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EP-3870822-B1 - THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM

EP3870822B1EP 3870822 B1EP3870822 B1EP 3870822B1EP-3870822-B1

Inventors

  • WILLIAMS, STEVE
  • FIELLO, Jonathan, Richard

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20191018

Claims (10)

  1. A throttle control system for providing a driver of a vehicle with greater control over engine performance, the system comprising: a control module (104) configured to: be electrically coupled with a throttle pedal of the vehicle and a throttle body of the vehicle, use an internal lookup table to evaluate throttle pedal positions against throttle position sensor readings to generate a signal for the throttle body that increases throttle responsiveness and acceleration as compared with an original equipment manufacturer, OEM, electronic control unit, ECU, of the vehicle, and provide a modified signal from the control module directly to the throttle body of the engine; a wiring harness (108) configured to electrically couple the control module with the throttle pedal and the throttle body, wherein the wiring harness includes a cable (124), a pedal connector (128) configured to be coupled directly with the throttle pedal of the vehicle, a throttle position sensor connector (132) configured to be coupled with a wiring harness that was originally coupled with the throttle pedal, a signal connector (136), and a controller socket (140), wherein the wiring harness transmits the signal from the throttle pedal to the control module and the modified signal from the control module to the throttle body, wherein the wiring harness and the control module provide direct communication between the throttle pedal and the throttle body so that the factory ECU of the vehicle is bypassed; and a signal adjuster (112) for enabling manual adjustment of throttle responsiveness of the vehicle, wherein the signal adjuster comprises a cable (144) that extends from a controller connector to a rheostat (152), wherein the rheostat is configured to enable manual adjustment of a throttle signal being communicated to the throttle body, wherein the signal adjuster includes a control dial configured to be coupled with the rheostat to facilitate hand operation of the rheostat.
  2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module includes a rigid enclosure (116) and an input socket (120).
  3. The system of claim 2, wherein the input socket is configured to receive a signal connector comprising the wiring harness so as to couple the control module with the throttle pedal and the throttle body.
  4. The system of claim 2, wherein the rigid enclosure is configured to withstand an environment encountered within an engine compartment of the vehicle.
  5. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal connector is configured to be plugged into an input socket of the control module.
  6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller socket is configured to be coupled with the signal adjuster.
  7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller connector is configured to be plugged into a controller socket comprising the wiring harness.
  8. A method for a throttle control system to provide greater control over engine performance of a vehicle, the method comprising: providing a control module (104) configured to: be electrically coupled with a throttle pedal of the vehicle and a throttle body of the vehicle, use an internal lookup table to evaluate throttle pedal positions against throttle position sensor readings to generate a signal for the throttle body that increases throttle responsiveness and acceleration as compared with an original equipment manufacturer, OEM, electronic control unit, ECU, of the vehicle, and provide a modified signal from the control module directly to the throttle body of the engine; configuring the control module to interpret signals received from the throttle pedal and send corresponding signals to the throttle body of the engine; fabricating a wiring harness (108) to electrically couple the control module with the throttle pedal and the throttle body; configuring a rheostat (152) to enable manual adjustment of a throttle signal being communicated to the throttle body, the rheostat being in electrical communication with the control module; coupling a signal adjuster (112) with a controller socket comprising the wiring harness for enabling manual adjustment of engine performance, wherein coupling the signal adjuster includes coupling a control dial whereby throttle signals communicated to the throttle body may be manipulated by hand; and configuring the signal adjuster to receive input corresponding to manual adjustment of throttle responsiveness of the vehicle and provide the input to the control module via the wiring harness.
  9. The method of claim 8, wherein configuring includes incorporating one or more microprocessors that can process input signals received from the throttle pedal.
  10. The method of claim 8, wherein fabricating includes configuring the wiring harness to be coupled directly with the throttle pedal and a throttle position sensor that was originally coupled with the throttle pedal.

Description

This application claims the priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16/656,513 filed on October 17, 2019 and U.S. Provisional Application, entitled "Throttle Control System," filed on October 26, 2018 and having application serial number 62/751 ,351. FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of vehicle control systems. More specifically, embodiments of the disclosure relate to a throttle control system and methods that provide greater control over electronic throttle control functions. BACKGROUND Electronic throttle control (ETC) generally is an automobile technology that electronically couples an accelerator pedal to a throttle, thereby replacing a mechanical linkage. A typical ETC system includes an accelerator pedal module with two or more independent sensors, an electronic throttle body (ETB), and an engine control module (ECM). The ECM is a type of electronic control unit (ECU) configured to determine required throttle positions through calculations based on data measured by various sensors, such as accelerator pedal position sensors, an engine speed sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and cruise control switches. The ETB is then opened and closed by way of a closed-loop control algorithm within the ECM. A drawback to many ETC implementations is that they may overrule some driver decisions, such as delaying an amount of acceleration a driver desires from a vehicle. In some instances, the delayed acceleration is perceived as an undesirable power lag or a "flat spot" in the acceleration curve of the vehicle. As such, there is a continuing desire to provide ETC systems that are capable of providing drivers with greater control over ETC functions and vehicle performance. WO 2016/113509 A1 discloses a control unit where a person can control the vehicle ECU from a remote controller. SUMMARY The invention is set out in the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which: Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a throttle control system configured to provide a driver of a vehicle with greater control over ETC functions and vehicle performance;Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a control module configured to create an increase in throttle responsiveness of a vehicle;Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a wiring harness configured to electrically couple the control module of Fig. 2 with a throttle pedal and a throttle body of the vehicle;Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a signal adjuster configured to facilitate manual adjustment of throttle responsiveness of the vehicle;Figure 5 is a graph illustrating a throttle position sensor signal as a function of throttle pedal position percentage; andFigure 6 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data processing system that may be used with a throttle control system according to the present disclosure. While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The invention should be understood to not be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, specific numeric references such as "first module," may be made. However, the specific numeric reference should not be interpreted as a literal sequential order but rather interpreted that the "first module" is different than a "second module." Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. The specific details may be varied from and still be contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The term "coupled" is defined as meaning connected either directly to the component or indirectly to the component through another component. Further, as used herein, the terms "about," "approximately," or "substantially" for any numerical values or ranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein. Electronic throttle control (ETC) generally is an automobile technology that electronically couples an accelerator pedal to a throttle, thereby replacing a mechanical linkage. A drawback to many ETC implementations is that they may overrule some driver decisions, such as delaying an amount of acceleration a driver desires from a vehicle. In some instances, the delayed acceleration is perceived as an undesirable power lag or a "flat spot"