Automatic stop device and method for internal combustion engine

• US 20070066442A1
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ido, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,534,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/107
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam

Abstract

An ECU executes a program including the steps of detecting a stroke amount SP of a clutch pedal, a value I of current flowing through a solenoid valve of a normally-closed type provided at a pipe coupling a master cylinder and a clutch release cylinder, and a stroke amount SC of the clutch release cylinder, and permitting performing of idle stop when a condition that the stroke amount SP of the clutch pedal is at least a threshold value SP(1), a condition that stroke amount SC of the clutch release cylinder is at least a threshold value SC(0), and a condition that value I of current flowing through the solenoid valve is not larger than a threshold value I(0) are all satisfied.

Claims

1. An automatic stop device for an internal combustion engine coupled to a transmission through a frictional engagement element brought into a released state by pressure generated by an operation of an operation unit, comprising:

a control member provided between said operation unit and said frictional engagement element such that pressure applied to said frictional engagement element is maintained when no electric power is distributed to the control member; and

a stop control unit stopping said internal combustion engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied,

said stop condition being at least a condition that said frictional engagement element is in the released state and a condition that an amount of electric power distributed to said control member is smaller than a predetermined value.

2. The automatic stop device for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein

said frictional engagement element is brought into the released state by hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of said operation unit, and

said control member shuts off an oil passage connecting said operation unit and said frictional engagement element when no electric power is distributed to the control member.

3. An automatic stop device for an internal combustion engine coupled to a transmission through a frictional engagement element brought into a released state by pressure generated by an operation of an operation unit, comprising:

a control member provided between said operation unit and said frictional engagement element such that pressure applied to said frictional engagement element is maintained when no electric power is distributed to the control member; and

stop control means for stopping said internal combustion engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied,

said stop condition being at least a condition that said frictional engagement element is in the released state and a condition that an amount of electric power distributed to said control member is smaller than a predetermined value.

4. The automatic stop device for the internal combustion engine according to claim 3, wherein

said frictional engagement element is brought into the released state by hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of said operation unit, and

said control member shuts off an oil passage connecting said operation unit and said frictional engagement element when no electric power is distributed to the control member.

5. A method of automatically stopping an internal combustion engine coupled to a transmission through a frictional engagement element brought into a released state by pressure generated by an operation of an operation unit, comprising the steps of:

determining whether or not said frictional engagement element is in the released state;

determining whether or not an amount of electric power distributed to a control member is smaller than a predetermined value, the control member being provided between said operation unit and said frictional engagement element for maintaining pressure applied to said frictional engagement element when no electric power is distributed thereto; and

stopping said internal combustion engine on conditions that it is determined that said frictional engagement element is in the released state, and that it is determined that the amount of electric power distributed to said control member is smaller than the predetermined value.