Engine automatic stop restart control apparatus, vehicle equipped with engine automatic stop restart control apparatus, and engine automatic stop restart method

• US 20060142121A1
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Moriya, Kouki
• Granted Patent: US 7,354,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/199
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0833 Vehicle conditions F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0837 Environmental conditions thereof, e.g. traffic, weather or road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/102 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/125 Information about other vehicles, traffic lights or traffic congestion
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

In a vehicle having idle stop functions and low vehicle speed-following drive functions, when a vehicle automatic stop flag F2 is identified as 1 at step S220, determines whether all engine stop conditions except depression of brake pedal are satisfied in step S240. When it is determined all the engine stop conditions except depression of the brake pedal are satisfied, ignition and fuel injection in each cylinder of engine are stopped to automatically stop the engine in step S260. In this arrangement, the driver'"'"'s depression of brake is excluded from the engine stop conditions. Therefore, even when the motor vehicle automatically stops without the driver'"'"'s depression of brake, the engine is automatically stopped.

Claims

1. An engine automatic stop restart-control apparatus mounted on a motor vehicle, said engine automatic stop restart control apparatus performing automatic engine stop control to automatically stop an engine in response to a driver'"'"'s depression of brake as one of preset engine stop conditions and performing automatic engine restart control to automatically restart the engine in response to the driver'"'"'s release of brake as one of preset engine restart conditions,

said engine automatic stop restart control apparatus comprising:

an automatic drive control module that performs vehicle automatic stop control to automatically stop the motor vehicle upon satisfaction of predetermined vehicle stop conditions;

an engine stop condition judgment module that determines whether all the preset engine stop conditions except the driver'"'"'s depression of brake are satisfied after an automatic stop of the motor vehicle by the vehicle automatic stop control of said automatic drive control module; and

an engine stop control module that performs the engine automatic stop control to automatically stop the engine when said engine stop condition judgment module determines satisfaction of all the preset engine stop conditions except the driver'"'"'s depression of brake.

2. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the predetermined vehicle stop conditions include at least a condition that a distance between the motor vehicle and an obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is not longer than a preset reference distance.

3. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the predetermined vehicle stop conditions include at least a condition that a vehicle speed of the motor vehicle is not higher than a preset reference vehicle speed and that a distance between the motor vehicle and a preceding vehicle is not longer than a preset reference distance,

said automatic drive control module controls the motor vehicle to be driven at a constant speed or to follow the preceding vehicle and, in response to a stop of the preceding vehicle, controls the motor vehicle to automatically stop with maintaining the preset reference distance from the preceding vehicle.

4. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the driver'"'"'s depression of brake is included in the preset engine stop conditions when a gearshift lever is set in a drivable gear position.

5. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a braking detection module that detects the driver'"'"'s depression or release of brake,

wherein said automatic drive control module cancels the vehicle automatic stop control by said automatic drive control module, in response to detection of the driver'"'"'s depression of brake by said braking detection module.

6. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an engine restart condition judgment module that determines whether the preset engine restart conditions except the driver'"'"'s release of brake are satisfied in a state of sequential automatic stops of the motor vehicle and the engine by the vehicle automatic stop control of said automatic drive control module and by the engine automatic stop control of said engine stop control module;

a distance specification module that specifies whether a distance between the motor vehicle and an obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is longer than a preset reference distance; and

an engine restart control module that performs the engine automatic restart control to automatically restart the engine when said engine restart condition judgment module determines satisfaction of all the preset engine restart conditions except the driver'"'"'s release of brake and said distance specification module specifies that the distance between the motor vehicle and the obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is longer than the preset reference distance.

7. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 5, further comprising:

an engine restart condition judgment module that determines whether the preset engine restart conditions except the driver'"'"'s release of brake are satisfied in a state of sequential automatic stops of the motor vehicle and the engine by the vehicle automatic stop control of said automatic drive control module and by the engine automatic stop control of said engine stop control module;

a distance specification module that specifies whether a distance between the motor vehicle and an obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is longer than a preset reference distance; and

an engine restart control module that performs the engine automatic restart control to automatically restart the engine when said engine restart condition judgment module determines satisfaction of all the preset engine restart conditions except the driver'"'"'s release of brake and said distance specification module specifies that the distance between the motor vehicle and the obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is longer than the preset reference distance.

8. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein the obstacle is a preceding vehicle.

9. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein the obstacle is a preceding vehicle.

10. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein the driver'"'"'s release of brake is included in the preset engine restart conditions when a gearshift lever is set in a drivable gear position.

11. An engine automatic stop restart control apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein the driver'"'"'s release of brake is included in the preset engine restart conditions when a gearshift lever is set in a drivable gear position.

12. An engine automatic stop restart method that performs automatic engine stop control to automatically stop an engine in response to a driver'"'"'s depression of brake as one of preset engine stop conditions and performs automatic engine restart control to automatically restart the engine in response to the driver'"'"'s release of brake as one of preset engine restart conditions, said engine automatic stop restart method comprising the steps of:

(a) performing vehicle automatic stop control to automatically stop the motor vehicle upon satisfaction of predetermined vehicle stop conditions;

(b) determining whether all the preset engine stop conditions except the driver'"'"'s depression of brake are satisfied after an automatic stop of the motor vehicle by said step (a); and

(c) performing the engine automatic stop control to automatically stop the engine when said step (b) determines satisfaction of all the preset engine stop conditions except the driver'"'"'s depression of brake.

13. A vehicle with an engine automatic stop restart control apparatus mounted thereon, said engine automatic stop restart control apparatus performing automatic engine stop control to automatically stop an engine in response to a driver'"'"'s depression of brake as one of preset engine stop conditions and performing automatic engine restart control to automatically restart the engine in response to the driver'"'"'s release of brake as one of preset engine restart conditions,

said engine automatic stop restart control apparatus comprising:

an automatic drive control module that performs vehicle automatic stop control to automatically stop the motor vehicle upon satisfaction of predetermined vehicle stop conditions;

an engine stop condition judgment module that determines whether all the preset engine stop conditions except the driver'"'"'s depression of brake are satisfied after an automatic stop of the motor vehicle by the vehicle automatic stop control of said automatic drive control module; and

an engine stop control module that performs the engine automatic stop control to automatically stop the engine when said engine stop condition judgment module determines satisfaction of all the preset engine stop conditions except the driver'"'"'s depression of brake.

14. A vehicle in accordance with claim 13,

wherein said engine automatic stop restart control apparatus further comprising a braking detection module that detects the driver'"'"'s depression or release of brake, and

said automatic drive control module cancels the vehicle automatic stop control by said automatic drive control module, in response to detection of the driver'"'"'s depression of brake by said braking detection module.

15. A vehicle in accordance with claim 13,

wherein said engine automatic stop restart control apparatus further comprising:

an engine restart condition judgment module that determines whether the preset engine restart conditions except the driver'"'"'s release of brake are satisfied in a state of sequential automatic stops of the motor vehicle and the engine by the vehicle automatic stop control of said automatic drive control module and by the engine automatic stop control of said engine stop control module;

a distance specification module that specifies whether a distance between the motor vehicle and an obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is longer than a preset reference distance; and

an engine restart control module that performs the engine automatic restart control to automatically restart the engine when said engine restart condition judgment module determines satisfaction of all the preset engine restart conditions except the driver'"'"'s release of brake and said distance specification module specifies that the distance between the motor vehicle and the obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is longer than the preset reference distance.

16. A vehicle in accordance with claim 14,

wherein said engine automatic stop restart control apparatus further comprising:

an engine restart condition judgment module that determines whether the preset engine restart conditions except the driver'"'"'s release of brake are satisfied in a state of sequential automatic stops of the motor vehicle and the engine by the vehicle automatic stop control of said automatic drive control module and by the engine automatic stop control of said engine stop control module;

a distance specification module that specifies whether a distance between the motor vehicle and an obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is longer than a preset reference distance; and

an engine restart control module that performs the engine automatic restart control to automatically restart the engine when said engine restart condition judgment module determines satisfaction of all the preset engine restart conditions except the driver'"'"'s release of brake and said distance specification module specifies that the distance between the motor vehicle and the obstacle located ahead of the motor vehicle is longer than the preset reference distance.