Refuse vehicle with multi-functional pedal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12459512-B2
Application number	US-202318215044-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2023
Priority date	Jun 28, 2022
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

A refuse vehicle includes a motor, a battery, a pedal, and processing circuitry. The motor consumes electrical energy transport the refuse vehicle, or is back-driven to generate electrical energy and provide regenerative braking. The processing circuitry obtains an amount of depression from the pedal, and compares the amount of depression to a transition point. In response to the amount of depression of the pedal exceeding the transition point, the processing circuitry uses a linear relationship and the amount of depression to operate the motor to provide a requested amount of acceleration for transportation. In response to the amount of depression of the pedal being less than the transition point, the processing circuitry uses a non-linear relationship and the amount of depression of the pedal to operate the motor to provide a requested amount of regenerative braking.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A refuse vehicle comprising:
a drive motor configured to operate according to (i) a drive mode wherein the drive motor consumes electrical energy to drive a tractive element to transport the refuse vehicle, or (ii) a regenerative braking mode wherein the drive motor is driven by the tractive element to generate electrical energy and provide regenerative braking; a battery configured to provide the electrical energy to the drive motor for transportation and receive electrical energy from the drive motor and charge using the electrical energy during regenerative braking of the refuse vehicle; a pedal configured to be depressed by an operator of the refuse vehicle, wherein depression of the pedal across a first range of positions causes the drive motor to operate according to the drive mode to drive the tractive element for transportation, and depression of the pedal across a second range of positions causes the drive motor to operate according to the regenerative braking mode to be driven by the tractive element for generation of electrical energy and regenerative braking; and processing circuitry configured to:
compare an amount of depression of the pedal to a transition point;
in response to the amount of depression of the pedal exceeding the transition point by at least a deadband amount, use a linear relationship and the amount of depression of the pedal to determine a requested amount of acceleration and operate the drive motor according to the drive mode to provide the requested amount of acceleration for transportation.

2 . The refuse vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
obtain an amount of depression from the pedal;
responsive to the amount of depression of the pedal indicating that the pedal is within the first range of positions, operate the drive motor according to the drive mode based on the amount of depression of the pedal; and
responsive to the amount of depression of the pedal indicating that the pedal is within the second range of positions, operate the drive motor according to the regenerative braking mode based on the amount of depression of the pedal.

3 . The refuse vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
in response to the amount of depression of the pedal being less than the transition point, use a non-linear relationship and the amount of depression of the pedal to determine a requested amount of regenerative braking and operate the drive motor to provide the requested amount of regenerative braking.

4 . The refuse vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the non-linear relationship and the amount of depression of the pedal to determine a requested amount of regenerative braking and operate the drive motor to provide the requested amount of regenerative braking in response to the amount of depression of the pedal being less than the transition point by at least a deadband amount.

5 . The refuse vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the non-linear relationship is a sigmoid function.

6 . The refuse vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the transition point is 20% of a total depression of the pedal.

7 . The refuse vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a friction brake configured to apply a frictional braking force to the tractive element; and a brake pedal, wherein depression of the brake pedal results in the friction brake applying the frictional braking force to the tractive element.

8 . A system for a vehicle, the system comprising:
a drive motor configured to operate according to (i) a drive mode wherein the drive motor consumes electrical energy to drive a tractive element to transport the vehicle, or (ii) a regenerative braking mode wherein the drive motor is driven by the tractive element to generate electrical energy and provide regenerative braking; a battery configured to provide the electrical energy to the drive motor for transportation and receive electrical energy from the drive motor and charge using the electrical energy during regenerative braking of the vehicle; a pedal configured to be depressed by an operator of the vehicle, wherein depression of the pedal across a first range of positions causes the drive motor to operate according to the drive mode to drive the tractive element for transportation, and depression of the pedal across a second range of positions causes the drive motor to operate according to the regenerative braking mode to be driven by the tractive element for generation of electrical energy and regenerative braking; and processing circuitry configured to:
compare an amount of depression of the pedal to a transition point;
in response to the amount of depression of the pedal being less than the transition point by at least a deadband amount, use a non-linear relationship and the amount of depression of the pedal to determine a requested amount of regenerative braking and operate the drive motor to provide the requested amount of regenerative braking.

9 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
obtain an amount of depression from the pedal;
responsive to the amount of depression of the pedal indicating that the pedal is within the first range of positions, operate the drive motor according to the drive mode based on the amount of depression of the pedal; and
responsive to the amount of depression of the pedal indicating that the pedal is within the second range of positions, operate the drive motor according to the regenerative braking mode based on the amount of depression of the pedal.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
compare the amount of depression to a transition point; in response to the amount of depression of the pedal exceeding the transition point, use a linear relationship and the amount of depression of the pedal to determine a requested amount of acceleration and operate the drive motor according to the drive mode to provide the requested amount of acceleration for transportation.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the linear relationship and the amount of depression of the pedal to determine the requested amount of acceleration and operate the drive motor to provide the requested amount of acceleration for transportation in response to the amount of depression of the pedal exceeding the transition point by at least a deadband amount.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the transition point is 20% of a total depression of the pedal.

13 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the non-linear relationship is a sigmoid function.

14 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a friction brake configured to apply a frictional braking force to the tractive element; and a brake pedal, wherein depression of the brake pedal results in the friction brake applying the frictional braking force to the tractive element.

15 . A method for controlling regenerative braking and acceleration of a vehicle, the method comprising:
obtaining a signal from a pedal indicating an amount of depression of the pedal; comparing the amount of depression of the pedal to a transition point; and responsive to the amount of depression being less than the transition point by at least a deadband amount:
operating a drive motor of the vehicle to provide an amount regenerative braking to a tractive element of the vehicle based on the amount of depression of the pedal;
responsive to the amount of depression being greater than the transition point by at least the deadba

Assignees

• Oshkosh Corp

Inventors

• Wolf Ryan
• Andringa Jeremy
• Miller Amanda

Classifications

• B60W2540/103

  Accelerator thresholds, e.g. kickdown · CPC title

• B60W2710/083

  Torque · CPC title

• B60W2540/12

  Brake pedal position · CPC title

• B60W2300/12

  Trucks; Load vehicles · CPC title

• B60W10/184

  with wheel brakes · CPC title