Patent ID: 6405119
Filing Date: 2002-06-11
Classification: B60K,B60W,F16H

Abstract:
In a motor vehicle having an automatic transmission, a method for controlling gear selection, and for limiting the traveling speed to a presetable maximum speed, said method comprising:limiting vehicle speed when a speed demanded by the driver via an actual accelerator pedal position exceeds a preset maximum speed; generating control signals to select a specific gear in said automatic transmission, taking account of vehicle state and operating variables; when the preset maximum speed is switched off, comparing an accelerator pedal substitute variable, which correlates with the preset maximum speed, with an actual accelerator pedal position; and if the actual accelerator pedal position is greater than the accelerator pedal substitute variable when the preset maximum speed is switched off, setting a defined minimum gear as a lower gear limit in the automatic transmission, wherein: if the actual accelerator pedal position is greater than the accelerator pedal substitute variable when the preset maximum speed is switched off, maintaining the actual gear as the minimum gear for a given time interval; and after the time interval has elapsed, determining the minimum gear as a function of at least one of vehicle operating mode and vehicle state variables.