ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT LIMITER WITH CODED RELEASE
First Claim
1. An electronic control unit (“
- ECU”
) system for a vehicle, comprising;
a vehicle monitoring component configured to monitor engine usage of the vehicle; and
a limiter operably coupled to the vehicle monitoring component and configured to place limits on operation of the vehicle when the vehicle monitoring component detects that the engine usage of the vehicle reaches a predetermined threshold, wherein the ECU is configured to receive an instruction to withdraw the limits.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic control unit (“ECU”) limiter is disclosed. The ECU can include a vehicle-mounted component configured to measure and interact with components of the vehicle such as the engine, the transmission, etc, and a remote component configured to communicate with the vehicle-mounted component and vice versa. The vehicle-mounted component can be programmed to permit the vehicle to operate substantially without limitation until a certain parameter threshold is met, such as the engine usage reaching a certain predetermined quantity. The vehicle-mounted component can limit the engine in a variety of ways when the parameter threshold is met. The remote component can receive information from the vehicle-mounted component regarding the monitored parameters and the limitations caused by the vehicle-mounted component.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. An electronic control unit (“
- ECU”
) system for a vehicle, comprising;a vehicle monitoring component configured to monitor engine usage of the vehicle; and a limiter operably coupled to the vehicle monitoring component and configured to place limits on operation of the vehicle when the vehicle monitoring component detects that the engine usage of the vehicle reaches a predetermined threshold, wherein the ECU is configured to receive an instruction to withdraw the limits. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- ECU”
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13. A method of controlling a vehicle, comprising:
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monitoring engine usage of a vehicle; permitting the vehicle to operate without limitation if the engine usage is below a predetermined threshold; and when the engine usage reaches the predetermined threshold, limiting operation of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An electronic control unit (“
- ECU”
) for a vehicle, comprising;a vehicle monitoring component configured to monitor engine time of the vehicle and compare the engine time of the vehicle to a predetermined time; a limiter coupled to an electronic fuel injection system of the vehicle, wherein the limiter is configured to limit at least one of revolutions per minute (“
RPM”
) of the vehicle or a speed of the vehicle in response to the vehicle monitoring component detecting that the engine time has exceeded the predetermined time; anda code receiving component configured to receive a code that deactivates the limiter. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
- ECU”
Specification