Moving Vehicle Engine Restart Control for Wheel Slip Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing engine start systems in vehicles, particularly heavy-duty vehicles, face challenges in maintaining stability during engine restarts while moving, especially on slippery roads, leading to excessive wheel slip and instability due to braking torque generated by the clutch.
Innovation Solution
A computer system that monitors real-time rotational speed levels of powertrain shafts and wheels, determines speed decreases, and aborts engine restart attempts if excessive wheel slip is predicted, using a controllable clutch to manage torque transfer between the engine and wheels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the clutch is used to restart the engine while the vehicle is moving, then fuel efficiency is improved, but vehicle stability deteriorates due to excessive wheel slip
Solution Approach 1:
The control system performs preliminary assessment of road conditions by monitoring wheel speed data before initiating engine restart. The system calculates speed decrease thresholds and determines whether the vehicle is on a slippery road, thereby predicting potential wheel slip before the clutch engagement occurs. This preliminary action allows the system to prevent engine restart attempts that would cause excessive wheel slip and compromise vehicle stability.
2Productivity
If the engine is restarted while the vehicle is moving on slippery roads, then operational continuity is improved, but wheel slip control deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control system continuously monitors wheel speed data from sensors and uses this feedback to assess road conditions in real-time. By calculating the rate of speed decrease and comparing it against predetermined thresholds, the system determines whether the vehicle is experiencing or at risk of excessive wheel slip. This feedback mechanism enables the control system to make informed decisions about whether to proceed with or abort engine restart attempts, thereby preventing harmful wheel slip while maintaining operational continuity when conditions permit.
3Device complexity
If the clutch-controlled engine restart is performed without speed monitoring, then system complexity is reduced, but stability control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control system utilizes existing wheel speed sensors and data processing capabilities already present in modern vehicles to monitor rotational speed levels during engine restart attempts. By leveraging these existing resources, the system achieves precise stability control without requiring additional specialized sensors or complex hardware. The control unit processes the wheel speed data to calculate speed decrease rates and compare them against thresholds, thereby achieving accurate wheel slip detection and stability control using the vehicle's own existing systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer system controls an engine restart attempt of a vehicle, while the vehicle is moving. The computer system has processing circuitry to obtain data comprising real-time rotational speed level of any one of a powertrain shaft being mechanically connected to one or more wheels and the one or more wheels; control a controllable clutch to a torque transfer position, allowing the controllable clutch to change a torque transfer between an engine and the one or more wheels; determine, from the received data, a speed decrease of the rotational speed level; determine a time period of the speed decrease extension; determine that the determined speed decrease exceeds a predetermined threshold level; determine that the determined time period of the speed decrease extension is within a predetermined threshold time period; and determine to abort the restart engine attempt.