Utilization of vehicle presence systems for powertrain response readiness and conserving energy
First Claim
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1. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:
- operating the vehicle in an energy-saving mode;
selectively remaining in the energy-saving mode in response to an indication of an absence of an oncoming vehicle to maintain fuel economy; and
inhibiting entry into, or exiting, the energy-saving mode in response to an indication of a presence of the oncoming vehicle to maintain vehicle responsiveness to oncoming traffic.
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Abstract
A method and system relates to improving powertrain responsiveness in a vehicle while maintaining fuel economy by inhibiting entry into, or exiting, energy-saving modes when oncoming traffic is detected. In one example, the energy-saving mode is inhibited in response to an indication of an oncoming vehicle of concern. In a second example, the energy-saving mode is selectively maintained in response to an indication of an absence of oncoming traffic.
5 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:
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operating the vehicle in an energy-saving mode; selectively remaining in the energy-saving mode in response to an indication of an absence of an oncoming vehicle to maintain fuel economy; and inhibiting entry into, or exiting, the energy-saving mode in response to an indication of a presence of the oncoming vehicle to maintain vehicle responsiveness to oncoming traffic. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for operating a vehicle, comprising:
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operating the vehicle in an energy-saving mode; selectively remaining in the energy-saving mode in response to an indication of an absence of an oncoming vehicle to maintain fuel economy; and inhibiting entry into, or exiting, the energy-saving mode in response to an indication of a presence of the oncoming vehicle to maintain vehicle responsiveness to oncoming traffic, wherein the presence of the oncoming vehicle comprises the oncoming vehicle traveling within a first threshold distance from the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A vehicle system, comprising:
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an engine; one or more vehicle presence sensors to detect a presence of an oncoming vehicle; and an engine control unit that receives input from the one or more vehicle presence sensors, the engine control unit comprising non-transitory instructions executable to operate a vehicle in an energy-saving mode, the non-transitory instructions comprising; selectively remaining in the energy-saving mode in response to an indication of an absence of an oncoming vehicle to maintain fuel economy; and inhibiting entry into, or exiting, the energy-saving mode in response to an indication of the presence of the oncoming vehicle to maintain vehicle responsiveness to oncoming traffic. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification