DE10134997A1 - Electronic control unit and data carrier for a torque transmission device in a vehicle drive train has a driver programmable memory - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic control unit for a torque transmission device in a vehicle drive train has a microprocessor with a memory which is individually programmable by the driver. The microprocessor receives output signals from sensors and controls the torque operating device accordingly. An electronic control unit for a torque transmission device in a vehicle drive train comprises a microprocessor with a memory, sensors to detect the drive situation and a device to operate at least a part of the drive train. The microprocessor controls the operating device according to a control programme in the memory and acts in dependence of the output signals from the sensors. The programme is individually programmable by the driver. An Independent claim is also included for a data carrier for the above unit.

Description

The invention relates to an electronic control device for a torque ment transmission device in the drive train of a vehicle. The Erfin dung further relates to a data carrier with a vehicle-fixed data reading facility readable data.

Automatic transmission and, if necessary, cooperating with it automated couplings are increasingly used in modern Motor vehicles. The reasons for this are not only the increase in comfort, but also also the potential for saving fuel. To realize certain Switching philosophies and, if necessary, certain clutch actuations gungsgscharistiken are in a known control device, the is constructed according to the preamble of appended claim 1, manufacturer stored control programs or maps that the operation of the actuator for the transmission and, if necessary relate the clutch depending on the operating parameters of the vehicle control the drive train. The customer must rely on the competence of the  Manufacturer trust and has no way to save the stored maps adapt directly to your personal driving style. A certain variability offer, many manufacturers provide the control units with different Maps or programs, for example, one more sporty one more comfort-oriented or one with low consumption corresponding driving style.

The invention has for its object an electronic control device for a torque transmission device in a drive train to further develop stuff in accordance with the preamble of the main claim, that easily or good adaptation to a driver a driver is possible. An electronic control device solves this problem solved according to claim 1.

The fact that the program memory according to the invention per driver is programmable, can be flexibly adapted to the needs of the individual control programs or characteristic diagrams adapted to the driver the cast off.

According to claim 2, this can be done with the help of a data carrier, which contains a control program that meets the specific needs of the customer corresponds and for example by the manufacturer on the data carrier  Query of the customer's personal switching strategy is applied. there can several switching programs, clutch actuation on the data carrier programs etc. are applied to the current, indivi duel the driver 's wish and that of the driver at the start of the Vehicle or can be activated during vehicle operation.

The data carrier according to claims 3 and 4 advantageously contains additional data, for example, to overcome an access control serve the purpose of the vehicle or the driver-specific setting of vehicle parts such as seat, rear view mirror, etc.

With the feature of claim 5, it is possible that the control device learns the driver's individual driving style so that the control program automatically adapts to the driver's individual characteristics.

The claim 6 is directed to a disk that one or more per contains individual control programs that are in the vehicle-fixed Pro be read in.

The data carrier is advantageously an electronic device vehicle key.

The invention is illustrated below with the aid of schematic drawings exemplified and explained in more detail.

They represent:

Fig. 1 is a diagram of an automated drive train of a traveling toy,

Fig. 2 essential functional blocks of a control device and

Fig. 3 is a disk.

Referring to FIG. 1, the drive train of a motor vehicle, a voltage Burn motor 2 which is connected via an automated clutch 4 with an automatic transmission 6 schematically at the output of a drive shaft 8 which drives vehicle wheels, not shown.

In the example shown, the transmission 6 is an automated manual transmission which is actuated by an actuating device 9 . With the help of a device 10 , which has a selector lever 12 , the driving directions and driving ranges can be selected via a control device 14 .

The automated clutch 4 , for example a conventional friction disk clutch, is actuated by a confirmation device 16 which is also controlled by the control unit 14 .

In the control unit 14 , one or more shift programs with associated clutch actuation programs are stored, which activate the actuating devices 9 and 16 as a function of operating parameters of the drive train. The respective switching programs, for example sporty or comfortable, can be called up using a control element (not shown). The operating parameters are detected by sensors and reported to the control unit 14 , for example a pressure sensor 18 for detecting the load, a speed sensor 20 for detecting the crankshaft speed, an accelerator sensor 22 for detecting the position of the accelerator pedal 24 , a selector lever sensor 26 for detecting the position of the Selector lever 12 , a drive shaft sensor 28 for detecting the rotational speed of the drive shaft 8 and a brake pedal sensor 30 for detecting the actuation of a brake pedal 32 .

A throttle valve 34 for load control of the internal combustion engine 2 is controlled directly by the accelerator pedal 24 and / or by an actuating device 36 by the control unit 14 .

The structure and function of the drive train described so far are in themselves known and are therefore not explained.  

Fig. 2 shows essential function blocks of the control device 14. The Steuerge advises a microprocessor 50 , a non-volatile ROM 52 , in which programs are stored, and a volatile RAM memory as a data memory 54 , to which the signals of the aforementioned sensors are fed via an input interface 56 . Control signals for controlling the actuating devices 9 and 16 and optionally the confirming device 36 are output via an output interface 58 .

An operating unit 60 has a display 64 , manually operated keys 66 and a slot 68 for inserting a data carrier 70 ( FIG. 3). The data carrier 70 is, for example, in the form of a check card and contains magnetically stored data in a data field 72 . The data stored on the data carrier are program or map data which are supported by a reading device in the program memory when the data carrier 70 is inserted into the slot 68 and a corresponding key 66 is activated to activate a programming cycle, possibly by menu guidance on the display 64 52 can be read. It is understood that the program memory is advantageously at least partially formed by an EEPROM.

The program data contained on the data carrier 70 give the respective values of the output signals of the sensors or values derived from their output signals (for example actuation speed and position of the accelerator pedal, confirmation speed and position of the brake pedal, position of the throttle valve, position of the selector lever, speed of the motor, speed of the drive shaft and, if necessary, other operating parameters, such as the position of the steering wheel and speed of the steering wheel rotation, etc.), at which a switching operation is to be carried out. The clutch 4 is actuated by the confirmation device 16 in coordination with the switching process, the clutch actuation also being able to have driver-specific characteristics, such as the speed of the clutch engagement, etc.

The programs or maps, which are stored on the data carrier 70 , can be programmed, for example, in a branch of the vehicle manufacturer after an interview with the customer, in which the customer-specific wishes are questioned. Several programs can be stored on a data carrier 70 , which can then be called up individually by the customer and loaded into the memory 52 .

By using the data carrier 70 with individual switching or actuation programs stored thereon for the transmission 6 and the clutch 4 , a simple possibility is created to adapt the mode of operation of the drive train to the special wishes of a customer.

In the following, a method is described how the switching program located in the memory 52 adapts to a special driver by adaptive learning:

Referring to FIG. 2, the cam 74, along which the lever 12 can be moved, provided with an end position 76, in the manual switching mög is Lich, by switching to a lower gear when the Wählhe bel 12 to the left (- ) is pressed, and the gear is shifted into higher gear when the selector lever is pushed to the right (+). When pressed to the left, a contact 78 is actuated, when pressed to the right, a contact 80 , where the respective switching command is communicated by the control unit 14 .

To teach a circuit program, a learning program is activated via the keys 66 , whereupon the system saves the current operating parameters of the drive train, which are detected by the sensors and are present in a circuit triggered by the selector lever 12 . The learning program uses interpolations and correlations to determine common features of the operating parameters associated with the individual circuits and develops a control program or map that is stored in the memory 52 as the current switching map.

It is understood that a learned, current switching program corresponds to the habits of the driver, the longer the driver drives in the learning program. Several switching programs can be taught in by a driver, for example by teaching a program in city traffic, teaching a program in country traffic, etc., identifying these programs accordingly and then calling them up accordingly. Furthermore, the learned programs can be read out from the data carrier 70 and stored so that they are immediately available if the driver uses a different, identical vehicle. It is understood that the data carrier is then encoded according to the vehicle type.

Preferably, the driving habits or parameters of Fahrpro programs in the form of parameters saved on a data carrier Ensures that the adaptable systems of different vehicle mo delle of a manufacturer to the respective owner of the data carrier adapts to the data stored on the data carrier. By Creation of a uniform interface for different vehicles, It could even be possible to save the data from the disk at Program different vehicles from different manufacturers.

Driving habits of the respective vehicle drivers are preferred in Form of parameters stored in such a way that the adaptable Systems of various models of a vehicle manufacturer based on the Set the data contained in the respective data carrier. This means that every Fah rer use his own settings through his own data carrier.  

By creating an appropriate protocol, the above can be more advantageous Aspect according to the invention also on models from different vehicles be applied.

The invention described above by way of example can be used in many different ways be changed. The gearbox need not necessarily be an automated manual transmission, it can be a conventional one les automatic transmissions or a CVT transmission, in the first case the shift program of the automatic transmission and in the second case the gear ratio tion of the CVR transmission can be controlled according to the program. An additional clutch is included in the program or but the clutch is only targeted by the shift programs and not controlled individually for the driver.

The configuration of the control unit and the memory provided in it can be of any suitable type.

For vehicles with a conventional manual transmission and single Lich equipped with an automated clutch, the invention can ent speaking applied to the control program for the clutch to be designed individually for the driver.  

The data carrier 70 can contain additional data which, in a manner known per se, adjust a rearview mirror, a steering wheel position, a driver's seat, etc. for each driver. The setting of the components mentioned takes place via a learning program which reads out the settings made by the driver on the data carrier.

The data carrier can carry the data in any suitable, machine-readable form and the reading unit (not shown) provided on the operating unit 60 can be designed in any way adapted to the type of data storage. The reading device is preferably designed to be bidirectional, that is to say both for reading program data from the data carrier into the vehicle-specific storage device and for reading program data from the vehicle onto the data carrier.

The data carrier can be vehicle and / or personal by means of corresponding data be individual, for example an electronic vehicle key, via which, in a manner known per se, the access of one with an access control trolling device or immobilizer equipped vehicle will give. The disk can also be part of a keyless work a vehicle's access control system.

The claims submitted with the application are drafted strikes without prejudice for obtaining further patent protection. The  The applicant reserves the right to do so, so far only in the description and / or to claim the combination of features disclosed.

Relationships used in subclaims point to further details formation of the subject of the main claim by the characteristics of each due subclaim; they are not a waiver of attainment an independent, objective protection for the combinations of features to understand the related subclaims.

Since the subjects of the subclaims with regard to the prior art reserves the right to make its own independent inventions on the priority date Applicant before becoming the subject of independent claims or part to make statements of compliance. You can also continue to invent independently containing one of the items in the previous sub-section have independent design.

The exemplary embodiments are not to be understood as a limitation of the invention hen. Rather, numerous Ab are within the scope of the present disclosure Changes and modifications possible, especially such variants, el elements and combinations and / or materials, for example by com combination or modification of individuals in connection with those in general NEN description and embodiments and the claims features and elements contained in the drawings  ten or procedural steps for the expert with a view to solving the Task can be removed and combined to create a new one Subject or new process steps or procedure lead step sequences, also insofar as they concern manufacturing, testing and working processes fen.

Claims (8)

1. Electronic control device for a torque transmission device in the drive train of a vehicle, comprising a microprocessor with a program memory, sensors for detecting operating states of the drive train and an actuating device for actuating at least one actuator of the torque transmission device, the microprocessor corresponding to the actuating device in the program memory filed control program controls that controls the operation of the actuating device as a function of the output signals of the sensors, characterized in that the program memory can be programmed individually for the driver. 2. Control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the Control device a reading device for reading a data carrier has a control program for the program memory. 3. Control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the Data carrier Data for overcoming an access control device of the vehicle contains.   4. Control device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that that the data carrier data for driver-specific setting of driving contains parts. 5. Control device according to claim 1, characterized in that a Detection device for acquiring inputs from a driver of the Vehicle is provided for the operation of the actuating device, and that the program memory contains a program which the Control program changes in one direction so that by the Control program operation of the actuator to the Operation approximates according to the driver's input. 6. Control device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized characterizes that a device for reading out program data the program memory is provided on the data carrier. 7. Data carrier with readable by a vehicle-mounted data reading device Data, characterized in that the data program data for Programming a program memory are in a control direction for controlling the operation of an actuator for Actuate at least one actuator of a torque transmission is included.   8. A data carrier according to claim 7, characterized in that the data carrier is an electronic vehicle key.