General-Purpose Engine Control for Snow Remover Reliability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control systems for working machines with general-purpose engines fail to continue operation when the working machine ECU stops functioning, leading to disabled operations and reduced performance due to incomplete management of the engine's state.
Innovation Solution
A control device for general-purpose engines that includes an engine control unit, communication interface, management program acquisition unit, and operation management substitute unit, which allows the engine to continue operating by acquiring and executing management programs from external devices, even when the working machine ECU fails, and adjusts the number of operation control items based on processing load to maintain performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the working machine ECU is used to control operation state, then operation management is centralized and coordinated, but the system fails completely when the ECU fails
Solution Approach 1:
The engine ECU is pre-configured with backup control capabilities and necessary management programs before the working machine ECU fails. When failure occurs, the engine ECU can immediately take over operation management without requiring complex real-time reconfiguration, thus improving reliability while maintaining acceptable system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
A communication interface serves as an intermediary between external devices and the engine control system. This intermediary enables the engine ECU to acquire management programs from external devices and facilitates seamless transition of control functions, resolving the contradiction between reliability improvement and system complexity
2Reliability
If the engine ECU takes over operation management after working machine ECU failure, then continuous operation is enabled, but processing load on engine ECU increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engine ECU takes over only the necessary operation management functions required to maintain continuous operation, rather than assuming all functions of the failed working machine ECU. This partial action approach enables operational continuity while keeping processing load within acceptable limits
Solution Approach 2:
The engine ECU dynamically adjusts its control strategy and processing priorities based on the operational context after taking over from the failed working machine ECU. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain operational continuity while optimizing processing load management
3Adaptability or versatility
If all operation control items are managed by the operation management substitute unit, then complete control is achieved, but processing load becomes excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The operation management substitute unit selectively manages only the critical operation control items necessary for safe and continuous engine operation, rather than attempting to control all aspects. This partial control approach maintains adequate adaptability while preserving processing efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
Different levels of control coverage are applied to different operation control items based on their criticality. Critical functions receive full substitute unit management while less critical functions may use simplified control strategies, optimizing the balance between adaptability and processing efficiency
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
There is provided a control device of a general-purpose engine which can continue operation of a working machine even when an operation management unit of the working machine has failed. The control device of the general-purpose engine 11 includes an engine control unit 14A which controls the general-purpose engine 11 based on a command from a working machine ECU 21 managing an operating state of a snow remover 1, a communication interface 13 for communicating with an external device; a management program acquisition unit 14B which acquires a management program P2 which is used by the working machine ECU 21 to manage the operating state, from the external device through the communication interface 13 and stores the acquired management program P2 in an ROM, and an operation management substitute unit 14C which manages the operating state of the snow remover 1 in place of the working machine ECU 21 in accordance with the management program P2 when a failure of the working machine ECU 21 is detected.