Vehicle Control Device Adaptive Engine Startup Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle engine startup systems, such as those described in WO 2012/008048, do not adequately consider quick engine startup demands, leading to unnecessary delays in motor operation timing, which can impair gear durability and fail to meet user demands for rapid drive-off performance.
Innovation Solution
A control device and method that adjust the engine startup timing based on the vehicle's state and user demands, allowing the predefined time until motor operation to be shorter when the engine rotational speed is lower, thereby ensuring timely engagement and reducing unnecessary wait times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a constant predefined time is set for motor operation after actuator initiation, then gear meshing reliability is improved, but drive-off performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the predefined time variable rather than constant. The control device adjusts the predefined time based on the rotational speed of the crankshaft, allowing the system to adapt between reliability-focused timing (higher speeds) and performance-focused timing (lower speeds), thereby resolving the contradiction between gear meshing reliability and drive-off speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of predefined time based on crankshaft rotational speed. When the rotational speed is below a threshold, a shorter predefined time is used to improve drive-off performance. When the rotational speed is above the threshold, a longer predefined time is used to ensure reliable gear meshing, thus dynamically adjusting parameters to resolve the contradiction.
2Strength
If a longer predefined time is used to ensure reliable gear meshing, then gear durability is improved, but engine startup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the predefined time parameter based on crankshaft rotational speed conditions. By setting different time values according to the speed threshold, the system achieves optimal balance between gear durability and startup time, avoiding unnecessary time loss when quick startup is possible.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the predefined time based on real-time crankshaft rotational speed, making the engine startup process adaptive. This dynamic adjustment ensures gear durability is maintained when necessary while minimizing startup time when conditions allow, resolving the contradiction between strength and time loss.
3Speed
If a shorter predefined time is used for quick engine startup, then drive-off performance is improved, but gear meshing reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements parameter changes by adjusting the predefined time based on crankshaft rotational speed. When speed is high, longer time ensures reliability; when speed is low, shorter time improves startup performance. This conditional parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between speed and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic adjustment of the predefined time parameter based on real-time speed conditions. This allows the system to achieve quick startup when mechanically safe (high speed) while maintaining reliability when speed is low, effectively resolving the contradiction through dynamic adaptability.
4Device complexity
If a fixed constant time is set for motor operation, then control simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to different driving conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by making the predefined time variable based on crankshaft rotational speed thresholds. This adds adaptability to different driving conditions while maintaining relatively simple control logic through threshold-based decision making, resolving the contradiction between complexity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces dynamic adaptability through speed-based time adjustment while keeping the control structure relatively simple. The control device monitors crankshaft speed and selects appropriate time values based on threshold comparisons, achieving versatility without excessive complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control device of a vehicle includes: a first gear connected to a crankshaft of an engine; a second gear capable of engaging the first gear; an actuator configure to move the second gear up to a position where the second gear engages the first gear; a motor configured to cause the second gear to rotate; and a controller configured to, when the engine is cranked by driving of the motor in response to elapsing of a predefined period after the actuator is actuated in response to a startup request signal of the engine, adjust a length of the predefined period on the basis of an operating state of a driver and a state of the vehicle at the time of reception of the startup request signal.