Fuel control regulator system with acoustic pliability

• US 9,925,867 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Jensen, John W., Ghannam, Mahmoud Yousef, Bauch, David James, Churchwell, Howard
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US14/992,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20170197504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 15/077 with means modifying or controlling distribution or motion of fuel, e.g. to prevent noise, surge, splash or fuel starvation
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/14 responsive to accident or emergency, e.g. deceleration, tilt of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/006 indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00

Abstract

A fuel control regulator system for a vehicle is disclosed in which a restraint control module registers an acceleration/deceleration that falls outside of predetermined limits. In one embodiment, the fuel control regulator system includes a vehicle including steering, an accelerator, brakes, one or more audio devices in proximity to one or more front crash sensors recording sensor data, a processor, and memory. The restraint control module is coupled to the processor and configured to dynamically adjust a threshold to lie outside of an amplitude of the sensor data of the one or more front crash sensors compromised by sound from the one or more audio devices. In another embodiment, the fuel control regulator system adjusts the sensor data of an affected front crash sensor to lie within an existing threshold. In yet another embodiment, the fuel control regulator system ignores the sensor data of an affected front crash sensor.

Claims

1. A fuel control regulator system, comprising:

a vehicle including steering, an accelerator, brakes, one or more audio devices in proximity to one or more front crash sensors recording sensor data, a processor, and memory;

an acoustic pliability module coupled to the processor and configured to dynamically adjust a threshold to lie outside of an amplitude of the sensor data of the one or more front crash sensors compromised by sound from the one or more audio devices,

wherein a restraint control module coupled to the acoustic pliability module is configured to register an acceleration or a deceleration of the vehicle that falls outside of predetermined limits, and is configured to confirm whether the front crash sensor data lies within the adjusted threshold,

wherein in response to determining by the restraint control module that the acceleration or the deceleration falls outside of the predetermined limits, that the one or more audio devices is activated to produce sound, that the one or more audio devices is in close proximity to the one or more front crash sensors, and that the adjusted threshold of the sensor data lies outside of the amplitude of the sensor data of the one or more front crash sensors, the restraint control module is configured to not issue a fuel shut-off command to a vehicle fuel pump.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the restraint control module is configured to determine activation status of one or more audio devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the restraint control module is configured to determine proximity of the audio devices to the one or more front crash sensors.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the restraint control module is configured to not issue a fuel shut-off command if the acceleration or the deceleration falls outside of the predetermined limits and if the amplitude of the sensor data lies within the adjusted threshold.

5. A fuel control regulator system, comprising:

a vehicle including steering, an accelerator, brakes, one or more audio devices in proximity to one or more front crash sensors recording sensor data, a processor, and memory;

an acoustic pliability module coupled to the processor and configured to dynamically adjust an amplitude of the sensor data of the one or more front crash sensors compromised by sound from the one or more audio devices to lie within a predetermined threshold,

wherein a restraint control module coupled to the acoustic pliability module is configured to register an acceleration or a deceleration of the vehicle that falls outside of predetermined limits, and is configured to confirm whether the adjusted amplitude of the front crash sensor data lies within the predetermined threshold,

wherein in response to determining by the restraint control module that the acceleration or the deceleration falls outside of the predetermined limits, that the one or more audio devices is activated to produce sound, that the one or more audio devices is in close proximity to the one or more front crash sensors, and that the adjusted amplitude of the sensor data lies within the predetermined threshold, the restraint control module is configured to not issue a fuel shut-off command to a vehicle fuel pump.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the restraint control module is configured to determine activation status of one or more audio devices.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the restraint control module is configured to determine proximity of the audio devices to the one or more front crash sensors.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the restraint control module is configured to not issue a fuel shut-off command if the acceleration or the deceleration falls outside of the predetermined limits and if the adjusted amplitude of the sensor data lies within the predetermined threshold.

9. A fuel control regulator system, comprising:

a vehicle including steering, an accelerator, brakes, one or more audio devices in proximity to one or more front crash sensors recording sensor data, a processor, and memory;

an acoustic pliability module coupled to the processor and configured to dynamically ignore the sensor data of the one or more front crash sensors compromised by sound from the one or more audio devices and accept the sensor data from one of the other front crash sensors,

wherein a restraint control module coupled to the acoustic pliability module is configured to register an acceleration or a deceleration of the vehicle that falls outside of predetermined limits, and is configured to confirm whether the front crash sensor data lies within a predetermined threshold,

wherein in response to determining by the restraint control module that the acceleration or the deceleration falls outside of the predetermined limits, that the one or more audio devices is activated to produce sound, that the one or more audio devices is in close proximity to the one or more front crash sensors, that the sensor data from the one of the other front crash sensors is accepted, and that the compromised one or more front crash sensors is ignored, the restraint control module is configured to not issue a fuel shut-off command to a vehicle fuel pump.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the restraint control module is configured to determine activation status of one or more audio devices.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the restraint control module is configured to determine proximity of the audio devices to the one or more front crash sensors.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the restraint control module is configured to not issue a fuel shut-off command if the acceleration or the deceleration falls outside of the predetermined limits, if the sensor data from the one of the other front crash sensors is accepted, and if the compromised one or more front crash sensors is ignored.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more audio devices comprises a vehicle siren.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more audio devices comprises a vehicle horn.

15. A system, comprising:

a vehicle including an audio device and a crash sensor;

a restraint controller including a processor configured to receive an adjustment to an activation threshold of the sensor and not issue a fuel shut-off command to a vehicle fuel pump after confirming that data from the sensor is compromised by sound from the audio device, vehicle acceleration exceeds a limit, and the adjusted threshold lies outside of an amplitude of the sensor.