DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING AUTOMATIC STOPPING OF VEHICLE ENGINE

• US 20150011360A1
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sano, Ryo, Iwasaki, Takayuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,045,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/203
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0623 Fuel flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/182 Brake pressure, e.g. of fluid or between pad and disc
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/04 Vehicle stop
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18072 Coasting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18118 Hill holding
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/46 Engine injection cut at coasting
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/04 rendering engines inoperative or idling, e.g. caused by abnormal conditions dependent on lubricating conditions F01M1/22; dependent on cooling F01P5/14
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/123 the fuel injection being cut-off
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0822 related to action of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0837 Environmental conditions thereof, e.g. traffic, weather or road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/08 said parameters being related to the vehicle or its components
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0801 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/102 : Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/122 : Atmospheric temperature
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/60 : Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect

Abstract

A vehicular engine automatic stop control apparatus has a coast stop controller that performs a coast stop control of stopping an engine in response to a situation where driver'"'"'s brake pedal operation is above a predetermined threshold value while a vehicle is traveling, a road surface gradient sensor that senses a road surface gradient, and a coast stop control cancellation unit that cancels the coast stop control in response to a situation where a first sensed value of the road surface gradient is above a predetermined cancellation threshold value in absolute value. The first sensed value of the road surface gradient is obtained at a first time instant when the vehicle becomes stationary in a situation where the engine has been stopped by the coast stop controller.

Claims

1. A vehicular engine automatic stop control apparatus comprising:

a coast stop controller that performs a coast stop control of stopping an engine in response to a situation where driver'"'"'s brake pedal operation is above a predetermined threshold value while a vehicle is traveling;

a road surface gradient sensor that senses a road surface gradient; and

a coast stop control cancellation unit that cancels the coast stop control in response to a situation where a first sensed value of the road surface gradient is above a predetermined cancellation threshold value in absolute value,

wherein the first sensed value of the road surface gradient is obtained at a first time instant when the vehicle becomes stationary in a situation where the engine has been stopped by the coast stop controller,

wherein the coast stop control cancellation unit inhibits the coast stop control from being canceled in response to a situation where a second sensed value of the road surface gradient is above the predetermined cancellation threshold value, and

wherein the second sensed value of the road surface gradient is obtained when the vehicle is traveling.

3. The vehicular engine automatic stop control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an idling stop controller that stops the engine in response to a situation where a predetermined condition is satisfied when the vehicle is stationary,

wherein the coast stop control cancellation unit cancels the coast stop control during a time period from the first time instant to a second time instant when the idling stop controller determines that the engine has been stopped.

4. The vehicular engine automatic stop control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the road surface gradient sensor employs an acceleration sensor for sensing the road surface gradient.

7. The vehicular engine automatic stop control apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the road surface gradient sensor employs an acceleration sensor for sensing the road surface gradient.

2. (canceled)

6. The vehicular engine automatic stop control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the road surface gradient sensor employs an acceleration sensor for sensing the road surface gradient.

5. A vehicular engine automatic stop control apparatus comprising:

a coast stop controller that performs a coast stop control of stopping an engine in response to a situation where driver'"'"'s brake pedal operation is above a predetermined threshold value while a vehicle is traveling;

a road surface gradient sensor that senses a road surface gradient;

a coast stop control cancellation unit that cancels the coast stop control in response to a situation where a first sensed value of the road surface gradient is above a predetermined cancellation threshold value in absolute value, wherein the first sensed value of the road surface gradient is obtained at a first time instant when the vehicle becomes stationary in a situation where the engine has been stopped by the coast stop controller; and

an idling stop controller that stops the engine in response to a situation where a predetermined condition is satisfied when the vehicle is stationary,

wherein the coast stop control cancellation unit cancels the coast stop control during a time period from the first time instant to a second time instant when the idling stop controller determines that the engine has been stopped.