US 4,075,538 A · Adaptive acceleration responsive system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for rapidly detecting acceleration variations in a moving object by monitoring the instantaneous velocity of the object. A signal representative of instantaneous velocity is operated on to derive signals representative of average acceleration, instantaneous acceleration and predicted velocity. The average acceleration and instantaneous acceleration signals are compared to determine acceleration changes. In a preferred embodiment the invention is applied as a wheel slip/slide detector in a traction vehicle and a signal generated when the instantaneous acceleration deviates from the average acceleration by a predetermined magnitude is utilized as a wheel slip/slide signal to implement corrective action to the power control system of the vehicle. Upon generation of the wheel slip/slide signal, calculation of average acceleration is inhibited to prevent its influence by the sudden acceleration change. The predicted velocity signal, which is dependent upon the average acceleration signal, is compared with the instantaneous velocity signal to determine when the vehicle has recovered from the wheel slip/slide condition.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A system for detecting a change in acceleration of a moving object, which change exceeds a predetermined margin, said system comprising:

a. means for sensing the instantaneous velocity of said object and for developing a first signal representative of said velocity;
b. computation means connected to receive said first signal, said computation means being operable upon said first signal to produce a second signal representative of the average acceleration of said object and to produce a third signal representative of a predicted velocity of said object;
c. differentiator means connected to receive said first signal and responsive thereto to produce a fourth signal representative of the actual acceleration of said object;
and
d. first comparison means connected to receive said second and fourth signals, said first comparison means providing a fifth signal when said fourth signal differs from said second signal by at least a predetermined acceleration margin.

2 more elements

In a traction vehicle having at least one wheel thereof connected to be powered by an electric traction motor and including a power control system responsive to a commanded power level signal in a normal operational state to regulate the power output of the motor to the commanded power level, an improved wheel slip control system comprising a wheel slip circuit connected to monitor the instantaneous rotational velocity of the driven wheel, said wheel slip circuit deriving a plurality of control signals respectively indicative of instantaneous rotational acceleration, average rotational acceleration, and predicted rotational velocity of the powered wheel, said wheel slip circuit being connected to modify selected parameters of the power control system through application of a wheel slip signal to the power control system when said control signals indicate that the instantaneous acceleration deviates from the average acceleration by at least a predetermined acceleration margin, and said wheel slip circuit being effective to restore the power control system to its normal operational state in response to said control signals indicating that the instantaneously velocity of the powered wheel is within a predetermined velocity margin of the predicted velocity.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Adaptive acceleration responsive system

Life of this patent

Adaptive acceleration responsive system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22