Control system and method for controlling vehicle speed

• US 4,046,213 A
• Filed: 02/23/1976
• Issued: 09/06/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Corp. (Wisconsin) (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Larson, Gerald L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goodman, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siemens, Terrance L.
• Application Number:
  US05/660,290
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 180/105 R, 180/105 E, 180/108, 180/109, 317/5, 318/571, 235/150.2, 123/102
• US Class Current: 180/177
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/042 where at least one electrical quantity is set by the vehicle operator
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/107 the memory being digital

Abstract

An electronic digital control system for vehicle speed control of the type using a throttle servoactuator responsive to an electrical control signal. The control system includes a function switch which, when selectively actuated by the vehicle operator, causes the controller to index the sensed vehicle speed by a predetermined increment and accelerates the vehicle to said indexed speed. The controller regulates vehicle speed by repetitively calculating the parameters of a governing equation and providing a control signal in the form of a series of width modulated electrical pulses having the width thereof proportional to the sum of the parameters of the governing equation. The control system utilizes only a single counting means for registering vehicle speed and the desired set, or reference, speed.

Claims

1. A control system for a vehicle road speed regulator of the type having an actuator connected to the vehicle throttle for controlling the vehicle about a speed selected by the vehicle operator, said control system comprising:

a. means operable upon actuation by the vehicle operator to activate the regulator;

b. means operable in response to said activating means to sense vehicle speed;

c. means responsive to said speed sensing means and operable upon selective actuation by the vehicle operator to register said sensed speed to provide said selected speed;

d. means operable to generate a control signal having certain characteristics thereof varied in response to deviation of the vehicle speed from said selected speed;

e. said means operable to register said selected speed includes means operable upon selective actuation by the vehicle operator to increment said sensed speed a predetermined increment and means responsive to said incrementing means operable to register said incremental speed as said selected speed; and

,

f. means responsive to said control signal and adapted to move the vehicle throttle upon connection thereto for controlling the vehicle speed about said selected speed.

2. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said means operable to provide said control signal includes means operable to provide a predetermined initial value of said control signal in response to said selective actuation by said vehicle operator.

3. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said means operable to register said sensed speed includes switch means adapted for activation by the vehicle operator.

4. The device defined in claim 3, further comprising means responsive to said switch means and operable to provide a predetermined initial value of said control signal for accelerating the vehicle.

5. The device defined in claim 4 wherein said means operable to provide said initial value of said control signal includes means operative in response to repetitive actuation of said switch means to continuously accelerate the vehicle upon the time elapsed between said repetitive actuations being less than the time required to bring the vehicle to said incremented speed.

6. The device defined in claim 1, wherein said means operable to register said sensed speed includes a switch adapted for activation by the vehicle operator, said means operable to provide said control signal includes means operable to provide a predetermined initial value of said control signal in response to selective activation of said switch, and means operable in response to selective actuation of said switch to provide a control signal causing the vehicle to coast.

7. The device defined in claim 6, wherein said means operable to provide said predetermined initial control signal includes means responsive to selective repetitive actuation of said switch to produce a control signal causing continuous vehicle acceleration upon the time elapsed between said repetitive actuation being less than the time required to bring the vehicle to said incremented speed.

8. A method of regulating vehicle road speed about a speed selected by the vehicle operator comprising the steps of:

a. sensing vehicle speed;

b. registering said sensed speed at a time selected by the vehicle operator;

c. providing a control signal having certain characteristics thereof proportional to the sum of

i. a first predetermined constant,

ii. a second predetermined constant multiplied by said registered speed, and

iii. a third predetermined constant different from said second constant, multiplied by said sensed speed and applying said control signal to a throttle servoactuator;

d. incrementing said sensed speed by a predetermined increment at a time selected by the vehicle operator and modifying said control signal accordingly;

e. moving the vehicle throttle in response to said control signal and accelerating the vehicle to said indexed speed and thereafter regulating speed about said incremented speed.

9. A method of regulating vehicle road speed about a speed selected by the vehicle operator comprising the steps of:

a. sensing vehicle speed;

b. registering said sensed speed at a time selected by the vehicle operator to provide said selected speed;

c. providing a control signal having certain characteristics thereof varied in response to deviation of sensed speed from said selected speed;

d. incrementing said sensed speed by a predetermined increment at a time selected by the vehicle operator;

e. registering said incremented speed as said selected speed and modifying said control signal accordingly; and

,

f. moving the vehicle throttle in response to said control signal for regulating the vehicle at said selected speed.

10. A system for generating a control signal adapted for driving a vehicle throttle servoactuator, said system comprising:

a. means operable upon actuation by the vehicle operator to activate and de-activate the system;

b. means responsive to said activating means and operable to sense vehicle speed;

c. means responsive to said speed sensing means and operable upon activation at a time selected by the vehicle operator to register sensed speed as said selected speed;

d. means operable to provide a control signal having certain characteristics thereof varied in proportion to the sum of

i. a first predetermined constant,

ii. a second predetermined constant multiplied by said sensed speed,

iii. a third predetermined constant different from said second constant and multiplied by said selected speed; and

,

e. said means operable to register selected speed includes means operable, upon selective actuation by the vehicle operator, to increment said sensed speed by a predetermined increment and to register said incremented speed as said selected speed.

11. The device defined in claim 10, wherein said speed sensing includes means operable to provide a digital indication of vehicle speed and said means operable to provide said control signal includes digital counting means operable to count said digital indication of vehicle speed and means operable to cycle said counting means for a predetermined cycle time, said means operable to provide a control signal further comprising digital means operable to serially compute said sum, and means operable to detect and block passage of a negative value of said sum.

12. A method of regulating vehicle speed about a speed selected by the vehicle operator comprising the steps of:

a. sensing vehicle speed;

b. generating a series of pulses indicative of said sensed speed;

c. counting said pulses cyclically in a single counter for a predetermined cycle and registering the count accumulated during each cycle;

d. shifting said count to a first storage register at the end of each of said counting cycles;

e. shifting and holding said count in a second register at an instant selected by the vehicle operator;

f. providing a control signal having certain characteristics thereof varied in response to deviation of said cyclic count from the count in said second register;

g. moving the vehicle throttle in response to said control signal and regulating the vehicle speed about a speed corresponding to the count in said second register.

13. The device in claim 12, wherein said control signal has the characteristics thereof varied in response to the sum of

i. a first predetermined constant,

ii. a second predetermined constant multiplied by the count in said first register;

iii. a third predetermined constant different from said second constant multiplied by the count in said second register.

14. A control system for a vehicle road speed regulator of the type having a servoactuator connected to the vehicle throttle and responsive to a control signal for controlling the vehicle about a speed selected by the vehicle operator, said control system comprising:

a. means operable upon actuation by the vehicle operator to activate the control system;

b. means operable in response to said activating means to sense vehicle speed;

c. means responsive to said speed sensing means and operable to generate a series of pulses indicative of vehicle speed;

d. a counter operable to count said pulses cyclically for a predetermined cycle and register the count accumulated during each cycle;

e. first register means;

f. means operable to shift said count to said first register means;

g. second register means;

h. means operable upon selective actuation by the vehicle operator to shift said count at the time of selection to said second register and operable to hold said selected count therein; and

i. means operable to provide a control signal having certain characteristics thereof varied in accordance with the deviation of the count in said first register from the count in said second register.

15. A control system for a vehicle road speed regulator of the type having a servoactuator connected to the vehicle throttle and responsive to a control signal for controlling the vehicle about a speed selected by the vehicle operator, said control system comprising:

a. means operable upon actuation and deactuation by the vehicle operator to activate and deactuate the control system;

b. means operable in response to said activating means to sense vehicle speed;

c. switch means associated with said speed sensing means and operable upon a first selected mode of actuation by the vehicle operator to register said sensed speed at the time of said selective actuation to provide said selected speed, said means being operable upon a second selected mode of actuation to increment said selected speed by a predetermined increment and register said incremented speed; and

,

d. means responsive to said first mode of actuation registering means and operable to provide said control signal for regulating vehicle speed about said sensed speed at the time of actuation, said means being operable in response to said second mode of actuation to provide a control signal for accelerating the vehicle to and thereafter regulating the vehicle about said incremented speed.

16. A control system for a vehicle road speed regulator of the type having a servoactuator connected to the vehicle throttle and responsive to a control signal for controlling the vehicle about a speed selected by the vehicle operator, said control system comprising:

a. first switch means operable, upon actuation and deactuation by the vehicle operator, to activate and deactivate the control system;

b. means operable in response to said actuating means to sense vehicle speed;

c. second switch means having a first and second selected mode of actuation;

d. logic means associated with said speed sensing means and operable in response to said first and second modes of actuation of said second switch means to register said sensed speed as said selected speed at the time of actuation of said second switch means, said logic means including means operable to

i. provide an initial predetermined value of said control signal for causing an initial surge of vehicle acceleration and,

ii. thereafter provide a running control signal for regulating the vehicle about said selected speed, wherein said logic means is operable in response to said first mode of actuation of said second switch means to provide a control signal for regulating the vehicle about said selected speed and operable in response to said second mode of operation of said second switch means to increment said sensed speed by a predetermined increment and register said incremented speed as said selected speed.