Vehicle and method of control thereof in start and stop condition

• US 10,280,868 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Kemwal, Ajay Neil, Leatherland, Adam Keith, Palin, Rob, Bureau, Baptiste
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Hai H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laguarda, Gonzalo
• Application Number:
  US14/004,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20140081562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,610 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/04 responsive to presence or absence of the driver, e.g. to weight or lack thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 45/00 Electrical control not provided for in groups F02D41/00 - F02D43/00

Abstract

In one aspect of the invention there is provided a motor vehicle comprising drive means operable to provide motive power to the vehicle, the vehicle operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the drive means during a drivecycle thereby to reduce a value of one or more prescribed operating parameters, wherein the vehicle may be placed in an eco-stop condition by driver-operated brake means in which the vehicle is held stationary and the drive means is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to restart the drive means when the driver signals release of the brake means, the vehicle comprising means for detecting departure of the driver from the vehicle, in the event that departure of the driver is detected when the vehicle is in the eco-stop condition the vehicle being arranged not to restart the drive means when the driver signals release of the brake means.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle comprising:

a driver-operated brake comprising at least one of a stopping brake and a parking brake;

an engine or electric motor operable to provide motive power to the vehicle; and

an automatic transmission having a park mode,

the vehicle being operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the engine or electric motor during a drivecycle thereby to reduce an amount of time for which the engine or electric motor is on during a given drivecycle,

wherein the vehicle may be placed in a stop condition by the driver-operated brake in which the vehicle is held stationary and the engine or electric motor is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to restart the engine or electric motor when a driver signals release of the driver-operated brake,

the vehicle comprising means for detecting departure of the driver from the vehicle, in the event that departure of the driver is detected when the vehicle is in the stop condition the vehicle being arranged not to restart the engine or electric motor when the driver signals release of the driver-operated brake and to control the transmission to assume the park mode, and

when the vehicle is held stationary in the stop condition by the stopping brake, the vehicle being arranged automatically to apply the parking brake in the event departure of the driver is detected.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for detecting departure of the driver comprises at least one sensor.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for detecting departure of the driver is arranged to detect driver departure responsive to the signal from the at least one sensor when the driver signals release of the driver-operated brake.

4. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises a driver safety restraint device condition sensor.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4, wherein the driver safety restraint device comprises a seat belt device, the vehicle being arranged to detect departure of the driver responsive to the seat belt device being released.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to provide a signal responsive to a state of a driver'"'"'s door, the vehicle being arranged to detect departure of the driver responsive to the driver'"'"'s door being opened.

7. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to detect when a mass greater than a prescribed value is present on the driver'"'"'s seat, the vehicle being arranged to detect departure of the driver responsive to removal of the mass from the driver'"'"'s seat.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an image sensor arranged to form an image of at least a portion of a driver'"'"'s body, the vehicle being operable to determine when a driver is departing the vehicle based upon said image.

9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the event departure of the driver is detected when the vehicle is in the stop condition the driver-operated brake continues automatically to be applied.

10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the event departure of the driver is detected when the vehicle is in the stop condition the vehicle is further arranged to assume a shutdown mode.

11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the engine or electric motor during a drivecycle in order to reduce a value of one or more operating parameters of the vehicle.

12. A vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one or more operating parameters of the vehicle are selected from a rate of consumption of a fuel by the engine and an amount of one or more gases emitted by the engine.

13. A vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one or more operating parameters include an amount of one or more emitted gases including at least one of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide.

14. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and wherein the engine or electric motor comprises an engine and an electric machine.

15. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14, wherein the vehicle is operable in a parallel HEV mode in which the engine and the electric machine provide motive torque to drive the vehicle in parallel.

16. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14, wherein the vehicle is operable in a series HEV mode in which the engine generates electric power to drive the electric machine thereby to provide motive torque to the vehicle.

17. A method of controlling a motor vehicle, the vehicle comprising a driver-operated brake comprising at least one of a stopping brake and a parking brake, the method comprising:

controlling the vehicle automatically to assume a stop condition in which an engine or electric motor of the vehicle is switched off in order to reduce an amount of time for which the engine or electric motor is switched on during a given drivecycle;

holding the vehicle stationary in the stop condition by the stopping brake;

controlling the vehicle to perform a start wherein the engine or electric motor is restarted when the driver signals release of the stopping brake;

detecting departure of a driver from the vehicle;

in the event driver departure is detected when the vehicle is in the stop condition, not restarting the engine or electric motor when the driver signals release of the stopping brake, controlling an automatic transmission of the vehicle to assume a park mode, and automatically applying the parking brake.