Clutch Start Gear Selection Using Road Topography Prediction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy-duty vehicle drivers face unsatisfactory drivability and productivity due to the negative impact of temporarily shutting off and restarting the internal combustion engine, which affects fuel economy and environmental friendliness.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that predicts the driving scenario for an upcoming road segment by acquiring topographic data and selecting an appropriate gear for the internal combustion engine to improve drivability, productivity, and driver experience by providing positive or negative torque as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the internal combustion engine is temporarily shut off to reduce fuel consumption and environmental impact, then fuel economy is improved, but drivability and productivity deteriorate due to negative effects during engine restart
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit predicts the upcoming driving scenario using topographic data and pre-selects an appropriate gear before the engine is restarted. This preliminary gear selection ensures that when the engine starts, the vehicle is already in the optimal gear for the anticipated road conditions, eliminating the drivability issues that would otherwise occur during engine restart
2Use of energy by moving object
If the internal combustion engine is temporarily shut off to reduce fuel consumption, then fuel economy is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to negative effects during engine restart
Solution Approach 1:
By predicting the driving scenario in advance and pre-selecting the appropriate gear before engine restart, the system minimizes the time the engine needs to run at suboptimal conditions. This ensures rapid transition to the correct gear ratio, maintaining vehicle productivity while still achieving fuel savings during coasting or downhill segments
3Device complexity
If the engine is started without predicting the driving scenario, then the system is simpler, but kinetic energy loss increases due to inappropriate gear selection
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit acquires topographic data and predicts the upcoming driving scenario in advance, allowing it to pre-select the optimal gear before engine restart. This preliminary action prevents inappropriate gear selection that would otherwise cause kinetic energy loss, while the prediction algorithm keeps the added complexity manageable
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for clutch start control of an internal combustion engine, ICE, in a vehicle is described. When the vehicle is travelling on a road with the ICE being shut off, topographic data representative of the topography of an upcoming road segment is acquired. A driving scenario for at least a part of the upcoming road segment is predicted based on the acquired topographic data. A gear is selected based on the predicted driving scenario. The ICE is started on the selected gear before or when the vehicle reaches said part of the road segment.