Method of operating a vehicle and a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11261963-B2
Application number	US-202016890072-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2020
Priority date	Jan 31, 2014
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A method of operating a vehicle having an engine, a throttle valve and a throttle operator. A continuously variable transmission operatively connected to the engine has a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a belt operatively connecting the driving and driven pulleys. A ground engaging member is operatively connected to the driven pulley. A piston is operatively connected to the driving pulley for applying a piston force thereto and thereby changing an effective diameter of the driving pulley. A control unit controls actuation of the piston and the piston force. The method includes detecting a stall condition indicative of the vehicle being stalled, and, responsive to the detection, setting the piston force to be zero.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a vehicle,
the vehicle comprising:
an engine;
a throttle operator being moveable by a driver of the vehicle;
a throttle valve regulating airflow to the engine, a throttle valve position being based at least in part on a throttle operator position;
a continuously variable transmission (CVT) operatively connected to the engine, the CVT including a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a belt operatively connecting the driving pulley to the driven pulley;
at least one ground engaging member operatively connected to the driven pulley and comprising at least one of: a wheel and a track;
a piston operatively connected to the driving pulley for applying a piston force to the driving pulley when actuated and thereby changing an effective diameter of the driving pulley; and
a control unit for controlling actuation of the piston and the piston force,

the method comprising:
determining a driven pulley speed of the driven pulley;
detecting a stall condition indicative of the vehicle being stalled, the stall condition comprising:
the driven pulley speed decreasing; and
a rate of decrease of the driven pulley speed being greater in magnitude than a stall threshold rate; and

responsive to the detection of the stall condition, setting the piston force to be zero.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stall threshold rate is 150 rpm/s 2 .

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the vehicle comprises a brake operatively connected to the at least one ground engaging member; and
the stall condition further comprising the brake being actuated.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the piston is at least one of: pneumatically actuated and hydraulically actuated.

Assignees

• Brp Rotax Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Roland Guenther
• Stiebinger Christian

Classifications

• F16H2312/04

  Holding or hillholding · CPC title

• F16H2059/663

  Road slope · CPC title

• F16H59/54

  dependent on signals from the brakes, e.g. parking brakes · CPC title

• F16H59/40

  Output shaft speed · CPC title

• F16H61/66272 Primary

  characterised by means for controlling the torque transmitting capability of the gearing · CPC title