Engine Control Device Battery Downsizing via Deceleration Power Supply
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional engine control devices face challenges in downsizing batteries while maintaining engine-starting performance, as they require larger batteries to ensure reliable engine restarts, which is not feasible due to mountability and environmental concerns.
Innovation Solution
An engine control device that includes an electric power supply unit, a battery state acquisition unit, and an operation control unit to manage the supply of electric power to the motor during deceleration periods, allowing for precise control of engine idling and restart based on battery voltage and current values, thereby reducing the need for large battery capacities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large capacity battery is adopted to prevent engine-starting performance from dropping, then engine-starting performance is improved, but battery size and weight increase which is not feasible due to mountability and environmental concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by supplying electric power to the motor during the deceleration period before engine restart is needed. This charges the battery in advance, ensuring sufficient power is available for engine starting without requiring a larger battery capacity. The battery state acquisition unit measures voltage and current during this pre-charging phase to determine if the battery has accumulated enough energy for reliable engine restart.
2Loss of time
If battery state is acquired at a time point far from engine restart timing, then measurement time is reduced, but battery state changes between measurement and control timing affecting control accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuity of useful action by continuously supplying electric power to the motor during the deceleration period and continuously monitoring the battery state. This continuous power supply and measurement approach ensures that the battery state remains stable and representative of the actual power available for engine restart, eliminating the gap between measurement and control timing while maintaining efficient power utilization.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables the downsizing of batteries while maintaining engine-starting performance by shortening time intervals for determining battery states and controlling engine idling, thereby reducing the required battery capacity and improving restart performance.
Implementation Method 1
a motor configured to rotationally drive a crankshaft of the engine... supplying electric power of the battery to the motor such that the motor generates a driving force
Data Source
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AI summary
The present teaching aims to enable downsizing of a battery while retaining an engine-starting performance. An engine control device includes: an electric power supply unit configured to perform a control for supplying electric power of a battery to a motor such that the motor generates a driving force in at least part of a deceleration period; a battery state acquisition unit that acquires at least one of a voltage value or a current value of the battery when electric power of the battery is supplied to the motor; a permission determining unit that determines whether or not to permit a stop of engine idling based on at least one of the acquired voltage or current values of the battery; and an engine control unit that controls an engine so as to prohibit shift from the deceleration period to a state where the engine idling is stopped if a stop of the engine idling is not permitted.