Slip warning system for automotive vehicles

Claim 2

A slip warning system for an automotive vehicle, said system comprising: generating means for converting the rotating speed of a vehicle wheel into a direct current voltage, a wheel angular deceleration detecting circuit connected to said generator means for producing an output signal when said direct current voltage is rapidly reduced due to the angular deceleration of said wheel exceeding a first set value, and an alarm means connected to said deceleration detecting circuit which is actuated by said output signal to warn a driver of said vehicle of the detected excessive wheel slip thereby permitting the driver to adjust an applied brake force and to substantially prevent dangerous levels of wheel slip from occurring, said wheel deceleration detecting circuit including means for changing said set value to a higher second set value upon actuation of said alarm means thereby causing said alarm to be intermittently actuated when the wheel angular deceleration is between said first and second set values.

Claim 3

A slip warning system for an automotive vehicle, said system comprising: generating means for converting the rotating speed of a vehicle wheel into a direct current voltage, a wheel angular deceleration detecting circuit connected to said generator means for producing an output signal when said direct current voltage is rapidly reduced due to the angular deceleration of said wheel exceeding a first set value, an alarm means connected to said deceleration-detecting circuit which is actuated by said output signal to warn a driver of said vehicle of the detected excessive wheel slip thereby permitting the driver to adjust an applied brake force and to substantially prevent dangerous levels of wheel slip from occurring, a time delay circuit connected between said wheel deceleration detecting circuit and said alarm means to provide a predetermined smoothing time delay in transferring said output signal to said alarm means, and wherein said alarm means includes a switching circuit for actuating an alarm device, and said wheel deceleration detecting circuit includes means for changing said set value to a second higher set value upon actuation of said switching circuit.

Claim 4

A slip warning system for an automotive vehicle, said system comprising: generating means for converting the rotating speed of a vehicle wheel into a direct current voltage, a wheel angular deceleration detecting circuit connected to said generator means for producing an output signal when said direct current voltage is rapidly reduced due to the angular deceleration of said wheel exceeding a first set value, an alarm means connected to said deceleration-detecting circuit which is actuated by said output signal to warn a driver of said vehicle of the detected excessive wheel slip thereby permitting the driver to adjust an applied brake force and to substantially prevent dangerous levels of wheel slip from occurring, a time delay circuit connected between said wheel deceleration detecting circuit and said alarm means to provide a predetermined smoothing time delay in transferring said output signal to said alarm means, and wherein said alarm means includes a switching circuit for actuating an alarm device, and said wheel deceleration detecting circuit includes means for changing said set value to a second higher set value upon actuation of said switching circuit.

Claim 5

A slip warning system for an automotive vehicle, said system comprising: generating means for converting the rotating speed of a vehicle wheel into a direct current voltage, a wheel angular deceleration detecting circuit connected to said generator means for producing an output signal when said direct current voltage is rapidly reduced due to the angular deceleration of said wheel exceeding a first set value, and an alarm means connected to said deceleration-detecting circuit which is actuated by said output signal to warn a driver of said vehicle of the detected excessive wheel slip thereby permitting the driver to adjust an applied brake force and to substantially prevent dangerous levels of wheel slip from occurring, said wheel angular deceleration detecting circuit comprising: a capacitor having one electrode connected to an output terminal of said generator means, a transistor having base, collector and emitter terminals with another electrode of said capacitor connected to said base terminal, a diode having a cathode Connected to said another electrode and an anode connected to said emitter terminal, and two biasing resistors connected to said base terminal for equivalently setting two different set values of deceleration such that said output signal is produced for different set values of deceleration depending upon the connection of said biasing resistors to a power source.

Claim 6

A slip warning system for an automotive vehicle, said system comprising: generating means for converting the rotating speed of a vehicle wheel into a direct current voltage, a wheel angular deceleration detecting circuit connected to said generator means for producing an output signal when said direct current voltage is rapidly reduced due to the angular deceleration of said wheel exceeding a first set value, and an alarm means connected to said deceleration-detecting circuit which is actuated by said output signal to warn a driver of said vehicle of the detected excessive wheel slip thereby permitting the driver to adjust an applied brake force and to substantially prevent dangerous levels of wheel slip from occurring, said wheel angular deceleration detecting circuit comprising: a capacitor having one electrode connected to an output terminal of said generator means, a transistor having base, collector and emitter terminals with another electrode of said capacitor connected to said base terminal, a diode having a cathode Connected to said another electrode and an anode connected to said emitter terminal, and two biasing resistors connected to said base terminal for equivalently setting two different set values of deceleration such that said output signal is produced for different set values of deceleration depending upon the connection of said biasing resistors to a power source.

Claim 7

A slip warning system as in claim 2 further comprising: a wheel rotation detecting circuit for sensing when said wheel has stopped rotating while said alarm means is actuated and for maintaining said alarm means in an actuated condition until said wheel again begins to rotate.

Claim 10

A system as in claim 5 further comprising a time delay smoothing circuit connected between said deceleration detecting circuit and said utilizing means.

Claim 11

A system as in claim 5 further comprising: a wheel rotation detecting circuit connected to said generating means for sensing whether the wheel is rotating, said wheel rotation detecting circuit being also connected to said utilizing means for maintaining said utilizing means in an actuated condition if said wheel ceases to rotate after actuating of the utilizing means even if the sensed deceleration of the wheel should fall to zero.

Claim 12

A system as in claim 7 wherein: said utilizing means comprises a warning means for warning a driver such that an adjustment of the applied brake force may be made to just prevent the repetitive actuation of said warning means.