Patent ID: 7912615

Claim:
A method for gear selection during driving of a vehicle in a heavy uphill drive condition, the vehicle comprising an engine with an engine output shaft connected to an automated mechanical transmission, a transmission output shaft connected to at least one driven wheel of the vehicle, at least one control unit for receiving input signals including signals indicative of engaged ratio of the transmission, displacement of a throttle control for engine torque request, and at least one of vehicle speed, rotational speed of the engine and rotational speed of the input shaft, and for processing the signals in accordance with programmed logic rules to issue command output signals to the engine for engine control and to the transmission for gear shifting, comprising sensing a heavy uphill drive condition, and determining a target gear for the uphill drive condition, the target gear being the highest possible gear with lowest possible gear ratio where the vehicle, in view of at least current circumstances, will be at least theoretically able to hold a constant vehicle speed or accelerate at least slightly, and where further selection of downshifts will be adapted so that no lower gear than the target gear will be selected and engaged.