VEHICLE AND METHOD OF CONTROL THEREOF IN START AND STOP CONDITION

• US 20140081562A1
• Filed: 03/14/2012
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Original Assignee: Jaguar Cars Limited (TATA Motors Limited)
• Inventors: Kemwal, Ajay Neil, Leatherland, Adam Keith
• Granted Patent: US 10,280,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/112
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/04 responsive to presence or absence of the driver, e.g. to weight or lack thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 45/00 Electrical control not provided for in groups F02D41/00 - F02D43/00

Abstract

In one aspect of the invention there is provided a motor vehicle comprising drive means operable to provide motive power to the vehicle, the vehicle operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the drive means during a drivecycle thereby to reduce a value of one or more prescribed operating parameters, wherein the vehicle may be placed in an eco-stop condition by driver-operated brake means in which the vehicle is held stationary and the drive means is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to restart the drive means when the driver signals release of the brake means, the vehicle comprising means for detecting departure of the driver from the vehicle, in the event that departure of the driver is detected when the vehicle is in the eco-stop condition the vehicle being arranged not to restart the drive means when the driver signals release of the brake means.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A motor vehicle comprising drive means operable to provide motive power to the vehicle and an automatic transmission having a park mode, the vehicle being operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the drive means during a drivecycle thereby to reduce an amount of time for which the drive means is on during a given drivecycle,

wherein the vehicle may be placed in a stop condition by driver-operated brake means in which the vehicle is held stationary and the drive means is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to restart the drive means when a driver signals release of the brake means,

the vehicle comprising means for detecting departure of the driver from the vehicle, in the event that departure of the driver is detected when the vehicle is in the stop condition the vehicle being arranged not to restart the drive means when the driver signals release of the brake means and to control the transmission to assume the park mode.

25. A vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein the means for detecting departure of the driver comprises at least one sensor.

26. A vehicle as claimed in claim 25, wherein the means for detecting departure of the driver is arranged to detect driver departure responsive to the signal from the at least one sensor when the driver signals release of the brake means.

27. A vehicle as claimed in claim 25, wherein the sensor comprises a driver safety restraint device condition sensor.

28. A vehicle as claimed in claim 27, wherein the driver safety restraint device comprises a seat belt device, the vehicle being arranged to detect departure of the driver responsive to the seat belt device being released.

29. A vehicle as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to provide a signal responsive to a state of a driver'"'"'s door, the vehicle being arranged to detect departure of the driver responsive to the driver'"'"'s door being opened.

30. A vehicle as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least one sensor is arranged to detect when a mass greater than a prescribed value is present on the driver'"'"'s seat, the vehicle being arranged to detect departure of the driver responsive to removal of the mass from the driver'"'"'s seat.

31. A vehicle as claimed in claim 25, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an image sensor arranged to form an image of at least a portion of a driver'"'"'s body, the vehicle being operable to determine when a driver is departing the vehicle based upon said image.

32. A vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein the driver-operated brake means comprises stopping brake means for stopping the vehicle and a parking brake, when the vehicle is held stationary in the stop condition by means of the stopping brake means the vehicle being arranged automatically to apply the parking brake in the event departure of the driver is detected.

33. A vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein in the event departure of the driver is detected when the vehicle is in the stop condition the driver-operated brake means continues automatically to be applied.

34. A vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein in the event departure of the driver is detected when the vehicle is in the stop condition the vehicle is further arranged to assume a shutdown mode.

35. A vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein the drive means comprises an electric machine, the vehicle being arranged to be held in the stop condition by the driver-operated brake means in which the vehicle is stationary and the electric machine is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to restart the electric machine when the driver signals release of the brake means.

36. A vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein the drive means comprises an engine, the vehicle being arranged to be held in the stop condition by the driver-operated brake means in which the vehicle is stationary and the engine is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to restart the engine when the driver signals release of the brake means.

37. A vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein the vehicle is operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the drive means during a drivecycle in order to reduce a value of one or more operating parameters of the vehicle.

38. A vehicle as claimed in claim 36, wherein the one or more operating parameters of the vehicle are selected from a rate of consumption of a fuel by the engine and an amount of one or more gases emitted by the engine.

39. A vehicle as claimed in claim 36, wherein the one or more operating parameters include an amount of one or more emitted gases including at least one of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide.

40. A vehicle as claimed in claim 24, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and wherein the drive means comprises an engine and an electric machine.

41. A vehicle as claimed in claim 40, wherein the vehicle is operable in a parallel HEV mode in which the engine and the electric machine provide motive torque to drive the vehicle in parallel.

42. A vehicle as claimed in claim 40, wherein the vehicle is operable in a series HEV mode in which the engine generates electric power to drive the electric machine thereby to provide motive torque to the vehicle.

43. A method of controlling a motor vehicle, comprising:

controlling the vehicle automatically to assume a stop condition in which drive means of the vehicle is switched off in order to reduce an amount of time for which the drive means is switched on during a given drivecycle;

holding the vehicle stationary in the stop condition by means of driver operated brake means;

controlling the vehicle to perform a start wherein the drive means is restarted when the driver signals release of the driver operated brake means; and

detecting departure of a driver from the vehicle in the event driver departure is detected when the vehicle is in the stop condition, the method further comprising not restarting the drive means when the driver signals release of the brake means and controlling an automatic transmission of the vehicle to assume a park mode.