Standalone Hill Drive Away Assist

This paper describes a patented, standalone, intelligent Hill Drive Away Assist (HDAA) system, comprising of an electro-mechanical unit, to overcome the hurdles faced by the driver while starting the vehicle on a gradient. This system can be added as an additional feature in vehicles which have Manual or Automatic Transmission and are equipped with or without ABS (Antilock Braking System). The developed system is available as Hill Start Assist (HSA) feature in vehicles with Electronic Stability Control (ESC). This HSA functionality is achieved through Drive Away Release (DAR) feature in vehicles equipped with Electric Park Brake (EPB). In ABS only vehicles, this feature cannot be achieved with the existing hardware and software. This HDAA can be implemented as a stand-alone system in vehicles without ESC / EPB, thereby reducing the cost of the vehicle while providing the Hill Start feature. The HDAA is a driver friendly system, which aids the driver while trying to start a vehicle while on a gradient. This development is aimed at providing an assisting feature with the inputs from a g-sensor and other signals available in a vehicle. An algorithm is developed to identify the conditions in which the driver may require assistance to start the vehicle on a gradient. When the vehicle is moving on a gradient, un-coordinated behaviour of the brake, the clutch and the throttle will result in unintended rolling of the vehicle. To avoid this roll, the developed mechanism, added to the brake system, aids the driver by holding the brake pressure for a certain duration, while the driver shifts the foot from brake pedal to accelerator pedal in order to move the vehicle. Considering that ESC is yet to be mandated in Indian sub-continent, this system finds purpose across all vehicle categories.