Vehicle engine automatic control device and vehicle engine automatic control method

• US 9,470,156 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Mori, Kouichi, Hattori, Motoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): VILAKAZI, SIZO BINDA
• Application Number:
  US14/363,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20140336908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 123/179.4, 123/325
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0026 Lookup tables or parameter maps
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18072 Coasting
• 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 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 11/0822 related to action of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0833 Vehicle conditions F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0801 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/102 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/60 Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect

Abstract

A vehicle engine automatic control device has a brake operation amount detecting unit that detects an amount of brake operation by a driver, an engine stopping/re-starting unit that stops an engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected exceeds a first threshold during coast drive, and re-starts the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected becomes equal to or lower than the first threshold after the engine stops, and a threshold setting unit that sets the first threshold smaller as a deceleration becomes lower.

Claims

1. A vehicle engine automatic control device, comprising:

a brake operation amount detecting unit that is configured to detect an amount of brake operation by a driver;

an engine stopping/re-starting unit that is configured to stop an engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected exceeds a first threshold during coast drive, and re-starts the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected becomes equal to or lower than the first threshold after the engine stops; and

a threshold setting unit that is configured to set the first threshold smaller as a deceleration becomes lower.

2. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 1, wherein the threshold setting unit sets a plurality of first thresholds such that the first threshold becomes smaller as the deceleration becomes lower.

3. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 1, wherein the threshold setting unit sets the first threshold based on a predetermined map.

4. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 1, wherein the threshold setting unit sets the first threshold based on a predetermined algorithm.

5. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 1,

wherein the engine stopping/re-starting unit, during coast drive, stops the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected falls below a second threshold, which is greater than the first threshold, and drives the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected is equal to or greater than the second threshold;

and

wherein the threshold setting unit sets the second threshold smaller as the deceleration increases.

6. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 5, wherein the threshold setting unit sets a plurality of second thresholds such that the second threshold becomes smaller as the deceleration increases.

7. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 5, wherein the threshold setting unit sets the second threshold based on a predetermined map.

8. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 5, wherein the threshold setting unit sets the second threshold based on a predetermined algorithm.

10. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 2, wherein the threshold setting unit sets the first threshold based on a predetermined map.

11. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 2, wherein the threshold setting unit sets the first threshold based on a predetermined algorithm.

12. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 2,

wherein the engine stopping/re-starting unit, during coast drive, stops the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected falls below a second threshold, which is greater than the first threshold, and drives the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected is equal to or greater than the second threshold;

and

wherein the threshold setting unit sets the second threshold smaller as the deceleration increases.

13. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 3,

wherein the engine stopping/re-starting unit, during coast drive, stops the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected falls below a second threshold, which is greater than the first threshold, and drives the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected is equal to or greater than the second threshold;

and

wherein the threshold setting unit sets the second threshold smaller as the deceleration increases.

14. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 4,

wherein the engine stopping/re-starting unit, during coast drive, stops the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected falls below a second threshold, which is greater than the first threshold, and drives the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected is equal to or greater than the second threshold;

and

wherein the threshold setting unit sets the second threshold smaller as the deceleration increases.

15. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 6, wherein the threshold setting unit sets the second threshold based on a predetermined map.

16. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 6, wherein the threshold setting unit sets the second threshold based on a predetermined algorithm.

9. A vehicle engine automatic control method, comprising:

detecting an amount of brake operation by a driver;

stopping an engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected exceeds a first threshold during coast drive;

re-starting the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected becomes equal to or lower than the first threshold after the engine stops; and

setting the first threshold smaller as a deceleration becomes lower.