Patent ID: 8682543

Claim:
A method of operating a transmission device ( 3 ) with a plurality of gears (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”), the transmission device ( 3 ) being operable both in an automatic shifting mode, in which one of the plurality of gears (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”) being selected automatically as a function of a current driving situation (S) of a vehicle, and a manual shifting mode, in which one of the plurality of gears (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”) being selected as a function of a command from a driver, the method comprising the steps of: changing operation of the transmission device ( 3 ), by a transmission control system, from the automatic shifting mode to the manual shifting mode when the driver commands a shift; providing that a currently engaged gear is an actual gear (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”) currently engaged in the transmission when the driver commands the shift; associating, by the transmission control system, either a specific transmission output speed threshold value or a specific rotational speed threshold value equivalent thereto to each one of the plurality of gears (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”); selecting, via the transmission control system, a target gear (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”) to engage in the transmission device ( 3 ) from the plurality of gears, when the driver commands a downshift, the target gear being selected based on either a current transmission output speed value or a current rotational speed value equivalent thereto, and the target gear (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”) being the gear (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”) having either the output speed threshold value or the rotational speed threshold value that is either higher than or equal to either the current transmission output speed value or the current rotational speed value equivalent thereto; when the target gear (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”) is determined, as a function of the driver's downshift command, to be higher than or equal to the currently engaged gear then overriding such determination and selecting a next lower gear from the currently engaged gear as the target gear; when the target gear (“ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”) is determined, as a function of the driver's downshift command, to be gear lower than the currently engaged gear then maintaining the lower gear as the target gear; and engaging the selected target gear via the transmission control system.