MOTOR VEHICLE COMPRISING A DRIVE DEVICE THAT AUTOMATICALLY TURNS OFF WHEN A PERSON GETS OUT OF THE MOTOR VEHICLE, AND CORRESPONDING METHOD FOR THE MOTOR VEHICLE

• US 20150088404A1
• Filed: 04/18/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Geissenhoener, Martin
• Application Number:
  US14/394,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20150088404A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/112
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2028/006 disconnecting the electric power supply, e.g. the vehicle battery
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/04 responsive to presence or absence of the driver, e.g. to weight or lack thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/12 responsive to conditions relating to doors or doors locks, e.g. open door
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18054 at stand still, e.g. engine in idling state hill holding B60W30/18118
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0803 characterised by means for initiating engine start or stop F02N11/0814 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0811 using a timer
• 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 11/0822 related to action of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/106 Driver presence, e.g. detected by door lock, seat sensor or belt sensor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A motor vehicle has a drive device, a control device for shutting down the drive device, a detection device for monitoring a presence of a person in the motor vehicle and a switching device for shutting down at least one predetermined electrical load. The control device is designed to shut down the drive device if the detection device signals that the person is leaving or has left the motor vehicle. The switching device is designed so that, following the shutdown of the drive device, it initially continues to operate the at least one predetermined load if said load was in operation at the time of the shutdown, and shuts it down only if a predetermined additional shutdown criterion is met.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method for shutting down a drive device, formed from an internal combustion engine and/or an electric motor, of a motor vehicle by a control device when a driver of the motor vehicle leaves the motor vehicle while the drive device is switched on, the method comprising:

monitoring, using a detection device, whether the driver is leaving or has left the motor vehicle;

shutting down, by the control device, the drive device if the detection device signals that the driver is leaving or has left the motor vehicle;

checking, by a communication device, whether there is a telephone connection of a communication installation to a communication network of a mobile radio provider, to thereby determine if the telephone installation is in operation, the communication device checking while the drive device is being shut down;

sending, by the communication device, a shutdown signal to the telephone installation if no connection is detected; and

allowing the telephone installation to continue operation after the drive device is shut down if the telephone installation was in operation when the drive device was shut down, and thereafter shutting down the telephone installation only if the telephone installation receives an additional shutdown signal.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein

in addition to the telephone installation, an added-convenience load is allowed to continue operation after the drive device is shut down if the added-convenience load was in operation when the drive device was shut down, and

the added-convenience load is a device that provides a functionality in the motor vehicle that can also be used by passengers.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the additional shutdown signal is produced by a controller that also controls a locking installation for locking a vehicle door.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein

shutting down of the drive device prompts a timer to be started, and

the additional shutdown signal is produced when the timer expires.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein

shutting down of the drive device prompts a measuring device to be started that measures an amount of electric power consumed by the telephone installation continuing to be operated or an amount of electric power drawn from an energy store of the motor vehicle by the telephone installation continuing to be operated, and

the measuring device produces the additional shutdown signal when the amount of electrical power consumed or drawn reaches a predetermined maximum value.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein

in addition to the telephone installation, a predetermined electrical load is allowed to continue operation after the drive device is shut down if the predetermined electrical load was in operation when the drive device was shut down,

shutting down of the drive device prompts a measuring device to be started that measures an amount of electric power consumed by the telephone installation and the predetermined electrical load continuing to be operated or an amount of electric power drawn from an energy store of the motor vehicle, and

the measuring device produces the additional shutdown signal when the amount of electrical power consumed or drawn reaches a predetermined maximum value.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein

the detection device monitors whether another person remained in the motor vehicle following shutdown of the drive device, and

the additional shutdown signal is produced if the detection device determines that no other person remains in the motor vehicle.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein

the detection device monitors whether another person remained in the motor vehicle following shutdown of the drive device, and

the telephone installation is allowed to continue operation after the drive device is shut down if the telephone installation was in operation when the drive device was shut down and if another person remained in the motor vehicle following shutdown.

21. The method according to claim 13, wherein

the control device shuts down the drive device if the detection device signals that the driver is leaving or has left a predetermined monitoring area of the motor vehicle,

the detection device monitors whether the predetermined monitoring area is again occupied by a person, and

the drive device is restarted by the control device when the detection device signals that the predetermined monitoring area is again occupied.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein following shutdown of the drive device, switching-on of at least one predetermined electrical load is blocked.

23. The method according to claim 14, wherein

after shutting down the drive device, both the telephone installation and the added-convenience load are shut down only if the additional shutdown signal is received, and

the additional shutdown signal is produced by a controller that also controls a locking installation for locking a vehicle door.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein

shutting down of the drive device prompts a timer to be started, and

the additional shutdown signal is produced when the timer expires.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein

shutting down of the drive device prompts a measuring device to be started that measures an amount of electric power drawn from an energy store of the motor vehicle, by the telephone installation and the added-convenience load continuing to be operated, and

the measuring device produces the additional shutdown signal when the amount of electrical power drawn reaches a predetermined maximum value.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein

the detection device monitors whether another person remained in the motor vehicle following shutdown of the drive device, and

the telephone installation and the added-convenience load are allowed to continue operation after the drive device is shut down if the telephone installation and the added-convenience load were in operation when the drive device was shut down and if another person remained in the motor vehicle following shutdown.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein

the control device shuts down the drive device if the detection device signals that the driver is leaving or has left a predetermined monitoring area of the motor vehicle,

the detection device monitors whether the predetermined monitoring area is again occupied by a person, and

the drive device is restarted by the control device when the detection device signals that the predetermined monitoring area is again occupied.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein following shutdown of the drive device, switching-on of at least one predetermined electrical load is blocked.

29. A motor vehicle comprising:

a drive device formed from an internal combustion engine and/or an electric motor;

a detection device to monitor for presence of a person in the motor vehicle;

a control device to shut down the drive device if the detection device signals that the person is leaving or has left the motor vehicle; and

a switching device to;

shut down a telephone installation and/or a WLAN communication device;

allow the telephone installation and/or the WLAN communication device to continue operation after shutdown of the drive device if there is a telephone connection or a data connection to a communication network when the drive device is shut down, thereby indicating that the telephone installation and/or the WLAN communication device was in operation when the drive device is shut down; and

thereafter shutting down the telephone installation and/or the WLAN communication device only if a predetermined additional shutdown criterion is met.

30. The motor vehicle according to claim 29, wherein

the predetermined additional shutdown criterion is locking of the motor vehicle, and

the switching device is designed to shut down the telephone installation and/or the WLAN communication device when a locking device of the motor vehicle is activated.

31. The motor vehicle according to claim 29, wherein

in addition to the telephone installation and/or the WLAN communication device, the switching device allows at least one added-convenience load to continue to operate after shutdown of the drive device,

the at least one added-convenience load is thereafter shut down only if the additional shutdown criterion is met, and

the at least one added-convenience load is selected from the group consisting of an infotainment system, an air-conditioning installation, a seat heater, a seat ventilator, a seat massager, and a fan of a passenger compartment ventilator.