The Bendix Corporation

Patrick J O'Keefe, Jr

Robert D Krieder

Harold E Weissler, Ii

Guy T Rini

Pamela Rudolph

Frank R Schubert

An automatic speed control for a heavy duty vehicle includes a controller which regulates communication between a compressed air source and an air actuated throttle mechanism. The controller generates a control signal which is a function of a speed error signal and the position of the air actuated throttle to regulate the compressed air source. The speed error signal is calculated as the difference between a commanded speed signal and an actual speed signal. To generate the control signal, the error signal and throttle position signal are operated on by different lead-lag transfer functions. These lead-lag terms are thereafter combined with a proportional speed error term to yield the desired control signal. The system further includes a throttle control feature for powering auxiliary equipment when the actual speed signal is zero. Another feature of the control limits the commanded speed signal to a set value when it exceeds a predetermined limit.

Automatic speed control for heavy vehicles

An automatic speed control for a vehicle having a source of compressed air, such as a heavy duty truck, includes a logic controller which controls a pair of solenoid valves to regulate communication between the compressed air source and an air actuated throttle. The controller is responsive to initiation of speed control by actuation of the appropriate switch by the vehicle operator to use inputs representing wheel speed (or engine speed) and the position of the vehicle throttle to generate an error signal. The controller compares the error signal with a signal representing a desired or memorized speed set by the vehicle operator and controls the air actuated throttle accordingly.

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Elyria, OH, United States of America

Patrick J O'Keefe, Jr