Idle-Avoidance Engine Control for Battery-Ready Work Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy-duty work vehicles face inefficiencies in managing engine idling and maintaining work component readiness and catalyst activation during periods of inactivity, leading to fuel waste and delayed operations.
Innovation Solution
An idle-avoidance system using an electric machine, battery, and controller to manage engine operation, estimate power demand, and switch to battery power for work component energization, with additional features like an electric turbo and catalyst heater to maintain catalyst temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the engine operates continuously to keep work components energized during idle periods, then work component readiness is maintained, but fuel consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery is charged in advance during engine operation, storing energy that can be used to energize work components later during idle periods without requiring the engine to run continuously. This preliminary energy storage enables the engine to be shut down while maintaining work component readiness.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the engine is shut down during idle periods to reduce fuel consumption, then fuel efficiency improves, but work component energization is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
Energy is stored in the battery in advance during engine operation, enabling immediate energization of work components when needed without causing delays. This preliminary energy preparation eliminates the time penalty that would otherwise result from shutting down the engine during idle periods.
3Loss of energy
If the battery state of charge is monitored and engine operation is terminated when sufficient charge is available, then fuel waste is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller continuously monitors the battery state of charge and uses this feedback information to make real-time decisions about engine operation. When the battery charge reaches a sufficient level, the controller automatically terminates engine operation, preventing fuel waste without requiring complex manual intervention or oversight.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Reduces fuel consumption and exhaust emissions while ensuring immediate work component readiness and effective catalyst activation, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing delays.
Implementation Method 1
operate the electric machine in a power generation mode to charge the battery
Implementation Method 2
monitor a state of charge of the battery, terminate operation of the engine when the state of charge of the battery is sufficient to meet the estimated power demand
Data Source
AI summary
An idle-avoidance system for a work vehicle having an engine and one or more work components includes an electric machine coupled to and driven by the engine and a battery coupled to the engine, the electric machine, and the one or more work components. The idle-avoidance system further includes a controller having a processing and memory architecture. The controller is configured to execute instructions to determine whether the engine is in an idling state and in response estimate a power demand associated with energizing at least one of the one or more work components to an operational state, monitor a state of charge of the battery, terminate operation of the engine when the state of charge of the battery is sufficient to meet the estimated power demand, and activate ignition of the engine and operation of the electric machine in a power generation mode to charge the battery when the state of charge of the battery is not sufficient to meet the estimated power demand.