Title of Invention | A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A TRANSMISSION OF A VEHICLE |
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Abstract | The invention relates to a system for controlling a transmission (18) of a vehicle having a telematics system (46), comprising: a grade module (50) that determines a current grade (60) based on an altitude signal (58) received from the telematics system (46); a force balance module (52) that computes a vehicle mass (76) based on a force balance equation and the current grade (60); and a transmission control module (54) that controls the transmission based on the vehicle mass (76). |
Full Text | FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates to transmission control systems and more particularly to methods and systems for controlling a transmission based on altitude data from a telematics system. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. Vehicle manufacturers are now incorporating the use of a GPS receiver in their vehicles as part of an onboard communication between the vehicle and a central communication receiving location. The onboard communication system automatically locates the vehicle and provides the vehicle driver with assistance in a variety of circumstances This type of information is typically provided to the driver for road side assistance or map direction purposes. Telematics systems, such as ONSTAR ® provided by General Motors, incorporate a GPS receiver that uses a satellite to provide real time information to the system. For instance, the GPS receiver determines the current longitude, latitude, and altitude of the vehicle. It would be advantageous for other control systems within the vehicle to make use of the data determined by the telematics systems. US5319555 describes a vehicle automatic transmission control system for controlling the speed change ratio based on driving resistance. According to this prior invention, the driving resistance is calculated in an equation in which motive force-driving resistance=vehicle mass acceleration using the law of motion. In the first embodiment, the calculation is carried out, without using a torque sensor, by applying an adjustment for torque consumption by a device such as an air conditioner and a torque loss caused by braking. In the second and third embodiments, the driving resistance is calculated using a torque sensor. Thus, with the arrangement, the driving resistance can be accurately determined applying appropriate adjustment, a gear ratio to be shifted is properly determined in any traveling condition including hill climbing. US2002128775 discloses a navigation system for tracking the position of an object comprising a GPS receiver responsive to GPS signals for periodically providing navigation state measurement updates to a navigation processor The system also comprises a dead-reckoning sensor responsive to movement of the object for providing movement measurements to the navigation processor. The navigation processor determines object navigation states using the navigation state measurement updates and propagates the object navigation states between measurement updates using the movement measurements US6625535 teaches a method and apparatus for adapting powertrain braking to mass, grade, and brake temperature. Vehicle mass is determined using a vehicle speed sensor and an tractive effort model based on engine-torque delivered, torque converter multiplications, and transmission ratio and tire rolling radius effects. Road grade is continuously calculated and altitude change is calculated based on grade and distance traveled. To achieve an ideal amount of powertrain braking, powertrain braking is directed towards a designed coast performance target based on deceleration as a function of vehicle speed. Fuzzy logic is used to evaluate driver intentions, grade load conditions, terrain conditions, brake conditions and other vehicle information to determine the actual, optimal powertrain braking control.; A real time brake thermal model is developed to provide increased powertrain under extreme brake conditions. The powertrain braking efforts are limited when restricted by available tractive efforts. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a control system for controlling a transmission of a vehicle including a telematics system is provided. The system includes: a grade module that determines a current grade based on an altitude signal received from the telematics system; a force balance module that computes a vehicle mass based on a force balance equation and the current grade; and a transmission control module that controls the transmission based on the vehicle mass. In other features, a method of controlling a transmission is provided. The method includes: receiving an altitude signal generated by a telematics signal; computing at least one of a vehicle mass and an aerodynamic drag factor based on the altitude signal; and controlling the transmission based on the at least on of vehicle mass and aerodynamic drag factor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle including a telematics system. Figure 2 is a diagram depicting forces acting on a vehicle. Figure 3 is a dataflow diagram illustrating a transmission control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. As used herein, the term module refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. Referring now to Figure 1, a vehicle 10 includes an engine 12, that combusts an air and fuel mixture within cylinders (not shown) to produce drive torque. Air is drawn into the engine 12 through a throttle 14. A torque converter 16 transfers and multiplies torque from the engine 12 to a transmission 18. The transmission 18 operates in one or more gear ratios to transfer torque to a dnveline 20. An accelerator pedal 22 enables a driver of the vehicle 10 to adjust the position of the throttle 14 to achieve a desired speed. An accelerator pedal position sensor 24 generates a pedal signal indicating a position of the accelerator pedal 22 A control module 26 receives the pedal signal and adjusts the position of the throttle 14 accordingly. The control module 26 adjusts fuel delivery to the engine 12 based on the airflow. Similarly, a brake pedal 28 allows the driver to enable a brake system 40. The brake system 40 applies a braking torque to counter the drive torque. A brake pedal sensor 30 senses the position of the brake pedal 28 and generates a brake pedal signal accordingly. The control module 26 receives the signal and controls the brake system 40 of the vehicle 10 A vehicle speed sensor 42 generates a vehicle speed signal by sensing a rotational speed of at least one of a wheel (not shown) and a driveshaft 44. The control module 26 computes a vehicle speed from the vehicle speed signal and based on the position of the vehicle speed sensor 42 The vehicle 10 is shown to include a telematics system 46. The telematics system is operable to facilitate communication between one or more satellites and the vehicle 10. The telematics system 46 includes a GPS receiver operable to determine a current altitude of the vehicle 10 and generate an altitude signal. The control module 26 receives the altitude signal and controls one or more vehicle components based on the altitude. In various embodiments, the control module 26 receives the altitude signal, computes at least one of vehicle mass, grade, and an aerodynamic drag factor, and controls the transmission based on the computed values. The more precise computed values allows the control module 26 to better control particular transmission functions such as powertrain braking, tow/haul, and neutral idle control. Referring now to Figure 2, a diagram illustrates potential forces that act on a vehicle 10 and trailer 48 while resting or traveling on a grade. From the altitude signal, a current grade can be computed By incorporating the current grade into a force balance equation generated from the potential forces, actual values for various unknown parameters such as vehicle mass and an aerodynamic drag factor can be determined. The computed actual values will improve transmission control. For example, the tow/haul control can be enabled based on the actual vehicle mass. The neutral idle control can be enabled based on an accurate grade value. And the powertram braking control can be enhanced based on the vehicle mass and actual grade. With reference to Figure 2, FBRAKES represents the braking force provided by the braking system 40 of Figure 1. FGRADE represents the force due to gravity acting on the vehicle 10 and trailer 48 while on the grade. FACCEL represents the force due to acceleration. FROLLING represents the frictional force. FAERO represents the aerodynamic force. FTE represents the tractive effort force Balancing the forces provides- The actual grade (GACTUAL) can be computed based on a change in altitude (ACHANGE) and a distance traveled (DTRAVELED) and provided: Based on the force balance equation (1) and the actual grade (GACTUAL)/ vehicle mass (M) can be determined as follows. For vehicle mass computations, the brake system 40 of Figure 1 must not be applied. Thus, FBRAKES equals zero. FAERO IS computed from an aerodynamic drag factor (ADFACTOR) and vehicle speed (V) as shown as: ADFACTOR can initially be set to a predetermined value. Thereafter ADFACTOR can be computed, as will be discussed in more detail below. FGRADE and FROLUNG are functions of vehicle mass (M) as shown as: Where G represents a predetermined gravity constant and R represents a predetermined friction constant. FTE IS computed based on an estimated engine torque 66, gear ratio 68, tire size 70, and torque converter status 72. Substituting in the above equations provides: This equation provides for a more accurate mass computation. A more accurate mass computation can enhance powertrain braking functionality and allow tow/haul mode to be automatically entered without requiring driver initiation. Based on the force balance equation (1), the aerodynamic drag factor (ADFACTOR) can be determined as follows. When the brake system 40 of Figure 1 is not applied, FBRAKES equals zero. Thus providing: Substituting mass (M) times acceleration (A) for FACCEL provides: M can initially be set to a predetermined value. Thereafter, M can be computed as discussed above. Solving for FAERO yields: FTE, FROLUNG, and FGRADE can be computed as described above Provided equation (3) above ADFACTOR can be calculated as follows- Thus, the ADFACTOR can be filtered and further refined as the mass calculation is updated to reflect the actual mass. The ADFACTOR IS then used to compensate for changing aerodynamics of the vehicle 10 and trailer 48 Referring now to Figure 3, a dataflow diagram illustrates various embodiments of a transmission control system that may be embedded within the control module 26. Various embodiments of transmission control systems according to the present disclosure may include any number of sub- modules embedded within the control module 26. The sub-modules shown may be combined and/or further partitioned to similarly control functions of the transmission 18 based on the altitude signal. Inputs to the system may be sensed from the vehicle 10, received from other control modules (not shown) within the vehicle 10, and/or determined by other sub-modules (not shown) within the control module 26. In various embodiments, the control module 26 of Figure 3 includes a grade module 50, a force balance module 52, and a transmission control module 54. The grade module 50 receives as input distance traveled 56 and the altitude signal 58 received from the telematics system 46 of Figure 1. The grade module computes a grade 60 based on equation (2) as discussed above. The force balance module 52 receives as input the grade 60, vehicle speed 62, acceleration 64, engine torque 66, gear ratio 68, tire size 70, and torque converter (TC) status 72. Based on the received inputs and the force balance equation (1), the force balance module computes a vehicle mass 76 and an aerodynamic drag factor 74 as discussed above. The aerodynamic drag factor 74 and vehicle mass 76 can be fed back into the force balance module 52 for use in subsequent computations. The transmission control module 54 controls the transmission 18 of Figure 1 via transmission control signals 80 based on the grade 60, the aerodynamic drag factor 74 and the vehicle mass 76 In various embodiments, the transmission control module 54 includes at least one of a powertrain braking module 82, a tow/haul module 84, and a neutral idle module 86. The powertrain braking module 82 controls the transmission 18 of Figure 1 to provide a braking torque during powertrain braking conditions based on the vehicle mass 76. The neutral idle module 86 controls the transmission 18 of Figure 1 to a geared neutral state during idle periods based on the vehicle mass 76 and the grade 60. The tow/haul module 84 controls shift patterns of the transmission 18 of Figure 1 while towing various loads based on the vehicle mass 76. Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure has been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the disclosure. WE CLAIM : 1. A system for controlling a transmission (18) of a vehicle having a telematics system (46), comprising: a grade module (50) that determines a current grade (60) based on an altitude signal (58) received from the telematics system (46); a force balance module (52) that computes a vehicle mass (76) based on a force balance equation and the current grade (60); and a transmission control module (54) that controls the transmission based on the vehicle mass (76). 2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the force balance module (52) computes on aerodynamic drag factor (74) based on the current grade (60) and a force balance equation. 3. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the force balance module (52) initially computes the aerodynamic drag factor (71) based on an initial predetermined vehicle mass value and thereafter based on the computed vehicle mass. 4. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the force balance module (52) initially computes the vehicle mass based on an initial aerodynamic drag factor and thereafter based on the computed aerodynamic drag factor. 5. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the force balance module (52) computes the at least one of vehicle mass and aerodynamic drag factor (AD FACTOR) based on at least one of a braking force, a gravitational force (F GRADE), an acceleration force (64), a frictional force (FROLLING) a tractive effort force (FTE), and an aerodynamic force (FAERO) wherein the gravitational force is based on the current grade (60). 6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the force balance module (52) computes the vehicle mass (M) based on tractive effort force (FTE), aerodynamic force (FAERO), acceleration (A), a friction constant (R), the current grade (GACTUAL), and a gravity constant (G). 7. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the force balance module (52) computes the vehicle mass (M) based on the following equation : M= (FTE-FAERO)/(A + R + Sin(GACTUAL) * G). 8. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the force balance module (52) computes the aerodynamic drag factor (ADFACTOR) based on tractive effort force (FTE), fnctional force (FROLUNG), vehicle mass (M), acceleration (A), gravitational FORCE (FGRADE), and velocity (V). 9. The system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the force balance module (52) computes the aero dynamic drag factor (ADFACTOR) based on the following equation: ADFACTOR = FTE - FROLLING - (M * A) - FGRADE/V2 10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmission control module (54) comprises a tow/haul sub-module (84) that controls shift patterns of the transmission (18) based on the vehicle mass (76). 11. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmission control module (54) comprises a powertrain braking sub-module (82) that controls a powertrain braking function of the transmission (18) based on the vehicle mass (76). 12. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmission control module (54) comprises neutral idle sub-module (86) that controls a neutral idle state of the transmission (18) based on the current grade (60) and the vehicle mass (76). 13. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the grade module (50) computes the grade (60) based on a change in the altitude signal (58) over a time period and a distance traveled over the time period. 14. A method of controlling a transmission, comprising: receiving an altitude signal generated by a telematics signal; computing at least one of a vehicle mass and an aerodynamic drag factor based on the altitude signal; and controlling the transmission based on the at least on of vehicle mass and aerodynamic drag factor. 15. The method as claimed in claim 14 comprising computing a current grade based on the altitude signal and wherein the computing comprises computing the at least one of vehicle mass and aerodynamic drag factor based on the current grade. 16. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the computing comprises computing the at least one of vehicle mass and aerodynamic drag factor based on a force balance equation. 17. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the computing comprises computing the at least one of vehicle mass and aerodynamic drag factor based on at least one of a braking force, a gravitational force, an acceleration force, a frictional force, a tractive effort force, and an aerodynamic force wherein the gravitational force is based on the current grade. 18. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the computing comprises initially computing vehicle mass based on a predetermined aerodynamic drag factor and thereafter based on a computed aerodynamic drag factor. 19. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the computing compnses initially computing aerodynamic drag factor based on a predetermined vehicle mass value and thereafter based on a computed vehicle mass. 20. The method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the controlling comprises controlling at least one of a neutral idle function, a powertrain barking function, and a tow/haul function based on at least one of vehicle mass and current grade. ABSTRACT TITLE "A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A TRANSMISSION OF A VEHICLE." The invention relates to a system for controlling a transmission (18) of a vehicle having a telematics system (46), comprising: a grade module (50) that determines a current grade (60) based on an altitude signal (58) received from the telematics system (46); a force balance module (52) that computes a vehicle mass (76) based on a force balance equation and the current grade (60); and a transmission control module (54) that controls the transmission based on the vehicle mass (76). |
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01511-kol-2007-correspondence others 1.1.pdf
01511-kol-2007-correspondence others.pdf
01511-kol-2007-description complete.pdf
01511-kol-2007-priority document.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(16-01-2013)-AMANDED PAGES OF SPECIFICATION.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(16-01-2013)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(16-01-2013)-FORM 3.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(16-01-2013)-OTHERS.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-ABSTRACT.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-AMANDED CLAIMS.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE).pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-DRAWINGS.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECIEVED.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-FORM 1.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-FORM 2.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-FORM 3.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-FORM 5.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-OTHERS.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-08-2011)-PA.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-(30-8-2011)-PETITION UNDER RULE 137.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-CANCELLED COPY.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 1.1.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-CORRESPONDENCE OTHERS 1.2.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-ABSTRACT.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-CLAIMS.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE).pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-DRAWINGS.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-FORM 1.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-FORM 2.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-FORM 3.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-FORM 5.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-GRANTED-SPECIFICATION-COMPLETE.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-PETITION UNDER RULE 137.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-REPLY TO EXAMINATION REPORT.pdf
1511-KOL-2007-TRANSLATED COPY OF PRIORITY DOCUMENT.pdf
Patent Number | 255347 | ||||||||
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Indian Patent Application Number | 1511/KOL/2007 | ||||||||
PG Journal Number | 07/2013 | ||||||||
Publication Date | 15-Feb-2013 | ||||||||
Grant Date | 13-Feb-2013 | ||||||||
Date of Filing | 02-Nov-2007 | ||||||||
Name of Patentee | GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC. | ||||||||
Applicant Address | 300 GM RENAISSANCE CENTER, DETROIT, MICHIGAN | ||||||||
Inventors:
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PCT International Classification Number | F16H59/60; F16H59/52; H04J3/16, G06G7/00 | ||||||||
PCT International Application Number | N/A | ||||||||
PCT International Filing date | |||||||||
PCT Conventions:
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