Method for controlling an automatic transmission of a vehicle

Abstract

A method for controlling an automatic transmission of a vehicle. The method includes operating the transmission in an automatic mode whereby gear shifting of the transmission is performed automatically based on a speed of the vehicle; receiving a shifting request from a user-operated gear shifter to either: (i) upshift the transmission from a current gear to a higher gear; or (ii) downshift the transmission from the current gear to a lower gear. In response to the shifting request, the method continues with operating the transmission in a semi-automatic mode whereby gear shifting is based on user-generated shifting requests; performing the upshift or the downshift according to the shifting request; monitoring a speed of an engine of the vehicle; and in response to the speed being at a lower speed limit or an upper speed limit, returning operation of the transmission to the automatic mode.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.