Patent ID: 8000877
Filing Date: 2011-08-16
Classification: F02D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A fuel economy system connectable to a throttling means of a vehicle and to an engine control unit connected to an engine of the vehicle, the throttling means generating an unmodified throttling signal having a throttling signal voltage in an unmodified throttling signal voltage range between a minimum throttling signal voltage and an unmodified maximum throttling signal voltage in response to a throttling input between a minimum throttling input and a maximum throttling input received by the throttling means, the engine control unit increasing and decreasing an engine power output of the engine, and thereby an amount of fuel consumed thereby, as the throttling signal voltage and throttling input both respectively increase and decrease, the system comprising: a sensor for sensing a mass of a load carried by the vehicle; and a signal control unit connected to said sensor and connectable to said throttling means and said engine control unit, said signal control unit, when said mass sensed by said sensor is within a pre-determined mass range below a pre-determined load mass value, reducing a range of said engine power output for said throttling input from an unmodified engine power output range having a minimum engine power output corresponding to said minimum throttling input and an unmodified maximum engine power output corresponding to said maximum throttling input to a modified engine power output range between said minimum engine power output and a modified engine power output corresponding to said maximum throttling input and below said unmodified throttling input, thereby gradually reducing said engine power output, compared to said unmodified engine power output, for said throttling input and the amount of fuel consumed when said mass is in said pre-determined mass range.