Vehicle engine automatic control device

• US 9,759,139 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2012
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• 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:
  US14/361,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,785 Days
• Field of Search: 1231794, 123325
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/60 said parameters being related to the driver demands or status
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/18 Control of the engine output torque
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/00 Controlling engines, dependent on conditions exterior or interior to engines, not otherwise provided for
• 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 11/0844 with means for restarting the engine directly after an engine stop request, e.g. caused by change of driver mind
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0801 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0805 Detection of vehicle emergency state, e.g. from ABS, ESP, external sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/101 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/102 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

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, during coast drive, stops an engine based on the amount of brake operation that is detected, and, after the engine stops, re-starts the engine when the amount of brake operation that is detected falls below a first threshold, and a first threshold setting unit that sets the first threshold smaller as vehicle speed becomes lower.

Claims

1. A vehicle engine automatic control device, comprising:

a brake operation amount detecting unit that detects an amount of brake operation by a driver;

an engine stopping/re-starting unit that stops, during coast drive, an engine based on only the amount of brake operation detected by the brake operation amount detecting unit, the engine stopping/re-starting unit being configured to re-start the engine when the amount of brake operation detected by the brake operation amount detecting unit falls below a first threshold after the engine stops during the coast drive; and

a first threshold setting unit that sets the first threshold smaller as vehicle speed becomes lower.

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

3. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 1, wherein the first 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 first 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 re-starts the engine, during coast drive, after the engine stops, when the amount of brake operation that is detected becomes equal to or greater than a second threshold, and

wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

6. The vehicle engine automatic control device according to claim 5, further comprising a second threshold setting unit that sets the second threshold smaller as the vehicle speed becomes lower.

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

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

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

wherein the engine stopping/re-starting unit re-starts the engine, during coast drive, after the engine stops, when the amount of brake operation that is detected becomes equal to or greater than a second threshold, and

wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

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

wherein the engine stopping/re-starting unit re-starts the engine, during coast drive, after the engine stops, when the amount of brake operation that is detected becomes equal to or greater than a second threshold, and

wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

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

wherein the engine stopping/re-starting unit re-starts the engine, during coast drive, after the engine stops, when the amount of brake operation that is detected becomes equal to or greater than a second threshold, and

wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.