Patents by Inventor Larry Theodore Nitz

Larry Theodore Nitz has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6364811
    Abstract: An improved control for an automatic transmission upshift, wherein the engine output torque and on-coming clutch pressure are coordinated during the shift based on an inverse dynamic model of the transmission to achieve a desired output torque trajectory. The desired output torque trajectory is influenced by operator demand, and an initial value of the desired output torque trajectory is used along with the engine output torque to develop an input acceleration trajectory. The inverse dynamic model of the transmission is used (1) to determine an engine torque command that will achieve both the input acceleration trajectory and the desired output torque trajectory, and (2) to determine a feed-forward pressure command for the on-coming clutch that will produce the input acceleration trajectory, given the engine torque command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory A Hubbard, Jeffrey Kurt Runde, Larry Theodore Nitz, Timothy Alan Robinson, Todd M Steinmetz
  • Patent number: 5646851
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 8, 1997
    Assignee: Saturn Corporation
    Inventors: Glenn Patrick O'Connell, Larry Theodore Nitz