Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Christoph Henel

Tadeusz Bularz

Zhengyu Dai

Yang Xu

Guopeng Hu

Marc Suermann

Sathish Atluri

Sebastian Leitermann

Tom Ramakers

A method is provided to adjust an activating braking pressure threshold value of an automatic vehicle brake holding system of a vehicle. If a braking pressure that is generated through actuation of a vehicle brake of the vehicle exceeds an activating braking pressure threshold value while the vehicle is at a standstill, a brake holding state of the vehicle brake holding system is activated and a procedure for ascertaining time is started. A vehicle movement is ascertained during an activated brake holding state within a monitoring procedure period of time since starting the procedure to ascertain time. If a movement occurs within the monitoring procedure period of time, a value of a number of ascertained movements is increased. If this value exceeds a movement threshold value, the activating braking pressure threshold value is increased and the value of the number of ascertained movements is reduced.

Method to adjust an activating braking pressure threshold value

A hill start assist system for a motor vehicle including a control system using sensor data from at least one sensor to provide the hill start assist with improved response behavior. The control system activating the hill start assist automatically and independently of whether the motor vehicle is on an upward incline depending on sensor data from the sensor indicating a local upward gradient in a driving surface in a region of a vehicle axle.

Vehicle hill start assist system

A transmission controller implements a neutral idle feature to reduce fuel consumption. A brake controller implements a Hill Start Assist feature to prevent roll-back when a vehicle is launching on an uphill grade. The transmission controller and the brake controller communicate to implement these features in a synergistic manner. Within certain road grade ranges, the transmission requests Hill Start Assist before activating neutral idle and does not activate neutral idle until it receives confirmation that Hill Start Assist is active. The transmission controller provides a powertrain torque estimate to the brake controller which the brake controller uses to determine when to release the brakes during an assisted start.

Vehicle idle and launch control

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Mettmann NRW, Germany

Christoph Henel