Vehicle Engine Restart Control via Clutch and Gear Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine restart systems in vehicles may inadvertently restart the internal combustion engine based on driver actions not intending to restart the vehicle, leading to unexpected engine stalling and discomfort for occupants.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that includes a restart-condition determiner and a restart controller to assess the driver's intention by monitoring the operation of the clutch pedal and transmission gear position, enabling or disabling engine restarts based on detected states to ensure restarts align with the driver's intentions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the engine restart system detects clutch pedal depression or release as engine restart conditions, then the engine can be restarted automatically to improve fuel efficiency, but the engine may restart unintentionally when the driver performs operations not intended to restart the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors clutch pedal position and transmission gear position to determine driver intent. By using feedback from multiple sensors (clutch pedal position sensor and gear position sensor), the system accurately distinguishes between intentional restart requests and unintentional clutch operations, preventing false restarts while maintaining fuel efficiency benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that processes information from multiple sources (clutch pedal position, gear position, engine stop conditions) before triggering engine restart. This intermediary processing layer filters out unintentional restart requests by cross-referencing multiple parameters, ensuring restart accuracy while preserving fuel-saving functionality
2Ease of operation
If the engine restarts automatically based on simple clutch pedal detection, then the system complexity is low and ease of operation is high, but unexpected engine stalling occurs causing discomfort to occupants
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses continuous feedback from gear position sensors to verify that the transmission is in an appropriate gear state before allowing engine restart. This feedback mechanism prevents restarts during gear shifts or neutral operations, eliminating unexpected stalling and occupant discomfort while preserving automatic restart convenience
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary checks of gear position and clutch pedal position before initiating engine restart. By verifying these conditions in advance, the system ensures that restarts only occur when the driver genuinely intends to move the vehicle, preventing uncomfortable unexpected stalling while maintaining ease of operation
Data Source
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AI summary
A system is installed in a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, a transmission, and a clutch. The system restarts, according to at least one engine restart condition is met, the internal combustion engine that has been automatically controlled for stop thereof. The system includes a restart-condition determiner configured to determine that, as the at least one engine restart condition, an operation of the clutch is started by a driver of the vehicle for shifting the second state to the first state. The system includes a state detector configured to detect an operated state of the clutch during the clutch is shifted from a disengagement state to an engagement state. The system includes a restart controller configured to determine whether to enable or disable the restart of the internal combustion engine according to the operated state of the clutch detected by the state detector.