Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-14
2001-10-30
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration
C701S079000, C701S093000, C701S096000, C701S062000, C303S121000, C477S125000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06311116
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to apparatus and method of preventing sudden acceleration of a vehicle, and particularly to apparatus and method of preventing sudden acceleration of a vehicle having an automatic transmission by braking the vehicle through determining sudden acceleration with use of transmission state and rpm of the vehicle in order to prevent the sudden acceleration
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sudden acceleration is phenomenon that a vehicle accelerates suddenly and unintentionally in which output of an engine thereof reaches at 5,000 to 7,000 rpm within 2 or 3 seconds when changing a lever of the automatic transmission from a neutral position N or a parking position P to a drive position D or a reverse position R. Therefore, in such sudden acceleration phenomenon, after the engine firstly outputs 5,000 to 7,000 rpm when changing the lever from N or P to D or R, the output is then transmitted to a disk, which make the vehicle accelerated suddenly. At this time, the output of the engine is initially reduced to 2,500 to 3,500 rpm, however then abruptly increased to 5,000 to 7,000 rpm in a less time than an ordinary case using an accelerator. This makes the vehicle experience immerse acceleration and increase its speed suddenly, which is called “sudden acceleration”.
Recently, such sudden acceleration and related accidents appear more frequently, and thus attracts more interest. Therefore, various experiments for tracing the origin of the problem such as an electromagnetic interference EMI noise has been undertaken in national and private laboratories. However, anyone has not cleared up the cause.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is designed to overcome the above problems, and an object of the invention is to provide apparatus and method of preventing sudden acceleration of a vehicle, which brake the vehicle in order to prevent the sudden acceleration when the vehicle reaches at a predetermined rpm in a predetermined time in case of starting or restarting the vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus and method of preventing sudden acceleration of a vehicle, which brake the vehicle in order to prevent the sudden acceleration when the vehicle reaches at a predetermined rpm in a predetermined time in case of starting or restarting the vehicle, and in addition preventing sudden braking in case of running the vehicle in a high speed.
In order to perform the above object, the present invention provides an apparatus for preventing sudden acceleration of a vehicle comprising: start key input detecting means for detecting input of a start key; rpm detecting means for detecting rpm; transmission change detecting means for detecting change of a transmission; ACC detecting means for detecting acceleration inputted through an accelerator pedal; control means for recognizing inputs from the start key input detecting means, the rpm detecting means, the transmission change detecting means and the ACC detecting means, determining sudden acceleration as a result of the recognition, and then outputting control signals for braking an engine and locking/releasing a brake; engine power blocking means for blocking power supply toward the engine according to the engine power blocking control signal from the control means; and brake locking means for locking/releasing a brake motor according to the brake locking/releasing control signals from the control means.
In the apparatus, the control means may determine sudden acceleration when the rpm is abruptly increased at an initial start within a first reference time in case that the transmission change detecting means does not detect a transmission change signal from N or P to D or R and the ACC detecting means detects that the inputted acceleration through the accelerator pedal is less than a reference voltage.
In the apparatus, the control means determines sudden acceleration when the rpm is abruptly increased within a second reference time stored in the control means in case that the transmission change detecting means detects a transmission change signal from N or P to D or R after input of a start key.
In the apparatus, the control means determines sudden acceleration according to the outputs from the rpm detecting means and the ACC detecting means when the transmission changes from N or P to D or R, and does not detect the rpm when the vehicle is driving.
In the apparatus, the engine power blocking means comprises a switching transistor, turning ON according to the engine power blocking control signal from the control means; and a relay for blocking power supply toward the engine when the transistor turns ON.
In the apparatus, the engine power blocking means comprises a motor unit having a brake motor for braking the vehicle; a braking power supply unit for supplying power to the brake motor for locking the brake according to the brake locking control signal from the control means; and a brake releasing power supply unit for supplying power to the brake motor for releasing the brake according to the brake releasing control signal from the control means.
In the apparatus, the brake motor is preferably a reduction motor.
In the apparatus, the motor unit has a steel wire connected to the acceleration pedal, the steel wire being reeled around a drum fixed to a shaft of the motor, through a roller fixed to a bottom of a body of the vehicle, in order to brake the vehicle.
In the apparatus, the motor unit exerts braking force by pushing a hydraulic brake in the brake unit with use of a support member rotatably fixed to a body of the vehicle when the brake motor rotates clockwise, and exerts releasing force by drawing the hydraulic brake with use of the support member when the brake motor rotates counterclockwise.
In the apparatus, the motor unit exerts braking or releasing force by pushing or drawing a hydraulic brake in the brake unit with use of a rod rotatably connected to a shaft of the brake motor, the rod being movable right/left according to clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the brake motor.
In the apparatus, the braking power supply unit comprises a switching transistor, turning ON according to the brake locking control signal from the control means; and a relay for locking the brake motor by supplying power to the brake motor when the transistor turns ON.
In the apparatus, the braking power supply unit comprises a switching transistor, turning ON according to the brake locking control signal from the control means; and a relay for releasing the brake motor by supplying reverse power to the brake motor when the transistor turns ON.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method of preventing sudden acceleration of a vehicle comprising first process of determining whether the transmission changes from a stop state to a driving state, determining that there is no sudden acceleration in case that rpm of the vehicle is not abruptly increased within a first reference time when the transmission is in the stop state, determining that there is sudden acceleration in case that the rpm is abruptly increased with an input voltage of an accelerator under a reference voltage when the transmission is in the stop state, and locking a brake of the vehicle; and second process of determining sudden acceleration again and whether or not to lock the engine and the brake on consideration of a transmission state, a rpm and an acceleration input in case that the first process determines that there is no sudden acceleration
In the method, the first process comprises the steps of comparing first and second reference rpm reaching times with the first reference time when the transmission is in the stop state, the first reference rpm and the second reference rpm being set for determining sudden acceleration; proceeding to the second process in case that the first reference time is less than the first and second reference rpm reaching times, and determining whether the accelerator input voltage is less than the reference voltage
Beaulieu Yonel
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
LandOfFree
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