Moving Vehicle Engine Restart Control for Wheel Slip Abort

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing engine restart systems for vehicles, particularly heavy-duty vehicles, face challenges in maintaining vehicle stability during engine restart attempts while the vehicle is moving, especially on slippery roads where excessive wheel slip can occur.

Innovation Solution

A computer system that controls the engine restart attempt by obtaining real-time data on rotational speed levels of powertrain shafts and wheels, controlling a controllable clutch to change torque transfer between the engine and wheels, and determining whether to abort the restart attempt based on speed decrease and time period thresholds to prevent excessive wheel slip and maintain stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If the engine is restarted while the vehicle is moving using clutch control, then fuel efficiency is improved, but vehicle stability deteriorates due to excessive wheel slip on slippery roads

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefuel efficiencyVSAvoidvehicle stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The control system performs preliminary detection of wheel slip conditions before initiating engine restart. By monitoring rotational speed levels of wheels and powertrain shafts in advance, the system predicts potential excessive wheel slip and aborts the restart attempt beforehand, preventing stability deterioration while allowing fuel-efficient restarts under safe conditions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors rotational speed data from wheels and powertrain shafts during engine restart attempts. This real-time feedback allows the control system to detect speed decreases indicating wheel slip, compare them against thresholds, and dynamically adjust the restart operation to maintain vehicle stability while achieving fuel efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If the controllable clutch is used to restart the engine while moving, then the restart operation is simplified, but excessive wheel slip occurs leading to vehicle instability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverestart operationVSAvoidvehicle stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The control system acts as an intermediary between the clutch control and wheel slip prevention. It monitors rotational speed data as an intermediate parameter, uses this information to predict wheel slip conditions, and mediates the clutch operation by aborting restart attempts when excessive wheel slip is predicted, thereby maintaining both operational simplicity and vehicle stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Stability of the object's composition

If the engine restart attempt is monitored in real-time with multiple threshold checks, then vehicle stability is maintained, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevehicle stabilityVSAvoidcontrol system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control system performs multiple functions using a unified monitoring approach. The same rotational speed sensors and processing circuitry used for basic engine restart control are also used for detecting wheel slip conditions, predicting stability issues, and making abort decisions. This multi-functional use of existing components maintains vehicle stability without significantly increasing system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4556704A1System and method of controlling a vehicle
Publication Date: 2025.05.21 VOLVO TRUCK CORP
  • EP4556704A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4556704A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4556704A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a computer system (100) for controlling an engine restart attempt of a vehicle (10), while the vehicle is moving, the computer system comprising processing circuitry (102) configured to: obtain data comprising real-time rotational speed level of any one of a powertrain shaft being mechanically connected to one or more wheels and the one or more wheels; control a controllable clutch (14) to a torque transfer position, allowing the controllable clutch to change a torque transfer between an engine and the one or more wheels; determine, from the received data, a speed decrease of the rotational speed level; determine a time period of the speed decrease extension; determine that the determined speed decrease exceeds a predetermined threshold level; determine that the determined time period of the speed decrease extension is within a predetermined threshold time period; and determine to abort the restart engine attempt.