Vehicle Speed Display Smoothing for Pulse-and-Glide Driving

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle speed display technologies during pulse and glide driving cause fluctuations and incongruity for sensitive drivers due to fixed speed displays that do not align with actual vehicle speed changes.

Innovation Solution

A display controller adjusts displayed vehicle speed to increase during acceleration and decrease during coasting within a narrower range than the actual speed range, with wider ranges during non-gazing conditions, and a sound controller generates artificial acceleration sounds during coasting to minimize perceptible speed changes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If display of vehicle speed is fixed during pulse and glide driving, then fluctuations in display are reduced, but driver sense of incongruity increases due to difference between displayed and actual speed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay stabilityVSAvoiddriver sense of incongruity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The display controller dynamically adjusts the displayed vehicle speed based on the actual vehicle speed during pulse and glide driving. Instead of fixing the display, the system makes the displayed speed variable within a controlled range, updating it according to actual speed changes while applying smoothing to reduce fluctuations. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by maintaining both display stability and driver congruity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Stability of the object's composition

If displayed speed range is narrowed to reduce fluctuations, then display stability improves, but information accuracy decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay stabilityVSAvoidspeed information accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameter of displayed speed by applying a smoothing process that calculates the displayed speed based on actual speed and the difference between current and previous displayed speeds. This parameter transformation allows the display to remain stable while still reflecting actual speed changes accurately, resolving the contradiction between stability and information accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If artificial acceleration sound is output during coasting, then driver perception of speed change is masked, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedriver perception of speed fluctuationVSAvoidelectricity consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The sound controller outputs artificial acceleration sounds periodically during coasting phases of pulse and glide driving, specifically when the display shows speed changes that may cause driver incongruity. This periodic sound output masks the perception of speed fluctuations without requiring continuous sound generation, thereby reducing energy consumption while still achieving the goal of masking speed change perception.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS20250249745A1Display controller, method, and computer program for controlling display, and sound controller

Publication Date: 2025.08.07 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK

AI summary

A display controller includes a processor configured to cause a display device to display vehicle speed so that the displayed vehicle speed increases during accelerating of a vehicle and decreases during coasting of the vehicle within a displayed speed range that is included in and narrower than a predetermined actual speed range while the vehicle is under pulse and glide driving control to repeat accelerating and coasting within the actual speed range.