Methods and systems for improving engine starter durability for a stop/start vehicle
First Claim
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1. A vehicle operating method, comprising:
- estimating an amount of engine starter useful life consumed via a controller;
adjusting an engine starter useful life threshold via the controller responsive to vehicle operating conditions;
adjusting automatic engine stop/start thresholds in response to the amount of engine starter useful life consumed exceeding the engine starter useful life threshold; and
starting or stopping an engine in response to the automatic engine start/stop thresholds via the controller.
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Abstract
Systems and methods for restarting an engine are presented. In one example, an engine may be automatically stopped and started in response to thresholds that may be adjusted as a distance traveled by the vehicle increases. The thresholds may be adjusted responsive to useful life consumed of an engine starter that may participate in automatic engine starting and stopping.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A vehicle operating method, comprising:
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estimating an amount of engine starter useful life consumed via a controller; adjusting an engine starter useful life threshold via the controller responsive to vehicle operating conditions; adjusting automatic engine stop/start thresholds in response to the amount of engine starter useful life consumed exceeding the engine starter useful life threshold; and starting or stopping an engine in response to the automatic engine start/stop thresholds via the controller. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A vehicle operating method, comprising:
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estimating an amount of useful life consumed of an engine starter via a controller, the amount of useful life consumed a summation of individual estimates including vehicle speed at a time of engine cranking, engine speed at the time of engine cranking, engine cranking current, and engine oil temperature; adjusting automatic engine stop/start thresholds in response to the amount of useful life consumed; and automatically starting or stopping an engine in response to the automatic engine start/stop thresholds via the controller. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A vehicle system, comprising:
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an engine including an engine starter that selectively engages and disengages the engine; and a controller including non-transitory instructions executable to adjust automatic engine stop/start thresholds in response to an amount of useful life consumed of the engine starter exceeding an engine starter useful life threshold, and to automatically start or stop the engine in response to the automatic engine start/stop thresholds, the automatic engine start/stop thresholds including a minimum predicted engine stop duration after an automatic engine stop threshold, and additional instructions executable to adjust the engine starter useful life threshold via the controller responsive to vehicle operating conditions. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification