Vehicle with engine idle-management system
First Claim
1. A vehicle, comprising:
- (a) one or more rigid and strong frame structures to which a majority of other components of said vehicle are directly or indirectly engaged and from which a majority of other components of said vehicle derive support directly or indirectly;
(b) a suspension system that is engaged to and supports said one or more frame structures above the ground and that provides the vehicle with a relatively low resistance to movement along the ground;
(c) an occupant cabin that is engaged to and supported by said one or more frame structures and within which occupants of said vehicle may reside;
(d) a powertrain for driving said vehicle along the ground;
(e) wherein said powertrain comprises an internal combustion engine for supplying power to downstream components of said powertrain in order to drive said vehicle along the ground;
(f) wherein said powertrain comprises a selectable-ratio power transmission with a clutch system for selectively coupling and decoupling an input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission and an output shaft of said internal combustion engine;
(g) a transmission-control computer that is operable to either select one of a group of ratios at which an output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission rotates relative to said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission or to select a neutral operational state of said selectable-ratio power transmission in which said output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission is decoupled from said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission;
(h) an engine-control computer that is operable in an idle-management mode of operation to automatically start and stop idling operation said internal combustion engine in a manner dependent upon one or more of an electrical system energy level, one or more engine fluid temperatures, and an internal temperature of said occupant cabin;
(i) wherein engine-control logic according to which said engine-control computer operates requires that said engine-control computer be receiving a safety-interlock signal, which is received through a safety-interlock input channel of said engine-control computer, before said engine-control computer will operate in said idle-management mode of operation;
(j) wherein a hood-tilt switch and switched terminals of a normally-open transmission-neutral relay are connected in series with said safety-interlock input channel such that said safety-interlock signal must be transmitted to said safety-interlock input channel through said hood-tilt switch and said switched terminals of said normally-open transmission-neutral relay;
(k) wherein said selectable-ratio power transmission or said transmission-control computer comprises a transmission-neutral output terminal that is connected to ground voltage level of an electrical system of said vehicle when said selectable-ratio power transmission has a neutral operating state; and
(l) wherein a switching circuit of said normally-open transmission-neutral relay is connected on one side to an ignition-switched voltage source and on an opposite side to said transmission-neutral output terminal.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle according to the present invention has an internal combustion engine that is controlled by an engine-control computer that is operable, when the vehicle is parked, to operate in an idle-management mode to automatically start and stop idling operation of the internal combustion engine in order to maintain desirable electrical system energy levels, maintain desirable fluid temperatures of the internal combustion engine, and/or enable maintenance of comfortable occupant cabin temperatures. Each vehicle according to the present invention has a unique configuration of safety-interlock provisions that affect when and if an idle-management mode of operation of the engine-control computer is initiated and/or maintained.
11 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A vehicle, comprising:
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(a) one or more rigid and strong frame structures to which a majority of other components of said vehicle are directly or indirectly engaged and from which a majority of other components of said vehicle derive support directly or indirectly;
(b) a suspension system that is engaged to and supports said one or more frame structures above the ground and that provides the vehicle with a relatively low resistance to movement along the ground;
(c) an occupant cabin that is engaged to and supported by said one or more frame structures and within which occupants of said vehicle may reside;
(d) a powertrain for driving said vehicle along the ground;
(e) wherein said powertrain comprises an internal combustion engine for supplying power to downstream components of said powertrain in order to drive said vehicle along the ground;
(f) wherein said powertrain comprises a selectable-ratio power transmission with a clutch system for selectively coupling and decoupling an input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission and an output shaft of said internal combustion engine;
(g) a transmission-control computer that is operable to either select one of a group of ratios at which an output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission rotates relative to said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission or to select a neutral operational state of said selectable-ratio power transmission in which said output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission is decoupled from said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission;
(h) an engine-control computer that is operable in an idle-management mode of operation to automatically start and stop idling operation said internal combustion engine in a manner dependent upon one or more of an electrical system energy level, one or more engine fluid temperatures, and an internal temperature of said occupant cabin;
(i) wherein engine-control logic according to which said engine-control computer operates requires that said engine-control computer be receiving a safety-interlock signal, which is received through a safety-interlock input channel of said engine-control computer, before said engine-control computer will operate in said idle-management mode of operation;
(j) wherein a hood-tilt switch and switched terminals of a normally-open transmission-neutral relay are connected in series with said safety-interlock input channel such that said safety-interlock signal must be transmitted to said safety-interlock input channel through said hood-tilt switch and said switched terminals of said normally-open transmission-neutral relay;
(k) wherein said selectable-ratio power transmission or said transmission-control computer comprises a transmission-neutral output terminal that is connected to ground voltage level of an electrical system of said vehicle when said selectable-ratio power transmission has a neutral operating state; and
(l) wherein a switching circuit of said normally-open transmission-neutral relay is connected on one side to an ignition-switched voltage source and on an opposite side to said transmission-neutral output terminal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A vehicle, comprising:
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(a) one or more rigid and strong frame structures to which a majority of other components of said vehicle are directly or indirectly engaged and from which a majority of other components of said vehicle derive support directly or indirectly;
(b) a suspension system that is engaged to and supports said one or more frame structures above the ground and that provides said vehicle with a relatively low resistance to movement along the ground;
(c) an occupant cabin that is engaged to and supported by said one or more frame structures and within which occupants of said vehicle may reside;
(d) a powertrain for driving said vehicle along the ground;
(e) wherein said powertrain comprises an internal combustion engine for supplying power to downstream components of said powertrain in order to drive said vehicle along the ground;
(f) wherein said powertrain comprises a selectable-ratio power transmission with a clutch system for selectively coupling and decoupling an input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission and an output shaft of said internal combustion engine;
(g) a transmission-control computer that is operable to either select a ratio at which an output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission rotates relative to said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission or to effect a neutral operational state of said selectable-ratio power transmission in which said output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission is decoupled from said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission;
(h) wherein said transmission-control computer is further operable to control said clutch system to couple/decouple said output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission to/from said input shaft of said internal combustion engine;
(i) an engine-control computer that is operable in an idle-management mode of operation to automatically start and stop idling operation of said internal combustion engine in a manner dependent upon one or more of an electrical system energy level, one or more engine fluid temperatures, and an internal temperature of said occupant cabin;
(j) wherein engine-control logic according to which said engine-control computer operates is such that a clutch-state signal, which is received through a clutch-state input channel of said engine-control computer, must change from a first value to a second value and back to a first value in order for said engine-control computer to enter said idle-management mode of operation; and
(k) wherein said vehicle further comprises a dummy clutch switch mounted within said occupant cabin of said vehicle and connected to said clutch-state input channel of said engine-control computer. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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Specification