A transporter for transporting a subject over a surface that may be irregular. The transporter includes a support platform for supporting a load, the loaded support platform defining fore-aft and lateral planes and characterized by a load distribution. A plurality of ground contacting elements are coupled to the support platform. At least one of the plurality of ground contacting elements is driven by a motorized drive arrangement. A sensor module generates a signal indicative of the load distribution of the loaded support platform. Based at least on the load distribution, a controller commands the motorized drive arrangement.

Motion control of a transporter

A truck tractor and trailer electrical communication system having one electronic control unit located in tractor and another electronic control unit located in at least one trailer both respectively controlling the state of a plurality of switching devices to establish the appropriate electrical connection into and out of a standard seven pin tractor/trailer electrical connector where high speed data communication links are used for control and diagnostics

Truck tractor and trailer electrical communication system

A four wheel drive transfer case having a three element planetary gear differential connected to the output shaft of a transmission and having two output shafts which are driven by the differential in a manner such that rotary motion of any one shaft effects rotary motion of the other shafts in a predetemined timed relationship. The transfer case further includes an electromagnetically actuated friction clutch assembly including a ball ramp mechanism and having frictionally engageable members for operably interconnecting two of the planetary gear components in a manner such that relative rotation between the two output shafts is modulated by a torque level established between the frictionally engageable members of the clutch.

Four wheel drive transfer case with clutch mechanism

A brake control system which limits the operation of the braking forces applied to the tires, to the non-slip portion of the tire brake force and wheel velocity characteristic curve, i.e., the front or positive slope side of the characteristic Mu/slip curve; and thereby, minimizes both tire and brake wear. In particular, two embodiments of the invention are disclosed. All of which contain three aspects: a basic deceleration control circuit; a large deviation control circuit; and an energy balance system. The basic deceleration control circuit produces an average deceleration by summing the decelerations from all of the wheels, through a filtered differentiation of the wheel speed, and dividing it by the number of wheels. The average deceleration is then compared to the pilot selected deceleration rate for Dry, Wet, or Icy conditions and an error signal is generated. This error signal is then applied to a hysteresis circuit which outputs a constant level positive or negative signal. This signal is then integrated and supplied to a valve driver, which will modulate the metered braking pressure applied to the wheel. When the basic deceleration control circuit can no longer maintain braking control, the large deviation control circuit is actuated and generates a second error signal for providing corrective action to recover quickly when the selected deceleration rate is exceeded by a certain predetermined amount. This second error signal is also applied to a time constant circuit from which a controlled duration memory signal is provided that will reduce the brake torque of the wheel to a level consistent with the surface conditions of the runway.

Limited-slip brake control system

A control system for controlling the slip of a driving wheel of a vehicle senses the speed of at least a driving wheel and the vehicle speed. A slip rate calculator and a differentiator calculate the slip rate and the differential of the slip rate, respectively. An excessive slip rate circuit, a prediction control circuit, and an excessive differential slip rate circuit receive inputs from the calculator and differentiator and operate individually or in concert to detect a slip condition. An output circuit is connected to the excessive slip rate, prediction control, and excessive differential slip rate circuits to output a driving wheel slip control signal when at least one of the above circuits detects a slip condition.

Traction control system for controlling slip of a driving wheel of a vehicle

An anti-skid control system for decreasing braking distance performance of a braked wheeled vehicle while maintaining the lateral stability thereof. The system is comprised of a digital data logic processor responsive to only wheel deceleration and wheel velocity of the braked vehicle for iteratively or alternatively preselectively attenuating and restoring an applied brake fluid pressure, so as to cause the brake system performance to track the knee of the road-torque versus wheel velocity envelope as a function of time. The only parameters employed are wheel deceleration, wheel velocity and mode time for mode-switching between the several control modes (selective brake pressure attenuation and restoration) employed, while the modes themselves include preselective time-scheduling of the respective brake pressure attenuation and restoration.

Anti-skid control system

In an anti-skid type control system for automotive vehicles, apparatus for maintaining wheel slip in a region of values associated with a maximum coefficient of road friction. Periodic modulation of the wheel brake torque in conjunction with wheel acceleration measurement are employed to determine the variation of the coefficient of road friction from an optimum value, while integral-plus-proportional control of the pulse modulation allows compensatory variation of the wheel torque and slip condition to a condition providing the optimum coefficient of road friction.

Anti-skid control system employing integral-plus-proportional control of pulsed modulation

The Dual Function Radar Receiver shown provides hardware commonality between detection and tracking modes. Four channels (56, 58, 60, 62) are provided, each of which searches a separate range bin during the detection mode. During the tracking mode, one channel (56) continues to search a range bin, while the second channel (58) servos the range bin to the range of the detected object. The third channel (60) processes the azimuthal difference signal (94), and the fourth channel processes the elevational difference signal (110).

Rogell Van Wyk

Papers

Anti-skid control system

Anti-skid control system employing integral-plus-proportional control of pulsed modulation

Dual function radar receiver

Anti-skid-steuersystem