Patent ID: 7747359

Claim:
Apparatus for indicating vehicle driving condition states comprising: a memory device including predetermined bit positions for storing binary codes of a predetermined bit length, the bit length describing a quantity of bits in each of the stored binary codes; and a computer based controller configured to: monitor an input describing stability of the vehicle; determine at least one valid binary code corresponding to a vehicle driving condition state comprising understeer and oversteer behavior of the vehicle based upon the monitored input; and control a vehicle stability control system based upon the valid binary code; wherein each valid binary code comprises a series of bit states, each bit state represented by a one or a zero, and is characterized by a predetermined ratio of corresponding bit states, the ratio describing a number of bit states equaling one and a number of bit states equaling zero and being a fixed value and common to all of the valid binary codes; and wherein each valid binary code is differentiated from all other valid binary codes by differences between at least two complementary bits of each respective valid binary code, the differences requiring two bit transitions in opposite directions for a change in the vehicle driving condition state to be indicated.