US 4,224,907 AGranted

Method for regulation of the speed of an internal combustion engine and limiter system making use of it

AssigneeRegie Nationale des Usines Renault

InventorsAndre Lefeuvre, Gilles Leconte, Michel Chiapello

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Abstract

A speed limiter for the regulation of the speed of an internal combustion engine wherein in addition to a first kinematic linkage chain between a manually operable acceleration pedal and an engine throttle is provided a second computer controlled kinematic linkage chain which can assume speed regulation control in such a way that the second chain can take over from the first when the first has maximally opened the throttle and without the first chain hindering the functioning of the second under the command of the computer as soon as the vehicle has entered the prescribed range of regulation. In one embodiment the second kinematic chain includes a pneumatic actuator coupled to the throttle and operable by means of the opening electrovalves as controlled by the computer in accordance with vehicle speed and acceleration. In another embodiment, the second kinematic linkage chain includes a reversible motor having a shaft rotatable under the control of the system computer.

Claims9

Dependent claims

In a speed limiter system for use in the regulation of the speed of an internal combustion engine having a manual acceleration pedal coupled to a throttle and an air intake manifold coupled to motor cylinders, said system utilizing a computer in association with a servo system, a speed sensor and a shaping circuit for shaping signals produced by the speed sensor, said computer containing a time base and a generator circuit producing and distributing a plurality of command and synchronization signals to a central processing unit, to an ordered speed selector circuit, and to a circuit adjusting the opening of at least two electrovalves governing the pressure within a pneumatic actuator coupled to said throttle, said electrovalves respectively tied to a vacuum prevailing in the air intake manifold of the motor cylinders and to open air at atmospheric pressure, as a function of said ordered speed V.sub.o, a speed V.sub.2 at an instant t, a speed V.sub.1 at a prior instant t-1, the computer periodically adding to the change in instantaneous speed (V.sub.2 -V.sub.1) in a preceding unit of time, the variation (V.sub. 2 -V.sub.o) of speed V.sub.2 with respect to ordered speed V.sub.o so that the computer periodically adjusts the value of the pressure within the actuator in acting on the degree of opening of a first electrovalve connected to a vacuum tank and the degree of opening of a second electrovalve for venting to the open air as a function of the measured speed of the motor and of the variation in motor speed, the improvement comprising:

said computer comprising means for periodically performing the calculation
a[b(V.sub.2 -V.sub.1)+(V.sub.2 -V.sub.o)]+c
where a and b are predetermined coefficients and c is either a fixed value or zero depending on whether or not the instantaneous speed variation (V.sub.2 -V.sub.1) has remained greater than zero during two successive time periods;
and
means for adjusting the value of the pressure within said actuator by controlling the openings of the said first electrovalve connected to a vacuum tank and the said second electrovalve for venting to the open air according to a parabolic law and as a function of the result of the periodically performed calculations.

2 more elements

In a speed limiter system for use in the regulation of the speed of an internal combustion engine having a manual acceleration pedal coupled to a throttle in an air intake manifold coupled to motor cylinders, said system utilizing a computer in association with a servo system, a speed sensor and a shaping circuit for shaping signals produced by said speed sensor, said computer containing a time base and a generator circuit producing and distributing a plurality of command and synchronization signals to an ordered speed selector circuit and a means for regulating throttle position as a function of a selectable ordered speed V.sub.o, a speed V.sub.2 occuring at an instant t, a speed V.sub.1 occuring at a prior instant t-1, the improvement comprising:

a first kinematic linkage between said pedal and said throttle comprising first and second levers, said first lever coupled to said pedal and pivoting about an axis, said first lever having a point resting against one side of said second lever, said second lever terminated at one end by a ball and at another end by an articulation support permitting said second lever to turn about said axis of said first lever;
a second kinematic linkage under the control of the computer by means of said command and synchronization signals, said second kinematic linkage capable of controlling throttle opening while neutralizing said first kinematic linkage to said throttle manually controlled by said pedal, said second kinematic linkage comprising a reversible motor controlled by said computer and coupled to said first and second levers, said motor having a rotation axis coinciding with the axis of rotation common to the first and second levers said articulation support of said second lever having an L-shaped acceleration return stop disposed in such a manner as to be able to come into contact with an entrainment stop integral with the motor rotation axis, said reversible motor receiving its command orders from the said digital computer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.