GM's patent for smart start-stop system combines GPS/machine learning to decide if/when to activate

According to foreign media reports, if you own a car produced in the past five years or so, and it is equipped with an automatic transmission, it is likely equipped with a stop/start system . However, this system is also very annoying, and many drivers complain that the system cuts off power at every traffic light, making passengers irritated.

(Image source: General Motors)

However, in a patent recently filed by General Motors (GM) with the US Patent and Trademark Office, people's complaints about the system are cleverly addressed. GM's start-stop system will use positioning equipment and cameras to analyze the environment around the vehicle to determine whether the system should be activated.

Stop-start systems are a clever fuel-saving service that, as the name implies, starts and stops the engine. When the engine reaches the right temperature, it is more fuel-efficient to shut it off and restart it than to let the vehicle idle for a while while it is stopped at a traffic light. For city drivers who often encounter stop-and-go traffic, this fuel-saving measure can save fuel and a small amount of money, but it can also make people impatient. At the same time, and crucially, the system also allows automakers to improve EPA fuel economy ratings. Admittedly, shutting the engine off and starting it again is annoying, especially when you have to shut it off and start it again on every block. Most stop-start systems are activated when the car is completely stopped, the driver's foot is still on the brake pedal, and the transmission is in drive. As long as certain conditions are met (the battery is fully charged and the engine is up to temperature), the engine will shut off and restart when the driver's foot is removed from the brake pedal.

While the concept is great, in practice even the slightest movement of the driver's foot on the brake pedal will restart the engine, so many drivers choose to turn off the auto-start-stop feature, but others must suffer the pain of not being able to turn off the system because some models (many GM models, in fact) cannot turn it off.

(Image source: US Patent and Trademark Office)

GM's patent shows that GM believes that using GPS, cameras and machine learning can make the start-stop function less intrusive and more intelligent in certain situations. The patent uses an existing start-stop system, but adds a layer of artificial intelligence programming technology. The car's onboard computer uses GPS to determine the situation: Is the car trying to park in a parking lot, or is it stuck in traffic on the interstate? If the car is driving along the interstate during rush hour, the camera will notify the system that there is a lot of traffic, and the GPS can determine where the car is on the interstate. Based on this information, plus the car's speed information, the system can choose whether and when the automatic start-stop system should be activated, such as preventing the system from being activated when in a parking lot. Because the patent also uses machine learning technology, it shows that the system will continue to learn from various situations it encounters based on how often the car moves and how often the system is activated in each position at a specific time and in a specific environment. In this respect, the system is similar to the smart front-axle lift system of the new C8 Corvette model, which can automatically lift the front axle in a specific position based on driver input and GPS tracking technology.

Until GM's patent becomes a reality and reaches the mass market, people may choose to turn off the start-stop system. This is actually an advantage for cars with manual transmissions, because such cars are less likely to have automatic start-stop systems. However, a better and smarter start-stop system has the potential to save more fuel and get more people to use it.