Device for altering gear-shifting sequence in relation to vehicle load

Abstract

An improvement comprising a device for determining a recommended gear-shifting of a transmission of a motor vehicle, especially a commercial motor vehicle, which is powered by an internal combustion engine and which is provided with a transmission having gradient speeds. In operation, measured values are provided for determining current operating points, with the measured values being compared with values of an optimum range of the engine performance characteristic with regard to fuel consumption. Measuring sensors are fitted for sensing at least one of the engine speed, the engine torque, and the speed of the vehicle. A computing unit is provided to which measured values and a driver-selected mass signal are fed and which produces gear-shifting signals when the processed measured values give quantities which lie either above or below a predetermined value range which is oriented on a curve of minimum specific fuel consumption of the engine and which is defined, as far as possible, by limiting values or shifting limits which are symmetrical in terms of fuel consumption to the values of the curve of minimum fuel consumption. A distance between the limiting values of shifting limits is proportional to a size of one gear ratio spacing in the transmission.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.