Motor vehicle with remote start and subsequent automatic shutdown

• US 9,744,941 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Geissenhner, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mustafa, Imran
• Application Number:
  US15/036,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20160280182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,081 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2025/0405 from the external
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/209 Remote starting of engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/00 Starting of engines by means of electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0807 Remote means
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/106 Driver presence, e.g. detected by door lock, seat sensor or belt sensor

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine (14) of a motor vehicle (10), in that the internal combustion engine (14) is started using a remote start unit (18) for wireless reception of a remote start signal (R) and afterwards is monitored by a shutdown unit (36) to determine whether a shutdown condition is fulfilled. When appropriate, the internal combustion engine (14) is shutdown again. A radio key device (26) of the motor vehicle (10) is designed to detect a radio key presence in a passenger compartment (28) of the motor vehicle (10) using a key scan and to signal a radio key presence by means of a key presence signal (A). The problem addressed by the invention is to adapt the subsequent shutdown of the internal combustion engine (14) more flexibly to the position of the driver following a remote start. The shutdown condition comprises for this purpose that the key presence signal (A) must have been inactive for a predefined minimum time period. A presence of a person in the passenger compartment (28) is detected by a monitoring device (32) by means of a sensor unit (24, 38, 40 42) and, upon detecting the presence of a person, at least one key scan is triggered at at least one predefined time by means of a control signal (P).

Claims

1. Motor vehicle (10) with a remote start unit (18), a shutdown device (36) and a radio key device (26), wherein:

the remote start unit (18) is designed to start an internal combustion engine (14) of the motor vehicle (10) upon wireless reception of a remote start signal (R), and

the shutdown device (36) is designed to shut down the internal combustion engine (14) once more after a start by the remote start unit (18) in dependence on a shutdown condition, and

the radio key device (26) is designed to detect a radio key presence in a passenger compartment (28) of the motor vehicle (10) by a key scan and to signal it by means of a key presence signal (A),

characterized in that

the shutdown condition is that the key presence signal (A) must have been inactive for a predetermined minimum time, and

the motor vehicle (10) has a monitoring device (32), which is designed to detect by means of a sensor device (24, 38, 40, 42) of the motor vehicle (10) a person'"'"'s presence in the passenger compartment (28) and upon detecting a person'"'"'s presence to trigger the key scan by means of a control signal (P) at least at a predetermined time.

2. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device (32) is designed to detect by means of the sensor device (24, 38, 40, 42) the following events or a subset of the events:

the closing of an outer door of the motor vehicle (10), a locking of a seatbelt buckle (42), an activating of one of the pedals (24) of the motor vehicle (10), a first-time activity of the key presence signal (A) after the starting by the remote start unit (18), a motion recognition by a motion sensor (38), especially by a camera (38), a seat occupancy detection (40).

3. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device (32) is designed to generate the control signal (P) several times and cyclically and thereby accomplish a cyclical key scan.

4. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 3, wherein a cycle duration is smaller than the minimum time or equal to the minimum time.

5. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device (32) is designed to perform the person'"'"'s presence after the starting of the internal combustion engine (14) by the remote start unit (18) several times and after each detected person'"'"'s presence to generate the control signal (P) one time.

6. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device (32) is designed, upon detecting a person'"'"'s presence, to generate the control signal (P) for the first time within the minimum time.

7. Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 1, wherein a takeover device (22) is provided and is designed to generate an activation-dependent takeover signal to deactivate the shutdown device.

8. Method for operating an internal combustion engine (14) of a motor vehicle (10), in that

a remote start unit (18) starts the internal combustion engine (14) upon wireless reception of a remote start signal (R) and

after this a shutdown device (36) monitors whether a shutdown condition if fulfilled, and optionally the internal combustion engine (14) is shut down again, wherein

a radio key device (26) of the motor vehicle (10) is designed to detect a radio key presence in a passenger compartment (28) of the motor vehicle (10) by a key scan and to signal it by means of a key presence signal (A),

characterized in that

the shutdown condition is that the key presence signal (A) must be inactive for a predetermined minimum time, and

a monitoring device (32) detects by means of a sensor device (24, 38, 40, 42) a person'"'"'s presence in the passenger compartment (28) and upon detecting a person'"'"'s presence triggers the key scan by means of a control signal (P) at least at a predetermined time.