Automatic stability control system
First Claim
1. An automatic stability control system for a vehicle to prevent swerving and swaying of said vehicle, said system comprising:
- means for sensing lateral acceleration forces acting upon said vehicle to provide low level electrical acceleration signals proportional to the magnitude of said forces, means for amplifying said low level acceleration signals to provide large amplitude brake control signals proportional to the magnitude of the forces, and brake means associated with said vehicle including right and left brakes and responsive to said brake control signals to simultaneously actuate said right and left brakes in an equal gradual and continuous mode to prevent swaying and swerving of said vehicle, said sensing means including a suspended mass oriented to sense lateral acceleration and provide instantaneous response upon sensing lateral acceleration.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic stability control system is provided which senses the lateral acceleration of a vehicle by way of a pendulum-type transducer, or the like, to provide lateral acceleration signals to an amplifier. The amplified signals control a brake assembly on the vehicle to simultaneously, continuously and gradually apply the right and left brakes with a force proportional to the lateral acceleration signals in order to eliminate swerving or swaying of the vehicle. The amplifier is mounted in the vehicle and includes a sensitivity adjustment for setting a threshold point corresponding to a minimum lateral acceleration force to which the system will respond. The control system is primarily adapted for use in a trailing or towed vehicle in combination with a leading or towing vehicle although it is equally effective when used in a single vehicle.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. An automatic stability control system for a vehicle to prevent swerving and swaying of said vehicle, said system comprising:
- means for sensing lateral acceleration forces acting upon said vehicle to provide low level electrical acceleration signals proportional to the magnitude of said forces, means for amplifying said low level acceleration signals to provide large amplitude brake control signals proportional to the magnitude of the forces, and brake means associated with said vehicle including right and left brakes and responsive to said brake control signals to simultaneously actuate said right and left brakes in an equal gradual and continuous mode to prevent swaying and swerving of said vehicle, said sensing means including a suspended mass oriented to sense lateral acceleration and provide instantaneous response upon sensing lateral acceleration.
-
2. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein said amplifier means includes sensitivity adjustment means for setting the minimum magnitude of lateral acceleration force to which said amplifier means responds to provide said brake control signals.
-
3. The system set forth in claim 2 wherein said sensitivity adjustment means defines an electrical threshold setting for said amplifier means.
-
4. The system set forth in claim 3 wherein said sensitivity adjustment means includes adjustable bias resistance means associated with said amplifier means.
-
5. The system set forth in claim 3 wherein said sensitivity adjustment means is located in said vehicle for convenient operation by the driver.
-
6. The system set forth in claim 1 wherein said lateral acceleration sensor means incluDes first and second independent transducer means respectively responsive to lateral acceleration forces acting in opposite directions.
-
7. The system set forth in claim 6 wherein said first and second transducer means include first and second adjustable resistance means respectively associated with said amplifier means.
-
8. The system set forth in claim 7 wherein said first and second adjustable resistance means are connected to the bias circuit of said amplifier means.
-
9. The system set forth in claim 8 wherein said first and second adjustable resistance means are serially connected to each other.
-
10. The system set forth in claim 9 together with auxiliary adjustable resistance means connected in series with said first and second adjustable resistance means to effect actuation of said brake means under predetermined conditions independent of said lateral acceleration forces.
-
11. The system set forth in claim 6 wherein said first and second transducer means are mounted to a towing vehicle of an articulately connected towing and towed vehicle assembly.
-
12. The system set forth in claim 1 together with auxiliary control means connected to said amplifier means for operating said electric brake means under predetermined conditions independent of said lateral acceleration forces.
-
13. The system set forth in claim 12 wherein said sensing means includes adjustable resistance means associated with said amplifier means.
-
14. The system set forth in claim 13 wherein said auxiliary control means includes auxiliary adjustable resistance means connected to said first-mentioned variable resistance means.
-
15. The system set forth in claim 14 wherein said auxiliary control means includes brake means responsive to operation of the towing vehicle brake system.
-
16. The system set forth in claim 15 wherein said auxiliary control means further includes manually adjustable resistance means.
-
17. The system set forth in claim 14 wherein said auxiliary control means includes brake responsive resistance means responsive to operation of the towing vehicle brake system and manually adjustable resistance means.
-
18. The system set forth in claim 17 wherein said towing vehicle brake responsive resistance means and said manually adjustable resistance means are serially connected.
-
19. The system set forth in claim 18 wherein said serially connected brake responsive resistance means and manually adjustable resistance means are connected in parallel with the lateral acceleration sensing means for independent adjustment of the sensitivity of the brake responsive and manually adjustable resistance means with respect to the lateral acceleration sensing means.
-
20. The automatic stability control system as defined in claim 1 wherein said suspended mass includes a pair of pendulums oriented to sense only left and right acceleration, respectively, each of said pendulums including means for varying the minimum lateral acceleration force necessary to effect movement thereof, each of said pendulums being operatively associated with a variable resistance to provide low level electrical lateral acceleration signals proportional to the magnitude of movement of the pendulums.
-
21. The automatic stability control system defined in claim 20 wherein each of said pendulums includes an upstanding arm, a horizontal shaft means pivotally supporting each of said arms, each of said arms being operatively associated with a control element of a potentiometer forming the variable resistance whereby pivotal movement of the pendulum arm will vary the adjustment of the potentiometer without introducing the weight of the pendulums onto the potentiometers.
Specification