APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ENGINE OF VEHICLE USING HEIGHT INFORMATION

• US 20110153152A1
• Filed: 12/07/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: LEE, Seong-Ho, PARK, Sun-Rae, YOO, Jae-Jun, CHANG, Yoon-Seop, KIM, Jae-Chul
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0814 comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0837 Environmental conditions thereof, e.g. traffic, weather or road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/124 Information about road conditions, e.g. road inclination or surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for controlling engine using height information capable of preventing an engine from stopping according to a position of a vehicle. An apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information includes: a height information management unit storing a plurality of height information; and an idling controller that extracts one or more height information according to a position of the vehicle from the height information management unit to determine a slope of the vehicle and controls the idling of the vehicle according to the determination result.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information, comprising:

a height information management unit storing a plurality of height information; and

an idling controller that extracts one or more height information from the height information management unit according to a position of the vehicle to determine a slope of the vehicle and controls an idling of the vehicle according to the slope of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 1, wherein the idling controller compares the slope of the vehicle with a reference value and outputs a control signal that maintains or stops the idling of the vehicle according to the comparison result.

3. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 2, wherein the idling controller outputs the control signal to maintain the idling of the vehicle if the difference between the slope of the vehicle and the reference value is larger than a predetermined value.

4. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 2, wherein the idling controller outputs the control signal to stop the idling of the vehicle if the difference between the slope of the vehicle and the reference value is smaller than a predetermined value.

5. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 2, wherein the reference value is set not to move the vehicle when the idling of the vehicle is stoped.

6. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of height information include a digital elevation model.

7. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of height information is geographical height data obtained by three-dimensional modeling area in which the vehicle is moving.

8. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 1, further comprising a travelling information management unit storing a travelling information of the vehicle,

wherein the idling controller extracts the travelling information according to the position of the vehicle from the travelling information management unit.

9. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 8, wherein the idling controller extracts the one or more height information from the plurality of height information corresponding to the extracted travelling information.

10. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 8, wherein the travelling information includes at least one of an information on the current position of the vehicle, an information on the moving direction of the vehicle, and an information on the current traffic condition of the vehicle.

11. The apparatus for controlling an engine of a vehicle using height information according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle information detector that transmits vehicle state information to the idling controller through a plurality of sensors,

wherein the idling controller detects the idling state of the vehicle based on the vehicle state information transmitted from the vehicle information detector.

12. A method for controlling an engine of a vehicle, comprising:

extracting height information according to a position of a vehicle among a plurality of height information;

comparing slope information generated from the extracted height information with a reference value; and

outputting a control signal that maintains or stops the idling of the vehicle according to the comparison result.

13. The method for controlling an engine of a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the outputting the control signal outputs the control signal that maintains the idling of the vehicle when the difference between the slope information and the reference value is larger than a predetermined value.

14. The method for controlling an engine of a vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the outputting the control signal outputs the control signal that stops the idling of the vehicle if the difference between the slope information and the refernece value is smaller than a predetermined value.

15. The method for controlling an engine of a vehicle according to claim 12, further comprising:

sensing the idling state of the vehicle from a vehicle state information; and

extracting travelling information of the vehicle when the vehicle is stoped and the predetermined time elapses after stopping.

16. The method for controlling an engine of a vehicle according to claim 15, wherein the travelling information includes at least one of an information on the current position of the vehicle, an information on the moving direction of the vehicle, and an information on the current traffic condition of the vehicle, and

wherein the extracting height information according to the position of the vehicle extracts one or more height information according to the extracted travelling information from the plurality of height information.