JP2000097138A - Engine starting control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate a wasteful use of fuel, and to carry out an idling operation favorable in respect of the environmental protection. SOLUTION: This engine starting control device 1 carries out the idling operation by starting an engine automatically, and has a starting instruction signal output means 10 which outputs a starting instruction signal to a starter 13 and other starting relation apparatuses when an engine starting request signal is detected, so as to make the engine in the idling condition; a target temperature setting means 10 to set a control target temperature depending on the outer air temperature and the car inside temperature delivered from an outer air temperature sensor 14 to detect the outer air around the vehicle, and the car inside temperature sensor 15 to detect the car inside temperature; and a stop instruction signal output means 10 to stop the engine by outputting a stop instruction signal, when the car inside temperature reaches to a control target temperature by the air-conditioning following to the idling operation of the engine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an engine start control device for automatically starting an engine and performing an idling operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been provided an engine start control device for automatically starting an engine by remote control or the like without operating an ignition key of a vehicle.

In this engine start control device, for example, an engine start request signal arbitrarily issued by a user is received by a receiver mounted on a vehicle, electric contacts are brought into a contact state, and a vehicle battery is supplied to a starter motor. To start the engine. After the engine is started, the idling state is continued for a certain period of time. The idling continuation time can be arbitrarily set by the driver, for example, in units of 10 minutes or 1 minute.

The primary purpose of an engine start control device is to start the engine before the driver gets on the vehicle, especially in the summer or winter season, and to have a comfortable temperature inside the vehicle when the driver gets on the vehicle. It also plays an important role in terms of warming up the vehicle.

[0005]

However, in the operation by the conventional engine start control device, the vehicle interior temperature becomes a comfortable temperature, or the idling continuation time set by the driver elapses even after the warm-up operation is sufficiently performed. Until you do
In order to continue idling, idling operation tends to be performed for a longer time than necessary. Such an idling operation beyond necessity is a waste of fuel, and is not preferable from the viewpoint of environmental protection of the earth when considering the influence of exhaust gas.

[0006] The present invention has been proposed in view of the above,
An object of the present invention is to provide an engine start control device that can reduce waste of fuel and perform an idling operation that is preferable from the viewpoint of environmental protection.

[0007]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an engine start control device for automatically starting an engine to perform an idling operation. Upon detection, a start command signal is output to a starter or other start-related equipment to output a start command signal for setting the engine in an idling state, an outside air temperature sensor for detecting an outside air temperature around the vehicle, and a vehicle interior temperature. Target temperature setting means for setting a control target temperature based on the outside air temperature and the vehicle interior temperature sent from the vehicle interior temperature sensor, and stopping when the vehicle interior temperature reaches the control target temperature by air conditioning accompanying the idling operation of the engine. And a stop command signal output means for outputting a command signal and stopping the engine.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the vehicle interior temperature does not reach the control target temperature even after a predetermined idling upper limit time has elapsed. The stop command signal is output when the idling upper limit time has elapsed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect of the present invention, the vehicle interior temperature is controlled before the preset engine warm-up operation time elapses. When the temperature has reached, a stop command signal is output when the engine warm-up operation time has elapsed.

Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the fourth aspect of the present invention, a notification signal for notifying an engine stop is sent to a remote controller together with the output of the stop command signal. , Is characterized.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an engine start control device according to the present invention. In the figure, an engine start control device 1 is mounted on an AT (auto transmission) vehicle, and is configured by connecting various sensors and various devices to a start control unit 10.

That is, the start control unit 10 includes an ignition switch 11, an accessory switch 12, a starter drive unit 13 for starting the engine, and an externally mounted vehicle.
An outside air temperature sensor 14 for detecting an outside air temperature around the vehicle, and an in-vehicle temperature sensor 1 arranged in the vehicle and detecting the inside temperature
5, a shift lever 16, a battery 17 for supplying power to each part, an operation unit 18 for setting an idling start time and an idling continuation time, a display unit 19 for performing various displays, and a remote controller (remote controller) 22 The transmission / reception unit 20 that transmits and receives the signal via the antenna 21
Each is connected. The start control unit 10 has a timer unit 101 built therein.

The start control unit 10 includes a CPU, an RO,
A start command signal output unit, a target temperature setting unit, and a stop command signal output unit according to the present invention are functions of software executed by a CPU according to a predetermined control program stored in a ROM. It is configured.

In the engine start control device 1 having the above structure, when the driver operates the remote controller 22 to transmit a radio wave to a vehicle parked in a parking lot, for example, the radio wave passes through the antenna 21 and the transmission / reception unit 20. Start control unit 1
Sent to 0. The start control unit 10 recognizes the signal as an engine start request signal, confirms that the shift lever is set to "P (parking)", and then instructs the engine to start the engine to perform idling. Let

That is, first, the power of the battery 17 is supplied to the ignition switch 11 and the accessory switch 12 via a relay or the like. The power of the battery 17 is supplied to the starter driving unit 13 for a predetermined time. As a result, the engine is started, idling is started, and at the same time as the idling, an air conditioner (not shown) operates to start air conditioning in the vehicle. The air conditioning in this case is performed by operating the air conditioner before the driver gets off, for example, if the air conditioner switch is turned on.

The start controller 10 includes a remote controller 22
Receives the signal from the
The control target temperature is set based on the outside air temperature and the inside temperature sent from the outside air temperature sensor 14 and the inside temperature sensor 15. Then, air conditioning by idling operation is continuously performed so that the vehicle interior temperature reaches the control target temperature, and when the control target temperature is reached, a stop command signal is output and the ignition switch is turned off,
Stop the engine. On the other hand, when the control target temperature has not been reached after the lapse of the idling upper limit time set in advance by using the operation unit 18, a stop command signal is output at the lapse of the idling upper limit time, and the engine is stopped.
The elapsed time of idling is counted and managed by the timer unit 101, and the set idling upper limit time and the remaining time of idling are displayed on the display unit 19.

The above-mentioned control target temperature is usually set to 25 ° C. which is comfortable for the driver. Hot summer day, outside temperature 3
If the temperature is 0 ° C., the temperature inside the vehicle may exceed 50 ° C. Even in such a case, if the control target temperature in the vehicle is set to 25 ° C., it takes a considerable time to reach the temperature even if air conditioning is continued. Further, even when both the outside air temperature and the vehicle interior temperature are low on a cold winter day, if the control target temperature is set to 25 ° C., it takes a considerable time to reach the temperature, as described above. Therefore, in such a case, the control target temperature is set slightly higher or lower than 25 ° C. Thus, before the idling upper limit time elapses, the temperature inside the vehicle reaches the control target temperature, and the engine stops. Optimal temperature inside the car is 25 ℃
However, the discomfort of the driver when riding the vehicle can be sufficiently reduced without depending on the idling operation for a long time.

Conversely, if the outside air temperature and the vehicle interior temperature are both close to a comfortable temperature of 25 ° C., immediately after the idling operation starts, the control target temperature is reached, the engine stops, and the engine warms up. Absent. Therefore, in order to cope with this, the engine warm-up operation time required to warm up the engine is set in advance as the minimum idling time, and idling is performed unconditionally during that time.

When the vehicle interior temperature reaches the control target temperature during idling operation based on a signal from the remote controller 22, the start control unit 10 outputs a stop command signal to stop the engine and directs the engine to the remote controller 22. A notification signal for notifying the engine stop is transmitted. The driver can know exactly when the engine has stopped after idling by the guidance sound based on this notification signal, it takes time to actually get on the vehicle, and if it seems that the temperature inside the vehicle has changed, It is possible to operate the remote controller 22 again to start the engine.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of engine start control performed by the start control unit 10.

First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not an engine start request signal based on a remote control operation has been transmitted, and if it has been transmitted, the next step S2 is performed.
And if it has not been sent, the program is terminated.

In step S2, after confirming that the shift lever 16 is at the parking position and the like, a start command signal is output, and the routine proceeds to the next step S3. The engine is automatically started by this start command signal to start idling operation to perform air conditioning in the vehicle.

In step S3, a control target temperature is set based on the outside air temperature and the vehicle interior temperature immediately before the start, and thereafter, the flow proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, it is determined whether or not the vehicle interior temperature has reached the control target temperature. If the temperature has reached the control target temperature, the process proceeds to the next step S5. Branch to S8.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not the minimum idling time set as the engine warm-up operation time has elapsed. If the time has elapsed, the process proceeds to the next step S6, in which the time has elapsed. If not, it waits until it elapses.

In step S8, it is determined whether or not a preset idling upper limit time has elapsed. If the time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S6. If not, the process proceeds to step S4. Return to

In step S6, a stop command signal is output to stop the engine, and the flow advances to the next step S7.

In step S7, a notification signal is sent to the remote controller 22, and then this program ends.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the engine is started automatically and idling is performed,
When the temperature inside the vehicle reaches the control target temperature, the engine is stopped, so that the idling operation is completed earlier than the normal idling time, so that fuel waste can be saved and from the viewpoint of environmental protection, A preferable idling operation can be achieved.

Further, even if the idling operation time is shortened, the inside of the vehicle is maintained at a sufficiently comfortable temperature, and a comfortable vehicle environment can be provided to the driver and the passenger at the same time as the driver gets on the vehicle.

In addition, if the idling upper limit time is set in advance, and the vehicle interior temperature does not reach the control target temperature even when air conditioning is performed, the engine is stopped when the idling upper limit time has elapsed. Even if it is difficult to control at the control target temperature because the difference between the vehicle interior temperature and the control target temperature is too large, or if the driver has not previously operated the air conditioner switch of the vehicle and air conditioning does not function, such a situation may occur. And the engine can be stopped appropriately.

Further, the engine warm-up operation time required for warming up the engine is secured as a minimum idling time, and even when the vehicle interior temperature reaches the control target temperature in a short time, the engine warm-up operation time is maintained. Since the idling operation is continued until the time elapses, the engine can be sufficiently warmed up even when, for example, the vehicle interior temperature before the start is close to the control target temperature.

In the above description, the engine start request signal is transmitted from the remote controller 22, but may be transmitted by other means as appropriate. For example, the driver may operate the operation unit 18 to set the transmission time in advance, and may output an engine start request signal when the transmission time comes.

[0035]

Since the present invention has the above-described configuration,
The following effects can be obtained.

According to the first aspect of the invention, when the engine is started automatically and idling is performed, the engine is stopped when the temperature inside the vehicle reaches the control target temperature, so that the idling time is shorter than the normal idling time. The idling operation is completed, and therefore, waste of fuel can be omitted, and a preferable idling operation can be achieved from the viewpoint of environmental protection.

Further, even if the idling operation time is shortened, the inside of the vehicle is kept at a sufficiently comfortable temperature, and a comfortable vehicle environment can be provided to the driver and the passenger at the same time as riding.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the idling upper limit time is set in advance and the vehicle interior temperature does not reach the control target temperature even when air conditioning is performed, the engine is stopped when the idling upper limit time elapses. So that, for example, if the difference between the vehicle interior temperature and the control target temperature is too large to control at the control target temperature, or if the driver operates the air conditioner switch of the vehicle in advance before getting off the vehicle, Therefore, even when the air conditioning does not function, the engine can be stopped by appropriately coping with the situation.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, if the temperature inside the vehicle reaches the control target temperature before the engine warm-up operation time set in advance as the minimum idling time elapses, the engine warm-up operation time is reduced. Since the stop command signal is output when the elapsed time has elapsed, the engine can be sufficiently warmed up, for example, even when the temperature inside the vehicle before the start is close to the control target temperature.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the driver is notified of the stop of the engine after the completion of the idling operation. Therefore, the driver can accurately know the time at which the engine has stopped, and then the vehicle stops. If it takes time to get on the vehicle and it seems that the temperature inside the vehicle has changed, the engine can be started by operating the remote controller again.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an engine start control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of engine start control performed by a start control unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 engine start control device 10 start control unit 11 ignition switch 12 accessory switch 13 starter drive unit 14 outside air temperature sensor 15 vehicle temperature sensor 16 shift lever 17 battery 18 operation unit 19 display unit 19 display unit 20 transmission / reception unit 21 antenna 22 remote control 101 timer Department

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Yoshito Takamatsu 2-1-26-Todori, Nada-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo F-term in Hanshin Electric Co., Ltd. (reference) 3G093 AA05 BA21 BA22 BA25 CA01 DB00 DB09 DB12 DB23 EA03 FA00 FA08 FA11 FB05

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An engine start control device for automatically starting an engine to perform an idling operation, wherein when an engine start request signal is detected, a start command signal is output to a starter and other start-related devices to start the engine. Based on the outside air temperature and the in-vehicle temperature sent from the start command signal output means for setting the state, the outside air temperature sensor for detecting the outside air temperature around the vehicle, and the inside temperature sensor for detecting the inside temperature of the vehicle, the control target temperature is set. Target temperature setting means for setting, and a stop command signal output means for outputting a stop command signal and stopping the engine when the vehicle interior temperature reaches a control target temperature by air-conditioning accompanying idling operation of the engine. Characteristic engine start control device. 2. If the vehicle interior temperature does not reach the control target temperature even after a preset idling upper limit time has elapsed, a stop command signal is output when the idling upper limit time has elapsed. The engine start control device according to claim 1. 3. If the vehicle interior temperature reaches a control target temperature before a preset engine warm-up operation time has elapsed, a stop command signal is output when the engine warm-up operation time has elapsed. The engine start control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the engine start request signal is a radio signal generated from a remote controller or a signal generated when a predetermined time is reached. An engine start control device according to any one of the preceding claims. 5. The engine start control device according to claim 4, wherein a notification signal for notifying an engine stop is sent to a remote controller together with the output of the stop command signal.