Engine Spark Adjustment Using Remote Environmental Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle engine systems face challenges in accurately adjusting spark conditions due to humidity and other environmental factors, as in-vehicle sensors can be costly and may not provide reliable measurements for optimizing engine performance.
Innovation Solution
A system that utilizes a vehicle computer to collect both in-vehicle and remote data, generating derived data to make adjustments for optimizing engine spark conditions, thereby reducing the need for costly in-vehicle sensors and improving accuracy by combining data from various sources such as remote servers and vehicle-to-vehicle communications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If in-vehicle sensors are used to measure humidity and environmental factors, then measurement capability is provided, but cost and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces remote servers and wireless communication networks as intermediaries to obtain environmental data. Instead of using expensive in-vehicle humidity sensors, the system uses remote servers that aggregate environmental data from multiple sources including weather services and other vehicles, providing the needed measurement capability without requiring physical sensors in each vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy of the environmental measurement function by obtaining data from remote sources rather than using physical sensors. Remote servers collect and store environmental data that is then transmitted to vehicles, effectively copying the measurement capability from a centralized source to multiple vehicles without duplicating expensive sensor hardware.
2Measurement precision
If in-vehicle sensors are used to measure environmental factors, then real-time data is available, but measurement accuracy is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges data from multiple sources including remote servers, weather services, and multiple vehicles through wireless networks. By combining environmental data from these diverse sources, the system achieves higher measurement accuracy and reliability than any single in-vehicle sensor could provide alone, while maintaining real-time data availability for engine control adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
External data from a second computer external to a vehicle is received in an in-vehicle computer comprising a processor and a memory. At least one derived datum is generated from at least some of the external data. The at least one derived datum is used to make an adjustment to engine performance.