Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Warn Industries, Inc.

Patrick William Gibson

Bradley Dean Riedle

Charles William Suter

Robert Cary Haase

Raymond S Alvey

David Andrew Franchock

Todd A Snover

Dale O Stollsteimer

Jon A Bigley

Roger J Cook

Kevin Douglas Macfarlane

Thomas W Giacomini

Joseph V Bejster

James Edwin Blatchford

Daniel R Parks

Karl W Wojcik

Gary John Rushton

Trevor Williams

James C Kilgore

Joseph Paul DeVoe

Dale Otto Stollsteimer

Robert S Zabinski

Karl Victor Perttunen

Christopher J Grieco

A transfer case motor controls the rotation of a cam. The cam actuates various gear states of a transfer case of a four-wheel-drive vehicle. A contact plate rotates with the cam and encodes the position of the cam as a four-bit binary code. The code is such that when the cam travels between any two gear states, one bit of the four-bit code stays constant from the initial gear state until the final gear state is reached. The single bit can thus be observed to determine that the final gear state has been reached. The encoding scheme is also such that the bit which stays constant always assumes the same state.

Apparatus and method for position encoding

A method is provided for determining the speed and direction of a rotating shaft. A rotor is connected to the shaft. The rotor includes three circumferentially spaced teeth, the first of said teeth having a first center spacing, the second of said teeth having a second center spacing different than the center spacing of the first tooth, and the third of said teeth having a third center spacing different than the center spacing of the second tooth. The centers of each of said teeth is sensed and a signal is produced in response thereto. A first time period to reach the center of the first tooth, a second time period to reach the center of the second tooth and a third time period to reach the center of the third tooth are determined, then the speed and direction of rotation of the shaft are established.

Method to sense speed, direction and acceleration for a rotating shaft

An apparatus is provided to determine the speed and direction of a rotating shaft, including a rotor with three circumferentially spaced teeth connected to the shaft. The spacing of the center of the second rotor tooth is wider than the spacing of the center of the first tooth and the spacing of the center of the third tooth is wider than the spacing of the center of the second tooth. A sensor detects the center of each tooth and produces a signal in response thereto. The signal is received by a computer. The computer determines the speed and direction of rotation of the shaft by determining a first time period to reach the center of the first tooth, a second time period to reach the center of the second tooth and a third time period to reach the center of the third tooth.

Speed, direction, and acceleration sensor for a rotating shaft having a

A four-wheel drive vehicle includes a transfer case for controlling the delivery of power between the front and rear wheels of the vehicle. A clutch in the transfer case controls the amount of power delivered to the front and rear wheels in response to a clutch PulseWidth Modulated (PWM) signal which is generated by an electronic powertrain controller. The powertrain controller receives a first signal which is indicative of the rotational speed of a front driveshaft, which transfers motive power from the transfer case to a pair of front wheels, and a second signal which is indicative of the rotational speed of a rear driveshaft, which transfers motive power from the transfer case to a pair of rear wheels. The powertrain controller compensates for wheels which have a different effective diameter by determining the difference between the first signal and the second signal, filtering the difference to remove low frequency components, and generating the clutch PWM signal as a function of the high frequency components.

Four-wheel drive transfer case controller with compensation for tires

In one embodiment of the present invention, a 'one-touch-up' power window system is provided for a motor vehicle. The system includes a controller which controls the power window motor. One function of the controller is to determine whether an obstruction impedes travel of the power window. The controller takes a plurality of samples of the electrical current drawn by the power window motor. If the last sample varies by more than a predetermined amount from any of the past samples taken over a predetermined distance of travel of the window, the controller concludes that an obstruction impedes the travel of the window. The controller then stops or reverses the power window motor to stop or reverse travel of the power window. In this embodiment of the present invention, distance of travel of the window can be inferred from rotations of the power window motor.

Obstruction-sensing system for a movable member

A circuit for compensating for failure of a light source includes a first light source having a first function and a first intensity associated therewith and a second light source having a second function and a second intensity associated therewith. A controller is connected to the first and second light sources, for detecting a current to the first light source. Upon detection of a failure of the first light source, the controller modulates the second light source to provide the function of the first light source with a substantially the first intensity.

Circuit for compensating for failure of a light source in an automotive

A pulse actuated clutch and control arrangement for coupling and decoupling a drive line of a vehicle relative to a wheel such as when shifting between two-wheel and four-wheel drive modes. The pulse actuated clutch has a coupling member that is permanently engaged with one of a driven member and a driving member. The coupling member is movable in a first direction to engage one of the driven and driving members and is movable in a second direction to engage both the driven and driving members. The coupling member is moved in the second direction by a first pulse of air pressure applied thereto. Formations of the piston assembly and the driven member cooperatively latch the piston in the second position to maintain the coupling member in engagement with both the driven and driving members following first pulse of air pressure. A second, greater magnitude pulse of air pressure moves the primary piston further to unlatch the piston and uncouple the driven member from the driving member. The illustrated control arrangement incorporated into a general purpose control module for a vehicle to accomplish pulse actuated control over the clutch mechanism in coordination with other vehicle control activities. The control arrangement makes use of timers and references vehicle conditions to ensure mechanical transition of the pulse actuated clutch mechanism fully into a desired state.

Pulse actuated hub locks and control arrangement

This is a method and apparatus for operating a transfer case of a four wheel drive vehicle wherein sensors detecting rotation of the front and rear drive shafts speed are scaled to produce an advantageously accurate representation of vehicle speed. The method generates a scaling factor by comparing stored information to information sensed by rotational sensors on the front and rear drive shaft.

Software calibration of speed sensors

Growing community of inventors

Northville, MI, United States of America

Patrick William Gibson