Patent ID: 11858346
Assignee: INTERNATIONAL ENGINE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COMPANY, LLC
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  F | IPC B  F

Claim 5:
6. A system, implementable in a subject vehicle equipped with adaptive cruise control technology, for maintaining a substantially constant following distance from a target vehicle comprising:
(a) a diesel engine comprising a plurality of fuel injectors;
(b) an electronic control unit;
(c) a first set of sensors located throughout the subject vehicle, which are communicatively and operatively connected to the electronic control unit, wherein said sensors are capable of detecting following distance relative to the target vehicle and the speed of the target vehicle; and,
(d) a second set of sensors located throughout the subject vehicle, which are communicatively and operatively connected to the electronic control unit, wherein said sensors are capable of detecting pitch of the subject vehicle;
wherein, when the pitch of the subject vehicle changes, the second set of sensors transmit a signal to the electronic control unit communicating the change in vehicle pitch;
wherein the electronic control unit, based on the data concerning change in vehicle pitch received from the second set of sensors, calculates a new desired torque value necessary to maintain substantially constant following distance relative to the target vehicle; and
wherein the electronic control unit outputs a command signal to adjust the volume of fuel injected into the engine's cylinders to a volume that corresponds to the new desired torque value.