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CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR A VEHICLE HAVING IDLE STOP FUNCTION

  • US 20110213525A1
  • Filed: 03/01/2011
  • Published: 09/01/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A control apparatus for a vehicle, which includesa starter having a motor and a pinion gear for cranking an engine by being driven to rotate by the motor under engagement with a ring gear of the engine, the pinion gear being switchable to a state of engagement with the ring gear and a state of disengagement from the ring gear irrespective of energization or deenergization of the motor,motor energization switch means provided in a current supply path between a power source and the motor and selectively driven to an on-state for conducting the current supply path and an off-state for interrupting the current supply path,a pinion control solenoid having a coil connected to a ground line at one end thereof, the pinion control solenoid driving the pinion gear to be engaged with the ring gear and disengaged from the pinion gear when a voltage of the power source is supplied and stopped to the other end of the coil, respectively,pinion control switch means provided in a current supply path between the power source and the other end of the coil and selectively driven to an on-state for conducting the current supply path and an off-state for interrupting the current supply path, andidle stop control means for automatically stopping the engine when a predetermined automatic stop condition is satisfied and thereafter automatically restarting the engine when a predetermined automatic restart condition is satisfied,the control apparatus comprising:

  • control means for driving both the pinion control switch means and the motor energization switch means to an on-state so that the starter cranks the engine in each of an initial start time, in which the engine is started in accordance with a starting operation of a driver, and a restart time, in which the idle stop control means restarts the engine; and

    operation-time abnormality detection means for driving only the pinion control switch means between the pinion control switch means and the motor energization switch means to the on-state during engine operation, checking whether a voltage at a specified point in a current supply path between the pinion control switch means and the coil is lower than a predetermined energization disability determination reference value in such a state that only the pinion control switch means is driven to the on-state, and determining that a coil energization disability abnormality is present when the voltage is lower than the predetermined energization disability determination reference value, the coil energization disability abnormality indicating that current supply to the coil is disabled,wherein the idle stop control means is prohibited from stopping the engine when the operation-time abnormality detection means determines presence of the coil energization disability abnormality.

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