Method to define a gear step for a shifting

A method of determining a gear interval for a gearshift operation in one of a multi-gear automatic or semi-automatic variable-speed transmission of a motor vehicle to determine a size of a gear interval from a currently engaged gear to a target gear, the method comprising the steps of:

• recording a limit value, for each currently engaged gear and for each possible gear interval from the currently engaged gear concerned, for one of an acceleration or a deceleration in the target gear corresponding to the respective currently engaged gear and the respective gear interval;
• applying a loop with successive increases of the gear interval for the currently engaged gear, starting with the smallest gear interval, to determine as a function of a current driving situation of the motor vehicle and as a function of characteristic parameters of the motor vehicle, the one of the acceleration and the deceleration theoretically obtainable in the target gear produced by using the gear interval concerned, and comparing this with the respective recorded limit value, until the one of the acceleration and the deceleration theoretically obtainable no longer contravenes the limit value, and then selecting the gear interval concerned for the gearshift operation.