TRANSMISSION CONTROL METHOD AND TRANSMISSION CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION

A transmission control method has a normal stepless manner transmission mode and a pseudo-stepped downshift mode for controlling a continuously variable transmission connected to an input side of an engine. A downshift target rotational speed and a lower-limit target rotational speed used for the pseudo-stepped downshift are set to values in an engine rotational speed region in which an engine output becomes greater than or equal to a prescribed value. When a mode transition condition is satisfied during deceleration by selecting the normal transmission mode, the mode is shifted to the pseudo-stepped downshift mode to start the pseudo-stepped downshift. When the pseudo-stepped downshift is initiated, an increase to the downshift target rotational speed and a decrease to the lower-limit target rotational speed of the primary rotational speed are repeated, until the mode cancellation condition, including the re-acceleration request, is satisfied.