Hydrostatic Vehicle Engine Control for Fuel Economy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydrostatically driven vehicles often waste a significant amount of power generated by their engines due to inefficient power management, leading to reduced fuel economy, as the power output is constant while power consumption varies with operator commands and environmental conditions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an engine control system that monitors various user inputs and operates in an economy mode, adjusting engine speed to match power demands, including fixed and variable speed settings, and automatically switching to low idle or high mode based on user input conditions to optimize power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the engine operates at constant speed and constant power output, then the engine can maintain stable operation, but power is wasted when actual power demand is lower, reducing fuel economy
Solution Approach 1:
The engine control system dynamically adjusts engine speed based on actual power demand rather than maintaining constant speed. The controller continuously monitors hydraulic system power consumption and modulates engine speed accordingly, allowing the engine to operate at optimal speed for current conditions rather than running at fixed high speed, thereby reducing power waste while maintaining stable operation through active control
Solution Approach 2:
The control system uses feedback from sensors monitoring hydraulic system power consumption to continuously adjust engine operation. The controller receives information about actual power demand from the hydraulic systems and uses this feedback to modulate engine speed, creating a closed-loop control system that eliminates power waste by matching engine output to actual demand while maintaining stable operation through continuous adjustment
2Use of energy by moving object
If the engine operates at constant high speed to meet peak power demands, then adequate power is always available, but fuel consumption increases during low power demand periods
Solution Approach 1:
The engine control system dynamically adjusts engine speed based on real-time power demand conditions. During low power demand periods, the engine operates at lower speeds to improve fuel economy, while during peak demand periods, the engine automatically increases speed to provide adequate power. This dynamic adjustment eliminates the need to run at constant high speed, reducing fuel consumption while maintaining power availability when needed
Solution Approach 2:
The control system changes the engine operating parameter (speed) based on power demand conditions. By monitoring hydraulic system power consumption and adjusting engine speed accordingly, the system optimizes fuel economy during low demand while ensuring adequate power availability during high demand periods, effectively using parameter changes to resolve the contradiction between fuel efficiency and power availability
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for controlling operation of an engine in a hydrostatically driven vehicle having high and economy modes may include monitoring one or more control inputs. When in the economy mode the engine may be operated: at a fixed propel neutral speed when a propel control input is in a neutral position; at a fixed propel drive speed when the propel control input is in a drive position and a propel pump displacement signal is less than a maximum displacement position of a propel pump; and at a variable drive speed when the propel control input is in the drive position and the propel pump displacement signal indicates a maximum displacement position. The economy mode conserves fuel while ensuring that sufficient engine power is maintained to operate the propel and any implement pumps provided on the vehicle.