BRAKE-INITIATED RELEASE OF AN ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVEN CRUISE CONTROL APPARATUS

摘要

In an electric motor driven automotive cruise control apparatus, the engine throttle (62) is progressively released upon actuation of the vehicle service brakes to avoid objectionable pedal slap noise. The release is initiated by the electric motor (10), which drives the engine throttle toward its closed (rest) position while maintaining engagement of a clutch mechanism (60) connected therebetween. If the duration of the brake actuation exceeds a reference interval sufficiently long as to indicate potentially significant braking effort, the clutch mechanism is immediately disengaged to return the engine throttle to its closed position without further delay. If the duration of the brake actuation is less than the reference interval, engagement of the clutch mechanism is maintained until the electric motor has returned the engine throttle to its closed position.