Vehicle Car Wash Mode Control for Unoccupied Neutral Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle control systems for car washes are complex, not intuitive, and can cause damage to vehicles due to moving parts, activate rain sensor wipers, or trigger unnecessary braking, especially when drivers leave the vehicle unoccupied.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle system with a controller that initiates a car wash mode based on predetermined conditions, such as vehicle speed and grade, allowing drivers to select the mode via ignition or HMI, and automatically secures the vehicle by disabling propulsion and engaging the parking brake when necessary, while monitoring for car wash status and driver presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a car wash mode is implemented with complex control systems, then vehicle protection during car wash is improved, but device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically detecting when the vehicle enters a car wash environment using sensors (rain sensors, proximity sensors) and proactively activating car wash mode protections before the driver can manually initiate them. This includes automatically shifting to neutral, disabling propulsion, and securing the vehicle, thereby simplifying the interface while maintaining comprehensive protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle system serves itself by autonomously detecting car wash conditions through multiple sensors and automatically implementing protective measures without requiring driver intervention. The system monitors its own state, detects external car wash environment conditions, and self-adjusts transmission, propulsion, and securing systems, reducing complexity from the driver's perspective while ensuring reliable protection.
2Ease of operation
If automatic car wash mode activation is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but false activation due to rain sensor misinterpretation may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple feedback mechanisms including rain sensors, proximity sensors, and autonomous sensors to continuously monitor environmental conditions. By cross-referencing multiple sensor inputs, the system can distinguish between actual car wash conditions and other scenarios like rain or normal driving, thereby reducing false activations while maintaining automatic activation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that processes and reconciles inputs from multiple sensors (rain sensors, proximity sensors, autonomous sensors) before activating car wash mode. This intermediary processing layer filters out false signals by requiring consistent indications from multiple sensor types, ensuring reliable activation only when genuine car wash conditions are detected.
3Ease of operation
If the vehicle is left unoccupied during car wash, then ease of operation is improved, but vehicle security deteriorates due to potential rolling
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary securing actions by automatically engaging the parking brake and shifting to neutral or park when car wash mode is activated, before the driver leaves the vehicle. This preliminary securing ensures the vehicle is protected against rolling even when unoccupied, while still allowing the driver the convenience of leaving the vehicle during the wash.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle system provides self-service security by autonomously monitoring its own state during car wash mode and automatically maintaining securing measures (parking brake engagement, neutral/park positioning) without requiring continuous driver attention or intervention, thereby ensuring security even when the driver is absent.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle system, for a vehicle that implements a car wash mode, includes a shifter configured to move the vehicle between Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive (PRND) positions, a propulsion system, an instrument panel cluster including a human machine interface (HMI), a brake system including a parking brake. A controller is programmed to determine the shifter is not in the Park position, display, via the HMI, an option to initiate a car wash mode if the following conditions are met: (i) a grade of the vehicle is below a predetermined threshold grade indicating a substantially flat surface, and (ii) a speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined car wash speed, and subsequently initiate the car wash mode if a user selects, via the HMI, the option to initiate the car wash mode.