Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Other

Rhw, Inc.

Michael Douglas Rizzo

Stephen R Pastor

Ronald Paul

Douglass L Carson

Youssef A Ghoneim

William C Lin

Yuen-Kwok Chin

Hsien Heng Chen

Michael Paul Turski

Duane Edward Bassett

Edward John Bedner

Hong Xing Hu

Mutasim Abdurrahman Salman

Steven L Tracht

Alan J Lee

Howard Hans Ludwig

Edmund Stanley Browalski

Vivek Jaikamal

Kevin Austin O'Dea

Eric Edward Krueger

David M Sidlosky

Clark Edward McCall

Mark A Vernacchia

David C Poirier

Mark J Rychlinski

Gordon L Tierney

Joseph Brian Burtch

Steven Paul Loudon

Eldon Gerrald Leaphart

Jonathan P Kish

Loren Michael Trotter

Phanu Amatyakul

Paul S Shaub

John E Dickinson

Scott D Morrison

Anthony J Rifici

Paul Stephen Zombory

Todd David Brown

Herbert R Butterfield

Joseph A Heller

James V Clore

Joseph R Pastorek

Vincent E Marchese

Kevin J Zelenka

Stephen William Smerika

Jonathan M Rathbun

Luke Sewell

Jennifer A Moschetta

A vehicle includes at least one brake assembly configured to brake at least one wheel of the vehicle in response to an applied voltage. A power supply is in signal communication with the at least one brake assembly. The power supply is configured to operate in a first mode that outputs a first voltage and a second mode that outputs a second voltage greater than the first voltage. A brake control system is in signal communication with the at least one brake assembly and the power supply. The brake control system is configured to determine a driving state of the vehicle, and is configured to output a brake boost request signal to initiate the second mode of the power supply in response to detecting the driving state, wherein a braking response time of the at least one brake assembly is improved in response to applying the second voltage.

Vehicle brake control system including eBoost regulated voltage control

A triggering module selectively generates a triggering signal when a vehicle is stopped, a grade of a surface is one of greater than a predetermined positive grade and less than a predetermined negative grade, and a brake pedal position is greater than a predetermined position. A brake actuator provides brake fluid to a braking system when the brake pedal position is greater than the predetermined position. A brake releasing module, after the triggering signal is generated, begins releasing the brake fluid from the braking system a predetermined period after the brake pedal position reaches the predetermined position. A brake applying module selectively operates a brake fluid pump after the triggering signal is generated based on a comparison of a vehicle speed and a predetermined vehicle speed. The brake fluid pump provides brake fluid to the braking system when the brake fluid pump is operated.

Hill roll-back and roll-forward control systems and methods

A motor vehicle mounted system is responsive to sensed or estimated vehicle lateral acceleration and vehicle speed for detecting and signaling when the vehicle is operating on a racetrack. The system determines whether the vehicle is in a high lateral acceleration state or a low lateral acceleration state and when the vehicle is maintaining a minimum speed. The system increments a count when the vehicle is in the high lateral acceleration state if the vehicle has maintained the minimum speed for a first time since the last increment or decrement of the count and decrements the count when the vehicle is in the low lateral acceleration state if the vehicle has maintained the minimum speed for a second time since the last increment or decrement of the count. The system detects and signals operation on a racetrack while the count exceeds a predetermined threshold count and otherwise detects and signals no operation on a racetrack. Racetrack driving is thus detected through repeated episodes of high lateral acceleration during high speed turns on racetrack curves and corners.

Method and apparatus for detecting and signaling racetrack operation of a motor vehicle

An improved engine torque control method uses existing powertrain sensors and controls to reliably detect and suppress power-hop with minimum degradation of vehicle acceleration. Power-hop is detected by identifying a characteristic wheel jerk magnitude and oscillation frequency based on driven wheel speeds. Once a power-hop condition is detected, the control method computes a desired engine torque output for suppressing the detected power-hop without unnecessarily degrading vehicle performance, based on the wheel jerk magnitude, the engine speed and vehicle acceleration. A combination of engine cylinder fuel cut-off and spark retard is then scheduled for reducing the engine output torque to the desired level for the duration of the power-hop condition. The control method has minimal impact on vehicle cost since it is performed (preferably) by engine or other control software, and has been shown to quickly and effectively suppresses power-hop and its disadvantages without significantly degrading vehicle performance.

Power-hop responsive engine torque control method

A brake system control for use in a vehicle with four wheels comprising the steps of: determining a desired yaw rate (,); determining a yaw torque command responsive to the desired yaw rate (,); if the vehicle is in an anti-lock braking mode during driver commanded braking, applying the yaw torque command to only one of the four wheels to release brake pressure in said one of the four wheels (,); if the vehicle is in a positive acceleration traction control mode during driver commanded acceleration, applying the yaw torque command to only one of the four wheels to apply brake pressure in said one of the four wheels (,); and if the vehicle is not in the anti-lock braking mode or in the positive acceleration traction control mode, then: (i) determining whether a vehicle brake pedal is depressed (,); (ii) if the vehicle brake pedal is depressed, applying brake force to the vehicle wheels responsive to the depression of the brake pedal (,), wherein the applied brake force is modified to at least two of the vehicle wheels to create a left-right brake torque differential responsive to the yaw torque command.

Brake control system

In a vehicle with an active brake control system a control method comprising to the steps of: determining individual wheel speeds of the vehicle wheels responsive to sensor output signals (,); determining a vehicle reference velocity responsive to the individual wheel speeds (,); measuring vehicle yaw rate (,); determining a delta velocity for each wheel responsive to the individual wheel speed for the wheel and the vehicle reference velocity (,); and when the active brake control system is in the active state for at least one of the wheels, (a) setting a base delta velocity for the one wheel equal to the delta velocity for the one wheel immediately prior to the active brake control obtaining the active state for the one wheel (,); (b) determining a control term responsive to the measured vehicle yaw rate (,), wherein the control term represents a desired delta velocity for the one wheel; (c) setting a first target change in delta velocity responsive to the base delta velocity and the control term (,); and (d) controlling a first wheel brake for the one wheel so that a difference between the delta velocity for the one wheel and the desired delta velocity for the one wheel is minimized (,).

In a vehicle with a first operating mode in which all vehicle wheels have substantially no lateral movement on a road surface and a second operating mode in which at least some of the vehicle wheels have lateral movement on the road surface, and with an actuator capable of affecting vehicle yaw rate, a vehicle yaw rate control method comprising the steps of: measuring an actual vehicle yaw rate; measuring vehicle steering wheel position; in the second mode of operation, determining a desired yaw rate command linearly responsive to the measured steering wheel position; wherein the actuator is controlled to minimize a difference between the measured vehicle yaw rate and the desired vehicle yaw rate.

Chassis control system

A brake control system method according to the steps of: determining driver commanded yaw rate; measuring actual yaw rate; determining a yaw rate error; determining, in response to vehicle conditions, a yaw rate dead band wherein the yaw rate dead band varies with vehicle conditions; comparing the yaw rate error to the dead band; and if the yaw rate error exceeds the dead band, controlling the vehicle responsive to the yaw rate error, wherein yaw rate control only occurs when the yaw rate error exceeds the dead band.

In a vehicle with first and second front vehicle wheels and third and fourth rear vehicle wheels and at least one member of a first group comprising anti-lock brake control and positive acceleration traction control, a brake control method comprising the steps of: determining a desired vehicle yaw rate; determining an actual vehicle yaw rate; responsive to the desired and actual vehicle yaw rates, determining an axle command; responsive to the desired and actual vehicle yaw rates, determining a torque command; applying the axle command during activation of one of the anti-lock brake control and the positive acceleration traction control to one member of a second group comprising (i) the two front wheels and (ii) the two rear wheels, wherein wheel-to-road traction is increased and a difference between desired vehicle yaw rate and actual vehicle yaw rate is minimized; and applying the torque command to at least one of the vehicle wheels independently of the axle command to create a yaw torque moment on the vehicle body, wherein the difference between the desired vehicle yaw rate and the actual vehicle yaw rate is minimized.

A comprehensive diagnostic for an active brake control system for automatically increasing braking at selected wheels of an automotive vehicle in response to detected vehicle turning maneuvers provides a hierarchy of diagnostic procedures for diagnosing local transducer and transducer circuit fault conditions, for diagnosing lack of correlation between transducers and subsystems, and for diagnosing low system level performance. Transducers or subsystems are isolated and indicated as the source of diagnosed low system performance to facilitate fault treatment procedures. Active brake control system authority is automatically reduced for at least the duration of diagnosed fault conditions.

Active brake control diagnostic

In a vehicle with a radio, a transmission, a brake, a throttle, a vehicle speed and a power antenna, a method of controlling the power antenna comprising the steps of: (a) determining whether the radio is in an on state; (b) determining if the transmission is one of: (i) in a neutral state and (ii) in an unengaged state; (c) determining if the brake is in an off state; (d) determining if the throttle is in an idle state; (e) determining if the vehicle speed is below a predetermined threshold; and (f) responsive to the determinations, if the radio is in the on state, the transmission is in one of: (i) the neutral state and (ii) the unengaged state, the brake is in the off state, the throttle is in the idle state and the speed is below the predetermined threshold, automatically retracting the power antenna, thereby preventing possible damage to the antenna by the automatic car wash.

Automatic power antenna retraction

A universal structural support system for a pitched roof includes a front fascia gutter assembly, a setback beam assembly and an I-beam assembly, each of which comprises a first portion that is pitch-adjustable with the selected slope of the roof and relative to a second portion positionally fixed with respect to the underlying ground surface and to which the first portion is at least hingedly connected.

Pitched roof support structures

A vertical corner post for use in constructing a room-bounding wall in which flexible screening and relatively rigid kick panels are vertically held between adjacently-disposed vertical support members.

Vertical corner post for screened-in room structure

Growing community of inventors

White Lake, MI, United States of America

Michael Douglas Rizzo