A vehicle control device controls operation of a vehicle provided with a transmission having a direct gear and normal gears including an overdrive gear having a lower gear ratio than the direct gear. The device includes a travel segment determination unit which determines a forward travel segment having a different road slope from a current travel segment, a current gear position selection unit that selects a current gear position in accordance with a shift pattern, a forward gear position selection unit that selects a forward gear position based on a travel resistance of the vehicle in the forward travel segment, and a shift control unit that maintains a gear position as the direct gear while the vehicle travels in the forward travel segment, when a gear position of the transmission in the current travel segment is the overdrive gear and the forward gear position is the direct gear.

A recreational vehicle is provided including a power source, such as an engine or an electric motor, and a transmission having a variable gear ratio. A sub-transmission coupled to an output of the transmission includes a plurality of selectable gear configurations including park gear and at least one of a forward gear, a neutral gear and a reverse gear. An electronic controller is operative to electronically control the gear configuration of the sub-transmission in response to a set of conditions.

A vehicle control system and a method for a vehicle running on a low friction road inhibit repetitive gear shifts of a transmission of the vehicle. The vehicle control system of the vehicle includes: one or more sensors for sensing an engine speed of the vehicle, an engine oil temperature, a position of an accelerator pedal, a lateral acceleration of the vehicle, a rotational angle of a steering wheel, or whether a low friction road running mode switch is turned on or off; and a controller for receiving sensor data from the sensors. In particular, the controller determines whether the vehicle satisfies an entry condition for performing a repetitive shift prevention control based on the sensor data, and controls a gear shift of the transmission and an engine torque to inhibit the repetitive gear shifts of the vehicle when the downshift occurs when the vehicle has satisfied the entry condition.

A vehicle comprises an autonomous driving system and a vehicle platform that controls the vehicle in response to a command received from the autonomous driving system. In the vehicle, when a first signal indicates an autonomous mode, the vehicle platform performs a shift change requested through a first command only while the second signal indicates a standstill.

A vehicle controller controls a vehicle including an engine and an automatic transmission. The vehicle controller includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit estimates power generable by the engine based on a condition of the engine and a condition of the automatic transmission in a non-driving range, calculates a load on the automatic transmission in a driving range based on a condition of the automatic transmission in the driving range, determines whether a difference between the power and the load is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold by which an engine stall is identifiable, and limits a gear shift request from the non-driving range to the driving range when the difference is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold.

An electronic control unit engages two of friction engagement elements provided in an automatic transmission in a neutral range. The electronic control unit disengages one of the two friction engagement elements engaged in the neutral range at the time of starting gear stage switching of an auxiliary transmission from a low-speed gear stage to a high-speed gear stage in the neutral range, and re-engages the friction engagement element that has been disengaged when determining that the gear stage switching has been completed.

A control apparatus for a vehicle that includes an engine; a transmission; a damper and a clutch. The transmission has a gear ratio that is variable in a range including a torque-fluctuation insufficient absorption region in which a damper spring of the damper is elastically deformed to a certain maximum limit when a misfire occurs in the engine. The control apparatus includes: a misfire determination portion configured to determine occurrence of the misfire in the engine; and a misfire-case shift control portion configured, upon determination of the occurrence of the misfire in the engine by the misfire determination portion when the gear ratio of the transmission is in the torque-fluctuation insufficient absorption region, to cause the transmission to execute a shift-down action such that the gear ratio becomes higher than a higher threshold value of the torque-fluctuation insufficient absorption region.

A vehicle control apparatus including a surrounding circumstances detector detecting surrounding circumstances of a self-driving vehicle and a microprocessor generating an action plan including a target path of the self-driving vehicle based on the surrounding circumstances detected and controlling a driving component so that the self-driving vehicle travels by self-driving in accordance with the action plan. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a hindrance time a first action plan is hindered when a second action plan is generated, determining whether the hindrance time is shorter than a predetermined time period, and controlling the driving component to keep a first state according to the first action plan when the hindrance time is shorter than the predetermined time period, while to change to a second state according to the second action plan when the hindrance time is longer than or equal to the predetermined time period.

A method for operating a vehicle drive train (1) comprising a prime mover (2), transmission (3), and comprising a driven end (4) may include limiting, during a demand for engaging a form-locking shift element (A, F) of the transmission (3) when a rotational speed of the driven end (4) is close to zero, a rate of change of a transmission input torque present at the form-locking shift element (A, F) to a value. Below the value, forces present at the form-locking shift element (A, F) during an engagement process are less than a load limit. Above the value, irreversible damage to the form-locking shift element (A, F) occurs.

When a rotation speed difference between rotary members of a mode switching clutch is equal to or less than a predetermined value during travel in a belt travel mode, there is a likelihood that the mode switching clutch would be secured to a lock mode in which power operating in two directions is transmitted. At this time, since switching to a gear travel mode is prohibited, it is possible to curb occurrence of a shock when power is simultaneously transmitted via a first power transmission path and a second power transmission path in a transition period of switching to the gear travel mode.