Hybrid Vehicle Engine Start Control in Emission Regulation Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers may inadvertently start their vehicle's engine within emission gas regulation areas, leading to penalties due to decreased State of Charge (SOC), and existing systems do not effectively prevent such accidental starts.
Innovation Solution
An engine starter system that switches between two distinct starting operations based on the vehicle's location within emission gas regulation areas, preventing engine start-ups when the incorrect operation is performed outside such areas, and notifying the driver of the switch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single starting operation is provided for both inside and outside emission gas regulation areas, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to accidental engine starts inside regulated areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different starting operations for different locations: a first starting operation (e.g., single button press) for outside emission gas regulation areas and a second starting operation (e.g., double button press or different gesture) for inside emission gas regulation areas. This location-specific operation differentiation prevents accidental engine starts inside regulated areas while maintaining ease of operation outside them.
2Reliability
If the starting operation is switched automatically when entering emission gas regulation areas, then the reliability is improved by preventing accidental starts, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the starting operation switching unit with the existing engine control system and GPS/location detection capabilities already present in modern vehicles. By integrating these functions into a unified control unit, the system achieves automatic location-based starting operation switching without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting the vehicle's location through integrated GPS and map data, determining whether the vehicle is inside or outside emission gas regulation areas, and automatically switching the appropriate starting operation without requiring manual driver intervention or complex additional hardware.
3Loss of information
If notification is provided to the driver when switching starting operations, then the loss of information is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The notification unit leverages existing multi-functional components in the vehicle such as the display screen, audio system, and notification lights that serve multiple purposes. By reusing these existing components for emission area notifications, the system reduces information loss without significantly increasing device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
An engine starter (21, 26) is an engine starter (21,26) of a vehicle (20) capable of switching between EV traveling and HV traveling and includes an engine starting unit (211) that starts an engine based on a starting operation by a driver of the vehicle (20) during the EV traveling, and a starting operation switching unit (212) that switches the starting operation to a first starting operation while the vehicle (20) is traveling in an outside area of a preset emission gas regulation area and switches the starting operation to a second starting operation different from the first starting operation while the vehicle (20) is traveling in an inside area of the emission gas regulation area, in which while the vehicle (20) is performing the EV traveling in the inside area the emission gas regulation area, the engine starting unit (211) does not start the engine when the first starting operation is performed by the driver and starts the engine when the second starting operation is performed by the driver.