Economy running system, economy running controller and navigation apparatus

• US 7,698,053 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/389,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/101, 701/112, 180/287, 180/65.2, 180/170, 123/179.4, 123/179.14, 123/339.16, 123/179.5, 477/10, 477/11, 477/19, 477/20, 340/425.5, 340/514
• US Class Current: 701/112
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/228 Warning displays
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0833 Vehicle conditions F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/10 Safety devices F02N11/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0805 Detection of vehicle emergency state, e.g. from ABS, ESP, external sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0808 Steering state, e.g. state of power assisted steering
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0814 Bonnet switches
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0815 Vehicle door sensors
• 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

Abstract

An economy running system having: a function of stopping an internal combustion engine of a vehicle when the vehicle stops and all of stop conditions are satisfied; and a function of restarting the internal combustion engine of the vehicle. The economy running system includes: a control unit that judges whether the vehicle stops or not, and judges whether each of the stop conditions is satisfied or not; and a notification unit. When the control unit judges that the vehicle stops and that at least one of the stop conditions is not satisfied, the control unit causes the notification unit to notify to a user first notification information concerned with the at least one of the stop conditions.

Claims

1. An economy running system having:

a function of stopping an internal combustion engine of a vehicle when the vehicle stops and all of stop conditions are satisfied;

a function of restarting the internal combustion engine of the vehicle,

the economy running system comprising;

a control unit that judges whether the vehicle stops or not, and judges whether each of the stop conditions is satisfied or not; and

a notification unit,

wherein when the control unit judges that the vehicle stops and that at least one of the stop conditions is not satisfied so as to define at least one unsatisfied stop condition, the control unit causes the notification unit to notify to a user first notification information that includes an identity of the at least one unsatisfied stop condition so that the user identifies which stop condition is not satisfied.

2. The economy running system according to claim 1,

wherein the first notification information includes information about how to satisfy the at least one unsatisfied stop condition.

3. The economy running system according to claim 1,

wherein the economy running system restarts the internal combustion engine of the vehicle when at least one of start conditions is satisfied;

wherein the control unit judges whether each of the start conditions is satisfied; and

wherein when at least one of the start conditions is satisfied and the internal combustion engine restarts, the control unit causes the notification unit to notify second notification information concerned with the at least one of the start conditions.

4. The economy running system according to claim 3,

wherein the start conditions include a condition which does not require a user to perform an operation for restarting the internal combustion engine.

5. The economy running system according to claim 1,

wherein a content type of the first notification information is changeable to another one of a plurality of the content types of the first notification information.

6. The economy running system according to claim 5, further comprising:

an input unit that inputs one of the content types;

wherein the first notification information is notified according to the one of the content types.

7. The economy running system according to claim 1,

wherein a way of notifying the first notification information is changeable to another one of a plurality of ways of notifying the first notification information.

8. The economy running system according to claim 7, further comprising:

an input unit that inputs one of the ways of notifying;

wherein the first notification information is notified by the one of the ways of notifying.

9. The economy running system according to claim 1,

wherein the notification unit includes a navigation apparatus;

and

wherein at least the first notification information is notified through the navigation apparatus.

10. The economy running system according to claim 9,

wherein it is changeable which one of a function of notifying the first notification information and a function of navigation by the navigation apparatus is given a higher priority than the other.

11. The economy running system according to claim 10, further comprising:

an input unit that inputs information about which one of the function of notifying the first notification information and the function of navigation is given a higher priority.

12. The economy running system according to claim 10,

wherein which one of the function of notifying the first notification information and the function of navigation changes based on information concerned with a position of the vehicle estimated by the navigation apparatus.

13. An economy running controller performing:

a control for stopping an internal combustion engine of a vehicle when the vehicle stops and all of stop conditions are satisfied; and

a control for restarting the internal combustion engine of the vehicle, the economy running controller comprising;

a stop judging unit that judges whether the vehicle stops or not, and judges whether each of the stop conditions is satisfied or not; and

a notification control unit;

wherein when the stop judging unit judges that the vehicle stops and judges that at least one of the stop conditions is not satisfied so as to define at least one unsatisfied stop condition, the notification control unit performs control for notifying to a user a first notification information that includes an identity of the at least one unsatisfied stop condition so that the user identifies which stop condition is not satisfied.

14. The economy running controller according to claim 13,

wherein the notification control unit performs control for notifying to the user the first notification information through an on-vehicle apparatus having at least one of an image output function and a voice output function.

15. The economy running controller according to claim 14,

wherein the economy running controller restarts the internal combustion engine of the vehicle, when at least one of start conditions is satisfied,

the economy running controller further comprising:

a restart judging unit that judges whether each of the start conditions is satisfied;

wherein when the restart judging unit judges that at least one of the start conditions is satisfied and the internal combustion engine restarts, the notification control unit performs control for notifying to the user a second notification information concerned with the at least one of the start conditions.

16. The economy running controller according to claim 15,

wherein the notification control unit performs control for notifying to the user the second notification information through an on-vehicle apparatus having at least one of an image output function and a voice output function.

17. A navigation apparatus being connected to an economy running controller performing:

a control for stopping an internal combustion engine of a vehicle when the vehicle stops and all of stop conditions are satisfied; and

a control for restarting the internal combustion engine of the vehicle, the economy running controller comprising;

a stop judging unit that judges whether the vehicle stops or not, and judges whether each of the stop conditions is satisfied or not; and

a notification control unit;

wherein when the stop judging unit judges that the vehicle stops and judges that at least one of the stop conditions is not satisfied so as to define at least one unsatisfied stop condition, the notification control unit transmits a notification control signal to the navigation apparatus, the navigation apparatus comprising;

a notification unit that notifies to the user first notification information that includes an identity of the at least one unsatisfied stop condition based on the notification control signal from the economy running controller so that the user identifies which stop condition is not satisfied.

18. The navigation apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a content type setting unit that sets a content type of the first notification information.

19. The navigation apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a notification way setting unit that sets a way of notifying the first notification information.

20. The navigation apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a priority setting unit that sets which one of the function of notifying the first notification information and a function of navigation by the navigation apparatus is given a higher priority.

21. The navigation apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a priority judging unit that judges which one of the function of notifying the first notification information and a function of navigation by the navigation apparatus is given a higher priority;

wherein when the priority judging unit that judges the function of navigation is given a higher prior than the other, the first notification information is not notified by the notification unit.

22. The navigation apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the priority judging unit judges which one of the function of notifying the first notification information and the function of navigation by the navigation apparatus is given a higher priority based on a priority of stopping the internal combustion engine.