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JP-7856379-B2 - Intelligent Advanced Engine Braking System

JP7856379B2JP 7856379 B2JP7856379 B2JP 7856379B2JP-7856379-B2

Inventors

  • ドイル、マシュー
  • ダングラー、ジョン アール
  • ベルゲ、レイン エー
  • ビョルガード、ジェイソン ジェイ
  • ウォルター、マシュー エー
  • ショネック、カイル
  • リアン、トーマス ダブリュー

Assignees

  • インターナショナル・ビジネス・マシーンズ・コーポレーション

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20220722
Priority Date
20210812

Claims (19)

  1. An engine braking system for a vehicle, The engine and An engine control unit configured to control the operation of the engine, A transmission configured to transmit rotational energy from the engine to multiple wheels of the vehicle, A braking system configured to suppress the rotation of the plurality of wheels by at least one mechanical means, An external road condition detector configured to determine the road conditions inside and around the vehicle, An engine braking system comprising: a vacuum system connected to the engine, configured to increase the vacuum in a manifold associated with the engine while the engine is in operation, the vacuum system being used to decelerate the vehicle based on the determination; and a vacuum system used to decelerate the vehicle based on the determination .
  2. The engine braking system according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum system increases the vacuum in the manifold when the engine is operating at a speed exceeding the engine's idling speed.
  3. The engine braking system according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum system is operated in response to the detection of a dangerous road condition by the external road condition detector.
  4. The engine braking system according to claim 3, wherein the vacuum system is operated by the engine control unit.
  5. The engine braking system according to claim 4, wherein the engine control unit operates the vacuum system in response to the release of the vehicle's accelerator.
  6. The engine braking system according to claim 1, further comprising an anti-lock braking system.
  7. The engine braking system according to claim 6, wherein the anti-lock braking system is configured to delay the application of the at least one mechanical means in response to the operation of the vacuum system.
  8. The engine braking system according to claim 1, wherein the engine control unit is configured to prevent additional fuel from being supplied to the engine when the vacuum system is in operation.
  9. The engine braking system according to claim 1, wherein the external road condition detector is configured to receive road condition information via a network connection.
  10. The engine braking system according to claim 1, wherein the external road condition detector is configured to receive road condition information from a sensor located on the vehicle.
  11. A method for slowing down a vehicle, The aforementioned vehicle will be used to monitor road conditions, The road conditions are determined using an external road condition detector , To notify the engine control unit of the aforementioned road conditions , To change the operation of the engine control unit in response to the aforementioned road conditions , Receiving instructions from the operator of the vehicle indicating an intention to decelerate the vehicle, A method comprising decelerating the vehicle based on the modified operation of the engine control unit by increasing the vacuum in the engine manifold controlled by the engine control unit based on the aforementioned determination by applying a vacuum .
  12. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising delaying the application of a mechanical braking system.
  13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the delay is performed by an anti-lock braking system.
  14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein slowing down the vehicle prevents additional fuel from being supplied to the engine when the vacuum is applied.
  15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the vacuum is applied when the engine is operating at a speed exceeding the engine's idling speed.
  16. The method according to claim 11, wherein monitoring includes receiving information from a sensor mounted on the vehicle or from an external source.
  17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the instruction is to lift the accelerator pedal in the vehicle.
  18. A computer program for causing a computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 11 to 17 .
  19. A computer-readable storage medium recording the computer program described in claim 18 .

Description

This disclosure relates to the control of a vehicle during braking, and more particularly to the control of a vehicle during braking in the presence of dangerous road conditions. Vehicles travel on roads all over the world. Weather and road conditions are constantly changing. Some of these road conditions can make it difficult for drivers to slow down their vehicles in order to maintain control. The development of anti-lock braking systems helps maintain vehicle control and improves the safety of automobiles. Embodiments of this disclosure relate to an engine braking system for a vehicle. This system includes an internal combustion engine and an engine control unit that controls the engine. A transmission is connected to the engine to transmit the engine's rotational energy to the vehicle's wheels. A braking system exists to suppress the rotation of the wheels using a mechanical approach. An external road condition detector exists to detect road conditions and determine whether those conditions are dangerous. The vehicle is reinforced by an engine-connected vacuum system that increases the vacuum in the engine manifold during engine operation in response to detected dangerous road conditions. Embodiments of this disclosure relate to a computer-implemented process for decelerating a vehicle. This process monitors road conditions around the vehicle and determines whether those conditions are dangerous. If the process determines that the road conditions are dangerous, it notifies the engine control unit of the dangerous conditions. The process further modifies the operation of the engine control unit in response to the dangerous conditions. When the vehicle operator wishes to decelerate the vehicle, an instruction indicating the intention to decelerate the vehicle is received. The process then decelerates the vehicle based on the modified operation of the engine control unit by applying a vacuum to increase the vacuum in the engine manifold. The drawings included in this disclosure are incorporated herein and form part thereof. These drawings illustrate embodiments of this disclosure and, together with the description, help to illustrate the principles of this disclosure. The drawings are illustrative of certain embodiments and do not limit this disclosure. This is a block diagram of a content distribution system according to an embodiment.This flowchart illustrates a process for optimizing the delivery of content to users in a multi-user content distribution system according to an embodiment.This is a block diagram showing a computing system according to one embodiment.This is a diagram illustrating an example of a cloud computing environment.This illustrates a set of functional abstraction layers provided by a cloud computing environment in one exemplary embodiment. While this invention is open to various modifications and alternative forms, their details are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, the intention is not to limit the invention to the specific embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the scope of this invention. This disclosure relates to the control of a vehicle during braking, particularly in the presence of hazardous road conditions. While this disclosure is not necessarily limited to such uses, various aspects of this disclosure may be recognized through discussion of various examples using this context. Vehicles travel on roads worldwide, carrying passengers and cargo. Weather and road conditions are constantly changing. Some of these road conditions, such as snow, ice, and rain, can make it difficult for drivers to slow down vehicles in order to maintain control. While anti-lock braking systems help maintain vehicle control, they are not always the most effective. Anti-lock braking systems often result in increased stopping distances in certain road conditions. This is due to the on/off nature of brake application in the vehicle. This increase in stopping distance is most commonly observed on snow- or ice-covered roads. Increased stopping distances can lead to further avoidable collisions. These collisions cause millions of dollars in damages annually to both vehicles and cargo damaged as a result of the collision. Therefore, systems that complement anti-lock braking systems to help both maintain vehicle control and reduce stopping distances can lead to safer transport of both people and cargo. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the components of an intelligent engine braking system 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The system 100, installed in a vehicle, includes an engine 110, an engine control unit 120, a transmission 130, a braking system 140, and an external road condition detector 150. The engine 110 is a component of the system 100 that provides propulsion to the vehicle. The engine 110 is an internal combustion engine that uses gasoline, d