Throttle Controller Dynamics for Vehicle Responsiveness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern vehicle control systems using engine control units (ECUs) face challenges in providing a sporty feel during increasing throttle positions while minimizing the associated loss of responsiveness during decreasing throttle positions.
Innovation Solution
A controller that adjusts the power source output based on both the current throttle status and its direction of change, employing different relationships for increasing and decreasing throttle positions to manage torque demand effectively, ensuring a consistent driving experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a non-linear relationship between throttle position and torque demand is used to provide a sporty feel during acceleration, then the vehicle feels more responsive at lower throttle positions, but the vehicle feels less responsive during deceleration at high throttle positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the throttle characteristic curve changeable based on driving conditions. The control unit dynamically adjusts the relationship between throttle position and torque demand, switching between different characteristic curves (e.g., sporty vs. comfortable) depending on vehicle speed, engine load, and other parameters. This allows the system to optimize responsiveness for acceleration while maintaining appropriate feedback during deceleration, resolving the contradiction between sporty feel and control feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of the throttle characteristic curve (the relationship between throttle position and torque demand) based on operating conditions. By storing multiple characteristic curves with different gradients and selecting the appropriate curve based on vehicle state, the system can provide a sporty feel during acceleration (steeper gradient at low positions) while maintaining responsiveness during deceleration (adjusted gradient at high positions), thus resolving the contradiction.
2Device complexity
If a fixed relationship between throttle position and torque demand is established, then the control strategy is simple to implement, but the vehicle cannot provide both sporty feel during acceleration and responsiveness during deceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the throttle characteristic into multiple distinct curves, each optimized for specific driving conditions. Instead of using a single fixed relationship, the control strategy divides the operating range into different segments (acceleration, deceleration, low speed, high speed) and applies appropriate characteristic curves to each segment. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplicity within each segment while achieving versatility across all operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The control strategy transitions from static (fixed relationship) to dynamic (changeable relationship) by implementing logic that selects different characteristic curves based on real-time vehicle parameters. The control unit dynamically determines which characteristic curve to apply based on conditions such as vehicle speed, engine load, and throttle position, thereby achieving adaptability without excessive complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A controller for controlling a power source in response to a throttle input, the throttle input representing the status of a throttle control in a range from a minimum state to a maximum state, the controller being configured to control the power source in dependence on both the current status of the throttle control and the current direction of change of that status between the maximum state and the minimum state.