Patent ID: 8498791

Claim:
A lock-up control apparatus for an automatic transmission provided with a lock-up clutch capable of mechanically directly connecting an input side and an output side of a torque converter in accordance with a lock-up control amount that is increased in a predetermined operation area to apply the lock-up clutch, the lock-up control apparatus comprising: a kick-down instruction detector configured to detect a kick-down shift transmission instruction during an application of the lock-up clutch; a first lock-up control amount changer configured to change the lock-up control amount when the kick-down shift transmission instruction is detected by the kick-down instruction detector; an intermediate gear speed determinator configured to determine whether or not the kick-down shift transmission instruction detected by the kick-down instruction detector is a shift transmission instruction including an intermediate gear speed shift transmission instruction to an intermediate shift transmission gear speed; a second lock-up control amount changer configured to further change the lock-up control amount in a case where the intermediate gear speed determinator determines that the kick-down shift transmission instruction includes the intermediate gear speed shift transmission instruction; a target gear speed shift transmission instruction detector configured to detect a target gear speed shift transmission instruction to a target shift transmission gear speed of the kick-down shift transmission instruction from the intermediate shift transmission gear speed determined by the intermediate gear speed determinator; and a third lock-up control amount changer configured to further change the lock-up control amount when the target gear speed shift transmission instruction is detected by the target gear speed shift transmission instruction detector.