Gear Shift Suggestion Using Engine Torque Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for suggesting gear changes in motor vehicles fail to maintain consistent wheel acceleration and velocity while optimizing fuel consumption and do not require specific vehicle calibration, often leading to inefficient fuel use and inappropriate engine rotation speeds.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a processor unit with sensor data from the engine and gear change unit to determine torque and rotation speed, employing threshold values from maps to suggest gear changes that maintain constant power delivery, thereby minimizing fuel consumption and avoiding extreme engine speeds, and includes an indicator to suggest gear shifts to the driver.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If gear change suggestion is based on air-intake throttle opening angle, then the system is simple to implement, but it cannot maintain consistent wheel acceleration and velocity while optimizing fuel consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the control parameter from air-intake throttle opening angle to engine torque, which is calculated from engine rotation speed and other parameters. This parameter change enables the system to maintain consistent wheel acceleration and velocity while optimizing fuel consumption, resolving the contradiction between implementation simplicity and fuel efficiency.
2Loss of energy
If gear change suggestion system is added, then fuel consumption can be optimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses existing engine parameters (rotation speed, torque) that are already available in the vehicle's control system to calculate and suggest optimal gear changes. By leveraging existing data and components, the patent minimizes additional device complexity while achieving fuel consumption optimization.
3Loss of energy
If gear changes are suggested frequently to optimize fuel consumption, then fuel efficiency improves, but engine rotation speeds may become too high or too low
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors engine rotation speed and torque, and uses this feedback to determine optimal gear change suggestions. By incorporating real-time engine state feedback, the patent ensures that gear changes are suggested only when they will improve fuel consumption without causing engine rotation speeds to become too high or too low, thus maintaining operational reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
The system (10) comprises first and second detector (12, 13) capable of providing electrical signals indicating the transmission ratio (τi) for the gear engaged by the gear change (5) and the engine (1) rotation speed (n) respectively, an indicator of the torque (T) provided by the engine (1), memory devices (14) in which a first and second table or map (M1, M2) respectively are stored and respectively provide corresponding threshold values (TU; TD) for the torque (T) delivered by the engine (1) above which and below which respectively the desirability of changing to the immediately higher transmission ratio (τi+1) and the immediately lower transmission ratio (τi-1) in relation to the transmission ratio (τi) currently engaged by the gear change (5) and the engine (1) rotation speed (n) should be indicated, and a processing unit (11) designed to activate a signal generator (15) to indicate the desirability of changing to the higher gear (τi+1) ratio or lower gear (τi-1) ratio respectively when the torque (T) delivered by the engine (1) is less than the threshold value (TU) provided by the first table or map (M1) and when the torque (T) provided by the engine (1) is higher than the threshold value (TD) provided by the second table or map (M2) respectively.