Abstract: A control system/method for an automated transmission system including a splitter-type, semi-blocked mechanical transmission (12) is provided. The control provides a technique for sensing and rapidly recovering from a blocker (324) hang-up fault in the transmission auxiliary section (214).

Abstract: A system for generating a path allows a vehicle to traverse a predetermined route. The system stores route data for the predetermined route. The route data identifies a series of contiguous path segments that form the predetermined route. The route data also identifies a series of nodes located at the beginning and the end of the predetermined route and between adjacent path segments. Each path segment represents a series of postures along the predetermined route. Each posture identifies a position, a heading, and a curvature for the vehicle at a particular point along the predetermined route. The system stores the path segments and nodes as compressed path data. In one embodiment, the compressed path data is a function that is continuous in posture, i.e., continuous in position, heading and curvature. The system retrieves the compressed path data and generates a series of postures from the retrieved compressed path data to allow the vehicle to traverse the predetermined route.

Abstract: Integration of vehicle speed and engine control functions in an automotive vehicle internal combustion engine controller compensates for mechanical lash between a cruise control actuator and an engine intake air valve without sacrificing control responsiveness through a parallel control approach, and improves overall control stability and controllability in the absence of mechanical lash through a selective control approach established to provide for smooth transitions between control modes. Improvement in the integration of deceleration fuel cutoff control with cruise control operates to prevent torque disturbances caused by control transitions in sensitive engine operating regions.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling a surface-based vehicle provides three operational modes: a manual operation, a tele-operation, and an autonomous operation. In manual operation, an operator directly manipulates vehicle controls on the vehicle. In tele-operation, the operator controls the vehicle from a remote position. In autonomous operation, the vehicle controls itself based on its position and a predetermined path. The apparatus and method of the present invention provides an orderly transition between manual operation, tele-operation, and autonomous operation of the vehicle.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling an autonomously navigated vehicle uses a vehicle manager to control vehicle subsystems and to respond to commands from either a vehicle navigation system or a remote control panel. The vehicle manager controls vehicle subsystems including a speed control subsystem, a steering control subsystem, an auxiliary control subsystem, and a monitor subsystem. The speed control subsystem controls the speed of the vehicle in response to a speed command from the vehicle manager. The steering control subsystem controls the steering angle of the vehicle in response to a steering command from the vehicle manager. The auxiliary control subsystem controls auxiliary functions of the vehicle in response to an auxiliary command from the vehicle manager. The monitor subsystem monitors the status of each of the other subsystems and provides the status to the vehicle manager.

Abstract: A control system for a multiple ratio transmission including two overrunning couplings acting in cooperation with friction clutches and brakes to effect controlled shifts between ratios to reduce inertia torque upon engagement of friction brakes associated with speed ratio downshifts that occur in time-controlled stages following a command for a downshift and for establishing an electronic pressure accumulator effect upon speed ratio upshifts following a command for an upshift.

Abstract: Method and system are provided for "filtering out" a faulty wheel speed input signal in a vehicle control system, such as an ABS and/or TC system in order to ensure that the faulty wheel speed input signal does not contaminate or corrupt wheel speed information contained in the other wheel speed input signals. If such faulty wheel speed input signal indicates an abnormally high speed, it will increase the other wheel speed information if undetected. The wheel speed information is essential in detecting wheel instability or slip. It is important that wheel speed is not over-estimated since this may result in false slip detection and false ABS activation. Over-estimation of the vehicle speed would occur if the information from a spinning wheel is not properly filtered or compensated for. In one embodiment of the present invention, a bad sensor is detected by detecting and compensating for a single outlying ramp (outlier) of wheel speed.

Abstract: A system (400) for positioning and navigating an autonomous vehicle (310) allows the vehicle (310) to travel between locations. Position information (432) is derived from global positioning system satellites (200, 202, 204, and 206) or other sources (624) when the satellites (200, 202, 204, and 206) are not in the view of the vehicle (310). Navigation of the vehicle (310) is obtained using the position information (432), route information (414), obstacle detection and avoidance data (416), and on board vehicle data (908 and 910).

Abstract: A material dispensing system for agricultural pesticides and chemicals. The system uses distributed processing with a main controller and a plurality of sub-controllers to control pesticide metering devices. The metering devices are attached to a pesticide container.

Abstract: An electronic engine control monitors engine speed, vehicle speed and determines various engine RPM values and RPM ranges used in fueling a molar vehicle engine to achieve desired engine speeds prior to and during an automatic gear shift sequence. The engine is coupled to a manual/automatic transmission that includes manually selectable gear operation modes and automatically selectable gear operation modes. In order to assist gear engagement of the automatically selectable gears, the engine is fueled to a series of predetermined RPM levels to rock the transmission gears into engagement. In so doing, throttle control by the operator is first inhibited and the engine is first governed to a synchronous RPM value. Throttle control is returned to the operator if gear engagement is verified within a first predetermined delay period.

Abstract: An electronic autoshift control is provided for a transmission and engine to help reduce demands on the operator. Part of the autoshift feature is an auto/manual switch which is a two-position rocker switch controlled by the operator. The switch determines whether the transmission is being operated in the manual or the automatic mode. In the manual mode, all shifting is performed by the operator by moving the shift lever. Once in the automatic mode, the transmission controller takes over with the autoshift feature. When switched to the automatic mode, an auto/manual lamp is lit indicating the transmission's automatic mode of operation. The rocker switch also functions as a hold switch. If traction conditions are poor and the operator wants to stay in the present gear, the rocker switch can be toggled to the manual mode. This locks the transmission in its present gear and causes the auto/manual lamp to flash if the shift lever selection and the present transmission selection do not coincide.

Abstract: Test signals are generated by a microcontroller (i.e., micro) and coupled to a transistor which is in series with an inductive sensor of a wheel speed sensor input circuit to test the input circuit. In one test, a test signal from the micro sweeps through a range of predetermined frequencies to turn the transistor off and on to provide a simulated wheel speed signal which is used to compute a corresponding number of simulated wheel speeds. The programmed micro compares the simulated wheel speeds with the predetermined frequencies to determine if the various components of the circuit are operating properly and also to determine if the wheel speed arithmetic of the programmed micro is operating properly since actual wheel speed routines within the micro are used to compute the simulated wheel speeds.

Abstract: An automobile driving-torque distribution control system for controlling a torque distribution between front and rear road wheels, comprises a torque-distribution adjustment mechanism responsive to a control signal for adjusting a distribution of driving torque between the front and rear wheels, sensors for detecting front and rear wheel speeds, and a controller for producing the control signal based on the difference between the front and rear wheel speeds. The controller includes a correction circuit for correcting the control signal value, to keep the control signal value at a designated torque-distribution limiting value when satisfying both a first condition in which the wheel-speed difference decreases to a value below a predetermined threshold, and a second condition in which an elapsed time calculated from the time when the first condition has been satisfied, is less than a predetermined time period.

Abstract: Systems and methods allow for the accurate determination of the terrestrial position of an autonomous vehicle in real time. A first position estimate of the vehicle 102 is derived from satellites of a global positioning system and/or a pseudolite(s). The pseudolite(s) may be used exclusively when the satellites are not in the view of the vehicle. A second position estimate is derived from an inertial reference unit and/or a vehicle odometer. The first and second position estimates are combined and filtered using novel techniques to derive a more accurate third position estimate of the vehicle's position. Accordingly, accurate autonomous navigation of the vehicle can be effectuated using the third position estimate.

Abstract: A clutch slip control device includes: a slip revolution speed detecting circuit for detecting an actual slip revolution speed of a clutch; a memory unit for storing constants set to satisfy response and stability of a feedback control system of the slip conditions, the constants being determined by a high-order function approximating variation in input-output frequency characteristics of a plant input for actuating the clutch and the actual slip revolution speed; a first calculation circuit for calculating a first parameter using the constants stored in the memory unit, the first parameter discretely reflecting past data of the plant input, which are obtained in a current feedback control cycle through in a cycle executed a plurality of times before; a second calculation circuit for calculating a second parameter using the constants stored in the memory unit, the second parameter discretely reflecting past data of a deviation of the actual slip revolution speed from a target slip revolution speed, which are

Abstract: A motor vehicle has a multi-speed automatic transmission and a cruise control system. A method of shift control when the cruise control system is enabled infers from a plurality of factors based on cruise control error quantities the desirability of forcing a downshift to a lower speed ratio.

Abstract: In an engine, associated control system, and method the engine including at least one camshaft having an angular position at a given point in time, and a crankshaft having an angular position at a given point in time. The method comprising the steps of measuring a first window of time using at least one crankshaft angular position pulse as a reference point in time and measuring a second window of time using at least one camshaft angular position pulse as a reference point in time. The method also ascertains an angular position difference between at least one camshaft and crankshaft equal to the second window of time divided by the first window of time and determines whether a misalignment between the at least one camshaft and the crankshaft exists by comparing the angular position difference between the at least one camshaft and crankshaft to a predetermined value.

Abstract: A vibration damping system for a vehicle has a vibration sensor which detects vibration of solid elements on the vehicle and vibration of air inside the vehicle. A first vibrator supports a power unit relative to the vehicle body and directly vibrates the vehicle body. A second vibrator directly vibrates air inside the vehicle body. A drive control unit performs calculation on the basis of a detecting signal from the vibration sensor and controls the first and the second vibrators on the basis of the result of the calculation so that the vibration of the solid element and the vibration of air inside the vehicle body are damped. The vibrator control ratio of the first and second vibrators is changed according to the condition of a predetermined factor of the vehicle.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for navigating a vehicle along a predetermined route use route data and path data to define the predetermined route. The route data represents one or more contiguous path segments between adjacent nodes along the predetermined route. The path data includes postures of the vehicle along each of the path segments. The postures define the desired position, heading, curvature and speed of vehicle at various locations along the path segments. The apparatus and method use the posture information to generate and track a path thereby allowing the vehicle to navigate along the predetermined route.

Abstract: In a method for controlling a front and rear wheel steering system in which front wheels of a vehicle are steered according to a combination of a steering wheel input and an output from a compensatory front wheel steering actuator, and rear wheels of the vehicle are steered by a rear wheel steering actuator. The front wheel steering angle is augmented according to the deviation of the actual yaw rate from a target yaw rate computed from the travelling speed of the vehicle and the steering input from the steering wheel to compensate for the delay in the yaw rate response so that the rear end of the vehicle would not be swung sideways during a turning maneuver, and the vehicle operator would not be subjected to any unfamiliar feeling.