System and method for control scheduling

• US 7,437,202 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Morrell, John B.
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland; Steven R
• Application Number:
  US11/591,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 700/75, 700/40, 700/71, 700/28, 700/76, 700/77, 700/37, 700/54, 180/8.2, 180/907, 318/590, 318/594, 318/591
• US Class Current: 700/75
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/061 for climbing stairs
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/063 with eccentrically mounted wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/1054 Large wheels, e.g. higher than the seat portion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2009 for braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/52 characterised by DC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/024 in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility

Abstract

A system and method for controlling a device such that device operates in a smooth manner. The system may switch between control architectures or vary gain coefficients used in a control loop to control the device. As the architecture or gains are switched, the control signal may be smoothed so that the device does not experience an abrupt change in the control signal it receives. In one embodiment, the control signal may be smoothed by adding a decaying offset value to the control signal to create a smoothed control signal that is applied to the device.

Claims

1. A method for transitioning between modes in a multi operating mode vehicle characterized by a control signal, the control signal governing a parameter of the multi operating mode vehicle, the method comprising:

a. determining an offset value equal to a difference between a value of the control signal prior to a mode change and a value of the control signal after a mode change;

b. applying a control signal to the multi operating mode vehicle equal to the value of the control signal prior to a mode change plus the offset value subject to a time decay;

c. determining whether a mode exit value has been traversed; and

d. terminating application of the offset value upon traversal of the mode exit value.

2. A method for transitioning between modes in a multi operating mode vehicle characterized by a control signal, the control signal governing a parameter of the vehicle, the method comprising:

a. determining an offset value equal to a difference between a value of the control signal prior to a mode change and a value of the control signal after a mode change;

b. determining a value for the control signal that is equal to the value of the control signal prior to a mode change plus the offset value subject to a time decay to create a smoothed control signal; and

c. applying the smoothed control signal to the vehicle.