Eco-run system, computer readable medium and eco-run state informing apparatus

• US 8,417,435 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Kazuhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwon, John T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, JOHNNY H
• Application Number:
  US12/450,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,946 Days
• Field of Search: 701/102, 701/112, 123/179.3, 123/179.4, 123/350
• US Class Current: 701/102
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0676 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/00 Controlling engines by cutting out individual cylinders; Rendering engines inoperative or idling controlling or rendering inoperative by varying inlet or exhaust valve operating characteristics F02D13/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/228 Warning displays
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• 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 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 2200/106 Driver presence, e.g. detected by door lock, seat sensor or belt sensor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

The present invention is an eco-run system having an eco-run function that stops and restarts an internal combustion engine depending on a state of a vehicle. The eco-run system includes: table information that prescribes a relationship between a plurality of eco-run prohibition reasons and priorities in which a user is informed of the eco-run prohibition reasons; an eco-run ECU 10 that judges whether an eco-run prohibition reason occurs to the vehicle; and an eco-lamp 41 or a navigation apparatus that, when it is judged by the eco-run ECU 10 that the eco-run prohibition reason occurs to the vehicle, informs the user of the eco-run prohibition reason depending on the priorities prescribed by the table information.

Claims

1. An eco-run system having an eco-run function that stops and restarts an internal combustion engine depending on a state of a vehicle, comprising:

a prescribing portion that prescribes a relationship between a plurality of eco-run prohibition reasons and priorities in which a user is informed of the eco-run prohibition reasons;

a priority setting portion that sets the priorities based upon frequency of occurrence of the eco-run prohibition reasons;

a judgment portion that judges whether an eco-run prohibition reason occurs to the vehicle; and

an informing portion that, when it is judged by the judgment portion that the eco-run prohibition reason occurs to the vehicle, informs the user of the eco-run prohibition reason depending on the priorities prescribed by the prescribing portion.

2. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the prescribing portion prescribes highly the priorities for the eco-run prohibition reasons with which the user can cope, compared with the priorities for the eco-run prohibition reasons with which the user cannot cope.

3. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the eco-run prohibition reason is more than a given number, the informing portion informs the user of only a predetermined the eco-run prohibition reason.

4. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1, wherein timing in which the user is informed of the eco-run prohibition reason is in the case where the vehicle is at a stop and there is a travel history.

5. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eco-run prohibition reason includes no basic operation for executing eco-run.

6. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a cancel portion that cancels the eco-run function,

wherein the informing portion cancels the forming of the eco-run prohibition reason when the cancel portion is operated.

7. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the informing portion is composed of a lamp, informs the user of the eco-run prohibition reason by blinking when the vehicle is at a stop, and informs the user of occurrence of trouble of the vehicle by blinking when the vehicle is not at a stop.

8. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the informing portion is composed of a lamp, and changes a blinking way of the lamp for each of the eco-run prohibition reasons.

9. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the informing portion is composed of a lamp, and the eco-run prohibition reason having a high priority is configured such that the blinking of the lamp terminates early compared with the eco-run prohibition reason having a low priority.

10. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the informing portion is composed of a lamp, the eco-run system includes a setting portion that sets a code for blinking the lamp, and when a given condition is satisfied, the code set by the setting portion is eliminated and the lamp is turned off.

11. The eco-run system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the informing portion is composed of a lamp, the eco-run system includes a control portion that receives the code set by the setting portion and controls the blinking of the lamp, and when the vehicle is at a stop and there is a travel history, in the case where the control portion does not receive the code within a given period, the control portion controls the lamp to continuously light the lamp.

12. A computer readable medium causing a computer to execute a process, the computer being used by an eco-run system having an eco-run function that stops and restarts an internal combustion engine depending on a state of a vehicle, the process comprising:

prescribing a relationship between a plurality of eco-run prohibition reasons and priorities in which a user is informed of the eco-run prohibition reasons, wherein the priorities are set based upon frequency of occurrence of the eco-run prohibition reasons;

judging whether an eco-run prohibition reason occurs to the vehicle; and

informing the user of the eco-run prohibition reason depending on the prescribed priorities when it is judged that the eco-run prohibition reason occurs to the vehicle.

13. An eco-run state informing apparatus that is provided in a vehicle capable of executing eco-run control, and informs a user of a reason for not stopping an internal combustion engine when stopping the internal combustion engine is not executed by the eco-run control, the eco-run control restarting the internal combustion engine after the internal combustion engine is stopped depending on a state of the vehicle, the eco-run state informing apparatus comprising:

an informing control portion that, when stopping the internal combustion engine is not executed by the eco-run control, and an eco-run prohibition reason includes a reason of which the user should be informed, causes a prohibition reason informing portion to informs the user of the eco-run prohibition reason of which the user should be informed, the eco-run prohibition reason being a reason for not stopping the internal combustion engine; and

a priority setting portion that sets priorities based upon frequency of occurrence of the eco-run prohibition reason,

wherein when there are eco-run prohibition reasons of which the user should be informed, the informing control portion controls the prohibition reason informing portion to preferentially inform the user of the eco-run prohibition reason with which the user is able to cope, compared with the eco-run prohibition reason with which the user is not able to cope.

14. An eco-run state informing apparatus that is provided in a vehicle capable of executing eco-run control, and informs a user of a reason for not stopping an internal combustion engine when stopping the internal combustion engine is not executed by the eco-run control, the eco-run control restarting the internal combustion engine after the internal combustion engine is stopped depending on a state of the vehicle, the eco-run state informing apparatus comprising:

an informing control portion that, when stopping the internal combustion engine is not executed by the eco-run control, and an eco-run prohibition reason includes a reason of which the user should be informed, causes a prohibition reason informing portion to informs the user of the eco-run prohibition reason of which the user should be informed, the eco-run prohibition reason being a reason for not stopping the internal combustion engine; and

a priority setting portion that sets priorities based upon frequency of occurrence of the eco-run prohibition reason,

wherein when there are eco-run prohibition reasons of which the user should be informed, the informing control portion controls the prohibition reason informing portion to preferentially inform the user of the eco-run prohibition reason with which the user is not able to cope, compared with the eco-run prohibition reason with which the user is able to cope.

15. An eco-run state informing apparatus that is provided in a vehicle capable of executing eco-run control, and informs a user of a reason for not stopping an internal combustion engine when stopping the internal combustion engine is not executed by the eco-run control, the eco-run control restarting the internal combustion engine after the internal combustion engine is stopped depending on a state of the vehicle, the eco-run state informing apparatus comprising:

an informing control portion that, when stopping the internal combustion engine is not executed by the eco-run control, and an eco-run prohibition reason includes a reason of which the user should be informed, causes a prohibition reason informing portion to informs the user of the eco-run prohibition reason of which the user should be informed, the eco-run prohibition reason being a reason for not stopping the internal combustion engine; and

a priority setting portion that sets priorities based upon frequency of occurrence of the eco-run prohibition reason,

wherein when there are eco-run prohibition reasons of which the user should be informed, the informing control portion controls the prohibition reason informing portion to inform the user that there are many eco-run prohibition reasons.