Entries |
Document | Title | Date |
20080249694 | Method and Apparatus for Programming Parameters of a Power Driven
Wheelchair for a Plurality of Drive Settings - A method of programming parameters of a power driven wheelchair for a plurality of drive modes comprises: displaying a menu image on an interactive display screen, the menu image including settings of a plurality of wheelchair parameters for a plurality of drive modes of the wheelchair; selecting a wheelchair parameter for a drive mode from the displayed menu image; and programming the setting of the selected wheelchair parameter to a desired setting. | 10-09-2008 |
20080275615 | Method for Controlling Rotation Speed - The invention relates to a method for controlling rotation speed of at least one rotary element in the drive line of a vehicle. A first control model and a second control model are defined. The first control model calculates a permitted slip of at least one of the ground engagement elements of the vehicle at its ground contact point, which ground engagement element is driven via the rotary element. The second control model calculates a torque to said ground engagement element. The result of one of said control models is used for controlling the rotation speed of the rotary element. | 11-06-2008 |
20080319621 | Running Mechanism for a Passenger Boarding Bridge and Control Method Thereof - A running mechanism of a passenger boarding bridge and a control method thereof are provided. The running mechanism includes a beam, two rotary supporting members, and two running wheel sets. Each of the rotary supporting members is pivotally connected to one end of the beam, and connected to the respective running wheel set also. The running mechanism includes four driving devices for driving four running wheels, respectively. The control method is used to provide a matching control for the four running wheels, such that no sliding friction is generated between the running wheels and a ground surface when the passenger boarding bridge is turning. | 12-25-2008 |
20090043469 | DRIVING FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL METHOD AND DEVICE FOR FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - A driving force distribution control device for a four wheel drive vehicle having a mechanism that distributes the torque of an engine, which is transmitted to a main drive wheel, to a secondary drive wheel determines a first torque to be distributed to the secondary drive wheel on the basis of the engine torque, and corrects the determined first torque on the basis of a yaw rate deviation between a target yaw rate and an actual yaw rate of the vehicle. When an absolute value of the yaw rate deviation is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the mechanism is controlled on the basis of the corrected torque. | 02-12-2009 |
20090062998 | DRIVING-FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL DEVICE - A driving-force distribution control device includes a distributing mechanism, a distribution controller, an anti-skid brake system, an acceleration detector, a synthesized acceleration calculator and a control coefficient controller. The distributing mechanism is operable to variably distribute a driving force from an engine to individual drive wheels of a vehicle. The distribution controller is operable to control the distributing mechanism based on a running state of the vehicle. The acceleration detector is operable to detect a first acceleration in a front-rear direction and a second acceleration in a left-right direction of the vehicle. The synthesized acceleration calculator is operable to calculate a synthesized acceleration of the first acceleration and the second acceleration. The control coefficient controller is operable to indiscretely vary control coefficients for restricting the control of the distribution controller when the anti-skid brake system is activated, according to the calculated synthesized acceleration. | 03-05-2009 |
20090062999 | System and Method for Automatically and Independently Controlling Wheel Torque or Speed Usiing Wheel Hubs having Engagement/Disengagement Mechanisms Integrated Therewith - A system and method for controlling torque and/or speed of wheels of a vehicle. The system and method receive one or more vehicle operating signals. Based on the received vehicle operating signals, the system and method determine whether one or more of a vehicle's wheels require torque or speed modification. If it is determined that one or more of the vehicle's wheels requires torque or speed modification, the system and method modifies the torque to drive, or speed of, a wheel or wheels based on the received vehicle operating signals. The modification is automatic and/or independent for each wheel. Some or all wheels can be coupled to respective wheel hubs having incorporated therewith an engagement/disengagement mechanism. The system and method can control the engagement/disengagement mechanism to modify the torque at, or speed of, the associated wheel based on the received vehicle operating signal or signals. | 03-05-2009 |
20090076696 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING A POWERTRAIN IN A VEHICLE - A vehicle include a first disconnect disposed between a prime mover of the vehicle and a certain one of the vehicle drive wheels. The first disconnect is operable to connect and disconnect the prime mover to and from the certain one of the drive wheels. A second disconnect is disposed between the powertrain and the certain one of the drive wheels, and is operable to connect and disconnect the certain one of the drive wheels to and from the powertrain when the first disconnect is engaged. A control system and method are configured to control operation of at least the first and second disconnects. Through selective control of the disconnects, the system can be automatically placed in a four-wheel-drive mode based on predetermined criteria, or the desirability of the four-wheel-drive mode can be indicated to the vehicle operator in a passive version of the control system and method. | 03-19-2009 |
20090112430 | Electronic Control Torque Vectoring Axle - The present invention is an axle ( | 04-30-2009 |
20090112431 | Hydraulic System For An All-Wheel Drive System And Method Of Controlling Said Hydraulic System - Method of controlling a hydraulic system for an all-wheel drive system, including an electric hydraulic pump, a control valve for directing hydraulic fluid to a load, and an accumulator in fluid communication with the pump and the valve. The method includes the steps of estimating a negative hydraulic-fluid leakage flow out of the accumulator. Using a predetermined model, estimating a negative hydraulic-fluid work flow through the valve, and estimating a first positive fluid flow from the pump into the accumulator. The above estimated negative hydraulic-fluid leakage flow, negative hydraulic-fluid work flow and positive fluid flow are added to a total flow communicating with the accumulator, and a value is obtained of the volume of the hydraulic fluid in the accumulator from the total flow communicating with the accumulator for controlling an operation mode of the pump. | 04-30-2009 |
20090138166 | Multiplexed Hydraulic Control for a Two-Coupling All-Wheel Drive System - The present invention is directed toward incorporating a single actuation unit to actuate two or more couplings. The clutch actuation arrangement has a first coupling ( | 05-28-2009 |
20090187319 | Control method for four-wheel drive vehicle - A drive force control method for a four-wheel drive vehicle including a torque distributing mechanism capable of changing a drive force distribution ratio between front and rear wheels and a drive force distribution ratio between right and left front wheels or between right and left rear wheels. This method includes the steps of increasing the drive force distribution ratio of the rear wheels to the front wheels according to an increase in absolute value of a lateral G signal, and increasing the drive force distribution ratio of a turning outer wheel as one of the right and left front wheels or one of the right and left rear wheels to a turning inner wheel as the other. A lateral G sensor signal is corrected by an estimated lateral G signal calculated according to a steering angle and a vehicle speed to obtain a control lateral G signal, which is used as the lateral G signal. | 07-23-2009 |
20100017083 | Traction Control System for 4WD/AWD Vehicles - A method controls a powertrain that directs power from an engine and a transmission to all four wheels or to just front wheels or to just rear wheels. The method includes monitoring information transmitted over a communications network. The method determines whether one or more components of the powertrain are in an active condition or in an inactive condition. The one or more components of the powertrain are in the inactive condition when not connected to the transmission and not connected to the front wheels or the rear wheels. The one or more components of the powertrain are in the active condition when connected to the transmission and connected to the front wheels and the rear wheels. The method switches the one or more components of the powertrain between the inactive condition and the active condition based only on the information from the communications network and without intervention from a user. | 01-21-2010 |
20100063700 | 4-wheel drive apparatus for vehicle - Disclosed is a 4 wheel drive apparatus for vehicles capable of driving two wheel or four wheels having a simple structure without conventional transfer case. The 4 wheel drive apparatus for vehicles includes a driving shaft connected to an engine, receiving a power from the engine, and having plural driving gears connected to thereon; a transmission including plural change gears geared with the plural driving gears, and an output shaft connected to front wheels and rear wheels of the vehicle; a front power transfer part including a front clutch installed on one end of the output shaft and transferring/blocking a power of the output shaft to the front wheels; a rear power transfer part including a rear clutch installed on the other end of the output shaft and transferring/blocking a power of the output shaft to the rear wheels; and a control part controlling the front and rear power transfer parts in order to restrict a power transferred from the output shaft to the front wheels | 03-11-2010 |
20100063701 | BRAKE BASED VISCOUS COUPLING ALTERNATIVE VEHICLE DIFFERENTIAL - A vehicle and a method for mechanical decoupling of front and rear wheels and left and right wheels of a vehicle by mechanically decoupling the left and right wheels, while controlling the braking to maintain proper wheel speed during vehicle maneuvers. | 03-11-2010 |
20100094519 | POWERTRAIN FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE - The invention relates to a powertrain for a motor vehicle having a permanently driven primary axle, comprising: a drive unit for the generation of a drive torque; a first clutch for the transfer of a variable portion of the drive torque to a secondary axle of the motor vehicle; a second clutch for the deactuation of a torque transfer section of the powertrain arranged between the first clutch and the second clutch when the first clutch is opened; and a control unit for the automatic control of the first clutch, with the control unit being connected to at least one sensor for the detection of a wheel slip at the primary axle; with the control unit being made, starting from a deactuated state of the torque transfer section, to close the second clutch in dependence on a detected wheel slip at the primary axle. | 04-15-2010 |
20100100295 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL SYSTEM AND VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL METHOD OF VEHICLE - If a condition for finishing speed limit control is satisfied, a gradient of a slope of the road is estimated based on a steady component of the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, and a correction factor is computed based on the slope gradient of the road, while a target acceleration of the vehicle is computed based on the vehicle speed. Then, a target vehicle speed is computed by adding the target vehicle speed of the last cycle to the product of the correction factor, target acceleration and the cycle time of the control, and the braking or driving force of each wheel is controlled so that the vehicle speed becomes equal to the target vehicle speed. In this manner, a passenger of the vehicle is prevented from feeling uncomfortable about the speed increase after the completion of the vehicle speed limit control. | 04-22-2010 |
20100161190 | System And Method For Controlling Wheel Spin And Wheel Slip On A Machine Having Differentially Driven Wheels - An electronic traction optimization system includes a control unit adapted to produce a corner speed estimate signal for each wheel of a machine, produce an ideal target speed signal for each wheel having a value at least partially responsive to the corner speed estimate signals, produces a practical target speed signal for each wheel, generates an actual target speed signal having a value responsive to a comparison of the ideal target speed signal and the practical target speed signal for each wheel. The control unit compares each actual target speed signal to an associated wheel speed signal to obtain a wheel speed error signal for each wheel and converts each wheel speed error signal to a clutch control signal, wherein each differential clutch actuator is responsive to an associated clutch control signal. | 06-24-2010 |
20100222975 | Automatic Control Of Mechanical Front Wheel Drive Using Speed Ratio - A work vehicle ( | 09-02-2010 |
20100228457 | Momentary Activation Of Mechanical Front Wheel Drive - A work vehicle ( | 09-09-2010 |
20100262347 | VEHICLE - A vehicle can be operated in a first drive mode in which a front differential is set to a non-driven state and a rear differential is set to a differential state, a second drive mode in which the front differential is set to a non-driven state and the rear differential is set to a differential locked state, a third drive mode in which the front differential is set to a differential state and the rear differential is set to a differential locked state, and a fourth drive mode in which the front differential is set to a differential locked state and the rear differential is set to a differential locked state. Transition is allowed only between adjacent drive modes. | 10-14-2010 |
20100268429 | Reducing Oscillations in a Motor Vehicle Driveline - A method for reducing oscillations in a vehicle driveline includes transmitting torque to secondary wheels of the vehicle, determining a first rate of change in speed between the secondary wheels and primary wheels, if a second rate of change in speed between secondary wheels and primary wheels is greater than the first rate of change, reducing torque transmitted to the secondary wheels proportional to a ratio of the first rate of change and the second rate of change, and if the second rate of change is less than the first rate of change, using differential and proportional control to change said torque. | 10-21-2010 |
20100274456 | DRIVING-FORCE TRANSMITTING APPARATUS FOR FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE - A transmitting apparatus includes a disengaging device that disengages a driving force from a front-wheel differential device to a first driving-force transmitting direction converting unit | 10-28-2010 |
20100332094 | COOPERATIVE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM USING DUAL SLIP CONTROLLERS - A cooperative traction control system that integrates throttle control and torque distribution. The system also uses dual slip controllers and methods that involve controlling the distribution of torque between wheels in the front and rear axles of a vehicle and a relatively small or no adjustment of the engine throttle (or, more generally, engine torque output) to reduce wheel slip. The control is cooperative in the sense that two controllers—a front axle torque controller and a rear axle torque controller—work together (or are controlled together) to reduce wheel slip and thereby achieve improved straight-line movement of a vehicle from a standstill. | 12-30-2010 |
20110015844 | AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE - An automotive vehicle may include one or more controllers, a braking system and an electric machine. The one or more controllers may be configured to determine whether the vehicle is about to roll over. The braking system may be configured to apply a braking torque for a time period, under the command of the one or more controllers, to a front traction wheel to cause the front traction wheel to skid or slide relative to a road if the vehicle is about to roll over. The electric machine may be configured to generate a propulsion torque, under the command of the one or more controllers, during the time period. | 01-20-2011 |
20110130934 | Powertrain and method of controlling the same - When a reduction in a supply hydraulic pressure to a second shift portion is sensed, an engagement command of C0 clutch is generated so that a power split device (electrical differential portion) is brought into a locked state. In the locked state, a sun gear, a carrier rotated by an engine and a ring gear rotated by a second MG integrally rotate, whereby inertia is increased. Thus, high-speed rotation of a transmission member corresponding to an input shaft of the second shift portion can be prevented. | 06-02-2011 |
20110257858 | DRIVE STATE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE - A drive state control apparatus is applied to a vehicle which has not only a transfer including a multi-disc clutch mechanism but also a changeover mechanism interposed in an axle and which can be switched between 2WD and 4WD. When a 2WD-to-4WD changeover condition is satisfied, the multi-disc clutch is immediately switched from a “decoupled state” to a “coupled state.” Meanwhile, a connecting operation of the changeover mechanism is started upon establishment of a state in which left and right rear wheels have no acceleration slippage, and a state in which rotational speeds of first and second axles on opposite sides of the changeover mechanism are approximately equal to each other. In addition, in the case where the left and right rear wheels have acceleration slippage after the 2WD-to-4WD changeover condition has been satisfied, an E/G output reduction control is executed. Thus, the connecting operation can be performed smoothly. | 10-20-2011 |
20110276241 | CONTROL APPARATUS FOR POWER TRANSMITTING SYSTEM OF FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE - A control apparatus for a power transmitting system of a four wheel-drive vehicle, which includes a first drive power source, a second drive power source, and a central differential mechanism disposed between the first and second drive power sources. The central differential mechanism has an input rotary element and a pair of output rotary elements and is constructed to distribute an output of the first drive power source received by the input rotary element, to the pair of output rotary elements to transmit the output of the first drive power source to front wheels and rear wheels of the vehicle. The second drive power source is disposed in a power transmitting path between one of the pair of output rotary elements and the front or rear wheels. The control apparatus includes a coupling device disposed between the pair of output rotary elements, and drive force distribution changing unit which changes drive force distribution to the pair of output rotary elements by changing a drive force generated by the second drive power source and an engaging capacity of the coupling device. | 11-10-2011 |
20120029779 | CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF SELECTION OF ON-DEMAND ALL-WHEEL DRIVE ASSEMBLY FOR A VEHICLE DRIVETRAIN - A vehicle drivetrain can include various structures, such as a multi-ratio transmission, a two-speed final drive assembly connected in series with the multi-ratio transmission and including a low speed final drive ratio and a high speed final drive ratio, a pair of front driveshafts driven by the two-speed final drive assembly, a pair of rear driveshafts, a rear differential assembly connected to the two-speed final drive assembly, and a control assembly including. The control assembly can include a controller in electrical communication with portions of the rear differential assembly, such as a variable displacement pump and purge valve. An input array can be in electrical communication with the controller and can include a plurality of sensors, and at least one switch accessible to an operator of the vehicle. Various related methods can also be executed for control and operation of such a drivetrain. The methods can incorporate a number of variables in order to control the drivetrain, and the variables can include but are not limited to road grade, vehicle acceleration, vehicle speed, presence of towing apparatus, road surface conditions, switch condition(s), etc. | 02-02-2012 |
20120029780 | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A SPEED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FRONT WHEELS AND REAR WHEELS OF A FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - A method for controlling a speed difference between speed of wheels of a front axle and speed of wheels of a rear axle of a four-wheel drive vehicle. The method: determines an initial speed difference set point based on the speed of the vehicle; determines one or more intermediate speed difference set points based on one or more operational parameters of the vehicle; modulates the initial speed difference set point based on the intermediate speed difference set points to obtain a final speed difference set point; measures the speed difference and compares the measured speed difference with the final speed difference set point; and controls the measured speed difference, so that the measured speed difference reaches the final speed difference set point. | 02-02-2012 |
20120035820 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR OPERATING A VEHICLE, IN PARTICULAR A HYBRID VEHICLE - A method is described for operating a vehicle, in particular a hybrid vehicle, in which each of the two axles of the vehicle, which are not mechanically coupled, is driven by at least one drive unit, thus transmitting a torque to the wheels of the respective axle. To make optimal use of the different coefficients of friction of the wheels which occur with different roadway conditions, the rotational speeds of the wheels of both drive axles are ascertained and averaged, a difference being formed from the averaged rotational speeds of the two axles, respectively, and the torque on at least one axle being influenced based on this difference so that differences in the averaged rotational speeds of the wheels are counteracted. Instead of the rotational speed difference, the deviation of this rotational speed difference from a setpoint rotational speed difference may be used, for example, within the scope of ESP. Alternatively, regulation may be performed based on the wheels of an axle, in which case a dedicated drive unit is associated with each wheel. | 02-09-2012 |
20120046842 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING A DIFFERENTIAL TORQUE ACTING ON THE VEHICLE WHEELS OF A VEHICLE - In a method for generating a differential torque in a vehicle, in the case in which the vehicle is in a load change state and simultaneously in an extreme driving situation, in which wheel torques of different magnitudes are present at the vehicle wheels, the torque distribution between the vehicle wheels is changed. | 02-23-2012 |
20120059562 | INCREASING ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM CALIBRATION EFFICIENCY THROUGH HARDWARE-IN-THE-LOOP SIMULATION TECHNIQUES - A method and system for generating a torque map operating a vehicle's all-wheel drive (“AWD”) system are disclosed. A model describing how an all-wheel drive (“AWD”) electronic control unit (“ECU”) included in the vehicle processes data received from one or more sensors or vehicle subsystems is generated and executed on a computing device so that the computing device emulates operation of the AWD ECU. The computing device captures data from a controller area network (“CAN”) included in the vehicle and data from the vehicle describing wheel torque while emulating operation of the AWD ECU. A raw torque value is generated by the computing device from the data from the CAN and wheel torque. The raw torque value is used to generate a torque value associated with an engine speed and with an intake air pressure obtained from the data captured from the CAN. | 03-08-2012 |
20120083981 | VEHICLE RUNNING CONTROL APPARATUS - A vehicle running control apparatus for executing a turn assist control which controls longitudinal forces of wheels so that longitudinal force of a turning inner wheel is lower than longitudinal force of a turning outer wheel by lowering the longitudinal force of the turning inner wheel. The lowering of the longitudinal force of the turning inner wheel is made more difficult to be started and a lowering amount of the longitudinal force of the turning inner wheel is set smaller when difficulty in driving vehicle by wheel drive forces is high as compared with the case where the difficulty in driving vehicle is low. The difficulty in driving vehicle includes at least one of resistance against vehicle movement by wheel drive forces and difficulty in transmitting driving forces from wheels to road surface. | 04-05-2012 |
20120089310 | TWO/FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE MODE SHIFT CONTROLLER FOR TRACTION-TRANSMITTING PART TIME FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME - [Problem] A two-wheel→four-wheel drive switching for a traction-transmitting part time four-wheel drive vehicle in which a gear clutch for separating one of auxiliary driving wheels from a drive train is equipped can be carried out under a shock reduction. | 04-12-2012 |
20120095659 | Automatic Control of Driveline States - A method for controlling a vehicle driveline includes using current conditions to estimate wheel slip probability and vehicle dynamics handling support requirements, producing two-wheel drive operation, if said slip probability and handling support requirement is low and a condition for forced driveline connection is absent, and producing four-wheel drive operation, if said slip probability and/or handling support requirement is high and a condition for forced driveline disconnection is absent. | 04-19-2012 |
20120150404 | FRONT WHEEL DIFFERENTIAL LOCK CONTROL SYSTEM FOR STRADDLE-RIDE TYPE FOUR-WHEELED VEHICLE - A front wheel differential lock control system for a straddle-ride type four-wheeled vehicle is provided that can reliably switch a differential locking mechanism into a lock state in a low vehicle-speed state. In an engine provided with a manual transmission having forward five-speed and reverse gears, only in a low gear ratio state (1 | 06-14-2012 |
20120166055 | DRIVE FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL APPARATUS FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - When a rear wheel total drive force is smaller than a rear wheel drive force difference and the rear wheel drive force difference cannot be realized by setting a left-right distribution of the rear wheel total drive force, an inside wheel target drive force is set unconditionally to a minimum initial drive force required to prevent a three-wheel drive state and an outside wheel target drive force is set to a value equal to the sum of the initial drive force and the rear wheel drive force difference, which is a value with which the rear wheel drive force difference can be realized while the inside wheel target drive force is set to the initial drive force. In this way, a drive force distribution control apparatus gives priority to realizing the rear wheel drive force difference and emphasizes achieving a target behavior over achieving a four-wheel drive performance. | 06-28-2012 |
20120209484 | MACHINE CONTROL SYSTEM UTILIZING INERTIAL YAW SENSOR - An electronic traction optimization system includes a control unit adapted to produce a corner speed estimate signal for each wheel of a machine, produce an ideal target speed signal for each wheel having a value at least partially responsive to the corner speed estimate signals, produces a practical target speed signal for each wheel, generates an actual target speed signal having a value responsive to a comparison of the ideal target speed signal and the practical target speed signal for each wheel. The control unit compares each actual target speed signal to an associated wheel speed signal to obtain a wheel speed error signal for each wheel and converts each wheel speed error signal to a clutch control signal, wherein each differential clutch actuator is responsive to an associated clutch control signal. | 08-16-2012 |
20120209485 | MACHINE CONTROL SYSTEM UTILIZING INERTIAL YAW SENSOR - An electronic traction optimization system includes a control unit adapted to produce a corner speed estimate signal for each wheel of a machine, produce an ideal target speed signal for each wheel having a value at least partially responsive to the corner speed estimate signals, produces a practical target speed signal for each wheel, generates an actual target speed signal having a value responsive to a comparison of the ideal target speed signal and the practical target speed signal for each wheel. The control unit compares each actual target speed signal to an associated wheel speed signal to obtain a wheel speed error signal for each wheel and converts each wheel speed error signal to a clutch control signal, wherein each differential clutch actuator is responsive to an associated clutch control signal. | 08-16-2012 |
20120245814 | AUTOMATIC AXLE DISCONNECT - A method of regulating an axle disconnect device that is operable in an axle assembly of a vehicle drivetrain includes monitoring a plurality of parameters, determining whether an occurrence of at least one of a traction event and a stability event is imminent based on at least one of the parameters, the stability event being determined based on a first set parameters, and the traction event being determined based on a second set of parameters that includes less parameters than the first set of parameters, and regulating the axle disconnect device to an engaged position if the occurrence of the at least one of the traction event and the stability event is imminent. | 09-27-2012 |
20120253620 | CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING DRIVE FORCE THAT OPERATES ON VEHICLE - A control device for controlling a front wheel drive force and a rear wheel drive force of a vehicle includes a first controller for controlling a drive force of main drive wheels and the drive force of auxiliary drive wheels wherein the drive force of the main drive wheel is one of a front-wheel drive force and a rear-wheel drive force, and the drive force of the auxiliary drive wheel is another of the front-wheel drive force and the rear-wheel drive force, and a second controller for sending to the first controller an auxiliary-drive-wheels-limiting drive force for limiting the drive force of the auxiliary drive wheels in a case that the vehicle is traveling in an unstable state. The second controller has a calculation unit for calculating the auxiliary-drive-wheel-limiting drive force on the basis of a vehicle instability parameter. The first controller increases the drive force of the main drive wheel by causing the drive force of the auxiliary drive wheel to match the auxiliary-drive-wheel-limiting drive force. | 10-04-2012 |
20120253621 | CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING DRIVE FORCE THAT OPERATES ON VEHICLE - A control device for controlling a drive force that operates on a vehicle includes a first controller for controlling the drive force, and a second controller for sending to the first controller a limit of the drive force. The second controller has an input unit for inputting the drive force outputted from the first control means, and a calculation unit for computing in a first mode a limiting drive force for limiting the drive force. In a case that a first difference between the drive force and the limiting drive force is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the calculation unit calculates the limiting drive force in a second mode instead of the first mode so that the first difference is limited from becoming greater. | 10-04-2012 |
20120253622 | CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING DRIVE FORCE THAT OPERATES ON VEHICLE - A drive force-limiting device for limiting a drive force that acts on a drive wheel of a vehicle includes an acceleration correction unit for correcting a first acceleration of the vehicle and obtaining a corrected second acceleration, a first calculation unit for calculating a first speed of the vehicle on the basis of a wheel speed of the drive wheel and the first acceleration, a second calculation unit for calculating a second speed of the vehicle on the basis of the wheel speed and the second acceleration, a request unit for requesting a limiting drive force for limiting the drive force in a case that a difference between the first speed and the second speed is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, and an estimation unit in which the second speed is used as an estimated speed of the vehicle. The request unit requests the limiting drive force, whereby, when the wheel speed is less than a second threshold value, the estimation unit resets the second speed using the first speed and obtains the estimated speed. | 10-04-2012 |
20120253623 | CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING DRIVE FORCE THAT OPERATES ON VEHICLE - A control device for controlling a front wheel drive force and a rear wheel drive force of a vehicle comprises a first controller for controlling a drive force of a main drive wheel and a drive force of an auxiliary drive wheel, the drive force of the main drive wheel being one of the front-wheel drive force and the rear-wheel drive force, and the drive force of the auxiliary drive wheel being another of the front-wheel drive force and the rear-wheel drive force; a second controller for sending to the first controller an auxiliary-drive-wheels-limiting drive force for limiting the drive force of the auxiliary drive wheels in a case that the vehicle is traveling in an unstable state; and a third controller for controlling a motor drive force, which is a source of the drive force of the main drive wheel and the drive force of the auxiliary drive wheel. The third controller reduces the motor drive force on the basis of the auxiliary-drive-wheel-limiting drive force. | 10-04-2012 |
20120259523 | METHOD FOR OPERATING A VEHICLE AND VEHICLE - In a method for operating a vehicle which has a first axle, a second axle, a unit for determining slipping of at least one wheel of the second axle on a ground surface, and a braking device associated with the wheel, a drive torque is applied to the first axle and the second axle via a central differential, and, in the event of slipping of the wheel, a braking torque required to prevent the slipping being determined. A setpoint braking torque is set on the braking device, which is less than the required braking torque, and the part of the drive torque supplied to the first axle is increased. | 10-11-2012 |
20120271521 | METHOD FOR PROPELLING AN ARTICULATED TRACKED VEHICLE - The invention relates to a method for propelling an articulated tracked vehicle ( | 10-25-2012 |
20130030664 | CONTROL METHOD AND CONTROL APPARATUS FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - Discloses is a method of controlling a four-wheel drive vehicle equipped with a torque distribution device capable of changing a torque distribution amount for secondary driven wheels according to an input current to be applied thereto. This method comprises the steps of: applying, to the torque distribution device, a current value corresponding to a target torque distribution amount; and, performing a current changing control for increasing and reducing the input current to the torque distribution device. The step of performing a current changing control includes causing the input current to the torque distribution device to be temporarily increased to a value greater than the current value corresponding to the target torque distribution amount, and then returned to the current value corresponding to the target torque distribution amount, and repeating the temporary increasing of the input current at least at intervals of a predetermined time. | 01-31-2013 |
20130035831 | ROAD SURFACE FRICTIONAL COEFFICIENT ESTIMATION DEVICE, DRIVING FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL DEVICE AND FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE - A road surface frictional coefficient estimation device includes: a first straight travel determination unit configured to determine whether or not a vehicle travels straight based on a rotational speed difference between a plurality of wheels of the vehicle; a second straight travel determination unit configured to determine whether or not the vehicle travels straight based on a steering angle of the vehicle; a selection unit configured to select one of determination results of the first straight travel determination unit and the second straight travel determination unit; and a frictional coefficient estimation unit configured to estimate a frictional coefficient of a road surface on which the vehicle travels when the one of the determination results selected by the selection unit indicates that the vehicle travels straight. | 02-07-2013 |
20130035832 | DRIVING FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL DEVICE AND FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE - A driving force distribution control device, which is mounted on a vehicle including an engine configured to generate driving force for the vehicle, a transmission device configured to shift rotation of an output shaft of the engine by transmission ratios, and a driving force transmission system capable of transmitting output of the transmission device to main drive wheels and auxiliary drive wheels, includes: a control device configured to, when a rotational speed of the output shaft of the engine is in a range in which abnormal sound of the driving force transmission system due to pulsation of the driving force can be generated, set a torque value to a value capable of reducing the abnormal sound depending on the driving force; and a driving force transmitting device configured to transmit driving force depending on the set value to the auxiliary drive wheels. | 02-07-2013 |
20130035833 | DRIVING FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL DEVICE AND FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE - A driving force distribution control device mounted on a vehicle including an engine, a transmission device, a clutch engaging an output shaft of the engine with an input shaft of the transmission device, and a driving force transmission system capable of transmitting output of the transmission device to main and auxiliary drive wheels, includes: a control device obtaining a torque value to be transmitted to the auxiliary drive wheels, the control device reducing the torque value for a predetermined time when the vehicle is in a stopped state or in a state where a vehicle speed of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined value, and an increasing speed of engaging force of the clutch is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and a driving force transmitting device transmitting torque depending on the obtained torque value to the auxiliary drive wheels. | 02-07-2013 |
20130054104 | DRIVE SYSTEM FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE, FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE, AND CONTROL METHOD FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - A drive system for a four-wheel drive vehicle, the drive system being mounted in a four-wheel drive vehicle that includes front wheels serving as main drive wheels and rear wheels serving as auxiliary drive wheels, includes: a propeller shaft that transmits the driving force from the engine side to the rear wheels side; a dog clutch that is able to interrupt torque transmission between the engine and the propeller shaft; a torque coupling that is able to interrupt torque transmission between the propeller shaft and the rear wheels; and an ECU that interrupts both torque transmissions by the dog clutch and the torque coupling when the vehicle speed is higher than or equal to a predetermined speed. | 02-28-2013 |
20130054105 | METHOD OF MANAGING A DEVICE FOR DISTRIBUTING ENGINE TORQUE UPON A FAILURE OF ITS SELECTION BUTTON - A method managing a device distributing engine torque between main and secondary wheel sets of a motor vehicle, the distributing device including an actuator distributing engine torque, a control unit exhibiting plural distribution modes of the engine torque and adopting one distribution mode as a function of a variable and a button selecting a distribution mode delivering an information item representative of the button position, the control unit determining, in regular operation, the variable, as a function of the information item; the method includes: detecting potential failure of the selection button, including verifying consistency of the information item; activation of degraded mode of operation, when a failure of the button is detected, in which a constant value is allocated to the variable; during degraded operation, monitoring end of failure, including verifying consistency of the information item; activation of regular mode of operation, when end of failure is detected. | 02-28-2013 |
20130066531 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DISTRIBUTING AN ENGINE TORQUE BETWEEN TWO WHEEL SETS OF A MOTOR VEHICLE - A device distributing engine torque between first and second wheel sets of a vehicle, including a mode switch movable between a first stable position and a second unstable position, activating first and second engine torque distribution modes. When the vehicle stops while the second distribution mode is activated and then restarts after a stop duration, the second distribution mode is activated if the stop duration is less than a time delay, otherwise the first distribution mode is activated. It is determined, in the second distribution mode, whether the vehicle exceeds a predetermined maximum speed threshold. If so, a transition is made to an on-road mode. In the off-road mode, it is determined whether the vehicle exceeds a predetermined intermediate speed threshold, strictly less than maximum speed threshold in an off-road mode, during a time greater than a predetermined duration, to transition back to the on-road mode. | 03-14-2013 |
20130073158 | METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF A MEANS OF MECHANICALLY COUPLING THE FIRST AND SECOND AXLES OF A MOTOR VEHICLE - A method controlling operation of a mechanism mechanically coupling first and second axles of a transmission system of a motor vehicle, the first axle being driven as standard and the second axle being driven as an option depending on a status of the coupling mechanism, the transmission system being capable of operating in a first mode in which a value of transmittable torque that can be transmitted by the mechanical coupling mechanism is fixed, or in a second mode in which the value of the transmittable torque that can be transmitted by the mechanical coupling mechanism is higher than the value of the transmittable torque for the first mode. | 03-21-2013 |
20130073159 | SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A TORQUE TRANSFER ACTUATOR WITH MULTIPLE MODES OF OPERATION - A system for controlling a torque transfer actuator for a four-wheel drive motor vehicle, including: a determining mechanism and a system for preventing the wheels from locking; a controller preventing the wheels from locking; and a controller for the torque transfer actuator, configured to interact to transmit a torque transfer command destined for the torque transfer actuator. | 03-21-2013 |
20130073160 | LEFT-RIGHT WHEEL DRIVE FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL APPARATUS FOR A VEHICLE - When a rear wheel total drive force is smaller than a rear wheel drive force difference and the rear wheel drive force difference cannot be accomplished by dividing the rear wheel total drive force between the left and right rear wheels, an inside wheel target drive force is not set to 0 and an outside wheel target drive force is not set to. Instead, the inside wheel target drive force is set to a default drive force that is a minimum value required to prevent a three-wheel drive state from occurring, and the outside wheel target drive force is set a value equal to the sum of the default drive force and the rear wheel drive force difference, which is a value with which the rear wheel drive force difference can be achieved under the condition of the inside wheel target drive force being equal to the default drive force. | 03-21-2013 |
20130073161 | LEFT-RIGHT WHEEL DRIVE FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL APPARATUS FOR A VEHICLE - A rear wheel drive force difference setting gain is multiplied by a basic left-right rear wheel drive force difference steady-state control computation value for achieving a vehicle turning behavior steadily requested by a driver in order to calculate a final left-right rear wheel drive force difference steady-state control amount. The final left-right rear wheel drive force difference steady-state control amount is added to a left-right rear wheel drive force difference transient control amount to obtain left-right rear wheel rear wheel drive force difference. This difference is multiplied by feedback control coefficient to obtain a final rear wheel drive force difference. During an initial stage of turning in which a lateral acceleration is smaller than a turn initial stage determining value, the rear wheel drive force difference setting gain is set to A, which is larger than 1 and increases as the lateral acceleration decreases. As a result, the final rear wheel drive force difference is increased during the initial stage of turning and an initial turning response can be improved. | 03-21-2013 |
20130096794 | METHOD OF MANAGING A DEVICE THAT SPLITS DRIVE TORQUE BETWEEN THE FRONT AND REAR WHEELSET OF A VEHICLE - A splitting of drive torque between front and rear wheelsets includes an actuator to split the torque between the wheelsets, an electronic unit controlling switching of the actuator into a coupled or uncoupled mode, a mechanism electrically powering the electronic unit, and sensors. The electronic unit can make the system adopt: an active operation in which a control signal is generated and the temperature of the actuator is estimated; and a sleep mode in which the temperature of the actuator is not estimated; the switch to sleep mode being authorized: only when the engine is stopped, and if the actuator temperature is below or equal to a threshold or a maximum time period has elapsed. | 04-18-2013 |
20130110366 | LEFT-RIGHT WHEEL DRIVE FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL APPARATUS FOR A VEHICLE | 05-02-2013 |
20130231837 | ELECTRONIC CONTROL OF A LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL - A method for regulating an electronic limited slip differential (eLSD) to apportion generated drive torque between first and second road wheels includes determining maximum torque capability of each wheel to identify more and less capable wheels. The method also includes determining a remaining portion of the drive torque by subtracting the maximum torque capability of the less capable wheel from the generated torque. The method additionally includes transferring to the more capable wheel a portion of the drive torque that is equal to the torque capability of the more capable wheel if the remaining portion is greater than the torque capability of the more capable wheel. Furthermore, the method includes transferring to the more capable wheel the remaining portion of the drive torque if the remaining portion is equal to or less than the torque capability of the more capable wheel. A vehicle employing the method is also disclosed. | 09-05-2013 |
20130304341 | DRIVING FORCE CONTROL DEVICE FOR FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE - A driving force control device for a four-wheel-drive vehicle performs, by controlling the driving force that is allocated to the rear wheels by a front and rear torque allocation clutch that is arranged between a propeller shaft and a rear diff, the control of setting front wheels as primary drive wheels and rear wheels as auxiliary drive wheels. A control is performed to disable the allocation of driving force to the rear wheels by disengaging the front and rear torque allocation clutch, when the state that the difference in wheel speed between the left and right rear wheels is equal to or more than 80 km continues for 0.1 sec or longer in the state that the vehicle body speed is equal to or less than 120 km. | 11-14-2013 |
20130325276 | CONTROL SYSTEM FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - In a control system for a four-wheel drive vehicle, when the four-wheel drive vehicle is four-wheel driven full time (that is, at all times), the difference in rotation of each wheel occurring due to the difference in air pressure within each tire, is differentiated from the difference in rotation of each wheel occurring due to cornering or the state of the road surface, and is correspondingly corrected so as to distribute the driving force to the four wheels. Thus, even if the difference in rotation of each wheel occurs due to the air pressure within each tire, the malfunction in which four-wheel driving is controlled based on the erroneous determination that the difference in rotation of each wheel is due to cornering or the state of the road surface can be prevented from occurring. | 12-05-2013 |
20140039772 | Work Machine Drive Train Torque Vectoring Based on Work Cycle Recognition - A machine may include a powertrain drivingly connected to the wheels through a torque transfer unit to transfer torque to the front wheels as a function of a desired front torque and to the rear wheels as a function of a desired rear torque. At least one sensor of the machine may detect a value of an operating parameter indicative of a work cycle step being performed by the machine. A control unit determines the work cycle step being performed as a function of the value of the parameter, and the desired front and rear torques as a function of the work cycle step. The control unit also considers the weight and position of a load of material borne by an implement of the machine in determining the work cycle step being performed. | 02-06-2014 |
20140046564 | CONTROL DEVICE FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - In a control device for four-wheel drive vehicle, yaw moment for suppressing understeer tendency of the vehicle is calculated as target yaw moment. If the average wheel speed of right and left wheels of a front shaft is more than the wheel speed of a turning outer wheel of a rear shaft, a control unit performs control as follows: when the target yaw moment Mzt is applied to the vehicle, a wheel clutch of the turning outer wheel is engaged, and a wheel clutch of a turning inner wheel is disengaged, so that the engaging force of a transfer clutch | 02-13-2014 |
20140058638 | CONTROL UNIT FOR FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE - A four-wheel-drive vehicle includes a clutch that is able to allow and interrupt transmission of driving force to a propeller shaft, and a traction control unit that controls at least one of the driving force generated by an engine and braking force applied to right and left front wheels to suppress a slip of the right and left front wheels. When the drive mode is switched from a two-wheel-drive mode to a four-wheel-drive mode, if the relative rotational speed between a first rotary member and a second rotary member constituting a clutch is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, an ECU outputs a control command signal for suppressing the slip of the right and left front wheels to the traction control unit. | 02-27-2014 |
20140067215 | SIDE-BY-SIDE DIESEL UTILITY VEHICLE - A utility vehicle comprises a plurality of ground engaging members and a frame supported by the plurality of ground engaging members. The frame includes a front frame portion, a mid-frame portion, and a rear frame portion. The utility vehicle further comprises an attachment supported at the front frame portion. Additionally, the utility vehicle includes an operator area supported by the frame and including an operator seat and an adjacent passenger seat spaced apart from the operator seat. The operator seat and the passenger seat are in a side-by-side arrangement. The utility vehicle also comprises an auxiliary power assembly having an attachment shaft configured to be operably coupled to the attachment. The attachment shaft extends in a generally longitudinal direction of the utility vehicle and projects outwardly from the front frame portion. | 03-06-2014 |
20140067216 | VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A VEHICLE - Embodiments of the present invention provide a motor vehicle having: prime mover means; at least first and second groups of one or more wheels; and a driveline operable to connect the prime mover means to the first and second groups of one or more wheels such that the first group of one or more wheels and not the second group is coupled to a torque transmission path from the prime mover means when the driveline is in a first mode of operation and both the first and second groups of one or more wheels are coupled to a torque transmission path from the prime mover means when the driveline is in a second mode of operation, the driveline including an auxiliary portion for connecting the second group to the torque transmission path from the prime mover means, the auxiliary portion comprising first and second releasable torque transmitting means and a prop shaft, the first releasable torque transmitting means being operable to connect a first end of the prop shaft to the torque transmission path from the prime mover means, the second releasable torque transmitting means being operable to connect a second end of the prop shaft to the second group of one or more wheels, the vehicle further comprising control means operable to control the first and second torque transmitting means to switch the driveline between the first and second modes of operation such that in the first mode the prop shaft is disconnected from both the torque transmission path from the prime mover means and said second group of one or more wheels, wherein when in the first mode the vehicle is operable to control the driveline to switch from first mode to the second mode responsive to a speed of the vehicle. | 03-06-2014 |
20140067217 | VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A VEHICLE - A motor vehicle having: prime mover means; at least first and second groups of one or more wheels; and a driveline operable by means of control means to connect a torque transmission path from the prime mover means to the first and second groups of one or more wheels such that the first group of one or more wheels and not the second group is coupled to the torque transmission path when the driveline is in a first mode of operation and both the first and second groups of one or more wheels are coupled to the torque transmission path when the driveline is in a second mode of operation, the driveline being operable to connect the second group to the torque transmission path from the prime mover means by means of an auxiliary portion thereof, the auxiliary portion comprising first and second releasable torque transmitting means and a prop shaft, the first end of the prop shaft to the torque means being operable to connect a first end of the prop shaft to the torque transmission path from the prime mover means, the second releasable torque transmitting means being operable to connect a second end of the prop shaft to the second group of one or more wheels, the control means being operable to control auxiliary portion to switch the driveline between the first and second modes of operation such that in the first mode the prop shaft is disconnected from both the torque transmission path from the prime mover means and said second group of one or more wheels, the control means being operable to control the auxiliary portion to connect the second group of one or more wheels to the torque transmission path from the prime mover means at a required connect rate when the driveline transitions between the first mode and the second mode, wherein when the driveline is in the first mode the control means is operable to control the driveline to transition to the second mode when one of a set of two or more trigger conditions in respect of one or more vehicle operating parameters is met, each trigger condition having a respective identity, the control means being operable to control the driveline to transition from the first mode to the second mode at a connect rate that is responsive to the identity of the trigger condition that is met. | 03-06-2014 |
20140067218 | VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A VEHICLE - Embodiments of the present invention provide a motor vehicle having: prime mover means; at least first and second groups of one or more wheels; and a driveline operable by means of control means to connect a torque transmission path from the prime mover means to the first and second groups of one or more wheels such that the first group of one or more wheels and not the second group is coupled to the torque transmission path when the driveline is in a first mode of operation and both the first and second groups of one or more wheels are coupled to the torque transmission path when the driveline is in a second mode of operation, the driveline being operable to connect the second group to the torque transmission path by means of an auxiliary portion comprising first and second releasable torque transmitting means and a prop shaft, the first releasable torque transmitting means being operable to connect a first end of the prop shaft to the torque transmission path, the second releasable torque transmitting means being operable to connect a second end of the prop shaft to the second group of one or more wheels, the control means being operable to control the auxiliary portion to switch the driveline between the first and second modes of operation such that in the first mode the prop shaft is disconnected from both the torque transmission path and said second group of one or more wheels, the driveline being operable to transition from the first mode to the second mode responsive to a value of at least one vehicle operating parameter, when a transition to the second mode is made the vehicle being operable not to transition back to the first mode from the second mode before a disconnect delay period has expired. | 03-06-2014 |
20140067219 | VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A VEHICLE - In one aspect of the invention there is provided a motor vehicle having: a prime mover; at least first and second groups of one or more wheels; and a driveline to connect the prime mover to the first and second groups of one or more wheels such that the first group of one or more wheels is driven by the prime mover when the driveline is in a first mode of operation and the second group of one or more wheels is additionally driven by the prime mover when the driveline is in a second mode of operation, the driveline including an auxiliary driveline comprising releasable torque transmitting means operable to connect the second group of one or more wheels to the prime mover when the driveline transitions between the first mode and the second mode, wherein when in the first mode the driveline is operable to transition to the second mode responsive to an output of a reactive evaluator and a predictive evaluator, the output of the reactive evaluator being responsive to a determination whether an amount of wheel slip has exceeded a first prescribed threshold, the output of the predictive evaluator being responsive to a determination that one or more conditions in respect of one or more vehicle operating parameters are met when the amount of wheel slip is below the first prescribed threshold. | 03-06-2014 |
20140074368 | VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A VEHICLE - A motor vehicle having: prime mover means; at least first and second groups of one or more wheels; and a driveline to connect the prime mover means to the first and second groups of one or more wheels such that the first group of one or more wheels and not the second group is driven by the prime mover means when the driveline is in a first mode of operation and the first and second groups of one or more wheels are driven by the prime mover means when the driveline is in a second mode of operation, the driveline comprising an auxiliary portion comprising a first releasable torque transmitting means, a prop shaft and a second releasable torque transmitting means, the first releasable torque transmitting means being operable to connect a first end of the prop shaft to the prime mover means, the second releasable torque transmitting means being operable to connect a second end of the prop shaft to the second group of one or more wheels, the vehicle further comprising control means operable to control the first and second torque transmitting means to switch the driveline between the first and second modes of operation such that in the first mode the prop shaft is disconnected from both the prime mover means and the second group of one or more wheels, the drive line being operable to transition from the first mode to the second mode when a second mode trigger condition is met, the second mode trigger condition including the requirement that the magnitude of the value of a vehicle operating parameter of a first set of one or more vehicle operating parameters exceeds a first threshold value, the driveline being further operable subsequently to transition from the second mode to the first mode when a first mode trigger condition is met, the first mode trigger condition including the requirement that the magnitude of the value of said vehicle operating parameter of the first set is less than a second threshold value, the second threshold value having a value different from the first threshold value. | 03-13-2014 |
20140100750 | VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING A VEHICLE - A motor vehicle having: prime mover means; at least first and second groups of one or more wheels; and a driveline to connect the prime mover means to the first and second groups of one or more wheels such that the first group of one or more wheels may be driven by the prime mover means when the driveline is in a first mode of operation and the second group of one or more wheels may additionally be driven by the prime mover means when the driveline is in a second mode of operation, the driveline including an auxiliary portion comprising releasable torque transmitting means operable to connect the second group of one or more wheels to a torque transmission path from the prime mover means when the driveline transitions between the first mode and the second mode, the vehicle comprising control means operable automatically to control the driveline to transition from the first mode to the second mode and from the second mode to the first mode, the control means being operable to prevent a transition from the first mode to the second mode and/or from the second mode to the first mode in dependence on a value of a prescribed vehicle operating temperature. | 04-10-2014 |
20140129105 | DRIVING FORCE DISTRIBUTION CONTROLLER AND FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - A driving force distribution controller comprises: a control device determining the value of torque which must be transmitted to a rear wheel; and a driving force transmission device transmitting torque corresponding to the torque value determined by the control device to the rear wheel. The control device reduces a torque value calculated based on an opening degree of an accelerator and a rotational speed difference when the rotational speed of an engine is lower than a first threshold value but higher than a second threshold value. | 05-08-2014 |
20140129106 | Drive Control System for Work Vehicle - A drive control system for a work vehicle is provided with a power transmission device that drives front wheels and rear wheels, a request determination unit, and a drive mode control unit. The power transmission device has a drive mode switching mechanism that performs drive mode switching between a four-wheel drive mode in which drive power is transmitted to front wheels and rear wheels and a two-wheel drive mode in which drive power is transmitted to only the rear wheels. The request determination unit determines a necessity for an increase in drive power on a contact area of the work vehicle, and outputs an increase request based on the determination result. The drive mode control unit outputs a drive mode switching request for switching to the four-wheel drive mode to the drive mode switching mechanism, in response to output of the increase request. | 05-08-2014 |
20140172258 | CONTROL APPARATUS FOR FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - An ECU of a four wheel drive vehicle controls a transmission torque of a driving force transmission apparatus provided between a rear differential and a left rear wheel. The ECU includes a first computation unit that computes a command torque to be transmitted to the left rear wheel by the driving force transmission apparatus, based on a traveling state of the four wheel drive vehicle; and a second computation unit that corrects the command torque computed by the first computation unit, if a difference between rotation speeds of a pair of side gears of the rear differential is larger than or equal to a predetermined value. | 06-19-2014 |
20140236443 | AUTOMATIC CONTROL OF DRIVELINE STATES - A method for controlling a vehicle driveline uses sensors to estimate a need for powering secondary wheels for each of a plurality of conditions. The estimates are scaled and the scaled estimates summed. Only primary wheels are powered when the summed estimates are less than a reference value. Both the primary and secondary wheels are powered when the summed estimates exceed the reference value. | 08-21-2014 |
20140297145 | TRAVEL CONTROL APPARATUS FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE AND TRAVEL CONTROL METHOD FOR FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - A travel control apparatus for a four-wheel drive vehicle includes a throttle controller, a driving force distributor, a four-wheel drive controller, a vehicle stability assist controller, a requested target drive torque calculator, and an estimated drive torque calculator. In a case where a failure detector detects a failure and the four-wheel drive controller changes a drive control from a four-wheel drive control to a two-wheel drive control, the travel control apparatus sends a first throttle control signal to the throttle controller and changes the drive control from the four-wheel drive control to the two-wheel drive control when an estimated drive torque is greater than an requested target drive torque, and the travel control apparatus changes the drive control from the four-wheel drive control to the two-wheel drive control without sending the first throttle control signal when the estimated drive torque is not greater than the requested target drive torque. | 10-02-2014 |
20140297146 | DRIVING FORCE CONTROL DEVICE FOR FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE - Provided is a driving force control device for a four-wheel-drive vehicle that can evade an occurrence of excessive understeer and oversteer in situations unintended by the driver, by appropriately controlling driving forces to be distributed to sub-drive wheels. The driving force distribution device of the four-wheeled vehicle controls driving force to be distributed to the rear wheels (Wr, Wr) by the clutch ( | 10-02-2014 |
20140303864 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A DIFFERENTIAL CONFIGURATION - The present invention relates to a method for controlling a differential configuration ( | 10-09-2014 |
20150025764 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING TORQUE AND A POWERTRAIN USING THE SAME - An apparatus and a method for distributing torque from a power source to a plurality of vehicle wheels, where the method can include obtaining data indicative of a rotational velocity of one of the wheels and data indicative of a position of the accelerator, determining a wheel acceleration based on the rotational velocity data, comparing the wheel acceleration and at least one of the rotational velocity data and the position data with a respective threshold condition, signaling the actuator to engage the second subset with the torque of the power source when at least one of the threshold conditions is met, and signaling the actuator to disengage the second subset from the power source when none of the threshold conditions is met. The apparatus can include a powertrain with a system having a control device that can distribute the torque in accordance with the method. | 01-22-2015 |
20150073674 | VEHICLE TRACTION CONTROL METHOD, SYSTEM, CONTROLLER AND VEHICLE WITH SUCH A SYSTEM - A vehicle control strategy provides for automatically controlled movement from rest with deliberate wheel slip to maximize thrust. Different wheel slip conditions are provided for different terrain types. Wheel slip may be progressively reduced as the vehicle reaches a steady state speed. The strategy may also be implemented to maintain vehicle progress on low friction surfaces. The vehicle driver may be commanded to vary a control input, such as accelerator pedal position. | 03-12-2015 |
20150112563 | DRIVING FORCE DISTRIBUTION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING DRIVING FORCE - A driving force distribution apparatus includes a basic distribution ratio calculator, a servo controller, and an adjuster. The basic distribution ratio calculator is configured to calculate a basic distribution ratio between a front driving force for front wheels and a rear driving force for rear wheels based on loads exerted on the front and rear wheels of a vehicle. The servo controller is configured to correct the basic distribution ratio so as to increase or decrease the basic distribution ratio based on a deviation between a target value of a rotation difference between the front and rear wheels and a measured value of the rotation difference between the front and rear wheels. The adjuster is configured to perform adjustment so that the rear driving force calculated based on the basic distribution ratio corrected by the servo controller does not exceed a total driving force. | 04-23-2015 |
20150291027 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A DRIVE TRAIN OF A MOTOR VEHICLE - A method for operating a drive train of a motor vehicle includes the steps: detecting at least one variable; quantifying and/or influencing a movement of the motor vehicle; depending on the variable, switching on an all-wheel drive of the motor vehicle; wherein it is estimated on the basis of the at least one variable whether a relevant driving situation is impending and in this case the all-wheel-drive is switched on before occurrence of the relevant driving situation. A system for operating a drive train of a motor vehicle is also disclosed. | 10-15-2015 |
20160001654 | POWER HOP CANCELLATION USING AN ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL - Vehicles, systems and a method for mitigating power hop in a vehicle are provided. The vehicle, for example, may include, but is not limited to a drivetrain, an electronic limited slip differential mechanically coupled to the drivetrain, and a controller communicatively coupled to the electronic limited slip differential, wherein the controller is configured to determine when the vehicle is experiencing a power hop event or when the vehicle may experience a future power hop event, and cause, when the vehicle is experiencing the power hop event or when the vehicle may experience the future power hop event, the electronic limited slip differential to apply torque differentiation pulses to the drivetrain | 01-07-2016 |
20160023654 | DRIVING-TORQUE DISTRIBUTION CONTROL APPARATUS OF FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE - A controller to control a driving-torque distribution to a front wheel and a rear wheel comprises an obtainment portion to obtain a vehicle's lateral acceleration, an engine's output torque, and a vehicle's turning radius during turning of a vehicle, a determination portion to determine a rear-wheel driving-torque distribution rate denoting a rate of the driving torque to be transmitted to the rear wheel relative to the driving torque corresponding to the engine's output torque based on the obtained vehicle's lateral acceleration, engine's output torque, and vehicle's turning radius, and a control-signal output portion to output a control signal to a driving-torque transmission device to adjust the driving torque transmitted to the rear wheel such that the driving torque to be distributed to the rear wheel is controlled according to the determined rear-wheel driving-torque distribution rate. | 01-28-2016 |
20160101777 | ELECTRONIC 4WD SYSTEM HAVING REINFORCED ABS COOPERATIVE CONTROL PERFORMANCE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME - The present invention relates to an electronic 4 WD system having reinforced ABS cooperative control performance, in which an ABS ACT signal by an ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System) controller and a 4 WD_OPEN signal by the ESC (Electronic Stability Control) controller are used. When the ABS ACT signal and the 4 WD_OPEN signal are recognized, it is determined that it is an ESC vehicle and a 4 WD mode is stopped. When only the ABS ACT signal is recognized, it is determined that it is an ABS vehicle and the intention of a user is determined on the basis of whether a brake pedal has been pressed down or an accelerator pedal has been released, and then a 4 WD mode is stopped. | 04-14-2016 |
20160109024 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING ALL WHEEL DRIVE COUPLING TO ENHANCE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE FUNCTION ON A MOTOR VEHICLE - A system and method is disclosed for applying a counter torque to at least one axle of a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle has an electronic parking brake (EPB) subsystem, to thus enhance a braking action of the vehicle while the EPB subsystem is engaged. In one embodiment the system may have an all wheel drive (AWD) system configured to process electronic information received by the AWD system that informs the AWD system that the EPB subsystem has been engaged, and to then apply a counter torque to the at least one axle of the vehicle. The system may also at least one of release the counter torque after receiving electronic information informing the AWD system that the EPB subsystem has been disengaged, or return to a torque value required for AWD system operation. | 04-21-2016 |
20160121883 | FRONT-REAR TORQUE SPLIT CONTROL FOR AN ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE WITH INDEPENDENT POWER-SOURCES - A method of controlling operation of an all-wheel-drive vehicle having independent power-sources includes driving the vehicle via at least one of a first power-source through a first set of wheels and a second power-source through a second set of wheels. The method also includes determining a rotating speed of each of the first and second sets of wheels relative to a road surface. The method additionally includes determining a road speed of the vehicle and determining a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle. The method also includes determining a slip of the vehicle relative to the road surface using the determined rotating speed of each of the first and second sets of wheels and the speed of the vehicle. Furthermore, the method includes controlling the vehicle slip via regulating a torque output of the first and/or second power-source. | 05-05-2016 |
20190143955 | CONTROL APPARATUS FOR FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE VEHICLE | 05-16-2019 |
20190143978 | TRANSFERRING TORQUE DURING A DRIVELINE SYSTEM ERROR | 05-16-2019 |