Urea solution after-treatment system, and method and controller for warning of urea solution state using touch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9376122-B2
Application number	US-201414477690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2014
Priority date	May 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A urea solution after-treatment system may include a controller which receives urea solution detection information of a urea solution storage tank ( 20 ) storing a urea solution supplied to an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) ( 10 ) for removal of NOx, the controller classifying the urea solution detection information into urea solution state information and then classifying the classified urea solution state information into output signals corresponding thereto, the controller outputting the classified output signals as pattern signals of urea solution shortage, urea solution exhaustion, and urea solution failure, and an accelerator pedal ( 40 ) which generates touch recognition patterns varying according to the pattern signals when the pattern signals are input, and transfers the touch recognition patterns using a touch felt by a driver's foot.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A urea solution after-treatment system comprising:
a controller which receives urea solution detection information of a urea solution storage tank storing a urea solution supplied to an SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) for removal of NOx, the controller classifying the urea solution detection information into urea solution state information and then classifying the classified urea solution state information into output signals corresponding thereto, the controller outputting the classified output signals as pattern signals of urea solution shortage, urea solution exhaustion, and urea solution failure; and
an accelerator pedal which generates touch recognition patterns varying according to the pattern signals when the pattern signals are input, and transfers the touch recognition patterns using a touch felt by a driver's foot,
wherein the touch recognition patterns are classified into a urea solution shortage mode, a urea solution warning mode, and a urea solution reinjection mode, the urea solution shortage mode and the urea solution warning mode correspond to the urea solution shortage to transfer the touch as a change in vibration intensity, and the urea solution reinjection mode corresponds to the urea solution exhaustion and the urea solution failure to transfer the touch as a change in pedal effort size.

2. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the urea solution detection information is configured of the urea solution shortage, the urea solution exhaustion, and the urea solution failure, and the urea solution detection information is detected by a urea solution sensor.

3. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the vibration intensity is distinguished by further increasing a vibration width of the urea solution warning mode than that of the urea solution shortage mode.

4. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the pedal effort size is larger than that provided by a return spring of the accelerator pedal for the driver.

5. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the urea solution is injected into an exhaust pipe in the front of the SCR by a urea solution injector, and the urea solution injector is connected such that the urea solution is supplied from the urea solution storage tank.

6. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the pattern signals output from the controller are input to a warning portion, and the warning portion visually or acoustically informs the driver of the urea solution shortage, the urea solution exhaustion, and the urea solution failure.

7. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 6 , wherein the warning portion is provided in a cluster constituted in a vehicle's driver seat.

8. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is a pedal controller for controlling the accelerator pedal.

9. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 1 , wherein the accelerator pedal comprises a pedal operation portion which generates the touch recognition patterns by the pattern signals output from the controller, and a pedal portion which is operated for vehicle acceleration and transfers the touch recognition patterns using the touch felt by the driver's foot.

10. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 9 , wherein the pedal portion comprises a pedal pad which is pressed by the driver's foot, and transfers different vibration intensities according to the touch recognition patterns generated by the pedal operation portion using the foot or transfers pedal efforts larger than the pedal effort size of a return spring using the foot.

11. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 9 , wherein the pedal operation portion comprises an eco motor that generates the touch recognition patterns by linear reciprocating movement of a motor rod interacting with a voice coil to which a current is supplied according to the pattern signals output from the controller.

12. The urea solution after-treatment system of claim 11 , wherein the current of the eco motor is controlled by a motor controller, and the pattern signals output from the controller are input to the motor controller.

13. A controller for warning of a urea solution state using a touch, wherein:
a remaining amount reference of a urea solution is set by indicating a remaining amount of a urea solution analyzed by urea solution detection information detected from a urea solution sensor of a urea solution storage tank as a percentage;
when the remaining amount reference of the urea solution is less than a set value of the remaining amount of the urea solution, a first touch recognition pattern corresponding to the remaining amount reference of the urea solution and a second touch recognition pattern corresponding to a urea solution reinjection reference are individually generated; and
a vibration width of vibration transferred to a driver pressing a pedal pad is varied by controlling current supply to an eco motor provided in an accelerator pedal using an output signal according to the first touch recognition pattern, but pedal effort transferred to the driver pressing the pedal pad is further increased than a pedal effort size of a return spring by controlling current supply to the eco motor using an output signal according to the second touch recognition pattern.

14. The controller of claim 13 , wherein the controller is a pedal controller for controlling the accelerator pedal.

15. The controller of claim 13 , wherein the accelerator pedal is any one of a pendant type eco organ accelerator pedal, an adjustable eco organ accelerator pedal, and a box type organ accelerator pedal, realizing an eco mode through which the driver feels pedal effort different from that provided by the return spring.

16. A method for warning of a urea solution state using a touch, comprising:
performing urea solution check of analyzing urea solution detection information of a urea solution storage tank as a remaining amount of a urea solution in a pedal controller, and of setting a remaining amount reference of the urea solution by indicating the remaining amount of the urea solution as a percentage;
performing urea solution monitoring of not generating an output signal transferred to an accelerator pedal by the pedal controller when the remaining amount reference of the urea solution is greater than a set value of the remaining amount of the urea solution;
performing urea solution warning of, when the remaining amount reference of the urea solution is less than the set value of the remaining amount of the urea solution, individually generating a first touch recognition pattern corresponding to the remaining amount reference of the urea solution and a second touch recognition pattern corresponding to a urea solution reinjection reference by the pedal controller, and then of generating an output signal transferred to the accelerator pedal; and
performing a driver's recognition in which the driver recognizes a urea solution shortage state by transferring vibration generated by the accelerator pedal to the driver's foot through the first touch recognition pattern, and the driver recognizes a urea solution reinjection state by transferring pedal effort generated by the accelerator pedal to the driver's foot through the second touch recognition pattern.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein at the performing of the urea solution check, the remaining amount reference of the urea solution is a remaining amount of the urea solution <5%, and the urea solution detection

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ham Chang-Ho
• Kim Eun-Sik

Classifications

• F01N2550/05

  Systems for adding substances into exhaust · CPC title

• B60R16/0232

  for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions · CPC title

• F01N2900/18

  said parameters being related to the system for adding a substance into the exhaust · CPC title

• B60W50/16 Primary

  Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal · CPC title

• F01N2610/02

  the substance being ammonia or urea · CPC title