JP2024056303A - Internal combustion engine shutdown system - Google Patents

Abstract

To quickly stop an internal combustion engine when an occupant gets out of a vehicle without stopping the internal combustion engine while the garage door is closed.
[Solution] While the internal combustion engine is operating and the vehicle is stopped, the control device determines whether a first condition is met, which indicates that the vehicle's current location is located in a garage (step S1); determines whether a second condition is met, which indicates that an operation has been performed on a switch that opens and closes the garage door to switch the garage door from an open state to a closed state (step S2); determines whether a third condition is met, which indicates that the electronic key is located outside the vehicle (step S4); and stops the internal combustion engine if the first condition, second condition, and third condition are all met (step S5).
[Selected figure] Figure 2

Description

This invention relates to a stopping system for an internal combustion engine.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle that employs an electronic key system. In this electronic key system, the vehicle's control device is capable of wireless communication with an electronic key that stores an ID unique to the vehicle. The control device issues a request signal into the vehicle cabin. When the control device receives a response signal from the electronic key, it detects that the electronic key is present inside the vehicle cabin. When the electronic key is present inside the vehicle cabin, the control device allows the internal combustion engine to be started.

In the above vehicle, it is possible that an occupant may leave the vehicle without stopping the internal combustion engine while still holding the electronic key. If the vehicle is parked in a poorly ventilated area, exhaust gas may fill the area around the vehicle. To prevent exhaust gas from filling the area around the vehicle, the vehicle has an exhaust sensor in the front bumper that detects the concentration of harmful substances contained in the exhaust. When the vehicle is parked and the door is opened or closed while the internal combustion engine is running, the control device checks whether the electronic key is present in the vehicle cabin. If the electronic key is not present in the vehicle cabin, the control device waits for a certain period of time. This allows the control device to wait for the concentration of exhaust gas around the exhaust sensor to stabilize. If the concentration of harmful substances detected by the exhaust sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold value after the certain period of time has elapsed, the control device stops the internal combustion engine.

JP 2012-245964 A

Garages installed at homes and other locations are examples of places where vehicles are parked or stored. In the case of garages with doors, the inside of the garage becomes an enclosed space when the doors are closed. If the technology of Patent Document 1 is implemented when a vehicle is located in such an enclosed space, the following problems may arise. That is, with the technology of Patent Document 1, after it is detected that the electronic key is not present in the vehicle cabin, it takes a considerable amount of time to stop the internal combustion engine, taking into account the stability of the exhaust concentration. Therefore, there is a risk that the concentration of harmful substances in the garage will be considerably high when the internal combustion engine is stopped.

The internal combustion engine stop system for solving the above problem is applied to a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, and includes a switch located inside the vehicle for opening and closing a garage door, a position receiver for receiving information about the current location of the vehicle, and a control unit capable of detecting whether the electronic key is located inside or outside the vehicle by wireless communication with an electronic key and permitting the start of the internal combustion engine when the electronic key is located inside the vehicle. The control unit determines whether a first condition indicating that the current location of the vehicle is located inside the garage is satisfied while the internal combustion engine is in operation and the vehicle is stopped, determines whether a second condition indicating that an operation has been performed on the switch to switch the garage door from an open state to a closed state is satisfied, determines whether a third condition indicating that the electronic key is located outside the vehicle is satisfied, and stops the internal combustion engine when the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition are all satisfied. With this configuration, the internal combustion engine can be stopped quickly when an occupant gets off the vehicle without stopping the internal combustion engine when the garage door is closed.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the stop process.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the internal combustion engine stop system will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 has an internal combustion engine 12 that serves as a drive source for the vehicle 10. The rotation of a crankshaft in the internal combustion engine 12 is transmitted to an automatic transmission 14. The automatic transmission 14 changes the speed of the rotation of the crankshaft and transmits it to the drive wheels. The automatic transmission 14 switches to one of four shift ranges depending on the operating position of a shift lever 15 provided in the vehicle cabin. The shift ranges include a drive range and a reverse range for driving, and a neutral range and a parking range for non-driving. In the non-driving shift range, the automatic transmission 14 is in a state in which it cannot transmit power to the drive wheels. Note that the vehicle 10 may have a motor generator in addition to the internal combustion engine 12 as a drive source for the vehicle 10.

The vehicle 10 has a position receiver 35. The position receiver 35 receives the current position coordinates C of the vehicle 10 from a global positioning satellite as information related to the current position of the vehicle 10. The position coordinates are latitude and longitude. The position receiver 35 outputs the received information to a control device 80 described below. Note that the position receiver 35 is not limited to the above, and may be anything that can receive information related to the current position of the vehicle 10. For example, the position receiver 35 may be a DCM (Data Communication Module), which is a communication device that can communicate with a server outside the vehicle 10. Here, the server can grasp the current position of the DCM and therefore the vehicle 10 depending on which base station area the DCM is located in. Therefore, the DCM may receive the position information of the vehicle 10 from the server.

The vehicle 10 has a door switch 60 operated by the occupant. The door switch 60 is a switch for opening and closing the door 2 of a specific garage 1. The specific garage 1 is, for example, a garage at the occupant's home. The door switch 60 is provided, for example, near the rearview mirror in the vehicle cabin, which is the interior of the vehicle 10. The door switch 60 includes an open switch 61 and a close switch 62. The open switch 61 is a switch for opening the door 2 in a fully closed state. The close switch 62 is a switch for closing the door 2 in a fully open state. These open switch 61 and close switch 62 are, for example, push-type. When the open switch 61 and the close switch 62 are operated by the occupant, they each output individual signals to the control device 80 described later. The open switch 61 and the close switch 62 may be configured as a single common switch. In this case, for example, if different signals are output depending on the number of times the switch is pressed in succession, an instruction to open the door 2 and an instruction to close it can be distinguished. The door switch 60 may be displayed on the screen of a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by the occupant. In this case, the mobile terminal functions as the door switch 60. As in this example of a mobile terminal, the door switch 60 may not be attached to the vehicle 10.

The vehicle 10 has an in-vehicle transmitter 51, an external transmitter 52, and a vehicle receiver 53. Each of these transceivers 51, 52, and 53 includes a circuit and an antenna. The in-vehicle transmitter 51 can transmit LF-band radio waves to the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle receiver 53 can receive RF radio waves, such as UHF-band radio waves. The external transmitter 52 can transmit radio waves of a different frequency band from that used by the in-vehicle transmitter 51 to the outside of the vehicle 10. Each of the transceivers 51, 52, and 53 is electrically connected to a control device 80, which will be described later.

The vehicle 10 has a control device 80 which is a control unit. The control device 80 has a CPU 81 which is a central processing unit, a memory 82 which stores control programs and data, and the like. The memory 82 stores in advance the ID of the electronic key 90 which can be used for the vehicle. The control device 80 receives output signals from various sensors attached to the vehicle 10, including the position receiver 35 and the door switch 60. For example, the control device 80 receives an output signal from a crank sensor 31 which detects the rotational position of the crankshaft. The control device 80 receives an output signal from a shift sensor 32 which detects the shift range selected by the shift lever 15. The output signal of the shift sensor 32 differs for each shift range. The control device 80 receives an output signal from a parking sensor 33 which detects the operating state of the parking brake of the vehicle 10. The output signal of the parking sensor 33 differs when the parking brake is in use and when it is not in use. The control device 80 receives an output signal from a door sensor 34 which detects the open/closed state of the door of the vehicle 10. The output signal of the door sensor 34 differs depending on whether the door is open or closed. The door sensor 34 is provided for each door of the vehicle 10.

The control device 80 is capable of wireless communication with the electronic key 90. The electronic key 90 is a portable device carried by the occupant. The electronic key 90 has a transponder function. That is, when the electronic key 90 receives a request signal (described below) emitted by the control device 80 of the vehicle 10, it transmits a response signal including an ID previously stored in the electronic key 90 via RF radio waves.

The control device 80 can detect whether the electronic key 90 is located inside the vehicle cabin or outside the vehicle 10 by wireless communication with the electronic key 90. When detecting that the electronic key 90 is located inside the vehicle cabin, the control device 80 transmits a request signal to the electronic key 90 via the in-vehicle transmitter 51. After transmitting the request signal, the control device 80 determines whether key matching is successful if it receives a response signal from the electronic key 90 via the vehicle receiver 53 within a predetermined reception period, for example, a value of less than one second. That is, if the ID included in the response signal matches the ID stored in the memory 82, the control device 80 determines that key matching is successful. In this case, the control device 80 determines that the electronic key 90 is located inside the vehicle cabin. On the other hand, if the control device 80 does not receive a response signal within the reception period after transmitting the request signal, or if the control device 80 receives a response signal but key matching is not successful, the control device 80 determines that the electronic key 90 is located outside the vehicle 10.

The control device 80 can start the internal combustion engine 12 in the following manner. That is, when the regular foot brake is depressed while the internal combustion engine 12 is not running, the control device 80 detects whether or not the electronic key 90 is located inside the vehicle cabin in the manner described above. When the electronic key 90 is located inside the vehicle cabin, the control device 80 waits for a start request from the occupant. In this standby state, when the ignition switch provided in the vehicle cabin is operated by the occupant, the control device 80 permits the start of the internal combustion engine 12. That is, the control device 80 outputs an permission signal that permits the starter motor to be driven. In response to this, the starter motor is driven to rotate the crankshaft.

When the control device 80 is located in the vicinity of a specific garage 1, it can wirelessly communicate with the opening/closing device 3 of the specific garage 1 via the external transmitter 52. The opening/closing device 3 has an actuator that opens and closes the door 2, a control device that controls the actuator, and an antenna for wireless communication with the vehicle 10. The control device 80 of the vehicle 10 transmits an opening/closing signal for the door 2 to the opening/closing device 3 using wireless communication. Specifically, when the open switch 61 is operated by the occupant, the control device 80 transmits an open signal including an instruction to open the door 2 to the opening/closing device 3. When the opening signal is received, the opening/closing device 3 opens the door 2. On the other hand, when the close switch 62 is operated by the occupant, the control device 80 transmits a close signal including an instruction to close the door 2 to the opening/closing device 3. When the close signal is received, the opening/closing device 3 closes the door 2.

The control device 80, together with the door switch 60 and the position receiver 35, constitutes a stop system for the internal combustion engine 12. As part of the functions of this stop system, the control device 80 can execute a stop process for stopping the internal combustion engine 12. When the stop condition switches from an unsatisfied state to an established state while the internal combustion engine 12 is in operation, the control device 80 starts the stop process. It is possible to determine that the internal combustion engine 12 is in operation, for example, by the rotation speed of the crankshaft being greater than zero. The rotation speed of the crankshaft can be grasped from the rotation position of the crankshaft detected by the crank sensor 31. The stop condition is predetermined as a condition indicating that the vehicle 10 is stopped. The stop condition is that the parking brake is in an engaged state and the automatic transmission 14 is in a non-driving shift range. The operating state of the parking brake can be grasped from the output signal of the parking sensor 33. The current shift range of the automatic transmission 14 can be grasped from the output signal of the shift sensor 32. The stopping condition may be any condition that can determine that the vehicle 10 is stopped. For example, the stopping condition may take into consideration only one of the operating state of the parking brake and the shift range of the automatic transmission 14, or may also take into account the traveling speed of the vehicle 10. Here, the control device 80 repeatedly determines whether the specific condition is satisfied while the stopping process is being executed. The specific condition is that the internal combustion engine 12 is operating and the stopping condition is satisfied. If the specific condition is not satisfied while the stopping process is being executed, the control device 80 ends the stopping process at that point.

2, when the control device 80 starts the stop process, it first performs the process of step S1. In step S1, the control device 80 determines whether or not a first condition, which is a prerequisite for stopping the internal combustion engine 12, is satisfied. The first condition is that the vehicle 10 is located within a predetermined specific area. The specific area is an area within a virtual circle centered on a point previously registered by the occupant. The registered point is determined by position coordinates. The radius of the virtual circle is predetermined as a length that allows the vehicle 10 to be recognized as being located near the registered point, and is, for example, 10 meters. The registered point is the position of a specific garage 1. In other words, the first condition indicates that the vehicle 10 is located within a specific garage 1. Note that the specific area is not limited to a circular area, and may be any area that allows the vehicle 10 to be recognized as being located within a specific garage 1. The control device 80 refers to the current position coordinates C received from the position receiver 35. The control device 80 then determines whether or not the first condition is satisfied based on the distance from the current position coordinates C of the vehicle 10 to the registered point and the radius of the virtual circle. If the vehicle 10 is not located within the specific area (S1: NO), the control device 80 ends the series of steps in the stop process.

On the other hand, if the vehicle 10 is located within the specific area (S1: YES), the control device 80 advances the process to step S2. In step S2, the control device 80 determines whether a second condition, which is a prerequisite for stopping the internal combustion engine 12, is satisfied. The second condition is that the close switch 62 is operated. That is, the second condition indicates that an operation to switch the door 2 of the garage 1 from an open state to a closed state has been performed on the door switch 60. The control device 80 determines whether step S2 is satisfied based on the output signal of the close switch 62. If the close switch 62 is not operated (S2: NO), the control device 80 executes the process of step S2 again. The control device 80 repeats the process of step S2 until the close switch 62 is operated. If the specific condition is not satisfied during this repetition, the control device 80 ends the stop process at that point. If the close switch 62 is operated while the specific condition is satisfied (S2: YES), the control device 80 advances the process to step S3.

In step S3, the control device 80 determines whether any door in the vehicle 10 has switched from an open state to a closed state. The control device 80 makes the determination in step S3 based on the output signal of each door sensor 34. If none of the doors have switched from an open state to a closed state (S3: NO), the control device 80 executes the process of step S3 again. The control device 80 repeats the process of step S3 until any door switches from an open state to a closed state. As with the process of step S2, if the specific condition is not satisfied during the repetition of the process of step S3, the control device 80 ends the stop process at that point. If any door switches from an open state to a closed state while the specific condition is satisfied (S3: YES), the control device 80 advances the process to step S4.

In step S4, the control device 80 determines whether the third condition, which is a prerequisite for stopping the internal combustion engine 12, is met. The third condition is that it is not possible to detect that the electronic key 90 is located inside the vehicle cabin. In other words, the third condition indicates that the electronic key 90 is located outside the vehicle 10. The control device 80 determines whether the electronic key 90 is located inside the vehicle cabin or outside the vehicle 10 using the procedure already described. If the electronic key 90 is located inside the vehicle cabin (S4: NO), the control device 80 returns to the processing of step S3.

On the other hand, if the electronic key 90 is located outside the vehicle 10 (S4: YES), the control device 80 proceeds to step S5. In this case, the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition are all met. Then, in step S5, the control device 80 stops the internal combustion engine 12. After this, the control device 80 ends the stop process.

This embodiment has the following effects. Now, assume that the vehicle 10 is parked in a specific garage 1 while the internal combustion engine 12 continues to operate (S1: YES). Then, assume that the occupant operates the close switch 62 to close the door 2 of the specific garage 1 (S2: YES). In this case, the specific garage 1 becomes an enclosed space. If the door of the vehicle 10 is subsequently switched from an open state to a closed state (S3: YES), there is a possibility that the occupant has dismounted. If the occupant dismounts while still holding the electronic key 90, the operation of the internal combustion engine 12 will continue in the enclosed space. Therefore, if the electronic key 90 is located outside the vehicle 10 when the door of the vehicle 10 is switched from an open state to a closed state (S4: YES), the control device 80 stops the internal combustion engine 12 (S5). Thus, in this embodiment, if the occupant dismounts without stopping the internal combustion engine 12 when the door 2 of the specific garage 1 is closed, the internal combustion engine 12 can be quickly stopped.

1...Garage 2...Door 10...Vehicle 12...Internal combustion engine 35...Position receiver 60...Door switch 80...Control device 90...Electronic key

Claims (1)

Applied to a vehicle having an internal combustion engine,
a switch located inside the vehicle for opening and closing a garage door, a location receiver for receiving information relating to a current location of the vehicle, and a control unit capable of detecting whether the electronic key is located inside or outside the vehicle by wireless communication with the electronic key and permitting start of the internal combustion engine when the electronic key is located inside the vehicle,
The control unit performs the following operations while the internal combustion engine is operating and the vehicle is stopped: determine whether a first condition is satisfied indicating that the current position of the vehicle is located within the garage; determine whether a second condition is satisfied indicating that an operation has been performed on the switch to switch the garage door from an open state to a closed state; determine whether a third condition is satisfied indicating that the electronic key is located outside the vehicle; and stop the internal combustion engine if the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition are all satisfied.

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