1. A portable toilet training seat, comprising:
(a) a spacer having a seam located at the rear;
(b) said spacer being u-shaped;
(c) said spacer being configured to fold in half along said seam towards a bottom surface;
(c) said spacer having an opening with a diameter smaller than a standard toilet seat opening;
(d) a plurality of locking hinges;
(e) said plurality of locking hinges being located along said seam;
(f) said plurality of locking hinges being configured to fold said spacer in half towards a bottom surface;
(g) said plurality of locking hinges being configured to lock when said spacer is in an open position;
(h) a flange;
(i) said flange being located on a bottom surface of said spacer;
(j) said flange being configured to secure said spacer to a standard toilet seat by aligning with an inside rim os said standard toilet seat;
(k) a pair of folding handles;
(l) said pair of folding handles being configured to fold onto a top surface of said spacer when in a storage position;
(m) a storage bag; and
(n) said storage bag being of a size and shape such that said spacer fits inside said storage bag when in a closed position.
2. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said spacer is configured to sit on top of a standard toilet seat.
3. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said storage bag further comprises a vinyl insert.
4. The portable toilet training seat of claim 3, wherein said vinyl insert is fixedly retained within said storage bag.
5. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said storage bag is machine washable.
6. The portable toilet training seat of claim 3, wherein said storage bag and said vinyl insert are machine washable.
7. The portable toilet training seat of claim 4, wherein said storage bag and said vinyl insert are machine washable.
8. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said storage bag further comprises a strap; said strap having a carabiner clip.
9. The portable toilet training seat of claim 2, wherein said storage bag further comprises a strap; said strap having a carabiner clip.
10. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said storage bag further comprises a closure device; said closure device being a zipper; and said closure device running the full length of said storage bag.
11. The portable toilet training seat of claim 2, wherein said storage bag further comprises a closure device; said closure device being a zipper; and said closure device running the full length of said storage bag.
12. The portable toilet training seat of claim 1, wherein said folding handles extend upward and outward laterally from the sides of said spacer when in an open position.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for controlling an actuator, comprising:
(a) driving the actuator so that a variable position device moves towards a hard stop;
(b) determining if a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop; and
(c) if a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop, then determining a current actuator position and resetting a hard stop position with the current actuator position.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of an initial calibration procedure that determines first and second hard stop positions, and each of the first and second hard stop positions is used by the method until another hard stop position is subsequently determined.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the initial calibration procedure is a full calibration procedure that measures both the first and second hard stop positions.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the initial calibration procedure is a partial calibration procedure that measures the second hard stop position and calculates the first hard stop position by using at least one actuator span value selected from the group consisting of: a prior actuator span value, or a default actuator span value.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a soft stop procedure that drives the actuator at a slower actuator rate when the actuator is within a soft stop region.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the slower actuator rate includes at least one rate selected from the group consisting of: a constant rate, a linearly declining rate, an exponentially declining rate, or a stepped declining rate.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a seating procedure that continues to drive the actuator towards the hard stop after a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the seating procedure utilizes a power limiting mode to increase a seating duty cycle of the actuator, and the seating duty cycle is increased until it exceeds a maximum seating duty cycle or an actuator current exceeds a maximum seating current, whichever comes first.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein (b) uses a collision detection procedure that monitors the actuator power to determine if a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the collision detection procedure comprises: i) comparing the actuator power to a collision threshold, ii) initiating a timer if the actuator power meets or exceeds the collision threshold, and iii) stopping the timer if the actuator power falls below the collision threshold;
wherein a collision takes place if the timer exceeds a collision duration.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a hard stop drifting procedure that accounts for changes in the position of a lower hard stop when the variable position device is seated against it.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure truncates an actuator span if the actuator span extends beyond an upper hard stop.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure generates an error message if the lower hard stop extends beyond a collision tolerance point.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure employs integrated pulse-width modulated (PWM) control, and an integrator reset feature resets an integration factor when the variable position device is seated against the lower hard stop.
15. The method of claim 1, wherein the variable position device is a valve located in a vehicle engine and is selected from the group consisting of: a bypass valve, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, or a wastegate valve.
16. A method for controlling an actuator, comprising:
(a) driving the actuator so that a variable position device moves towards a hard stop;
(b) monitoring the power supplied to the actuator to sense a collision between the variable position device and the hard stop; and
(c) if a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop, then establishing a new hard stop position that can be used as a future point of reference.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of an initial calibration procedure that determines lower and upper hard stop positions, and each of the lower and upper hard stop positions is used by the method until another hard stop position is subsequently determined.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the initial calibration procedure is a full calibration procedure that measures both the lower and upper hard stop positions.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the initial calibration procedure is a partial calibration procedure that measures the upper hard stop position and calculates the lower hard stop position by using at least one actuator span value selected from the group consisting of: a prior actuator span value, or a default actuator span value.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a soft stop procedure that drives the actuator at a slower actuator rate when the actuator is within a soft stop region.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the slower actuator rate includes at least one rate selected from the group consisting of: a constant rate, a linearly declining rate, an exponentially declining rate, or a stepped declining rate.
22. The method of claim 16, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a seating procedure that continues to drive the actuator towards the hard stop after a collision takes place between the variable position device and the hard stop.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the seating procedure utilizes a power limiting mode to increase a seating duty cycle of the actuator, and the seating duty cycle is increased until it exceeds a maximum seating duty cycle or an actuator current exceeds a maximum seating current, whichever comes first.
24. The method of claim 16, wherein (b) further includes monitoring the power supplied to the actuator by using a collision detection procedure comprising: i) comparing the actuator power to a collision threshold, ii) initiating a timer if the actuator power meets or exceeds the collision threshold, and iii) stopping the timer if the actuator power falls below the collision threshold;
wherein a collision takes place if the timer exceeds a collision duration.
25. The method of claim 16, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are part of a hard stop drifting procedure that accounts for changes in the position of a lower hard stop when the variable position device is seated against it.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure truncates an actuator span if the actuator span extends beyond an upper hard stop.
27. The method of claim 25, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure generates an error message if the lower hard stop extends beyond a collision tolerance point.
28. The method of claim 25, wherein the hard stop drifting procedure employs integrated pulse-width modulated (PWM) control, and an integrator reset feature resets an integration factor when the variable position device is seated against the lower hard stop.
29. The method of claim 16, wherein the variable position device is a valve located in a vehicle engine and is selected from the group consisting of: a bypass valve, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, or a wastegate valve.
30. A method for controlling an actuator, comprising:
(a) obtaining a first lower hard stop position;
(b) using the first lower hard stop position as a point of reference when driving the actuator in a first movement;
(c) determining if a collision takes place between a valve and a lower hard stop;
(d) if a collision takes place between the valve and the lower hard stop, then obtaining a second lower hard stop position;
(e) updating the first lower hard stop position with the second lower hard stop position; and
(f) using the second lower hard stop position as a point of reference when driving the actuator in a second movement.