Continuously variable transmission

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10139001-B2
Application number	US-92692710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2010
Priority date	Dec 25, 2009
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A continuously variable transmission includes a continuous gear-change mechanism, a gear-change operating section to which a gear-change operation is input, and a gear-change controlling section changing a gear ratio of the mechanism according to the gear-change operation that is input from the operating section. A first gear-change operation and a second gear-change operation, performed subsequently to the first operation, or an input from a second gear-change operating section can be input to the operating section. The e controlling section is provided with the plural gear ratios for plural gears and previously set, causes the mechanism to perform, according to the first operation, a gear-change operation to a gear ratio for a next gear, and to perform, according to the second operation, a gear-change operation to an intermediate gear ratio set between the gear ratio for the next gear and a gear ratio for a second next gear.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A continuously variable transmission, comprising:
a continuous gear-change unit to increase and decrease a speed of a rotational output of a driving source used for causing an automobile to travel, the continuous gear-change unit capable of continuously changing a gear ratio;
a gearshift lever that is capable of selecting by a driver a first position from a neutral position and a second position from the neutral position through the first position in a manual mode in an upshift direction or a downshift direction;
a timer that measures a duration time during which the gearshift lever is at the second position; and
a gear-change controlling unit that calculates a gear ratio by adding a predetermined gear ratio of the manual mode to a gear ratio corresponding to the duration time during which the gearshift lever is at the second position when detecting that the gearshift lever is moved to the second position from the neutral position through the first position toward the upshift direction or the downshift direction in case of selecting the manual mode,
wherein, in a case of a first gear-change operation, which is operated by moving the gearshift lever to the first position from the neutral position, the gear-change controlling unit performs gearshift from a present gear ratio to a next predetermined gear ratio of the manual mode, and
wherein, in a case of a second gear-change operation, which is detected that the gearshift lever has moved from the neutral position to the second position through the first position, the gear-change controlling unit performs gearshift from the present gear ratio to an intermediate gear ratio that is added to the gear ratio corresponding to the duration time during which the gearshift is at the second position to a next predetermined gear ratio after the next predetermined gear ratio of the manual mode.

2. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein the gear-change operating unit includes a first switch and a second switch, the first switch detecting the first gear-change operation in which the gearshift lever is moved from the neutral position to the first position, the second switch operating only when the first gear-change operation is performed and detecting the second gear-change operation.

3. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein a movement direction of the gearshift lever from the neutral position to the first position differs from a movement direction of the gearshift lever from the first position to the second position.

4. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein an operational force for operating the gearshift lever from the first position to the second position is larger than an operational force for operating the gearshift lever from the neutral position to the first position.

5. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein the gear-change operating unit detects at least one of an operational force, an operational speed, and an operational acceleration of the second gear-change operation, and
wherein the gear-change controlling unit increases a gear-change speed of the continuous gear-change unit in accordance with an increase in the at least one of the operational force, the operational speed, and the operational acceleration.

6. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein the gear-change controlling unit causes the continuous gear-change unit to perform the gear-change operation to the intermediate gear ratio only when the second gear-change operation is continued for a predetermined time or more than the predetermined time.

7. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein the gearshift lever is movable within a predetermined range when the second gear-change operation is performed, and
wherein the gear-change controlling unit sets the intermediate gear ratio accordance with a position of the gearshift lever in the predetermined range.

8. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein the gear-change controlling unit includes intermediate gear ratio storage means and rewriting means, the intermediate gear ratio storage means holding gear ratios that are previously set as a plurality of the intermediate gear ratios, the rewriting means rewriting the gear ratios held in the intermediate gear ratio storage means.

9. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein the gear-change controlling unit holds a plurality of combinations of gear ratios that are previously set as a plurality of the intermediate gear ratios, and includes selecting means that allows a user to select any one of the plurality of combinations of the gear ratios.

10. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , further comprising acceleration detecting means that detects at least one of a deceleration, a slope descending acceleration, and a transverse acceleration acting upon a vehicle body,
wherein, if the at least one of the deceleration, the slope descending acceleration, and the transverse acceleration that is detected by the acceleration detecting means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the gear-change controlling unit limits downshifting in accordance with the second gear-change operation.

11. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 , wherein the gear-change controlling unit stops setting the intermediate gear ratio that is added the gear ratio corresponding to the duration time during which the gearshift is at the second position to the next predetermined gear ratio after the next predetermined gear ratio of the manual mode in a case of being reached the predetermined intermediate gear ratio.

12. A continuously variable transmission, comprising:
a continuous gear-change unit to increase and decrease a speed of a rotational output of a driving source used for causing an automobile to travel, the continuous gear-change unit capable of continuously changing a gear ratio;
a gearshift lever that is capable of selecting by a driver a first position from a neutral position and a second position from the neutral position through the first position in a manual mode in to an upshift direction or a downshift direction;
a timer that measures a duration time during which the gearshift lever is at the second position;
a first gear-change operating unit to which a first gear-change operation is input;
a second gear-change operating unit to which a second gear-change operation is input, the second gear-change operation being performed at a same time as the first gear-change operation or subsequently to the first gear-change operation; and
a gear-change controlling unit that calculates a gear ratio by adding a predetermined gear ratio of the manual mode to a gear ratio corresponding to the duration time during which the gearshift lever is at the second position when detecting that the gearshift lever is moved to the second position from the neutral position through the first position toward the upshift or downshift direction in case of selecting the manual mode,
wherein, in the first gear-change operation, which is operated by moving the gearshift lever to the first position from the neutral position, the gear-change controlling unit performs gearshift from a present gear ratio to a next-predetermined gear ratio of the manual mode, and
wherein, in the second gear-change operation, which is detected that the gearshift lever has moved from the neutral position to the second position through the first position, the gear-change controlling unit performs gearshift from the present gear ratio to an interm

Assignees

• Oguri Takemi
• Kagawa Minoru
• Kiryu Hiroyuki
• Takano Mitsuo
• Uchijima Nobuhiro
• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Oguri Takemi
• Kagawa Minoru
• Kiryu Hiroyuki
• Takano Mitsuo
• Uchijima Nobuhiro

Classifications

• F16H2061/6616

  the shifting of the transmission being manually controlled · CPC title

• Y10T74/20159

  Control lever movable through plural planes · CPC title

• F16H61/66259 Primary

  using electrical or electronical sensing or control means · CPC title

• Y10T74/20018

  Transmission control · CPC title

• Y10T74/2014

  Manually operated selector [e.g., remotely controlled device, lever, push button, rotary dial, etc.] · CPC title