Systems and methods for tire warming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764609-B2
Application number	US-201514983693-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Dec 30, 2015
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for warming a tire of a driven wheel of a vehicle, in which the vehicle includes one or more driven wheels and one or more non-driven wheels. The method includes determining a range of a transmission associated with the vehicle and determining a position of a throttle pedal associated with an engine of the vehicle. Based on the determined range of the transmission and the determined position of the throttle pedal, the method includes outputting one or more control signals to apply a braking force to the one or more non-driven wheels of the vehicle and outputting one or more control signals to drive the one or more driven wheels to warm the tire of the one or more driven wheels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for warming a tire of a driven wheel of a vehicle, the vehicle including one or more driven wheels and one or more non-driven wheels, the method comprising:
determining a range of a transmission associated with the vehicle;
determining a position of a throttle pedal associated with an engine of the vehicle; and
based on the determined range of the transmission and the determined position of the throttle pedal, outputting one or more control signals to apply a braking force to the one or more non-driven wheels of the vehicle and outputting one or more control signals to rotate the one or more driven wheels at a speed greater than a vehicle speed to warm the tire of the one or more driven wheels based on the position of the throttle pedal,
wherein the one or more driven wheels comprise a first driven wheel and a second driven wheel, and the method further comprises:
determining a speed of the first driven wheel and a speed of the second driven wheel; and
disabling the warming of the tire of the one or more driven wheels based on a comparison of the speed of the first driven wheel and the speed of the second driven wheel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to determining the range of the transmission, determining the position of the throttle pedal and outputting the one or more control signals, the method further comprises:
receiving a request for warming of the tire;
estimating a speed of the vehicle based on at least a vehicle speed sensor; and
enabling the warming of the tire based on the receipt of the request, the estimated speed of the vehicle and the determined range of the transmission is a park range or a neutral range.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determined range of the transmission is a drive range or a low range.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the throttle pedal further comprises:
determining the position of the throttle pedal has changed from substantially zero percent throttle to substantially 100 percent throttle in less than a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the position of the throttle pedal further comprises:
determining that the position of the throttle pedal remains at least substantially 96 percent throttle.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
estimating a speed of the vehicle based on at least a vehicle speed sensor; and
outputting a disable interface for display on a display based on the estimated speed of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
outputting a disable interface for display on a display based on the comparison of the speed of the first driven wheel and the speed of the second driven wheel.

8. A system for warming a tire associated with a driven wheel of a vehicle, the vehicle including the one or more driven wheels and one or more non-driven wheels, the system comprising:
a source of range data associated with a transmission of the vehicle;
a source of data that indicates a position of a throttle pedal associated with the vehicle; and
a control module having a processor that:
determines that the position of the throttle pedal has changed from substantially zero percent throttle to substantially 100 percent throttle in less than a first predetermined period of time;
determines that the position of the throttle pedal is held to at least substantially 96 percent throttle;
outputs one or more control signals to apply a brake torque to the one or more non-driven wheels based on the range of the transmission and the determined positions of the throttle pedal;
outputs one or more control signals to rotate the one or more driven wheels at a speed greater than a vehicle speed to warm the tire of the one or more driven wheels based on the position of the throttle pedal; and
outputs one or more control signals to return the position of the throttle pedal to substantially no throttle based on an expiration of a second predetermined period of time.

9. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a source of vehicle speed data, wherein the control module outputs the one or more control signals based on the vehicle speed data.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the control module outputs a disable interface for display on a display based on the position of the throttle pedal as less than 96 percent throttle.

11. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a source of wheel speed data for each of the one or more driven wheels, wherein the control module outputs a disable interface for display on a display and disables the warming of the tire of the one or more driven wheels based on a comparison of the speed of each of the one or more driven wheels.

12. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a source of vehicle speed data, and the control module outputs a disable interface for display on a display based on the vehicle speed data.

13. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a source of a request to warm the tire, and the control module outputs the one or more control signals to apply the brake torque to the one or more non-driven wheels based on the request, the range of the transmission and the position of the throttle pedal.

14. A vehicle, comprising:
a powertrain coupled to one or more driven wheels, each of the one or more driven wheels including a tire, the powertrain including a transmission and an engine;
a source of range data that indicates a range of the transmission;
a source of data that indicates a position of a throttle pedal associated with the engine;
a source of vehicle speed data that indicates a speed of the vehicle; and
a control module having a processor that outputs one or more control signals to apply a brake force to the one or more non-driven wheels based on the range of the transmission, the position of the throttle pedal and the vehicle speed data, and the control module outputs one or more control signals to rotate the one or more driven wheels at a speed greater than a vehicle speed to warm the tire of the one or more driven wheels based on the position of the throttle pedal,
wherein the control module outputs one or more control signals to change the position of the throttle pedal based on an expiration of a predetermined period of time.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , further comprising:
a source of a request to warm each of the tires of the one or more driven wheels; and
a display,
wherein the control module outputs a user interface to the display based on the range of the transmission, the position of the throttle pedal and the vehicle speed data.

16. The vehicle of claim 14 , further comprising a source of wheel speed data for each of the one or more driven wheels, and the control module outputs a disable interface for display on a display associated with the vehicle and disables the warming of the tire of the one or more driven wheels based on a comparison of the speed of each of the one or more driven wheels.

17. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the range of the transmission is a drive range or a low range.

18. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein based on the vehicle speed data, the control module queries a datastore to determine a brake torque value for the vehicle speed data, and outputs the one or more control signals based on the brake torque value.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc
• Kelsey-Hayes Company

Inventors

• Handzel Jr J William
• Hartman Patrick

Classifications

• B60W10/04

  including control of propulsion units · CPC title

• B60W2720/28

  Wheel speed · CPC title

• B60W2540/10

  Accelerator pedal position · CPC title

• B60W2510/10

  Change speed gearings · CPC title

• B60W10/184

  with wheel brakes · CPC title