Patent Application
20140081515
The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for improving traction for automotive vehicles, and more particularly to a method and system for improving traction for an automotive vehicle during icy or snowy conditions.
Antilock breaking systems (ABS) significantly improved the stopping ability of automotive vehicles, even during icy condition. However, antilock brakes are rendered much less effective under certain road conditions, such as road conditions caused by black ice, freezing rain or snow. Driving in these road conditions, ice crystal buildup prevents the antilock braking system from working because of the significantly reduced road friction. Yet, such conditions cause a significant amount of personal injuries and personal property damages every year.
Moreover, icy conditions also reduce traction making it difficult for motor vehicles to gain forward momentum, especially when driving up even the slightest incline.
The present invention is therefore directed to the problem of developing a method and apparatus for improving the ability of a motor vehicle to stop under icy conditions as well as to improve the ability of a motor vehicle to gain traction and forward momentum under icy conditions.
The present invention solves these and other problems by providing a method and apparatus for automatically detecting potential slippery conditions and automatically deploying a supply of pellets, such as ceramic or biodegradable pellets, in front of the wheels of the motor vehicle. The pellets include friction grains and friction material to increase the static friction of the road surface, thereby improving the traction of the wheels despite icy conditions.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an exemplary embodiment of apparatus for improving traction of one or more wheels of a motor vehicle includes one or more sensors and a pellet delivery device to deliver a supply of pellets at a point just before the one or more wheels reaches a road surface. The sensor determines a temperature of the road surface. The sensor may include an infrared thermometer.
The exemplary embodiment also includes a processor coupled to the sensor and the pellet delivery device to activate the pellet delivery device when the sensor indicates the temperature of the road surface has reached a predetermined temperature.
The exemplary embodiment may also include a pellet tank to hold a large supply of pellets, preferably more pellets than would be needed in any one situation. The pellet tank may include an offset vibration motor disposed at a base of the pellet tank to vibrate the pellets to maintain the pellets moving towards an exit hole when being deployed.
The pellet delivery device may also include an air powered pellet propulsion mechanism having an electrical activator coupled to the processor. In this case, the pellet delivery device may also include an air tank and an air regulator mechanically coupled to the air tank and the air powered pellet propulsion mechanism to deliver the pellets that provide increased friction to the road surface.
The pellet delivery device may also include a pellet delivery chute. In this case, the pellet tank has a bottom and a hole in the bottom. The pellet delivery chute is mechanically coupled to the hole. A pellet hopper is mechanically coupled to the pellet delivery chute to stage the pellets for deployment. In this case, the pellet tank is pitched downward from a center of the bottom of the tank towards the hole.
According to another aspect of the present invention, each of the pellets may include an outer shell made of a biodegradable material, such as a biodegradable Gel material. The outer shell may have a spheroidal shape and encloses a friction material, multiple friction grains and a coloring liquid, such as a biodegradable soy-based coloring liquid. The friction material may comprise sand, salt, cat litter or any other material that provides increased friction on slippery surfaces. The friction grains may be a three sided, hollow structure (made of a ceramic or other biodegradable material) having a size of about 3.5 millimeters. The coloring liquid may comprise a soy-based paint, such as blue, green or red (other colors may suffice as well) paint. The pellet may have a diameter of about 0.75 inches. The composition of the pellet may be about sixty percent friction grains and thirty percent friction material. The composition of the pellet may be about ten percent friction coloring liquid.
The exemplary embodiment may also include a graphical user interface coupled to the processor to indicate an operational status of the apparatus, a pellet supply level, and to accept a manual activation or deactivation command from a driver. The graphical user interface may also accept a temperature at which the processor activates the pellet delivery device.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for improving traction of wheels of a motor vehicle includes determining automatically when road conditions require improved traction, and delivering automatically after this determination a supply of pellets at a point just before the wheels reach the road surface. This supply may be directed at one or more wheels depending on the circumstances, and may in fact be determined by the driver.
In this embodiment, the determining of when road conditions require additional friction may include sensing a temperature of a road surface and determining when the temperature of the road surface has fallen below a predetermined level near a freezing point of water. For example, the predetermined level may be a few degrees above the freezing point to provide margin. The sensing may include using a single sensor or multiple sensors to sense the road surface temperature.
In this embodiment, the delivering may include directing a pellet delivery device at a point where the one or more wheels reach the road surface and propelling a supply of ceramic pellets containing a plurality of ceramic friction grains and a friction material at this point.
The present invention provides an automotive Friction Assist System (FAS) with improved traction to enable a motor vehicle to stop quickly and start easily on low friction surfaces, such as those present during icy conditions.
The present invention provides a method of introducing more static friction points between the leading contact edges of all wheels of a motor vehicle. Additionally, the present invention provides a sensor to activate the friction assist system when the road surface temperature is at the freezing point of water, i.e., zero degrees centigrade or thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, multiple sensors could be used.
The friction assist system of the present invention will increase static friction on a road surface and aid the current ABS system on a vehicle to bring the vehicle to a stop in less distance for a vehicle equipped with the friction assist system than a vehicle not equipped with the friction assist system—all other variables being equal.
The friction assist system of the present invention will also increase static friction and aid a motor vehicle's wheel slip detected by a traction control system, also known as anti-slip regulation when a vehicle is attempting to gain traction or forward drive momentum in less time on a vehicle equipped with the friction assist system than a vehicle not equipped with the friction assist system—again, all other variables being equal.
Overview
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Friction Pellets
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Many different pellets can be used as long as the pellets do not provide an environmental hazard when deployed and are sufficiently small to provide increased friction. Moreover, other shapes may suffice to further increase the static friction.
Each exemplary pellet 20 contains many friction grain triangles 21 that take up most of the space inside the pellet 20. In one exemplary embodiment of the pellet, the pellet includes about 35 grain triangles, which take up about sixty percent (60%) of the interior space. Sand (or other suitable material) 22 takes up most of the remaining interior space inside pellet 20. In the exemplary embodiment of the pellet 20, sand 22 takes up about 30% of the space inside the pellet 20. The remaining space inside the pellet 20 is taken up by a colored liquid 21, such as a biodegradable soy-based colored liquid, so that one can determine if the pellet was deployed. Biodegradable materials are preferable to reduce any environmental impact by the use of the pellets of the present invention; however, other materials may still provide the necessary friction. In the exemplary embodiment 20, the colored liquid is blue soy paint 23, which takes up about 10% of the space inside the pellet 20. Such pellets are often used in paint ball guns. Each grain inside the pellet is about 3.5 millimeters in size.
Friction Pellet Fill Tank
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The tank 31 includes one or more holes 34, 35. Depending on the configuration of the tank bottom and chutes, one tank and one hole can suffice to deliver a supply of pellets to each wheel. In some configurations, more tanks may be necessary on multi-axle vehicles, such as when the axles are spaced more than four feet or so from the tank.
The bottom of the pellet tank 31 is preferably pitched to its center to enable a gravity feed of pellets 32 into the holes 34, 35. An offset vibration motor 33 is deployed below the tank keep the pellets 32 moving when the pellets 32 are being deployed.
Gravity in combination with the offset vibration motor 33 cause pellets 38, 39 to fall through holes 34, 35, respectively, and into chutes 36, 37 respectively. The left side of
Pellet Hoppers
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Pellet Delivery Pods
Pellet hopper 41 is coupled to a weatherproof launch rail 44 (termed a pellet delivery pod) with a deployment door 45 via which the pellets 49 are sent out for deployment near the wheel. Environmental thermostatic heated housing covering 43 ensures the launch rail 44 remains weatherproof. Pellets 48 inside the launch rail 44 are jettisoned out under pressure by a pressurized supply 50 (see
Pellet Delivery Pod Air Tank and Regulator
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As the pellet is crushed upon impact with a hard surface just in front of the wheel and/or under the weight of the vehicle by wheel 61, the friction material 22 (e.g., sand) and friction grains 21 and coloring or dye 23 are disposed on the road surface, which colors the road surface 63 with the coloring or dye 23 (e.g., blue soy paint). The friction grains 21 and friction material 22 embed in the road surface increasing the static friction of the icy road surface, thereby enabling the tires on wheel 61 to adhere to the road surface 63 despite the ice or snow 64 on the road surface 63.
IR Thermometer
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Software
A computerized module operates the friction assist system, which becomes activated when the temperature detected by the IR thermometer reaches a predetermined low temperature, such as between 0 and 10 degrees above zero Farhenheit or so. Once the computerized module determines that temperature has reached the predetermined point, the computerized module activates the pellet deployment pod 44, which opens the door and fires the pellets as shown in
Interface Module
A graphical user interface shows the activation temperature and the fact that the friction assist system is operating. A manual override button can be used when the driver feels additional static friction is necessary despite the temperature. A level detector can indicate to the driver when the pellet supply needs to be replenished.
