Predictive tachometer profile generation during idle revving events

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10174693-B2
Application number	US-201615234723-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2016
Priority date	Aug 11, 2016
Publication date	Jan 8, 2019
Grant date	Jan 8, 2019

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for generating a predictive tachometer profile at a tachometer of a vehicle. An engine speed offset can be generated based on an engine acceleration and an accelerator pedal position rate. A predictive tachometer profile displayed at the tachometer can then be generated based on the engine speed offset and an actual engine speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating a tachometer profile at a tachometer of a vehicle, the method comprising:
generating an engine speed offset based on an engine acceleration and an accelerator pedal position rate;
generating a predictive tachometer profile based on the engine speed offset and an actual engine speed;
displaying the predictive tachometer profile at the tachometer;
generating, when an idle revving event is not occurring, a blended tachometer profile that progresses toward the actual engine speed as a software loop progresses, wherein generating the blended tachometer profile, comprises: summing a blended engine speed and a blended artificial engine speed to generate the blended tachometer profile that dynamically shapes over multiple software loops until the blended tachometer profile equates to the actual engine speed at the end of the blending process, wherein a first blending progression coefficient is set to one hundred percent during a first software loop and is reduced by a blend factor each time the software loop executes such that the blended tachometer profile has more emphasis on the actual engine speed compared to the blended tachometer profile during a previous software loop; and
displaying the blended tachometer profile at the tachometer.

2. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
computing, based on an accelerator pedal position input from an accelerator pedal position sensor, the accelerator pedal position rate,
wherein the predictive tachometer profile displayed at the tachometer accounts for delays in a signal path between an engine speed sensor and the tachometer.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein generating the engine speed offset based on the engine acceleration and the accelerator pedal position rate comprises:
determining whether an idle revving event is occurring; and
when it is determined that the idle revving event is occurring, generating the engine speed offset based on the engine acceleration and the accelerator pedal position rate.

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the idle revving event is occurring when the vehicle is stationary and an accelerator pedal of the vehicle is being depressed to cause an engine speed of the vehicle to increase.

5. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the idle revving event is occurring when a determination is made that: a sensor has not failed; the vehicle is in park or neutral; and the vehicle is not moving.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein generating an engine speed offset based on an engine acceleration and an accelerator pedal position rate, comprises:
performing a lookup in a lookup table for the engine speed offset based on inputs comprising: the engine acceleration and the accelerator pedal position rate, wherein the lookup table includes a first grid vector of data points for the accelerator pedal position rate, a second grid vector of data points for the current engine acceleration, and an array of engine speed offset values that are outputs of the lookup table.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein generating a predictive tachometer profile based on the engine speed offset and an actual engine speed comprises:
summing the engine speed offset and the actual engine speed to generate the predictive tachometer profile.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the idle revving event is not occurring when a determination is made that:
a sensor has failed;
the vehicle is not in park or neutral; or
the vehicle is moving.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the blended artificial engine speed is equal to a product of a first blending progression coefficient and the predictive tachometer profile, and wherein the blended engine speed is equal to a product of a second blending progression coefficient and engine speed, and
wherein the current value of the first blending progression coefficient is equal to a previous value of the first blending progression coefficient minus a blend factor that is used to decrement the previous value of the first blending progression coefficient by a fixed amount during each software loop.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the second blending progression coefficient is equal to one minus a current value of the first blending progression coefficient such that a sum of the first blending progression coefficient and the second blending progression coefficient is equal to one.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the blend factor has a value between zero and one, and determines how quickly the blended tachometer profile will blend to the actual engine speed, wherein the blended tachometer profile will blend to actual engine speed in a time equal to a rate of the software loop divided by the blend factor.

12. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a value of the blended tachometer profile is updated each software loop until blending is determined to be complete, wherein blending is determined to be complete when either: a difference between the value of the blended tachometer profile and the actual engine speed is determined to be less than a calibratable threshold value, or the value of the first blending progression coefficient is determined to be less than or equal to zero.

13. A vehicle, comprising:
an accelerator pedal;
a processor configured to:
execute a predictive tachometer module, wherein the predictive tachometer module is configured to generate a predictive tachometer profile based on an engine speed offset and an actual engine speed, wherein the engine speed offset is determined based on an engine acceleration and an accelerator pedal position rate;
generate, when an idle revving event is not occurring, a blended tachometer profile that progresses toward the actual engine speed as a software loop progresses by summing a blended engine speed and a blended artificial engine speed to generate the blended tachometer profile that dynamically shapes over multiple software loops until the blended tachometer profile equates to the actual engine speed at the end of the blending process, wherein a first blending progression coefficient is set to one hundred percent during a first software loop and is reduced by a blend factor each time the software loop executes such that the blended tachometer profile has more emphasis on the actual engine speed compared to the blended tachometer profile during a previous software loop; and

a tachometer configured to display the predictive tachometer profile and to display the blended tachometer profile when the idle revving event is not occurring.

14. A predictive tachometer module, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that is configured to store computer-executable instructions that are capable of execution by the processor, and that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
determine an engine speed offset based on an engine acceleration and an accelerator pedal position rate; and
generate a predictive tachometer profile based on an engine speed offset and an actual engine speed; and
generate, when an idle revving event is not occurring, a blended tachometer profile that progresses toward the actual engine speed as a software loop progresses by summing a blended engine speed and a blended artificial engine speed to generate the blended tachometer profile that dynamically shapes over multiple software loops until the blended tachometer profile equates to the actual engine speed at the end of the blending process, wherein a first blending progression coefficient is set to one hundred percent during a first software loop and is reduced by a blend factor each time the software loo

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Chang Richard I
• Whitton Matthew D

Classifications

• G01P3/465

  by using dynamo-electro tachometers or electric generator · CPC title

• F02D2041/1412

  using a predictive controller · CPC title

• G01P3/00 Primary

  Measuring linear or angular speed; Measuring differences of linear or angular speeds (G01P5/00 - G01P11/00 take precedence; {direction and speed indication G01P13/045}; counting mechanisms G06M) · CPC title

• F02D41/0097 Primary

  using means for generating speed signals · CPC title

• G07C5/0816

  Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction · CPC title