Linear Drive Mode Control for Tunable Vehicle Powertrain Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle drive modes offer limited user customization and flexibility, as they are restricted to a few preconfigured settings, which do not adequately address the diverse performance and efficiency needs of vehicles, especially hybrid vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A driver-tunable linear drive mode control system that uses an input device to receive a user-selected linear performance index value, allowing the system to linearly interpolate between predetermined powertrain settings to achieve target settings for the vehicle's powertrain, including accelerator pedal and transmission shift mappings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional preconfigured drive modes are used, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but user customization and flexibility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic drive mode system where the controller continuously adjusts powertrain parameters based on a linear performance index value received from the user. Instead of fixed preconfigured modes, the system dynamically interpolates between minimum and maximum performance settings to generate target powertrain settings, enabling continuous customization without requiring extensive preconfiguration for every possible setting.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes key powertrain parameters (accelerator pedal mapping, transmission shift mapping) as continuous variables based on the linear performance index. By interpolating between minimum and maximum values of these parameters, the system achieves fine-grained customization while maintaining a simple control architecture that only stores endpoint configurations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If continuous customization is enabled through linear interpolation, then user flexibility is improved, but computational requirements and control complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs only the minimum necessary computation for interpolation - calculating intermediate values between two stored endpoints based on a single user input parameter. This partial action approach avoids the excessive complexity of storing and processing multiple detailed configurations, achieving continuous customization with minimal computational overhead.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple preconfigured settings are stored for different performance levels, then customization options increase, but memory requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential endpoint configurations (minimum and maximum performance settings) from the full range of possible drive modes. By storing only these two extreme configurations and using linear interpolation to generate intermediate settings, the system eliminates the need to store extensive configuration data for every possible performance level, reducing memory requirements while maintaining full customization capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A drive mode control system for a vehicle includes an input device configured to receive an input from a user of the vehicle, the input being indicative of a selected linear performance index value from a linear range of performance index values between minimum and maximum performance index values and a control system configured to receive the selected linear performance index value, access predetermined powertrain settings corresponding to the minimum and maximum performance index values, linearly interpolate between the predetermined powertrain settings corresponding to the minimum and maximum performance index values based on the selected linear performance index value to obtain target powertrain settings, and control a powertrain of the vehicle based on the target powertrain settings.