Vehicle Integrated Control for Shift Speed Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicles with stepped automatic transmissions, higher-level control systems cannot determine whether the shift speed needs to be changed to achieve the desired engine torque, leading to suboptimal coordination between control systems.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle integrated-control apparatus and method that calculates three ranges of control targets: achievable at current shift speed, achievable by changing shift speed, and achievable without changing shift speed, allowing upper-level control systems to assess and adjust shift speed accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the higher-level control system only assesses the achievable control-target-range of the engine control system, then the control system structure remains simple, but the higher-level control system cannot determine whether the shift speed needs to be changed to achieve the engine torque
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple hierarchical levels. The lower-level control systems (engine control, transmission control) independently calculate their achievable control target ranges and report them to the higher-level control system. This segmentation allows each subsystem to maintain its own complexity while the higher level integrates information without becoming overly complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower-level control systems act as intermediaries that translate their control capabilities into achievable target ranges. These ranges serve as intermediate information that bridges the gap between the transmission control system's shift speed capabilities and the engine control system's torque requirements, enabling the higher-level system to make informed decisions without direct access to detailed subsystem parameters.
2Productivity
If the higher-level control system provides an instruction to achieve an engine torque included in the achievable control-target-range, then the control instruction can be issued, but the higher-level control system cannot determine whether the shift speed needs to be changed
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission control system performs preliminary action by calculating and reporting its achievable control target range (including different shift speed options) to the higher-level control system before the actual control instruction is issued. This preliminary provision of information enables the higher-level system to assess whether shift speed changes are needed and to make optimal coordination decisions in advance.
3Loss of information
If the control system does not provide shift speed achievable range information, then the information processing load is reduced, but optimal coordination between control systems cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
Each control system provides locally relevant information about its achievable control target range tailored to its specific capabilities. The transmission control system provides shift speed-specific torque ranges, while the engine control system provides engine-specific torque ranges. This local quality approach ensures that each subsystem provides only the necessary information for its domain, reducing overall information processing load while maintaining optimal coordination capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle integrated-control apparatus and method that sets a final control target by coordinating a control target primarily set based on an input of a driver with instruction values from the control systems; and that causes a drive control system to control a drive source and a stepped automatic transmission to achieve the final control target. With this apparatus and method, at least one of the control systems, which provide instruction values to be coordinated with the primarily set control target, is notified of a range of control targets that can be achieved at a current shift speed; a range of control targets that can be achieved by changing the current shift speed to a currently achievable shift speed; and a range of control targets that can be achieved without changing the current shift speed to another shift speed.