INFORMATIONAL BASED ENGINE STOP/START SENSITIVITY CONTROL FOR MICRO-HEV

• US 20150239450A1
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: BOESCH, MATHEW ALAN, YU, HAI, KRISTINSSON, JOHANNES GEIR, MCGEE, RYAN ABRAHAM
• Granted Patent: US 9,751,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• 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 2200/102 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/125 Information about other vehicles, traffic lights or traffic congestion
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/2006 using prediction of future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/2011 Control involving a delay; Control involving a waiting period before engine stop or engine start
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A controller may be configured to adjust a brake apply and release detection calibration based on a detection sensitivity associated with a predicted driver start/stop intention for a vehicle and an associated confidence level indicative of a likelihood of the predicted driver intention; and perform at least one of engine startup and engine shutdown according to the adjusted brake pedal detection calibration.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an engine configured for automatic shutdown and restart; and

a controller configured to

adjust a brake apply and release detection calibration based on a brake detection sensitivity level associated with a predicted driver start/stop intention for the vehicle and a confidence level indicative of a likelihood of the predicted driver intention, the calibration including a first brake pedal pressure threshold value at which the engine is shutdown, and a second brake pressure threshold value at which the engine is started; and

perform at least one of startup of the engine and shutdown of the engine according to the adjusted brake pedal calibration.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the predicted driver intention is based on at least one of information received from road infrastructure, information received from nearby vehicles, and information received from driver inputs other than brake pedal input.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the predicted driver intention includes one of a preference for keeping the vehicle in stop, a preference for starting the vehicle, or neither a preference keeping the vehicle in stop nor a preference for starting the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to at least one of:

(i) when the predicted driver intention indicates a preference for keeping the vehicle in stop, decrease the sensitivity level of the brake apply and release detection calibration as the confidence level increases; and

(ii) when the predicted driver intention indicates a preference for starting the vehicle, increase the sensitivity level of the brake apply and release detection calibration as the confidence level increases.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the brake apply and release detection calibration by retrieving a predefined detection calibration associated with the sensitivity level.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the brake apply and release detection calibration to default settings if at least one of (i) the confidence level is below a threshold level and (ii) the predicted driver intention is neither a preference keeping the vehicle in stop nor a preference for starting the vehicle.

7. A method comprising:

adjusting a brake apply and release detection calibration by a vehicle controller based on a brake detection sensitivity level associated with a predicted driver start/stop intention for the vehicle and a confidence level indicative of a likelihood of the predicted driver intention; and

performing at least one of engine startup and engine shutdown according to the adjusted brake pedal detection calibration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predicted driver intention is based on at least one of information received from road infrastructure, information received from nearby vehicles, and information received from driver inputs other than brake pedal input.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the predicted driver intention includes one of a preference for keeping the vehicle in stop, a preference for starting the vehicle, or neither a preference keeping the vehicle in stop nor a preference for starting the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising at least one of:

(i) when the predicted driver intention indicates a preference for keeping the vehicle in stop, decreasing the sensitivity level of the brake apply and release detection calibration as the confidence level increases; and

(ii) when the predicted driver intention indicates a preference for starting the vehicle, increasing the sensitivity level of the brake apply and release detection calibration as the confidence level increases.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising adjusting the brake apply and release detection calibration by retrieving a predefined detection calibration associated with the sensitivity level.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising adjusting the brake apply and release detection calibration to default settings if at least one of (i) the confidence level is below a threshold level and (ii) the predicted driver intention is neither a preference keeping the vehicle in stop nor a preference for starting the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the calibration includes a first brake pedal pressure threshold value at which an engine of the vehicle is shutdown, and a second brake pressure threshold value at which the engine of the vehicle is started.

14. A powertrain control system comprising:

at least one controller configured to

adjust a brake apply and release detection calibration based on a brake detection sensitivity level associated with a predicted driver start/stop intention for a vehicle and a confidence level indicative of a likelihood of the predicted driver intention; and

performing at least one of engine startup and engine shutdown according to the adjusted brake pedal calibration.

15. The powertrain control system of claim 14, wherein the predicted driver intention is based on at least one of information received from road infrastructure, information received from nearby vehicles, and information received from driver inputs other than brake pedal input.

16. The powertrain control system of claim 14, wherein the predicted driver intention includes one of a preference for keeping the vehicle in stop, a preference for starting the vehicle, or neither a preference keeping the vehicle in stop nor a preference for starting the vehicle.

17. The powertrain control system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to at least one of:

(i) when the predicted driver intention indicates a preference for keeping the vehicle in stop, decrease the sensitivity level of the brake apply and release detection calibration as the confidence level increases; and

(ii) when the predicted driver intention indicates a preference for starting the vehicle, increase the sensitivity level of the brake apply and release detection calibration as the confidence level increases.

18. The powertrain control system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the brake apply and release detection calibration by retrieving a predefined detection calibration associated with the sensitivity level.

19. The powertrain control system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the brake apply and release detection calibration to default settings if at least one of (i) the confidence level is below a threshold level and (ii) the predicted driver intention is neither a preference keeping the vehicle in stop nor a preference for starting the vehicle.

20. The powertrain control system of claim 14, wherein the calibration includes a first brake pedal pressure threshold value at which an engine of the vehicle is shutdown, and a second brake pressure threshold value at which the engine of the vehicle is started.