Control Device in a Motor Vehicle for Outputting a Gear-Shift Recommendation

Abstract

A control device in a motor vehicle outputs a gear-shift recommendation. The control device has an electronic control unit which can be coupled to an acoustic signal output unit. The control device includes a shift recommendation module for determining a current most economical target gear, a comparison module for determining the distance between the currently-selected actual gear and the target gear, and an acoustic output module for activating an acoustic recommendation signal according to the distance between the actual gear and the target gear.

Claims

1. A control device in a motor vehicle for outputting a gear-shift recommendation, comprising: an electronic control unit which is coupleable to an acoustic signal output unit, the electronic control unit comprising: a shift recommendation module that determines a currently most economical target gear, a comparison module that determines a distance between a current selected actual gear and the target gear; and an acoustic output module that activates an acoustic recommendation signal via the signal output unit, depending on the distance between the actual gear and the target gear.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein no signal or a first recommendation signal is activatable when the actual gear is equal to the target gear.

3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the first recommendation signal is designed to be a pleasant recommendation signal.

4. The control device according to claim 2, wherein with increasing distance of the actual gear from the target gear, a second recommendation signal is activatable.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the second recommendation signal is designed to be an increasingly unpleasant recommendation signal.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein an intensity of the recommendation signal is configurable by a driver via an input/output unit.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the recommendation signal is output only when a deviation of the actual gear from the target gear is present for longer than a predefined time period.

8. A method of outputting a gear-shift recommendation in a motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of: Determining, via an electronic control unit, a currently most economical target gear; Determining, via the control unit, a distance between a current selected actual gear and the currently most economical target gear; and Activating, via the control unit, an acoustic recommendation signal depending on the distance between the actual gear and the target gear.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein no signal or a first recommendation signal is activated when the actual gear is equal to the target gear.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first signal is designed to be a pleasant recommendation signal for a driver of the motor vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein with an increasing distance of the actual gear from the target gear, a second recommendation signal is activated.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the second recommendation signal is designed to be an increasingly unpleasant recommendation signal for the driver of the motor vehicle.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein an intensity of the recommendation signal is configured by a driver via an input/output unit.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the recommendation signal is output only when a deviation of the actual gear from the target gear is present for longer than a predefined time period.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0022] The single FIG. 1 shows, schematically, the components of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0023] In FIG. 1, a gear selection device 1 is illustrated, which here, for example, shows the activated manual mode M of an automatic transmission. However, the invention can also be used in particular in a manual shift transmission. The control device of a motor vehicle, not specifically illustrated here, comprises an electronic control unit 3, which is at least indirectly coupled to an acoustic signal output unit 7. The electronic control unit 3 is, for example, a conventional transmission control device, which is expanded in accordance with the invention by appropriate programming. The acoustic signal output unit 7 is loudspeakers which are preferably present in any case. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the control unit 3 receives the respective current actual gear (e.g. second gear G2) from the gear selection device 1. In addition, the control unit 3 is preferably connected to the signal output unit 7 via an input/output unit 2 (e.g. BMW iDrive). According to the invention, the control unit 3 has a shift recommendation module 5 for determining a currently most economical target gear (e.g. fourth gear G4), a comparison model 6 for determining the deviation of the currently selected actual gear from the target gear, and an acoustic output model 4 for activating an acoustic recommendation signal via the signal output unit 7, depending on the distance of the actual gear (here, for example, G2) from the target gear (here, for example, G4).

[0024] The most economical gear is determined, for example, depending on the current load requirement, via the gas pedal FP, via the actuation of the brake pedal BP and/or on the vehicle speed v.

[0025] By means of the control device according to the invention, the following advanced method according to the invention can be carried out.

[0026] By means of appropriate advantageous configuration (in particular programming) of the acoustic output module 5, no signal or a pleasant recommendation signal is activated when the actual gear is equal to the target gear.

[0027] Furthermore, by means of appropriate configuration of the acoustic output module 5, with increasing distance of the actual gear from the target gear, an increasingly unpleasant recommendation signal is activated.

[0028] By means of appropriate configuration of the acoustic output module 5 and the input/output unit 2, the basic intensity of the recommendation signal can be configured by the driver via the input/output unit 2. For this purpose, the following modes can be indicated and selected: OFF, DISCREET, PRONOUNCED.

[0029] Finally, by means of appropriate configuration of the acoustic output module 5, a recommendation signal can be output only when the deviation of the actual gear from the target gear is present for longer than a predefined time period.

[0030] In addition, for the acoustic output of a gear-shift recommendation, an optical display (e.g. G4) on the input/output unit (2) can be extended.

[0031] The foregoing disclosure has been set forth merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.