US Patent Issued to Cummins on Dec. 9 for "Systems and methods for downhill speed control of a vehicle" (Indiana Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 9 -- United States Patent no. 12,491,881, issued on Dec. 9, was assigned to Cummins Inc. (Columbus, Ind.).

"Systems and methods for downhill speed control of a vehicle" was invented by Steven M. Bellinger (Columbus, Ind.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A vehicle includes a powertrain with a prime mover, a transmission with a number of gears, and foundation brakes. The speed of the vehicle along a downhill route segment is automatically controlled toward a target speed by prioritizing the use of engine braking power and gear downshifting in the transmission over application of the vehicle's foundation brakes."

The patent was filed on Jan. 30, 2023, under Application No. 1...