US6167343A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of governing acceleration in a vehicle throttle control system
Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
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Filing: 1999-08-02
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Granted: 2000-12-26
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Expires: 2019-08-02
Abstract
Abstract An improved method of governing vehicle acceleration in which desired throttle area is initialized to an open-loop, vehicle speed dependent, value at the onset of vehicle acceleration governing, and is thereafter updated based on a combination of open-loop, and proportional and integral closed-loop terms. The open-loop term is calibrated to produce a throttle area limit for controlling the vehicle acceleration on flat terrain with nominal loading at sea level, while the proportional and integral terms compensate for terrain inclination, loading and altitude, yielding an optimal balance of smoothness and response time. The open-loop term may be empirically determined as a function of both vehicle speed and barometric pressure, and the vehicle acceleration is computed using a least squares approximation of acceleration based on successively measured values of vehicle speed.
Inventors
- 👤 Paul Alan Bauerle
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 15:50
CPC Classifications
F; F02; F02D; F02D41/00; F02D41/02; F02D41/04; F02D41/10; F02D11/00; F02D11/06; F02D11/10; F02D11/105; F02D2200/00; F02D2200/02; F02D2200/10; F02D2200/1012
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
130 words
A motor vehicle control in which an engine throttle is electronically positioned in response to a requested throttle area developed by an electronic controller, where the controller limits the requested throttle area during an engine power limiting mode in order to limit vehicle acceleration to a determined acceleration limit, the improvement wherein the controller: determines an open-loop throttle area for maintaining the determined acceleration limit on flat terrain with nominal vehicle loading; determines an acceleration of the vehicle based on successively measured values of vehicle speed; determines a closed-loop throttle area based on a deviation of the determined acceleration from said acceleration limit; calculates a governed throttle area based on a combination of said open-loop and closed-loop throttle areas; and limits the requested throttle area to said governed throttle area.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
130 words
A motor vehicle control in which an engine throttle is electronically positioned in response to a requested throttle area developed by an electronic controller, where the controller limits the requested throttle area during an engine power limiting mode in order to limit vehicle acceleration to a determined acceleration limit, the improvement wherein the controller: determines an open-loop throttle area for maintaining the determined acceleration limit on flat terrain with nominal vehicle loading; determines an acceleration of the vehicle based on successively measured values of vehicle speed; determines a closed-loop throttle area based on a deviation of the determined acceleration from said acceleration limit; calculates a governed throttle area based on a combination of said open-loop and closed-loop throttle areas; and limits the requested throttle area to said governed throttle area.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The improvement of claim 1, wherein the acceleration of the vehicle is determined by a computing a least squares approximation of acceleration based on said successively measured values of vehicle speed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
The improvement of claim 1, wherein said closed-loop throttle area includes a proportional term and an integral term.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The improvement of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the open-loop throttle area from a table of throttle areas stored as a function of vehicle speed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
The improvement of claim 1, wherein the controller determines the open-loop throttle area from a table of throttle areas stored as a function of vehicle speed and atmospheric pressure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
117 words
A motor vehicle acceleration governing method for a system in which an engine throttle is electronically positioned in response to a requested throttle area, comprising the steps of: determining a vehicle acceleration limit based on a measure of vehicle speed; determining an open-loop throttle area for maintaining the determined acceleration limit on flat terrain with nominal vehicle loading; computing an acceleration of the vehicle based on successively measured values of vehicle speed; determining a closed-loop throttle area based on a deviation of the computed acceleration from the determined acceleration limit; calculating a governed throttle area based on a combination of said open-loop and closed-loop throttle areas; and limiting the requested throttle area to said governed throttle area.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
117 words
A motor vehicle acceleration governing method for a system in which an engine throttle is electronically positioned in response to a requested throttle area, comprising the steps of: determining a vehicle acceleration limit based on a measure of vehicle speed; determining an open-loop throttle area for maintaining the determined acceleration limit on flat terrain with nominal vehicle loading; computing an acceleration of the vehicle based on successively measured values of vehicle speed; determining a closed-loop throttle area based on a deviation of the computed acceleration from the determined acceleration limit; calculating a governed throttle area based on a combination of said open-loop and closed-loop throttle areas; and limiting the requested throttle area to said governed throttle area.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
The acceleration governing method of claim 6, wherein the step of computing the acceleration of the vehicle includes computing a least squares approximation of acceleration based on said successively measured values of vehicle speed.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The acceleration governing method of claim 6, wherein said closed-loop throttle area includes a proportional term and an integral term.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
The acceleration governing method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining an open-loop throttle area includes the step of retrieving an open-loop throttle area from a table of throttle areas stored as a function of vehicle speed.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
The acceleration governing method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining an open-loop throttle area includes the step of retrieving an open-loop throttle area from a table of throttle areas stored as a function of vehicle speed and atmospheric pressure.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-12-26 | 2004-06-26 | 2004-12-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-12-26 | 2008-06-26 | 2008-12-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-12-26 | 2012-06-26 | 2012-12-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |