Vehicle Start Suppression Control for Towing-Aware Drive Force
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional erroneous start suppression devices for vehicles do not adequately account for the increased driving force and accelerator operation required when towing a towed vehicle, leading to unnecessary limitations in driving force during startup.
Innovation Solution
An electronic control unit that determines whether a vehicle is towing a towed vehicle and adjusts the predetermined determination conditions for accelerator operations, including changing reference openings and speeds, to prevent erroneous start suppression, and dynamically sets the upper limit value of driving force based on total weight and presence of obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conventional erroneous start suppression device uses fixed determination conditions (first reference opening and reference opening speed) to limit driving force, then erroneous starts can be suppressed when not towing, but the driving force is unnecessarily limited when towing a towed vehicle
Solution Approach 1:
The determination conditions are made dynamic by adjusting the first reference opening and reference opening speed based on whether the vehicle is towing a towed vehicle. When towing is detected, the reference opening is increased to a higher value, allowing larger accelerator operations to be recognized as intentional rather than erroneous, thus maintaining appropriate driving force availability while still preventing actual erroneous starts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter values of the determination conditions based on the towing state. Specifically, the first reference opening threshold is adjusted upward when towing is detected, which changes the criteria for what constitutes an erroneous operation. This parameter adaptation allows the system to accommodate the naturally larger accelerator operations required when towing without sacrificing erroneous start prevention capability
2Productivity
If the vehicle towing detection function is added to adjust determination conditions, then driving force limitation can be avoided when towing, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic control unit that already exists for controlling the drive device is made multi-functional by adding the towing detection capability and adaptive determination condition adjustment to its existing erroneous start suppression function. This allows a single control unit to handle both erroneous start prevention and towing accommodation without requiring separate dedicated systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses information already available to the electronic control unit (such as vehicle state data, accelerator operation patterns, and existing sensor inputs) to determine towing conditions and adjust determination thresholds. By leveraging existing data sources and processing capabilities, the system avoids requiring additional complex sensors or external systems for towing detection
Data Source
AI summary
An erroneous start suppression device equipped with an electronic control unit that controls a drive device that generates a driving force of a vehicle, and the electronic control unit determines whether or not an accelerator operation of a driver is an erroneous operation based on whether or not a predetermined determination condition is satisfied; limits a driving force generated by the drive device when the electronic control unit determines that the accelerator operation of the driver is an erroneous operation; determines whether or not the vehicle is towing a towed vehicle; and changes the predetermined determination condition so that it becomes difficult to determine that the predetermined determination condition is satisfied when it is determined that the vehicle is towing a towed vehicle.