Tire smoke induction prevention system for a motor vehicle

Abstract

A tire smoke induction prevention system for a motor vehicle includes a tire smoke condition feature and a controller. The tire smoke condition feature may be adapted to produce a warning signal when potential for tire smoke generation exceeds a predetermined level or likelihood. The controller is adapted to respond to such a warning signal and engage a climate control system of the motor vehicle in recirculation mode. A related method for preventing the induction of tire smoke into a passenger cabin of a motor vehicle is also provided.

Claims

1. A tire smoke induction prevention system for a motor vehicle, comprising: a tire smoke condition feature monitoring potential for tire smoke generation; and a controller adapted to respond to said tire smoke condition feature and engage a climate control system of said motor vehicle in recirculation mode.

2. The tire smoke induction prevention system of claim 1, wherein said tire smoke condition feature is a tire smoke sensor.

3. The tire smoke induction prevention system of claim 1, wherein said tire smoke condition feature is a drive mode control device.

4. The tire smoke induction prevention system of claim 1, wherein said tire smoke condition feature is a line-lock actuator.

5. The tire smoke induction prevention system of claim 1, wherein said tire smoke condition feature is a drift mode actuator.

6. The tire smoke induction prevention system of claim 1, wherein said tire smoke condition feature is an actuator.

7. The tire smoke induction prevention system of claim 1, further including a fresh air induction door and a door actuator for displacing said fresh air induction door to a first closed position.

8. The tire smoke induction prevention system of claim 7, further including an air extractor door and an extractor door actuator for displacing said air extractor door to a second closed position.

9. The tire smoke induction prevention system of claim 1, further including an air extractor door and an extractor door actuator for displacing said air extractor door to a second closed position.

10. A method for preventing induction of tire smoke into a passenger cabin of a motor vehicle, comprising: producing, by tire smoke condition feature, a warning signal when potential for tire smoke generation exceeds a predetermined level; and engaging, by controller, a climate control system of said motor vehicle in recirculation mode in response to said warning signal.

11. The method of claim 10, including generating said warning signal by tire smoke sensor.

12. The method of claim 10, including generating said warning signal by drive mode control device.

13. The method of claim 10, including generating said warning signal by line-lock actuator.

14. The method of claim 10, including generating said warning signal by drift mode actuator.

15. The method of claim 10, including displacing, by said controller, a fresh air induction door into a closed position.

16. The method of claim 15, including displacing, by said controller, an extractor door into a closed position.

17. The method of claim 10, including determining actual wheel slip and comparing, by said controller, said actual wheel slip to a predetermined threshold wheel slip value.

18. The method of claim 17, including comparing driven wheel speed to non-driven wheel speed to determine wheel slip.

19. The method of claim 17, including using yaw rate error to determine wheel slip.

20. The method of claim 17, including comparing, by said controller, engine torque and/or wheel speed to actual vehicle acceleration to determine a rate of acceleration less than that which would be associated with a zero wheel slip condition to infer wheel slip.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

(1) The accompanying drawing figures incorporated herein and forming a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the tire smoke induction prevention system and related method of preventing induction of tire smoke into a passenger cabin of a motor vehicle and together with the description serve to explain certain principles thereof.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of the tire smoke induction prevention system.

(3) FIG. 2 is one possible control logic flow diagram for the tire smoke induction prevention system illustrated in FIG. 1.

(4) Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the tire smoke induction prevention system and the method of preventing induction of tire smoke into a passenger cabin of a motor vehicle, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) Reference is now made to FIG. 1 schematically illustrating the new and improved tire smoke induction prevention system 10 adapted to prevent the induction of tire smoke into the passenger cabin and storage compartment or trunk of a motor vehicle. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tire smoke induction prevention system 10 includes a tire smoke condition feature, generally designated by reference numeral 12, that monitors the potential for tire smoke generation. In at least one possible embodiment, the tire smoke generation feature 12 produces a warning signal when potential for tire smoke generation exceeds a predetermined level. In addition, the tire smoke induction prevention system 10 includes a controller 14 adapted to respond to tire smoke generation feature 12. In at least one possible embodiment, the controller 14 is adapted to respond to the warning signal from the tire smoke condition feature 12 and engage an HVAC or climate control system (not illustrated) of the motor vehicle in recirculation mode. In recirculation mode, interior passenger compartment air is recirculated through the passenger compartment and the introduction or induction of fresh air into the passenger compartment is prevented in a manner described in greater detail below.

(6) The controller 14 may comprise a computing device such as a dedicated microprocessor or an electronic control unit (ECU) operating in accordance with instructions from appropriate control software. The controller 14 may comprise one or more processors, one or more memories, and one or more network interfaces. As should be appreciated, all of these processors, memories and network interfaces may communicate with each other over a communication bus.

(7) As illustrated in FIG. 1, the tire smoke condition feature 12 may comprise one or more of the following: (a) a sensor 16 such as a tire smoke sensor, (b) an actuator 18, such as a line-lock actuator, a drift mode actuator or a simple tire smoke condition feature actuator allowing one to activate the tire smoke induction prevention system any time at will, and (c) a drive mode control device 20 such as a power-train control module (PCM) of a type that may be provided to allow a motor vehicle operator to select motor vehicle operation in drift mode. Such a PCM is found on the 2017 model year Ford Focus RS.

(8) As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the tire smoke induction prevention system 10 may also include an air extractor 22, including an air extractor door 24 and an extractor door actuator 26 for closing the air extractor door 24. As is known in the art, such an air extractor 22 allows for the equalization of air pressure inside the passenger compartment with the ambient environment and is used to prevent wind throb when driving the motor vehicle with the windows open and/or to reduce the effort when closing the doors of the motor vehicle when the windows are closed.

(9) As also illustrated in FIG. 1, the tire smoke induction prevention system 10 may also include a fresh air induction door 28, to allow the HVAC or climate control system to induct fresh air into the passenger cabin of the motor vehicle, and a door actuator 30 for overriding the HVAC or climate control system setting for the fresh air induction door 28 and closing that door to prevent induction of tire smoke into the HVAC ducts and passenger cabin of the motor vehicle.

(10) The tire smoke induction prevention system 10 may be utilized in a method for preventing induction of tire smoke into a passenger cabin of a motor vehicle. That method may comprise the steps of (a) producing, by a tire smoke condition feature 12, a warning signal when the potential for tire smoke generation exceeds a predetermined level or likelihood and (b) engaging, by the controller 14, a climate control system of the motor vehicle in recirculation mode in response to the warning signal.

(11) More particularly, the method may include the step of generating that warning signal by a tire smoke sensor 16. The method may include generating that warning signal by a drive mode control device 20. The method may include generating that warning signal by means of an actuator 18. That actuator may take the form of, for example, a line-lock actuator, a drift mode actuator or a simple on-off system actuator allowing the operator to activate the tire smoke induction prevention system at any desired time. When activated, the tire smoke induction prevention system 10 closes the fresh air induction door 28 preventing the induction of fresh air and tire smoke into the passenger cabin of the motor vehicle through the HVAC or climate control system. Further, the tire smoke induction prevention system 10 closes the air extractor door 24 to prevent air and tire smoke from being drawn into the storage compartment of the motor vehicle.

(12) Thus, it should be appreciated that the method may be further described as including the step of displacing, by the controller 14 and the door actuator 30, the fresh air induction door 28 into a closed position. In addition the method may include the step of displacing the extractor door 24, by the controller 14 and extractor door actuator 26 into a closed position.

(13) The method may also include the step of determining actual wheel slip and comparing, by the controller 14, the actual wheel slip to a predetermined threshold wheel slip value. If the actual wheel slip exceeds the predetermined threshold value, the fresh air induction door 28 and the extractor door 24 are closed.

(14) Actual wheel slip may be determined in a number of ways. For example, the method may include the step of comparing, by the controller 14, driven wheel speed to non-driven wheel speed to determine wheel slip. In another example, the method may include the step of using yaw rate error: that is, understeer or oversteer detection to determine wheel slip. In yet another example, the method may include the step of comparing, by the controller 14, engine torque alone, wheel speed alone or engine torque and wheel speed together to determine a rate of acceleration where that rate of acceleration is less than that which would be associated with a zero wheel slip condition, wheel slip is inferred.

(15) FIG. 2 illustrates one possible embodiment of control logic flow diagram 32 for the tire smoke induction prevention system 10. The control logic flow diagram 32 is self-explanatory. The driver or motor vehicle operator sets the climate control system at box 34. At box 36, the controller 14 queries whether the motor vehicle is in an excessive tire smoke situation: that is whether the potential for the generation of tire smoke exceeds a predetermined level or likelihood. If the tire smoke condition feature 12 produces no warning signal, no change is made to the climate control system at box 38. In contrast, where the tire smoke condition feature 12 produces a warning signal, the controller 14 may send a signal to the door actuator 30 to close the fresh air induction door 28 of the HVAC or climate control system. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the power train control module (PCM) sends a signal to the front control interface module (FCIM): (a) to close the fresh air induction door 28 and exclusively provide for recirculation of air through the climate control system and (b) close the active air extractor 24 at box 40. The controller 14 then waits for a predetermined period of time such as 30 seconds (see box 42) before again querying whether the motor vehicle is in an excessive tire smoke situation wherein the potential for tire smoke generation exceeds a predetermined level (see box 44). If no warning signal is received from the smoke condition feature 12, no change signal is sent to the climate control system and, therefore, the climate control system operates absent the override from the tire smoke induction prevention system 10 and the fresh air induction door 28 may be opened if required by the climate control system settings (see box 46). In other words, the climate control is returned to the driver selected settings. However, if the smoke condition feature 12 produces a warning signal, operation returns to box 40 and the air extractor door 24 and fresh air induction door 28 remain closed.

(16) The foregoing has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally and equitably entitled.