JPH09166205A - Automatic transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: The present invention relates to an automatic transmission suitable for use in a mechanical automatic transmission provided in a large automobile such as a truck or a bus, and shifts so as to correspond to a slope or a curve of a traveling road. Control the state so that a stable operating state can be achieved. SOLUTION: In the automatic transmission, a gradient detecting means 5 for detecting a gradient of a road ahead when the vehicle is traveling.
2, and based on the gradient of the road ahead detected by the gradient detecting means 52, it is determined whether or not the downshift of the gear position is necessary for the vehicle to travel on the road ahead at the current traveling speed. The upshift downshift determining means 57 is configured to perform downshifting of the shift stage prior to uphill climbing on the road ahead when the upshift downshift determining means 57 determines that downshifting is necessary.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic transmission suitable for use in a mechanical automatic transmission provided in a large automobile such as a truck or a bus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the recent truck and bus industry,
Due to the increase in long-distance flights and the aging of drivers, the need for improving the working environment is increasing, and there is an increasing demand for easy operation and automation of driving devices. One of the responses to this demand is automation of transmission.

Although a torque converter type automatic vehicle is often used in passenger cars, an automatic transmission system for a large truck / bus has a high cost of a torque converter type automatic transmission for a large vehicle and has a high fuel consumption manual transmission. Due to its inferiority to cars, it has not been accepted by the market despite its great operational advantages.

On the other hand, with the recent development of the electronic control technology field, the torque transmission device of a manual vehicle has been electronically controlled,
An automatic transmission system that allows a machine to perform a motion similar to human operation is considered, and a semi-automatic vehicle and a mechanical automatic vehicle equipped with such a system are being provided.

[0005]

However, a vehicle equipped with such a conventional system has the following problems. First, when a steep grade road is approached, the gears have a small driving force, so downshifting is performed according to the shift map.

By the way, a predetermined time (for example, a time of about 2 seconds) is required until the shift down operation is completed, and the vehicle speed decreases during that time. Then, after shifting, the vehicle accelerates again from the reduced vehicle speed. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to maintain a good traveling feeling in such a case.

This problem will be described by taking as an example the case of an automobile having a shift map as shown in FIG. 12 and having running performance characteristics as shown in FIG. 13. In the running performance curve in FIG. (0%) to 7th speed 85k
Consider the case where a 3% slope is approaching while traveling at m / h. The maximum driving force in this operating state is represented by point A on the 7th speed performance curve, and the traveling resistance is represented by point B on the traveling resistance curve with a 3% slope.

As shown in the figure, the point A is below the point B, and the maximum driving force is smaller than the running resistance.
You cannot drive in the same gear ratio. At this time, 6
The maximum driving force at the speed is the same value as the running resistance of the 3% gradient (point B), and the vehicle can run at the 6th speed. In such a state, the accelerator pedal is depressed, and when the depression operation is performed to reach point X in FIG. 12 (the accelerator opening reaches 87%), the downshift operation is performed.

However, since this downshifting operation requires a certain period of time, the vehicle speed is temporarily reduced by the uphill resistance during this period, and the vehicle speed is accelerated again from this lowered vehicle speed, resulting in a good driving feeling. There is a problem that cannot be kept. On the other hand, for example, as indicated by a point Y in FIG. 14, at the time of full acceleration in the third speed, when the downward slope approaches, the driver releases the accelerator pedal to suppress the acceleration of the vehicle. Although it is considered that an operation is performed, when such an operation is performed, the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening state may shift to point Z shown in FIG. 14 and upshift to the fourth speed.

After that, when the driver wants to drive with the engine brake applied in the third speed, the driver either depresses the brake until the vehicle speed reaches the point C ₂ or the point in order to reduce the speed to the third speed. It is necessary to step on the accelerator pedal to reach C ₁ . Further, even if the point C ₁ is reached, if the foot is released from the accelerator pedal, the vehicle will shift up to the 4th speed again, and even if the accelerator pedal is continued to be depressed, if the vehicle speed increases on the downhill. Shifts up to 4th gear.

Further, even when the vehicle approaches a curve, it is considered that the driver releases his / her foot from the accelerator pedal to suppress the acceleration of the vehicle or prepare for deceleration. When performing the operation, the shift up may be performed as described above. As described above, the conventional system may perform an upshift against the driver's intention when approaching a downhill road or a curved road, and when such a situation occurs, the driving feeling is improved. There is a problem that it may not be maintained well.

By the way, as a technique related to such a problem, for example, a device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-95653 is disclosed, which is to automatically actuate a brake when an obstacle is detected. It is not for dealing with the slope or curve of the road, and it is not related to the shift control. Further, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-265399
Although the device of the publication is disclosed, it relates to a means for detecting a road condition, and does not disclose a means for coping with the detected road condition.

The present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to realize a stable driving condition by controlling the gear shifting condition so as to correspond to the slope or curve of the traveling road. An object is to provide a transmission.

[0014]

For this reason, the automatic transmission of the present invention according to claim 1 is provided with a transmission gear mechanism for changing the rotational torque output from the engine by any one of a plurality of shift speeds and outputting it. An automatic transmission including a transmission having the transmission, and a shift control unit capable of automatically controlling the state of the transmission gear mechanism of the transmission so that an optimal shift stage is set according to the load state of the engine and the traveling state of the vehicle. In the apparatus, the shift control means sets a shift speed setting means for setting an optimum shift speed based on a load state of the engine and a traveling state of the vehicle, and the shift speed setting means based on setting information from the shift speed setting means. When it is necessary to switch the gear, a gear switching means for issuing a gear switching command, a gradient detecting means for detecting a gradient of a road ahead when the vehicle is running, and a gradient detecting Uphill downshift determination means for determining whether or not a downshift of a shift speed is necessary for the vehicle to travel on the front road at the current traveling speed based on the degree of gradient of the front road detected by the means. In addition, when the upshift downshift determining means determines that the downshift is necessary, the downshift shift means is configured to downshift the downshift prior to uphill on the road ahead. There is.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic transmission apparatus.
The transmission includes a transmission having a shift gear mechanism that shifts and outputs the rotational torque output from the engine at any one of a plurality of shift stages, and a torque connecting / disconnecting clutch mechanism provided between the engine and the transmission. In the automatic transmission, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the speed change gear mechanism to a required gear stage state, and a clutch actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism. And a shift control means for controlling the operation of the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so that an optimum shift speed based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle can be obtained. , A variable for setting the optimum shift speed based on the load condition of the engine and the traveling condition of the vehicle. A gear setting means, a gear switching means for issuing a gear switching command to the gear shift actuator when it is necessary to switch the gear based on setting information from the gear setting means, and the gear switching means A clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command to the clutch actuator in response to a gear shift command, and a gradient detection means for detecting a gradient of a road ahead of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling; Based on the gradient of the front road detected by the detection means, it is determined whether or not the downshift of the gear position is necessary for the vehicle to travel on the front road at the current traveling speed. When the upshift downshift determination means determines that the downshift is necessary, the shift speed switching means includes a means for shifting the shift speed prior to uphill on the road ahead. It is characterized in that it is configured to perform Futodaun.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic transmission apparatus.
The transmission includes a transmission having a shift gear mechanism that shifts and outputs the rotational torque output from the engine at any one of a plurality of shift stages, and a torque connecting / disconnecting clutch mechanism provided between the engine and the transmission. In the automatic transmission, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the speed change gear mechanism to a required gear stage state, and a clutch actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism. And a shift control means for controlling the operation of the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so that an optimum shift speed based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle can be obtained. , The optimum shift speed is set based on the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed of the vehicle. A shift speed setting means having a shift-up mode capable of setting a higher shift speed at a small time, and a shift speed switching to the gear shift actuator when it is necessary to switch the shift speed based on setting information from the shift speed setting means. And a clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command to the clutch actuator in response to the speed change command issued by the speed change means. When the curve degree detecting means for detecting the curve degree of the road and the curve degree of the front road detected by the curve degree detecting means are equal to or more than a predetermined value, the shift-up condition is satisfied by decreasing the accelerator opening degree. However, it is characterized in that a shift-up prohibiting means for prohibiting the shift-up is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic transmission apparatus.
The transmission includes a transmission having a shift gear mechanism that shifts and outputs the rotational torque output from the engine at any one of a plurality of shift stages, and a torque connecting / disconnecting clutch mechanism provided between the engine and the transmission. In the automatic transmission, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the speed change gear mechanism to a required gear stage state, and a clutch actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism. And a shift control means for controlling the operation of the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so that an optimum shift speed based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle can be obtained. , The optimum shift speed is set based on the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed of the vehicle. A shift speed setting means having a shift-up mode capable of setting a higher shift speed at a small time, and a shift speed switching to the gear shift actuator when it is necessary to switch the shift speed based on setting information from the shift speed setting means. And a clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command to the clutch actuator in response to the speed change command issued by the speed change means. In the case where it is determined that the front road is a downhill road having a predetermined slope or more based on the slope detection means for detecting the slope of the road and the slope of the front road detected by the slope detection means And a shift-up prohibition means for prohibiting the shift-up even if a shift-up condition is satisfied due to a decrease in the accelerator opening. It is set to.

The automatic transmission of the present invention according to claim 5 is
The device according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, wherein the vehicle has a camera for capturing an image of a road condition in front of the vehicle.
Image processing means for processing an image captured by the camera is provided, and the gradient degree detecting means is configured to detect the gradient degree based on image information obtained through the image processing means. It is characterized by that.

The automatic transmission of the present invention according to claim 6 is
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle is provided with a camera that captures a road condition in front of the vehicle, and image processing means that processes an image captured by the camera, and the curve detection means includes the camera. It is characterized in that the curve degree is detected based on the image information obtained through the image processing means.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 11 show an automatic transmission device as an embodiment of the present device. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a main part of its control system, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration thereof. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the image processing system, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of the image processing system, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image of the image processing system, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the measurement principle of the image processing system, 6 is a diagram showing an image of the image processing system, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a processing result by the image processing system, FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining a measurement principle of the image processing system, and FIG. 9 is the image. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing processing results by the processing system, FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image processing system, and FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation.

This device is installed in an automobile such as a truck or a bus, and is constructed as shown in the block diagram of FIG. Here, the system configuration of FIG. 2 will be described.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a torque connecting / disconnecting clutch mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a clutch), which is provided with a dry single plate friction clutch (friction clutch) similar to a manual vehicle. The reference numeral 2 designates a transmission, which also has a synchronous meshing transmission gear mechanism similar to that of a manual vehicle.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an engine, which is constructed so as to be maintained in a desired operating state by controlling an injection pump 4 of the engine with a control signal from an electronic governor control unit 5. The clutch 1 can be operated by the pneumatic actuator 6 as the clutch actuator, and the transmission 2 can be operated by the gear shift unit 15 as the gear shift actuator. It is configured as a so-called mechanical automatic transmission.

As the air source of the actuator,
An air pressure source for braking is used. That is, a main air tank 7 is provided as an air pressure source for brake operation, and the air tank 7 is configured to supply operation air to the wheel cylinders 10 and 11 via air masters 8 and 9 to perform the operation. Has been done.

Although these are controlled by a brake valve (not shown), when the vehicle starts on a slope, automatic braking is performed by the operation of the magnet valves 12 and 13 for auxiliary brake for starting a slope. The operating air in these braking systems is backed up by the emergency air tank 14.

Further, the operating air of the braking system is supplied to the pneumatic actuator 6 and the gear shift unit 15, and the respective operating conditions realize the required operating conditions. Then, the pneumatic actuator 6 and the gear shift unit 15
The operation of is controlled by a mechanical automatic transmission control unit 16 as a shift control means.

The control unit 16 receives the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 17 (hereinafter referred to as the accelerator opening), the select signal of the selector 18, the hill start assist brake signal from the push button 19, and the electronic governor control unit. The engine speed is input from 5, the clutch speed is input from the clutch 1, and the transmission gear position and the vehicle speed are input from the transmission 2.

Control unit (shift control means) 1
A reference numeral 6 denotes a required microcomputer, and a clutch control function (clutch control means) 16A and a transmission control function (transmission control) so as to control the clutch 1 and the transmission 2 based on the above detection signals. Means) 16B.

The control unit 16 outputs an accelerator signal to the electronic governor control unit 5, a clutch connection / disconnection control signal from the clutch control means 16A to the clutch 1 and a transmission gear from the transmission control means 16B to the gear shift unit 15. A position signal and a required control signal are output to other braking systems, respectively. In addition, 39 in FIG. 2 is an emergency switch box.

By the way, in this device, all the driver's intentions are transmitted by the accelerator opening and the position of the selector 18. After the engine is started, the selector 18 is set to the "D" (Drive) range or "Pw". "(P
If the power range is set, the gear enters "2nd", and when the accelerator pedal 17 is depressed in this state, the starting operation is started.

This starting operation is accompanied by the engaging operation of the clutch 1. The clutch control for engaging the clutch 1 is engine control corresponding to the accelerator opening so that the starting operation can be smoothly performed without shock. It is supposed to be done in conjunction with. Then, during the subsequent traveling, the clutch control by the clutch control means 16A and the shift control (shift by shift speed) by the transmission control means 16B corresponding to the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed are performed in conjunction with the engine control. Has become.

Therefore, the transmission control means 1
6B, a gear setting means 51 for setting an optimum gear based on the load state of the engine 3 (that is, the accelerator opening degree) and the traveling state of the vehicle (that is, vehicle speed) during traveling, and this gear setting means. The gear shift actuator is provided with a gear shift stage switching means 55 that issues a gear shift stage switching command when the gear shift stage needs to be switched based on the setting information from the clutch control means 16A. A clutch connection / disconnection command is issued to the clutch actuator 6 in response to the command.

Further, the control unit 16 stores a shift map 54, clutch stroke data, etc., and the shift stage setting means 51 sets the shift stage on the basis of the shift map 54, and the clutch control means. The clutch control by 16A is performed on the basis of the clutch stroke data in conjunction with the switching of the shift speed. Further, shift control and engine control are interlocked with each other.

By the way, the clutch 1 uses a dry single-plate clutch as a solid friction clutch similar to a manual vehicle, but an electric-pneumatic servo clutch actuator 6 is provided in place of the clutch booster of the manual vehicle. There is. Then, the clutch actuator 6
Is the clutch control means 16 of the control unit 16.
A control signal from A is used to open and close four solenoid valves (not shown) of two systems, one for connection and the other for connection.

Further, the fine adjustment of the clutch 1 at the time of starting or shifting is configured to be performed by duty control for opening and closing the solenoid valve in a short cycle, and by adjusting the duty ratio, the clutch actuator 6 can be operated. The operating speed can be adjusted and the clutch stroke itself can be controlled. Further, the control unit 16 includes a gradient degree detecting means 52 for detecting a gradient degree of a road ahead of the vehicle when the vehicle is running, and a vehicle based on the gradient degree of the forward road detected by the gradient degree detecting means 52. The vehicle is provided with uphill downshift determining means 57 for determining whether or not downshifting of the shift stage is necessary to drive the road ahead at the current traveling speed.

When the speed change means 55 receives the judgment information from the downhill downshift judgment means 57 that downshifting is necessary, the required speed (generally, the vehicle travels on the uphill road at the current traveling speed). The shift down command to the maximum possible gear position) is performed. Further, the control unit 16 further includes a curve degree detecting means 53 for detecting a curve degree of a road ahead when the vehicle is traveling.
And the curve degree of the road ahead detected by the curve degree detecting means 53 is a predetermined value or more, and the gradient degree detecting means 5
When it is possible to determine that the front road is a downhill road having a downward slope of a predetermined value or more based on the gradient of the front road detected in 2, the shift up is performed even if the upshift condition is satisfied due to the decrease in the accelerator opening. A shift-up prohibiting means 56 for prohibiting is provided.

Information is input to the slope degree detecting means 52 and the curve degree detecting means 53 from a traveling road recognition system. As shown in FIG. Stereo camera 101 and image processing controller 1
03, and the stereo camera 1 as shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 01 has two CCD cameras arranged in the upper and lower parts of the front surface of the vehicle toward the front of the vehicle. A terminal 102 of each CCD camera is connected to an image processing controller 103 and a clock terminal of the stereo camera 101. 10
4 is connected to the image processing controller 103.

In the image processing controller 103, as shown in FIG. 4, each CC is displayed on the screen 110 of each CCD camera.
A straight flat road model image 111 having a constant lateral width according to the mounting position of the D camera, that is, an image in which the running road is a straight flat road, and converges linearly to approximately the center according to the distance from the front of the vehicle. Is used as a basic image, and the actual image 112 of the front road having the same width and a constant width photographed by the CCD camera is processed while being compared with the basic image. For example, if the road surface is flat, the length from the lower end to the upper part of the screen 110 in FIG. 4 can be simply converted to the actual horizontal distance from the vehicle to the front.

On the screen 110, the actual road image 112
One reference point P is set on the white line 113 on the left end of the reference point P, and the horizontal line passing through the reference point P is the actual road image 11.
If the horizontal length w between the right end white line 114 and the point Q intersecting with the right end white line 114 is 2, the horizontal length between the left end white line 115 and the right end white line 116 of the straight flat road model image 111 is the same w. If the points p and q on a certain white line 115, 116 are obtained, since the running road and the straight road model have the same width, the point P on the screen 110 from the front of the vehicle,
The actual horizontal distance to the point on the road corresponding to Q and screen 1
The horizontal distance to the point on the straight flat road corresponding to points p and q in 10 is equal.

Therefore, the horizontal length a from the reference point P to the point p is the white line 11 on the left end of the actual road image 112.
3 and the left-side white line 115 of the straight flat road model image 111 represent the horizontal inter-image deviation at the reference point P, and the vertical length h from the reference point P to the point p is A reference point P between the left end white line 113 of the image 112 and the left end white line 115 of the straight flat road model image 111.
Represents the vertical deviation between images.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Horizontal image 117 drawn upside down on 10 and its real image 1
V: vertical length of the entire screen 110 f: focal length of the lens 119 in the CCD camera a: horizontal length of the horizontal image 117 L: actual horizontal distance from the lens 119 to the real image 118 t: The mounting height of the lens 119 with respect to the road surface: d: vertical length from the upper end of the screen 110 to the horizontal image 117 A: horizontal distance of the real image 118, the following equation holds.

A = [(L ² + t ² ) / {f ² + (V / 2−d) ² }] ^1/2 × a (1) Therefore, the actual road image 112 is displayed on the screen 110. Four appropriate reference points P1, P2 on the white line 113 on the left side of
P3 and P4 are set, and corresponding to each of these reference points, the left end white line 11 of the straight flat road model image 111 is extracted as shown in FIG.
Points p1 and p on which the size of the road width is equal to that of each reference point
2, p3, p4 are obtained, and the horizontal image-to-image deviations corresponding to the points p1, p2, p3, p4 are respectively a1, a2, a.
3, a4, and vertical image-to-image deviations h1, h2, h3, and h4, respectively.
2, p3, p4 and the vertical lengths of the lower end of the screen 110 are d1, d2, d3, d4, respectively, the above horizontal lengths a1, a2, a3 of the screen 110 are obtained by using the equation (1). , A4 are the actual horizontal distances A1, A2,
It can be converted into A3 and A4, respectively.

From the front of the vehicle equipped with the stereo camera 101, the points p1, p2, p3,
The actual horizontal distances L1, L2, L3, and L4 to the respective points on the actual left end white line corresponding to p4 are measured from the vertical lengths d1, d2, d3, and d4 on the screen 110, respectively, or stereo The distance is measured by the distance measuring sensor based on the stereo image of the camera 101.

Next, as shown in FIG.
On the plane, point p1 (A1, L1), point p2 (A
2, L2), point p3 (A3, L3), point p4 (A4, L
4) When plotted respectively, points p1, p2, and p2
And the perpendicular bisectors m1 and m of the points p3 and p3 and p4
2 and m3 are respectively expressed by the following equations.

[0044]

[Equation 1]

When the intersections (A01, L01) of the perpendicular bisectors m1 and m2 are obtained from the equations (2) and (3),

[0046]

(Equation 2)

Which is the center coordinate of the circle passing through the points p1, p2 and p3. That is, if A01> 0, the traveling road curves to the right at the points corresponding to points p1 to p3, and if A01 <0, the traveling road curves to the left at the points corresponding to points p1 to p3. A01≈0
Then, it can be determined that the traveling road is a substantially straight road at the points corresponding to the points p1 to p3.

The radius of curvature R1 in the horizontal plane at these points on the traveling road is approximately obtained as the radius of the circle by the following equation. R1 = {(A01-A1) ² + (L01-L1) ² } ^1/2 (7) In the same manner as above, the vertical 2 is obtained from the formulas (3) and (4).
The intersection point of the bisectors m2 and m3 is determined, and the points P1 to
At the point corresponding to P2, it can be determined whether the road is curved to the left or right, and the radius of curvature R2 of the arc passing through these points.

Further, from the equations (5) to (7), the point p
The equation of a circle passing through 1, p2, and p3 is represented by (A-A01) ² + (L-L01) ² = R1 ² (8), and when A = 0 in the equation (8), L = L01 + (R1 ² −A01 ² ) ^1/2 (9) is obtained, and the value of L in the equation (9) indicates how many meters ahead of the vehicle the curve of the running road starts. Will be.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Vertical image 120 and real image 1 drawn upside down on 10
21: V: vertical length of the entire screen 110 f: focal length of the lens 119 in the CCD camera h: horizontal length of the horizontal image 120 L: actual horizontal distance from the lens 119 to the real image 121 : Height of attachment of the lens 119 to the road surface d: Vertical length from the upper end of the screen 110 to the vertical image 120. H: Horizontal distance of the real image 121.

H = L / f × h = t / {(V / 2) −L} × h (10) Therefore, by using the equation (10), the screen 110 shown in FIG. 6 is obtained. Each vertical length h1, h2, h in
3, h4 can be converted into actual vertical distances H1, H2, H3, H4, respectively. Next, as shown in FIG. 9, a point p1 (L1, H
1), point p2 (L2, H2), point p3 (L3, H3),
Plot points p4 (L4, H4) respectively,
If an approximate straight line S passing through 1, p2, p3, and p4 is drawn by the method of least squares, and the approximate straight line S is expressed as H = α (L−β) (11), then the road The gradient angle θ of can be approximately calculated by the following equation.

Tan θ = α (12) That is, if θ> 0, it is determined that the traveling road is an uphill slope with a slope angle θ at points corresponding to points P1 to P4, and θ <0.
If so, it is determined that the traveling road is a downhill with a gradient angle θ at points corresponding to points P1 to P4, and if θ≈0, the traveling road is determined to be a substantially flat road at points corresponding to points P1 to P4. can do.

Further, assuming that H = 0 in the equation (11), L = β (13) That is, it is estimated that the gradient of the road starts from a distance of approximately β in front of the vehicle. You can From the above,
At a point on the traveling road corresponding to the points P1 to P4, it can be easily estimated whether the traveling road is curved to the left or right, or whether the traveling road is a substantially straight road. When the vehicle is curved in any direction, the radius of curvature of the curve can be quantitatively calculated, and at the same time, at the point of the traveling road corresponding to the points P1 to P4, either the upper or lower slope appears on the traveling road. Alternatively, it is possible to easily estimate whether or not the traveling road is a substantially flat road, and when either the upper or lower slope appears on the traveling road, the slope can be quantitatively calculated. In, even if the left and right curves and the upper and lower gradients appear in combination, the situation can be accurately grasped.

Further, since these measurements can be performed moment by moment, it is possible to facilitate the driving of the vehicle on the traveling road, and at the same time, two CCs at the top and bottom of the front of the vehicle can be used.
Since the above measurement is performed by each D camera,
There is an advantage that the accuracy can be easily improved.
In the above means, four reference points are taken on the left end line of the actual road image on the screen of the CCD camera to measure the condition of the road, but the left and right curves of the road are detected. And for the measurement of the radius of curvature of that curve,
The reference points can be simply set to three points, and a larger number of the reference points are selected, and the radius of curvature of the curve is sequentially measured for each of these three consecutive points to form an S-shape on the traveling road. It becomes possible to understand the curve condition of, and select more reference points,
For example, if there is one section for each of four continuous reference points and the vertical gradient is measured for a plurality of sections in the same manner as above, even on a traveling path that repeats going up and down, each continuous gradient change is instantaneously measured. You will be able to.

Further, on the screen of the CCD camera, the respective reference points are set on the left end line of the actual road image, but the reference points are set on the right end line of the actual road image. Also, the same operation and effect can be obtained by the same processing. Further, in the above means, the distance between the left and right side end lines of the traveling road and the traveling road model is the same, but even if there is a difference between them, the respective images are inversely proportional to the ratio of the two. Horizontally expand or contract, or make the ratio of the length between the left and right end lines at the reference point of the road image and the length between the left and right end lines at the corresponding points on the road model image match the above ratio. For example, the same actions and effects can be achieved by performing the same processes as those in the above-described embodiments except for the above.

It is also possible to use a single CCD camera or to arrange the CCD cameras on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle for the same processing as in the above embodiments. The measurement accuracy will be improved if the is installed at the highest position in front of the vehicle. With the configuration described above, the detection processing by the gradient degree detecting means 52 and the curve degree detecting means 53 based on image recognition is performed by, for example, FIG.
The curve degree and the gradient degree are detected by the operation according to the flowchart of 0.

That is, first, a road surface is imaged by the stereo camera 101 shown in FIG. 3, a white line on the road is recognized (step S1), and a tangent line or a mask process is performed on the image (step S2). That is, a straight flat road model image 111 having a constant lateral width in front (an image that linearly converges toward the center corresponding to the distance from the front of the vehicle because the running road is a straight flat road) and the CCD camera 101 captures it. The real image 112 of the front traveling road having the same fixed lateral width is superposed.

Then, three or more reference points (P) are set on the white line on the left side of the vehicle traveling lane on the image 111 (step S3). In addition, in the figure, one reference point is displayed. Next, for each of the installed reference points P, the actual horizontal distance (the height of the point P from the lower end of the image) is measured, and the left end white line 1 of the actual road image 112 is displayed.
The distance between the reference point P on the line 13 and the reference point P on the left end white line 115 of the straight flat road model image 111 is measured (step S4). For example, if the road surface is flat, the screen 110
The length from the lower end to the upper side represents the actual horizontal distance from the vehicle to the front.

Next, an operation for measuring the horizontal length w between the horizontal line passing through each reference point P and the point Q where the right side white line 114 of the actual road image 112 intersects is performed (step S5). Further, on the screen 110, in the straight-line flat road model image 111, the white line 11 having the same horizontal length w between the left end white line 115 and the right end white line 116.
The positions of the points p and q on the points 5 and 116 are detected (step S6).

In step S7, the curve diameter component and the gradient are detected based on the above-mentioned data. Here, if a = (x coordinate of P) − (x coordinate of p) h = (y coordinate of P) − (y coordinate of p), a is the component of the curve diameter and h is the component of the gradient degree. Become.

Then, the operation of plotting the component a of these curve diameters in the coordinate system in the top view is performed, and the diagram showing the operation state in the top view of FIG. 7 is created. The plotting operation is performed, and the diagram showing the side-view operation state of FIG. 6 is created (step S8). When creating FIGS. 6 and 7, the plot positions of each point are specified by using the above-mentioned equations (1) to (7).

Then, the curve diameter and the gradient degree are estimated (step S9). That is, from the front of the vehicle equipped with the stereo camera 101, the screen 110
The actual horizontal distance L1 to each point on the actual left end white line corresponding to each point p1, p2, p3, p4 of
L2, L3, and L4 are the vertical lengths d1 and d on the screen 110.
The measurement is performed from 2, d3, and d4, or each is performed by a distance measuring sensor based on a stereo image of the stereo camera 101.

Using these values, the radii of curvature R1 and R2 in the horizontal plane of the traveling road can be obtained by the above-mentioned equation (7). Further, by using the equation (10), each vertical length h1, h2, h in the screen 110 shown in FIG.
3, h4 can be converted into actual vertical distances H1, H2, H3, H4, respectively, and each point p1, p2, p3, p
The approximate straight line S passing through 4 is drawn by the least-squares method, and the approximate straight line S is expressed by the above equation (11), that is, H = α (L-β). For example, the slope angle θ of the traveling road is calculated by the above equation (1
2), that is, tan θ = α (12)

From the above, at the points of the traveling road corresponding to the points P1 to P4, it is easily estimated whether the traveling road is curved to the left or right, or whether the traveling road is a substantially straight road. In addition, when the road is curved to the left or right, the radius of curvature of the curve can be quantitatively calculated, and at the same time, the point P can be calculated.
It is possible to easily estimate whether the running road has an up-down slope or whether the running road is a substantially flat road at a point on the running road corresponding to 1 to P4. When appears, the slope can be calculated quantitatively, so even if the left and right curves and the up and down slopes appear in combination on the road ahead, the situation can be accurately grasped. is there.

Since the automatic transmission of the present embodiment is constructed as described above, the operation according to the flow chart shown in FIG. 11, for example, is performed. First, in step A1, the target shift speed is determined in the control unit 16 by the shift map 54 as shown in FIG.
Next, in step A2, the above-described gradient degree detecting means 52
Thus, the gradient degree is detected.

Then, in step A3, the shift speed at which the vehicle can travel on the forward gradient road with the detected gradient is calculated. Then, a determination is made in step A4, and it is determined whether or not the target shift speed determined in step A1 matches the travelable shift speed calculated in step A3.

If they match, the road ahead is not an uphill road, and therefore step A5 is executed without any change. In step A5, it is determined whether the front is a predetermined curved road or more by using the detection signal of the above-mentioned curve degree detection means 53, and whether the front is a predetermined downhill road or not is determined by the gradient degree detection means. It is determined using the detection signal of 52.

The front is not a curved road more than a predetermined value, and
If the road is not downhill more than the predetermined level, the shift process to the target shift speed determined in step A1 is performed in step A8 through the "NO" route without any change. On the other hand, if the front is a curved road with a predetermined value or more, or if the road is a downhill road with a predetermined value or more, step A7 is executed through the “YES” route.

In step A7, an operation of changing and setting the currently running gear as the target gear is performed,
The operation of the switching prohibition means 56 that prohibits switching to the target gear based on the shift map 54 is performed. As a result, it is possible to avoid the shift-up of the shift stage that may occur when the accelerator pedal depression is reduced, and surely realize the driver's intention to reduce the accelerator opening or to decelerate by engine braking. Will be able to.

If the target gear determined in step A1 and the travelable gear determined in step A3 do not match, the "NO" route is taken in step A4, and the travelable gear is targeted in step A6. The change setting is performed by the uphill grade switching means 57.
This is the case where there is a predetermined graded road ahead, and therefore the uphill switching means 57 switches the graded road to a shiftable stage to make the driving force larger than the running resistance and Driving on the road can be done without any problems.

As described above, since the gear is changed to a gear that allows climbing before the uphill road, it is possible to prevent deceleration during the uphill road and a reduction in traveling feeling accompanying it. A good driving feeling is stably ensured. Further, when traveling on a curved road or traveling on a downhill road, it becomes possible to reliably prevent an upshift when the driver does not want to upshift,
The driving feeling is improved and overspeed is surely prevented to improve safety.

Although the mechanical automatic transmission has been described in the above embodiment, the automatic transmission of the present invention switches the shift speed without performing clutch engagement / disengagement control like an automatic transmission with a torque converter. It can also be applied to a transmission that can be controlled.

[0073]

As described in detail above, according to the automatic transmission apparatus of the present invention as set forth in claim 1, a shift gear that shifts and outputs the rotational torque output from the engine at any one of a plurality of shift stages. A transmission having a mechanism, and a shift control means capable of automatically controlling the state of the shift gear mechanism of the transmission so that an optimum shift stage is set according to the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle. In the automatic transmission, the shift control means sets a shift speed setting means for setting an optimum shift speed based on a load state of the engine and a traveling state of the vehicle, and based on setting information from the shift speed setting means. When it is necessary to switch the shift speed, a shift speed switching means for issuing a shift speed switching command, a slope degree detecting means for detecting a slope degree of a road ahead of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling, and a slope degree Based on the gradient of the front road detected by the output means, it is determined whether or not the downshift of the gear position is necessary for the vehicle to travel the front road at the current traveling speed. With means,
When the downshift shift down determination means determines that the downshift is necessary, the downshift shift means is configured to downshift the downshift before the uphill of the road ahead. By performing downshifting before entering an uphill road, downshifting can be performed without delay, running on a slope road is not hindered, and deceleration after entering an uphill road can be avoided. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to realize a smooth uphill running with a good driving feeling.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transmission having a shift gear mechanism for shifting the rotational torque output from the engine by any one of a plurality of shift speeds and outputting the same, and the engine. In an automatic transmission including a torque connecting / disconnecting clutch mechanism provided between the transmission and a transmission, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the transmission gear mechanism to a required gear stage state, A clutch actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism, and the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so that an optimum shift speed can be obtained based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle. A shift control means for controlling the operation of the actuator, the shift control means
The gear shift setting means for setting the optimum gear speed based on the load condition of the engine and the running condition of the vehicle, and the gear shift when it is necessary to switch the gear speed on the basis of the setting information from the gear speed setting means. And a clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command to the clutch actuator in response to the speed change command issued by the speed change means. When the vehicle is traveling, the vehicle is traveling on the front road at the current traveling speed based on the gradient detection means for detecting the gradient of the road ahead and the gradient detected on the road detected by the means for detecting the gradient. In order to determine whether or not the downshift is necessary, the upshift downshift determining means determines whether the downshift is required. When it is determined by the means that the downshift is necessary, the downshift is performed prior to the uphill of the road ahead, so that the downshift is performed in advance when entering the uphill road that needs the downshift. As a result, the downshift can be performed without delay. For this reason, it is possible to avoid a delay in shifting gears when climbing a hill, which tends to occur particularly in mechanical automatic vehicles because it takes time to shift gears.
It is possible to avoid deceleration after entering an uphill road caused by a delay in gear shift, and it is possible to realize smooth uphill running with a good driving feeling.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transmission having a shift gear mechanism for shifting the rotational torque output from the engine by any one of a plurality of shift speeds and outputting the same. In an automatic transmission including a torque connecting / disconnecting clutch mechanism provided between the transmission and a transmission, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the transmission gear mechanism to a required gear stage state, A clutch actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism, and the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so that an optimum shift speed can be obtained based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle. A shift control means for controlling the operation of the actuator, the shift control means
A shift speed setting means having a shift-up mode capable of setting an optimum shift speed on the basis of the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and setting a higher shift speed when the accelerator opening decreases;
When it is necessary to switch the shift speed based on the setting information from the shift speed setting means, a shift speed switching means for issuing a shift speed switching command to the gear shift actuator, and a shift speed switching command by the shift speed switching means Correspondingly, it is provided with a clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command to the clutch actuator, and a curve degree detecting means for detecting a curve degree of a road ahead of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling, and a curve degree detecting means for detecting the curve degree. When the curve degree of the front road is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the shift-up prohibition means for prohibiting the shift-up even if the shift-up condition is satisfied due to the decrease in the accelerator opening is provided. When a vehicle enters a curve, it avoids the problem of shifting up even if the driver returns to the accelerator. Speed control is facilitated, the advantage of improving operation feeling.

According to the automatic transmission of the present invention described in claim 4, a transmission having a shift gear mechanism for shifting the rotational torque output from the engine by any one of a plurality of shift stages and outputting the same, and the engine. In an automatic transmission including a torque connecting / disconnecting clutch mechanism provided between the transmission and a transmission, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the transmission gear mechanism to a required gear stage state, A clutch actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism, and the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so that an optimum shift speed can be obtained based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle. A shift control means for controlling the operation of the actuator, the shift control means
A shift speed setting means having a shift-up mode capable of setting an optimum shift speed on the basis of the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and setting a higher shift speed when the accelerator opening decreases;
When it is necessary to switch the shift speed based on the setting information from the shift speed setting means, a shift speed switching means for issuing a shift speed switching command to the gear shift actuator, and a shift speed switching command by the shift speed switching means Correspondingly, the clutch actuator is provided with a clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command, and a gradient degree detecting means for detecting a gradient degree of a road ahead of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling, and a gradient degree detecting means for detecting the gradient degree. When it is determined that the front road is a downhill road having a downward slope of a predetermined value or more based on the gradient of the front road, the upshift is prohibited even if the upshift condition is satisfied due to the decrease in the accelerator opening. The shift up prohibition means is provided so that the driver can shift up even if the driver performs an accelerator return operation when entering a downhill road. Failure is avoided, the downhill speed control entry when the vehicle is facilitated, the advantage of improving operation feeling.

According to the automatic transmission of the present invention as defined in claim 5,
The device according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, wherein the vehicle has a camera for capturing an image of a road condition in front of the vehicle.
Image processing means for processing an image captured by the camera is provided, and the gradient degree detecting means is configured to detect the gradient degree based on image information obtained through the image processing means. As a result, the road condition in front of the vehicle during traveling can be accurately grasped, the gradient of the road in front can be reliably detected, and the above-described transmission control can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the automatic transmission of the present invention as defined in claim 6,
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle is provided with a camera that captures a road condition in front of the vehicle, and image processing means that processes an image captured by the camera, and the curve detection means includes the camera. By being configured to detect the curve degree based on the image information obtained by the image processing means, the road condition in front of the vehicle during traveling can be accurately grasped, and the curve degree of the road in front can be determined. It can be detected reliably, and the above-described transmission control can be accurately performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a main configuration of a control system of an automatic transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an automatic transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of an image processing system of an automatic transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image of an image processing system of an automatic transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the measurement principle of the image processing system of the automatic transmission according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an image of an image processing system of an automatic transmission according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a processing result of the image processing system of the automatic transmission according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the measurement principle of the image processing system of the automatic transmission according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a processing result of the image processing system of the automatic transmission according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image processing system of the automatic transmission according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the automatic transmission according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the problem of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a shift map and shift speed characteristics.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the problem of the present invention and is a diagram showing the driving force and running resistance of the vehicle.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a shift map for explaining the problems of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Torque connecting / disconnecting clutch mechanism (clutch) 2 Transmission 3 Engine 4 Injection pump 5 Electronic governor control unit 6 Pneumatic actuator as a clutch actuator 7 Main air tank as an air pressure source for brake operation 8, 9 Air master 10, 11 Wheel Cylinders 12, 13 Slope start assist brake magnet valve 14 Emergency air tank 15 Gear shift unit as gear shift actuator 16 Mechanical automatic transmission control unit as shift control means 16A Clutch control means 16B Transmission control means 17 Accelerator pedal 18 Selector 19 Push button 39 Emergency switch box 51 Gear position setting means 52 Degree detecting means 53 curve degree detecting means 54 shift map 56 upshift inhibiting means 57 when climbing downshift determining means 55 shift speed switching means 101 camera (stereo camera) 103 image processing controller

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A transmission having a shift gear mechanism for shifting and outputting a rotational torque output from an engine at any one of a plurality of shift stages, and an optimum transmission according to a load state of the engine and a running state of the vehicle. In an automatic transmission having a shift control means capable of automatically controlling the state of the shift gear mechanism of the transmission so as to be in a shift stage, the shift control means includes a load state of the engine and a running state of the vehicle. A shift speed setting means for setting an optimum shift speed based on the shift speed setting means, and a shift speed switching means for issuing a shift speed switching command when it is necessary to switch the shift speed based on setting information from the shift speed setting means. A gradient degree detecting means for detecting a gradient degree of a road ahead of the vehicle when the vehicle is running, and the vehicle is determined based on the gradient degree of the forward road detected by the gradient degree detecting means. The upshift downshift determining means for determining whether or not the downshift of the shift speed is necessary for traveling at the current traveling vehicle speed on the road. When the shift down is determined to be necessary, the automatic transmission is configured to shift down the shift stage prior to the uphill of the road ahead. 2. A transmission having a speed change gear mechanism for changing the rotational torque output from the engine by any one of a plurality of shift speeds and outputting the same, and for connecting and disconnecting the torque provided between the engine and the transmission. In an automatic transmission having a clutch mechanism, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the speed change gear mechanism to a desired gear stage state, and a clutch shift mechanism that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism. A clutch actuator to be driven, and a shift control means for controlling the operation of the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so as to obtain an optimum shift stage based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle, The shift control means is configured to optimize the change based on the load condition of the engine and the traveling condition of the vehicle. A shift speed setting means for setting a shift speed; a shift speed switching means for issuing a shift speed switching command to the gear shift actuator when it is necessary to switch the shift speed based on setting information from the shift speed setting means; And a clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command to the clutch actuator in response to the shift speed switching command from the speed switching means, and a gradient degree detecting means for detecting a gradient degree of a road ahead of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling. And it is determined based on the gradient of the road ahead detected by the gradient detecting means whether or not the downshift of the gear position is necessary for the vehicle to travel at the current traveling speed on the road ahead. When the upshift shiftdown determining means determines that the downshift is necessary, the forward road is climbed. An automatic transmission characterized in that it is configured to shift down a shift stage prior to a slope. 3. A transmission having a speed change gear mechanism for changing the rotational torque output from the engine by any one of a plurality of shift speeds and outputting the same, and for connecting and disconnecting the torque provided between the engine and the transmission. In an automatic transmission having a clutch mechanism, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the speed change gear mechanism to a desired gear stage state, and a clutch shift mechanism that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism. A clutch actuator to be driven, and a shift control means for controlling the operation of the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so as to obtain an optimum shift stage based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle, The shift control means sets an optimum shift stage based on the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed of the vehicle. A gear shift setting means having a shift-up mode capable of setting a higher gear shift when the accelerator opening is reduced, and the gear shift actuator when it is necessary to switch the gear shift based on the setting information from the gear shift setting means. And a clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command to the clutch actuator in response to the speed change command from the speed change means, and the vehicle travels. Curve detecting means for detecting the curve degree of the road ahead in time, and if the curve degree of the road ahead detected by the curve detecting means is more than a predetermined value, shift up by decreasing the accelerator opening. An automatic transmission device, characterized in that a shift-up prohibiting means for prohibiting the shift-up even if the condition is satisfied is provided. . 4. A transmission having a speed change gear mechanism for changing the rotational torque output from the engine by any one of a plurality of shift speeds and outputting the same, and for connecting and disconnecting the torque provided between the engine and the transmission. In an automatic transmission having a clutch mechanism, a gear shift actuator that operates in response to an electric signal to shift the speed change gear mechanism to a desired gear stage state, and a clutch shift mechanism that operates in response to an electric signal to connect and disconnect the clutch mechanism. A clutch actuator to be driven, and a shift control means for controlling the operation of the gear shift actuator and the clutch actuator so as to obtain an optimum shift stage based on the load state of the engine and the running state of the vehicle, The shift control means sets an optimum shift stage based on the accelerator opening and the vehicle speed of the vehicle. A gear shift setting means having a shift-up mode capable of setting a higher gear shift when the accelerator opening is reduced, and the gear shift actuator when it is necessary to switch the gear shift based on the setting information from the gear shift setting means. And a clutch control means for issuing a clutch connection / disconnection command to the clutch actuator in response to the speed change command from the speed change means, and the vehicle travels. Slope detecting means for detecting the slope of the road ahead of the time point, and the front road is determined to be a downhill road having a predetermined or more downward slope based on the slope of the front road detected by the slope detecting means. In this case, a shift-up prohibition means for prohibiting the shift-up even if a shift-up condition is satisfied due to a decrease in the accelerator opening is provided. It is characterized in that is, the automatic transmission. 5. The vehicle is provided with a camera for capturing an image of a road condition in front of the vehicle, and image processing means for processing an image captured by the camera, wherein the gradient degree detecting means includes the image processing. The automatic transmission according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that the gradient is detected based on image information obtained through the means. 6. The vehicle is provided with a camera for capturing a road condition in front of the vehicle, and an image processing means for processing an image captured by the camera, and the curve detecting means for the image processing means. The automatic transmission according to claim 3, wherein the automatic transmission is configured to detect the curve degree based on image information obtained through.