Abstract: An apparatus for determining angular positions of DC motor includes a capacitor connected in parallel with the DC motor. The current flowing through the capacitor, at any given time, is an AC ripple current responsive to a commutation event of the DC motor. The capacitor partially sources the motor current ripples during commutation and recharges itself during the off-commutation period. Since the number of commutation events per mechanical revolution is pre-determined once the DC motor is designed, the frequency of the AC ripple currents through the capacitor corresponds to the frequency of commutation, and thus a motor position of the DC motor.

Abstract: A vehicle drive system for a hybrid electric vehicle includes an engine, which includes a crankshaft assembly, and a motor, which includes a main rotor shaft. A first clutch selectively engages the crankshaft assembly and the main rotor shaft. The vehicle drive system also includes a transmission, which includes an input shaft, and second clutch which selectively engages the main rotor shaft and the transmission input shaft. An accessory drive mechanism is driven by the main rotor shaft and drives a vehicle accessory. The accessory may be an air conditioning compressor and include a clutch coupled between the accessory drive mechanism and the compressor.

Abstract: An active suspension system uses a closed-loop feedback controller to with tunable feedback gains to produce a control signal which minimizes a cost function formed by the weighted sum of system outputs including body acceleration and wheel displacement error. The feedback gains are adaptively varied by incremental amounts which are calculated based on the "pseudo-sensitivities" of those gains to system outputs, the pseudo-sensitivities being generated by a fixed-gain model of the suspension system and being combined using weighting factors which insure convergence in accordance with the predetermined cost function. The adaptive control provides long-term compensation for varying road conditions, variations from vehicle-to-vehicle, and changes in vehicle performance.

Abstract: An active suspension system uses a closed-loop feedback controller with tunable feedback gains to produce a control signal which minimizes a cost function formed by the weighted sum of system outputs including body acceleration and wheel displacement error. The feedback gains are adaptively varied by incremental amounts which are calculated based on the "pseudo-sensitivities" of those gains to system outputs, the pseudo-sensitivities being generated by a fixed-gain model of the suspension system and being combined using weighting factors which insure convergence in accordance with the predetermined cost function. The weighting factors are combined with the pseudo-sensitivities in a manner in which the trade-off between body acceleration, wheel displacement error and the control signal is altered with varying magnitudes of road inputs to continually minimize the cost function for varying road inputs.

Abstract: A self-tuning speed control system is disclosed. The gain of the system controller is tuned to provide optimal performance based upon a sensitivity point analysis and gradient optimization of a prescribed cost index.