Part time four wheel drive vehicle with road surface condition sensor

Patent · Tue Jul 07 00:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6256272

Kobari, Y; Miyamoto, K

A vehicle is described comprising: an engine, first and second pairs of wheels, a four wheel drive system for transmitting power from the engine to the first and second pairs of wheels. The drive system comprises change-over means for selectively changing the drive system from a four wheel drive mode in which power is transmitted to all of the first and second pairs of wheels to a two wheel drive mode. Power is transmitted only to the first pair of wheels, and vice versa. Road surface condition sensing means transmits ultrasonic waves toward a road surface, receiving ultrasonic waves reflected back from the road surface and delivers an output signal when an intensity of the reflected ultrasonic waves is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. A means for actuating the change-over means to change the drive system from the two wheel drive mode to the four wheel drive model when the output signal is produced by the road surface condition sensing means independent of the slip of the wheels of the first pair.

• Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Patent Number(s): US 4678056
• OSTI ID: 6256272
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 3 Oct 1985
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
ROADS
MONITORING
VEHICLES
COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEMS
ENGINES
MECHANICAL TRANSMISSIONS
ACTUATORS
ROAD TRANSPORT
SIGNALS
SURFACES
ULTRASONIC WAVES
WAVE PROPAGATION
WHEELS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
LAND TRANSPORT
MACHINE PARTS
SOUND WAVES
TRANSPORT
330602* - Vehicle Design Factors- Engine-Transmission Matching
320203 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Transportation- Land & Roadway