Engine Stop Opportunity Detection for Missed Stop Diagnosis
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional diagnostic systems for internal combustion engines struggle to accurately diagnose missed engine stops in hybrid and non-hybrid vehicles, leading to difficulties in identifying system faults and impacting fuel efficiency and vehicle serviceability.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves detecting engine stop opportunities and inhibits, determining the reasons for missed engine stops, and incrementing corresponding counts in memory, while categorizing causes such as hybrid, after-treatment, engine, and operator-related issues, using a controller with interfaces and logic to monitor and record engine stop events and inhibits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional diagnostic systems are used for engine stop/start systems, then the system structure remains simple, but the ability to diagnose missed engine stops and system faults is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds multiple levels of diagnostic functionality within the engine control module. The ESO determiner, ESI determiner, and missed engine stop detector are nested within the same control system, with each component building upon the previous one. This nested structure enables comprehensive diagnostic capability while maintaining a unified control architecture, resolving the contradiction between diagnostic accuracy and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of engine stop opportunities and inhibits before actual engine operation occurs. By pre-identifying ESOs and ESIs and storing them in memory, the system prepares diagnostic data in advance, enabling accurate post-event analysis without requiring complex real-time monitoring systems.
2Loss of energy
If engine stop/start system is implemented to improve fuel efficiency, then fuel consumption decreases, but the complexity of diagnosing system faults increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the controller continuously monitors engine operation, compares actual engine stops against detected ESOs, and identifies missed stops. The system provides feedback through stored diagnostic data in memory, enabling service personnel to easily identify and correct faults. This feedback loop simplifies fault detection while maintaining the fuel efficiency benefits of the stop/start system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces memory as an intermediary component that stores ESO, ESI, and missed engine stop data. This intermediary layer bridges the gap between complex engine operations and simple diagnostic readout, making fault detection easier without compromising the stop/start system's fuel-saving functionality.
3Reliability
If comprehensive tracking of engine stop events is implemented, then diagnostic capability improves, but memory requirements and data processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential diagnostic data elements (ESO detection, ESI detection, and missed engine stop identification) from the overall engine operation data. By focusing on these specific parameters and storing them in memory, the system achieves reliable diagnostics without requiring storage of all possible engine parameters, thus managing data volume efficiently.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a method in a vehicle, comprising detecting an engine stop opportunity and recording, in a memory, data corresponding to a first engine stop that occurred in response to detection of the engine stop opportunity. The method further includes detecting an engine stop inhibit, and recording, in a memory, data corresponding to a first missed engine stop wherein the first missed engine stop indicates detection of the engine stop opportunity without an engine stop in response to the detection of the engine stop opportunity.