System and method of a velocity control mechanism for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10131350-B2
Application number	US-201514885630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2015
Priority date	Oct 16, 2015
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A velocity control mechanism for a vehicle operable to move in a forward direction and a rearward direction. The velocity control mechanism includes an acceleration control mode operable to accelerate the vehicle in one of the forward direction and the rearward direction, a velocity control mode operable to control a velocity of the vehicle in one of the forward and the rearward direction, and an intermediate control mode positioned between the acceleration control mode and the velocity control mode. An actuator is moveable between the acceleration control mode and the velocity control mode and is biased into the intermediate control mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A velocity control mechanism for a vehicle operable to move in a forward direction and a rearward direction, the velocity control mechanism comprising:
an acceleration control mode operable to accelerate the vehicle in one of the forward direction and the rearward direction;
a velocity control mode operable to control a velocity of the vehicle in one of the forward direction and the rearward direction; and
an intermediate control mode positioned between the acceleration control mode and the velocity control mode;
wherein an actuator is moveable between the acceleration control mode and the velocity control mode and biased into the intermediate control mode; and
wherein the vehicle is configured to move in response to the actuator being positioned either within the acceleration control mode or within the velocity control mode.

2. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein when the actuator is released from the velocity control mode to be biased into the intermediate control mode, the vehicle is not configured to be controlled by the velocity control mode or the acceleration control mode to move in the forward or rearward direction.

3. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the velocity control mode includes a maximum velocity setting less than or equal to an absolute velocity of the vehicle.

4. The velocity control mechanism of claim 3 , wherein the maximum velocity setting is less than about 5 kilometers per hour.

5. The velocity control mechanism of claim 3 , wherein the actuator includes an adjustment mechanism, and wherein the adjustment mechanism is operable to increase or decrease the maximum velocity setting of the velocity control mode.

6. The velocity control mechanism of claim 5 , wherein the adjustment mechanism is a rotatably adjustable adjustment mechanism.

7. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the actuator engages a detent to enter the velocity control mode.

8. The velocity control mechanism of claim 7 , wherein the actuator enters the velocity control mode when a threshold force acting on the actuator is exceeded, and wherein the threshold force is generally provided by engagement between the detent and the actuator.

9. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the relationship between the velocity of the vehicle and the position of the actuator in the velocity control mode is non-linear.

10. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the velocity control mode includes a forward gate that receives the actuator to move the vehicle in the forward direction and a rearward gate that receives the actuator to move the vehicle in the rearward direction, and wherein the intermediate control mode is positioned between the forward gate and the rearward gate.

11. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured to move in response to the actuator being positioned within the acceleration control mode and in response to the actuator being positioned within the velocity control mode.

12. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured to be driven from a stationary position without actuating an accelerator pedal of the vehicle in response to the actuator being positioned within the acceleration control mode and in response to the actuator being positioned within the velocity control mode.

13. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the velocity control mode is operable to control the velocity of the vehicle in the forward direction and in the rearward direction.

14. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , further comprising an accelerator pedal configured to control acceleration and velocity of the vehicle.

15. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the acceleration control mode is operable to accelerate the vehicle at a predetermined acceleration in response to the actuator being positioned within the acceleration control mode.

16. The velocity control mechanism of claim 15 , wherein the acceleration control mode is operable to accelerate the vehicle at one of a plurality of predetermined accelerations.

17. The velocity control mechanism of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is configured to control the velocity of the vehicle proportional to a position of the actuator within the velocity control mode.

18. The velocity control mechanism of claim 17 , wherein the vehicle is configured to stop in response to the actuator being released from within the velocity control mode and biased into the intermediate control mode.

19. A velocity control mechanism for a vehicle operable to move in a forward direction and a rearward direction, the velocity control mechanism comprising:
an acceleration control mode operable to accelerate the vehicle in the forward direction and in the rearward direction;
a velocity control mode operable to control a velocity of the vehicle in the forward direction and in the rearward direction; and
an intermediate control mode positioned between the acceleration control mode and the velocity control mode;
wherein an actuator is moveable between the acceleration control mode and the velocity control mode and biased into the intermediate control mode.

20. The velocity control mechanism of claim 19 , wherein the actuator is configured to control the velocity of the vehicle proportional to a position of the actuator within the velocity control mode.

Assignees

• Deere & Co

Inventors

• Newendorp Bruce C
• Baumann Julian
• Ahrens Andreas
• Rehberg Michael A
• Wetzel Christian
• Easton David J

Classifications

• B60W50/082

  Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling · CPC title

• B60K2310/20

  Operator actuated switches or levers for cruise control or speed limiting systems · CPC title

• B60K2310/30

  Mode switching, e.g. changing from one cruise control mode to another · CPC title

• B60W50/10

  Interpretation of driver requests or demands · CPC title

• B60W2720/106

  Longitudinal acceleration · CPC title