# US 10,501,072 B2 · Hybrid vehicle and method of controlling transmission > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,501,072 B2 - Document ID: US10501072B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/718,885 - Filed: 2017-09-28 - Published: 2018-05-03 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-02 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Inventors: Joon Young Park - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10501072B2 ## CPC - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 20/30: Control strategies involving selection of transmission gear ratio {(control of change speed gearings, together with other vehicle sub-units B60W10/10; HEV transmission gearing B60K6/36; gearings and control thereof F16H)} - B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators - B60W 10/10: including control of change-speed gearings - B60W 10/11: Stepped gearings - B60W 20/12: using control strategies taking into account route information {(estimation or calculation of non-directly measurable driving parameters B60W40/00)} - B60W 30/1882: {characterised by the working point of the engine, e.g. by using engine output chart} - F16H 61/0213: {characterised by the method for generating shift signals} - B60W 2050/0088: {Adaptive recalibration} - B60W 2510/0657: Engine torque - B60W 2510/083: Torque - B60W 2510/1005: Transmission ratio engaged - B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position - B60W 2540/12: Brake pedal position - B60W 2556/50: of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data - B60W 2710/083: Torque - B60W 2710/1005: Transmission ratio engaged - B60Y 2200/92: Hybrid vehicles - Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems - Y02T 10/84: Data processing systems or methods, management, administration - Y10S 903/93: Conjoint control of different elements - Y10S 903/945: Characterized by control of gearing, e.g. control of transmission ratio - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - F16H: GEARING - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS ## Abstract Disclosed herein are a hybrid vehicle and method of controlling a transmission therefor, and more particularly, a method of controlling a transmission capable of predicting a driver's required torque to reduce unnecessary gear-shifts and improve fuel efficiency, and a hybrid vehicle for performing the same. In one aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling a transmission of a parallel type hybrid vehicle may include determining a first torque, the first torque being a current required torque, determining a second torque, the second torque being a required torque expected to be generated at a near-future time after a current time, comparing, when the first torque is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the second torque with a second threshold set according to the near-future time, and performing downshifting when the second torque is greater than or equal to the second threshold as a result of the comparison. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of controlling a transmission of a hybrid vehicle, comprising: determining a first torque, the first torque being a current required torque; determining a second torque, the second torque being a required torque expected to be generated at a near-future time after a current time; comparing, when the first torque is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the second torque with a second threshold set according to the near-future time; and performing downshifting when the second torque is greater than or equal to the second threshold as a result of the comparison. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, further comprising: maintaining a current transmission gear stage when the first torque is less than the first threshold or when the second torque is less than the second threshold as a result of the comparison. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, further comprising: generating a third torque in a motor when the current transmission gear stage is maintained and the first torque exceeds a maximum engine torque corresponding to the current transmission gear stage by the third torque. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the first torque comprises: determining positions of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal; and determining the first torque using the determined positions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the second torque comprises: determining a predicted value of an acceleration/deceleration intention of a driver using an acceleration/deceleration prediction model having at least one of driver propensity information, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) information, navigation information, and vehicle speed information as an input value; and determining the second torque using the predicted value of the acceleration/deceleration intention. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein the acceleration/deceleration prediction model is persistently modified through machine learning-based learning. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein the predicted value of the acceleration/deceleration intention comprises position information on the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal at the near-future time. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first threshold value is variable according to a speed of the vehicle and is set to be lower than a maximum engine torque corresponding to a current transmission gear stage. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold value is determined as one of the first threshold value, a maximum engine torque corresponding to a current transmission gear stage and a sum of the maximum engine torque and a maximum motor torque, depending on the near-future time. ### Claim 10 A hybrid vehicle comprising: a driving information detection unit configured to interoperate with various sensors of the hybrid vehicle to detect driving information according to operation of the vehicle; a driver acceleration/deceleration prediction unit configured to generate a predicted value of a near-future acceleration/deceleration intention of a driver reflecting a driving environment of the vehicle, using information transmitted from the driving information detection unit by utilizing an acceleration/deceleration prediction model; a hybrid control unit configured to determine a first torque and determine a second torque using the predicted value of the near-future acceleration/deceleration intention, the first torque being a current required torque and the second torque being a required torque expected to be generated at a near-future time after a current time; and a transmission control unit configured to compare, when the first torque is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the second torque with a second threshold set according to the near-future time and to control a transmission to perform downshifting when the second torque is greater than or equal to the second threshold as a result of the comparison. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein transmission control unit performs a control operation to maintain a current transmission gear stage when the first torque is less than the first threshold or when the second torque is less than the second threshold as a result of the comparison. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The hybrid vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, when the current transmission gear stage is maintained and the first torque exceeds a maximum engine torque corresponding to the current transmission gear stage by the third torque, the hybrid control unit transmits, to a motor control unit, a torque command to generate the third torque through the motor. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the hybrid control unit determines the first torque using positions of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal detected by the driving information detection unit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the driver acceleration/deceleration prediction unit generates the predicted value of the acceleration/deceleration intention using the acceleration/deceleration prediction model having at least one of driver propensity information, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) information, navigation information, and vehicle speed information as an input value. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The hybrid vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the acceleration/deceleration prediction model is persistently modified through machine learning-based learning. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The hybrid vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the predicted value of the acceleration/deceleration intention comprises position information on an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal at the near-future time. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the first threshold value is variable according to a speed of the vehicle and is set to be lower than a maximum engine torque corresponding to a current transmission gear stage. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The hybrid vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the second threshold value is determined as one of the first threshold value, a maximum engine torque corresponding to a current transmission gear stage and a sum of the maximum engine torque and a maximum motor torque, depending on the near-future time. ### Claim 19 A hybrid vehicle comprising: a driving information detection unit configured to interoperate with various sensors of the hybrid vehicle to detect driving information according to operation of the vehicle; a driver acceleration/deceleration prediction unit configured to generate a predicted value of a near-future acceleration/deceleration intention of a driver reflecting a driving environment of the vehicle, using information transmitted from the driving information detection unit by utilizing an acceleration/deceleration prediction model; a hybrid control unit configured to determine a first torque and determine a second torque using the predicted value of the near-future acceleration/deceleration intention, the first torque being a current required torque and the second torque being a required torque expected to be generated at a near-future time after a current time; and a transmission control unit configured to transmit a gear-shift command to a transmission to perform downshifting when the first torque is greater than or equal to a first threshold value, wherein the hybrid control unit controls the transmission control unit to maintain a current transmission gear stage when the first torque is less than the first threshold value or when the second torque is less than a second threshold value set according to the near-future time as a result of comparison between the second torque and the second threshold value.