Patent ID: 8437917

Claim:
A vehicle, comprising: a brake system, including: brakes coupled to vehicle wheels; hydraulic lines coupled to the brakes, an actuation force on the brakes being related to pressure in the hydraulic lines; and a brake pressure sensor coupled to the hydraulic lines; an internal combustion engine coupled to a turbocharger; a throttle valve controlling air flow into the internal combustion engine; an accelerator pedal coupled to the vehicle; a vehicle speed sensor; and an electronic control unit (ECU) electronically coupled to the engine, the throttle valve, the accelerator pedal, the vehicle speed sensor, and the pressure sensor, wherein: the ECU is configured to detect that the vehicle is stopped based on a signal from the vehicle speed sensor, is configured to detect that brake pedal release is imminent based on a signal signature from the pressure sensor, and is configured to detect an incipient launch of the vehicle when the vehicle speed sensor indicates that the vehicle is stopped and the signal signature from the pressure sensor indicates that the brake pedal release is imminent; in response to detecting an incipient launch, the ECU commands the throttle valve toward a more open position with at least one of: a rate of change in the throttle opening based on a launch interval between incipient launch and depression of the accelerator pedal and a magnitude of the more open position based on the launch interval between the incipient launch and the depression of the accelerator pedal; and a wastegate coupled to an exhaust turbine of the turbocharger and electronically coupled to the ECU, the ECU commanding the wastegate to close in response to the incipient launch.