Vehicle Engine Start-Stop Control Logic for Gear Position
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current start-stop systems in vehicles automatically restart the engine when the gear lever is shifted out of the 'DRIVE' position, which may not align with the driver's intention, particularly when moving to 'PARK' or 'REVERSE', leading to undesirable engine restarts.
Innovation Solution
A control system that uses a controller to automatically restart the engine under specific conditions, such as shifting to 'NEUTRAL' or pressing the brake pedal when exiting 'DRIVE', while suppressing restarts when shifting to 'PARK', ensuring the engine remains off unless necessary, and providing alerts or deactivating the system if the brake pedal is not pressed in time when shifting to 'REVERSE'.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the engine is automatically restarted when the gear lever is shifted out of DRIVE, then the system maintains simple restart logic, but the engine restarts even when the driver intends to park or turn off the vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the gear lever positions into different categories: PARK position triggers engine restart suppression, while other positions (REVERSE, NEUTRAL, DRIVE) allow engine restart. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by creating position-specific restart behavior that aligns with driver intentions while maintaining simple control logic through clear positional classification.
2Loss of energy
If the engine remains autostopped when shifting to PARK, then fuel economy is improved, but the driver may experience delayed engine availability when needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts engine restart behavior based on the final gear lever position. When PARK is detected as the final position, the system maintains autostop to maximize fuel economy. When other positions are detected, the system enables restart to ensure engine availability. This dynamic response resolves the contradiction by making restart behavior adaptive to driver intentions.
3Ease of operation
If the system provides multiple conditions for engine restart, then driver intention accuracy improves, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller integrates multiple functions into a single component: it monitors gear lever position, determines final position after driver input, suppresses restart when PARK is detected, and enables restart for other positions. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by consolidating complex control logic into a universal controller that handles all restart decision-making based on a single primary input signal.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for controlling a start-stop system for an engine in a vehicle includes automatically stopping the engine with a transmission gear lever of the vehicle in DRIVE. The engine is automatically restarted when the vehicle is shifted out of DRIVE and at least one condition is met. The at least one condition includes a final position of the gear lever. Automatic restarting of the engine is suppressed when the vehicle is shifted out of DRIVE and at least one other condition is met; the at least one other condition also including a final position of the gear lever.