lever (23).

2. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that when the first, automatic switching mode is active, the gearshift lever (23) is designed to provide the function of a direction switch for selecting one of the driving stages forward (D), reverse (R) and neutral (N), the third foot pedal (26) is configured, depending on its actuation, to open a closed drivetrain or to close an open drivetrain.

3. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 2, characterized in that, when the first automatic shift mode is active, the at least one rocker switch (21, 22) is configured to provide the function of a sequential control element for a defined period of time after its actuation.

4. Motor vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the second, sequential shift mode is active, the shift lever (23) is configured to provide the function of a sequential control element, the third foot pedal (26) is designed to open a closed drive train or to close an open drive train, depending on its actuation.

5. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 4, characterized in that when the second, sequential switching mode is active, the at least one rocker switch (21, 22) is configured to provide the function of a further sequential control element.

6. Motor vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that when the third switching mode is active, the shift lever (23) is designed to provide the function of a gear selector lever of a manual transmission, the third foot pedal (26) is provided to provide the function of a clutch pedal of a manual transmission.

7. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that, when the third switching mode is active, the at least one rocker switch (21, 22) is configured to adjust the switching parameters of the third switching mode.

8. Motor vehicle (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by a control element (27) which is configured to select and activate one of the switching modes by actuating it.

9. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that the control element (27) is a rotary push-button control element preferably installed on the steering wheel (20), which is configured to select one of the switching modes by turning and to activate the selected switching mode by pressing.

10. Motor vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by a control unit (26) which is configured to receive input signals from the gearshift lever (23), from the at least one rocker switch (21, 22) and from the third foot pedal (26), and depending on this and on the active shift mode, to control the automatic transmission (12) to execute gear changes in the automatic transmission (12).

11. Motor vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the automatic transmission (12) is a dual-clutch transmission.

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