Appeal No. 2002-1668 Page 2
Application No. 09/531,666
BACKGROUND
The appellant's invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a
continuously variable transmission for use with an automotive vehicle to change the
engine brake force when the vehicle is coasting on a slope having a changing gradient.
(column 1). A copy of the claims under appeal is set forth in the appendix to the
appellant's brief.
Claims 1, 5, 10 and 14, the independent claims in U.S. Patent No. 5,730,680
read as follows:
1. An apparatus for controlling a continuously variable transmission for use
with an automotive vehicle including an accelerator pedal, the transmission
having an input and output shaft, the transmission being operable at a variable
speed ratio for transmitting a drive from the input shaft to the output shaft,
comprising:
means for sensing vehicle operating conditions including vehicle
acceleration;
means for producing a released accelerator pedal indicative signal when
the accelerator pedal is released;
means for calculating a target value for the speed of rotation of the input
shaft based on the sensed vehicle operating conditions;
means for calculating a correction factor per predetermined unit time
based on the sensed vehicle acceleration when the sensed vehicle acceleration
exceeds a threshold value in the presence of the released accelerator pedal
indicative signal;
means for adding the correction factor to the target input shaft speed
value to correct the target input shaft speed value at intervals of the
predetermined unit time; and
means for controlling the speed ratio to bring the input shaft speed into
coincidence with the corrected target value.
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