Vehicle hand brake and hand throttle control system
AssigneeVehicle Engagement Technologies, LLC
InventorsJohn Jesse STUBBS, Sean Francis MCREE
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle having a steering wheel with an outer cover operable to twist in at least one of a first direction and a second direction. The vehicle further including a braking system and a throttle system, the braking system is operable to at least one of decrease the speed of the vehicle and stop the while the throttle system is operable to increase the speed of the vehicle. The vehicle further having at least one controller programed to, in response to twisting the steering wheel outer cover in the first direction, operate the throttle system to increase the speed of the vehicle, and in response to twisting the steering wheel outer cover in the second, direction, operate the braking system to decrease the speed of the vehicle.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a steering wheel having an outer cover operable to twist in at least one of a first direction and a second direction;
- a braking system operable to at least one of decrease a speed of the vehicle and stop the vehicle;
- a throttle system operable to increase the speed of the vehicle;
- and
- a controller programmed to,
- in response to twisting the steering wheel outer cover in the first direction, operate the throttle system to increase the speed of the vehicle, and
- in response to twisting the steering wheel outer cover in the second, direction, operate the braking system to decrease the speed of the vehicle.
A steering wheel comprising:
- a center hub configured to attach to a vehicle;
- at least one steering spoke extending outward from the center hub and configured to support at least one steering wheel core, wherein the steering wheel core extends at least partially radially around a central axis of the center hub;
- and
- at least one twist assembly positioned about the at least on steering wheel core, wherein twist assembly is operable to twist about the steering wheel core in at least one of a first direction and a second direction, the second direction opposite the first direction,
- wherein a movement of the twist assembly in the first direction increases a speed of the vehicle and a movement of the twist assembly in the second direction decreases the speed of the vehicle.
A method of operating a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:
- providing a twist grip steering assembly, wherein the twist grip steering assembly includes a steering wheel attached to a motor vehicle, the steering wheel having a hub, a steering wheel core connected to the hub, a torsional member positioned around the steering wheel core, a twist grip positioned around and connected to the torsional member, an encoder operatively connected to at least one of the torsional member and the twist grip and a controller operatively connected to the encoder;
- twisting the twist grip in at least one of a first direction thereby rotating the encoder in a first encoder direction to generate an acceleration signal;
- sending the acceleration signal to at least one of the controller and a servo motor in communication with an accelerator to accelerate the vehicle;
- twisting the twist grip in at least one of a second and opposite direction to the first direction thereby rotating the encoder in a second encoder direction, opposite the first encoder direction to generate a braking signal;
- and
- sending the braking signal to at least one of the controller and the servo motor to brake the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.