Patent ID: 7014592

Claim:
A method for controlling an automatic transmission in a vehicle, the vehicle including an engine, a brake pedal, and an accelerator pedal, the method selectively providing automatic engine braking for the vehicle, the transmission having a plurality of shift points, including upshift points for defining when the transmission is allowed to shift to a higher gear, and downshift points for defining when the transmission is allowed to shift to a lower gear, each of the shift points being based on vehicle speed and accelerator pedal position, the method comprising: determining when automatic engine braking is desired; increasing at least some of the upshift points when it is determined that automatic engine braking is desired, the increase in each of the at least some upshift points effecting an increase in the vehicle speed at which a corresponding shift to a higher gear is allowed; setting a vehicle acceleration threshold; delaying subsequent transmission downshifts by a predetermined amount of time after a transmission downshift has occurred; and automatically downshifting the transmission to a lower gear, thereby providing engine braking for the vehicle, when it is determined that automatic engine braking is desired, vehicle acceleration is above the vehicle acceleration threshold, the predetermined amount of time has passed since a previous transmission downshift, and the vehicle speed is below a predetermined speed, the predetermined speed being based on a transmission gear immediately below a current transmission gear, and wherein the automatic downshifting of the transmission can occur when the brake pedal is engaged, and when the brake pedal is disengaged.