JP2001132489A - Automatic stopping/starting device for engine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out the control of the automatic stopping and starting of an engine suitably. SOLUTION: When a stop condition is realized, an engine is automatically stopped after elapsing a wait time Y (S70-S100). This wait time Y is set so as to get longer as the parameter X which is a car speed related physical amount after restart is smaller (S40). This parameter X is the average value, maximum value or integral value of a car speed V (S30). For example, when a car advances while repeating a very slow speed advance and stop after once stopping, for example when the car goes out from a narrow alley to a wide road, the average value of the car speed after restart becomes smaller and a wait time is set to longer. Therefore, such inconvenience that the engine is stopped contrary to a driver's aim can be prevented. On the contrary, as the wait time is set short when an average car speed is big, when for example the wait time is set to 0, the engine can be stopped immediately after a condition is realized as usual.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic engine stop / start apparatus for automatically stopping an engine of a vehicle under a predetermined stop condition and then automatically starting the engine under a predetermined start condition.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art
When a car stops at an intersection or the like while driving in a city area, the engine is automatically stopped under predetermined stop conditions, and then the engine is restarted under predetermined start conditions, thereby saving fuel or reducing exhaust emissions. Improved automatic stop and start devices are known.

[0003] In such a device, the engine is automatically stopped and automatically started based on a signal reflecting the operation state of a driver such as an accelerator, a brake, a clutch, and a turn signal. Further, the engine is automatically stopped and automatically started based on a signal reflecting a vehicle state such as a degree of charge of a battery and a temperature of engine cooling water.

[0004] When automatically stopping the engine, the engine is immediately stopped if the condition that the stop condition is satisfied lasts for a predetermined time. However, when the stop condition is satisfied, the engine is always stopped. If the engine is stopped at the same timing, a situation that does not meet the driver's intention may occur. For example, when trying to go out from a narrow alley to a wide road, it is often the case that after stopping once, the surrounding safety is confirmed while repeating a slow forward movement and a stop. If the engine stops every time the vehicle stops in such a situation, the driver must return the brake pedal that has been depressed to satisfy the restart condition, and then the engine restarts. You have to wait till it is not good for driving feeling. In addition to the limited situations where such narrow alleys lead to wide roads,
Even when the vehicle is traveling on a normal road, there may be a situation where the vehicle must travel while repeating the slow forward and the stop in a similar manner depending on the traffic condition and the road condition.

As a countermeasure against such a problem, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 59-142439 discloses that automatic stop is prohibited until the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value after the engine is restarted. However, if done in this way, the engine may not be stopped in spite of a long stop, and the original automatic engine stop function cannot be used effectively. In other words, even when the vehicle speed does not exceed the predetermined value, there is the "situation of restarting within a relatively short time after stopping" as described above, or "stopping for a relatively long time" such as traffic jam. There is also a situation ". Therefore, if the "automatic engine stop function itself" is uniformly prohibited without distinguishing them, the automatic engine stop function cannot be effectively used as described above.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve such a problem and to more appropriately control the automatic stop and start of the engine.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, an automatic stop / start apparatus for an engine according to the present invention is provided, when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied, after an elapse of a predetermined waiting time. Automatically stop the engine, and after a predetermined start condition is satisfied after the automatic stop of the engine, the starter can be energized and the engine of the vehicle can be started automatically. The setting means changes and sets the waiting time until the automatic stop of the engine.

In the conventional automatic stop control, there is no viewpoint of "changing the waiting time", and the engine is always stopped with the same waiting time when the stop condition is satisfied.
On the other hand, in the present invention, the concept of "change of waiting time" until the engine is stopped after the condition is satisfied is newly introduced. Then, the waiting time setting means performs the change setting as follows. That is, based on the driving situation after the automatic start of the engine detected by the traveling situation detecting means, the possibility that the vehicle will restart in a short time after the automatic stop is estimated, and the higher the possibility of the short restart, the longer the waiting time Is set longer. Note that the waiting time may be calculated using a predetermined calculation formula, or as described in claim 8,
For example, the correspondence between the preset traveling state and the waiting time may be stored in a map format, for example, and the waiting time may be obtained based on the stored correspondence.

The "running condition" detected by the running condition detecting means may be, for example, at least one of an average value, a maximum value, and an integral value of the vehicle speed. Then, it is conceivable that it is estimated that the smaller the average value, the maximum value, and the integral value of the vehicle speed are, the higher the possibility of restarting in a short time is. Like trying to get out of a narrow alley to a wide road,
In the case where the vehicle travels while repeating the slow forward and the stop after the vehicle is stopped once, the vehicle speed during the slow forward is naturally low. Therefore, if attention is paid to the average vehicle speed, it is considered that the possibility of a short-term restart can be estimated with some accuracy. In addition, in the case of the slow speed advance, the maximum value of the vehicle speed naturally becomes small, and therefore, attention may be paid to such a maximum value. In addition, it is possible to focus on the integrated value of the vehicle speed, that is, the traveling distance.In general, it is rare to travel a relatively long distance at a low speed. It is estimated that Therefore, it is also appropriate to be based on such an integral value of the vehicle speed.

It is considered that sufficient estimation can be made by using each of them alone. For example, two or all three of them may be used. If the average value and the maximum value of the vehicle speed are small and the running distance, which is the integral value, is short, the possibility that the vehicle is traveling at a very low speed is extremely high.
Since these are all physical quantities related to the vehicle speed, the same detection data (for example, data output from a vehicle speed sensor)
Can be obtained based on

As described above, according to the present invention, the waiting time, which was conventionally fixed, is variable, and the waiting time is set longer when the possibility of restarting in a short time is high. Is eliminated. For example, if the vehicle stops once and then travels while repeating slow speed advance and stop, such as when trying to go out from a narrow alley to a wide road,
It is estimated from the driving situation after restarting that there is a high possibility of restarting for a short time, and the waiting time is set long, so that the inconvenience of stopping the engine against the driver's intention can be prevented. Conversely, if the possibility of short-term restart is low, the waiting time is set short. For example, if the waiting time is set to 0, the engine can be stopped immediately after the condition is satisfied, as in the related art.

The above-mentioned Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 59-14243.
In the method of No. 7, there was a problem that the engine was not stopped even though the vehicle was stopped for a long time, but in the case of the present invention, the automatic stop control itself is not prohibited but "waiting time is reduced. Just change it. Therefore, the situation that "the engine is not stopped" does not occur, and the original engine automatic stop function can be effectively used.

As described above, it is possible to more appropriately control the automatic stop and start of the engine. The "running condition" detected by the running condition detection means is not limited to the above-described vehicle speed-related physical quantity, but may be, for example, an average value of the engine speed as described in claim 4. The engine speed is not proportional to the vehicle speed, but rises to a certain speed immediately after the engine is started or when the vehicle starts. Therefore, it is not appropriate to focus on the maximum value of the engine speed in the same manner as when focusing on the maximum value of the vehicle speed in the case of the vehicle speed. However, in a state where the vehicle is cruising instead of the transient state, the engine speed is relatively lower when the vehicle speed is lower than when the vehicle speed is higher. Therefore, by focusing on the average value, it is possible to distinguish the above-mentioned slow speed advance.

In this case as well, the waiting time may be calculated by using a predetermined formula, or the technical means of claim 8 may be employed to set a predetermined average value of the engine speed and the waiting time. May be stored in a map format, for example, and the waiting time may be obtained based on the stored correspondence.

[0015] Further, as described in claim 5, an average vehicle speed and a stop rate may be used as the "running state" detected by the running state detecting means. Then, it is conceivable that it is estimated that as the average vehicle speed is lower and the stop rate is lower, the possibility of restarting in a short time is higher. This is based on the fact that the following analysis can be performed roughly by focusing on the average vehicle speed and the stop rate when, for example, three types of driving conditions of a vehicle are running in an urban area, traffic congestion, and suburban / high-speed driving. .

That is, when the vehicle travels at a very low speed in a city area and stops repeatedly, the stop rate is low even though the average vehicle speed is low. Therefore, it can be estimated that there is a high possibility of restarting for a short time even if the vehicle stops. In the case of traffic congestion, the average vehicle speed naturally becomes relatively low, but the stopping rate increases. Therefore, the possibility of a short-term restart is lower than in the case of. In the case of suburban / high-speed driving, the stop rate is low but the average vehicle speed is high. in this way,
By comprehensively judging from the two points of the average vehicle speed and the stop rate, the possibility of short-term restart can be accurately estimated.

Also in this case, the waiting time may be calculated using a predetermined calculation formula, or the correspondence may be set in advance by adopting the technical means of claim 8. That is,
What is necessary is just to prepare a map or the like that defines the waiting time based on the two parameters of the average vehicle speed and the stop rate.

When estimating from the viewpoint of the average vehicle speed and the stopping rate, it is necessary to pay attention to the influence of time. That is, when the vehicle speed is based on the average vehicle speed and the stop rate in a short period, the behavior of the vehicle originally required may not be reflected. For example, in a short period of time, there is a case where the vehicle does not stop, and in that case, the stop rate becomes 0%. Therefore, in order to perform accurate estimation, it is preferable to use data obtained over a relatively long period. Therefore, as set forth in claim 7, during a predetermined period in which the elapsed time after the automatic start is relatively short, the possibility of a short-term restart is estimated based on the average vehicle speed detected as the driving situation, After the elapse, the possibility of a short-time restart may be estimated based on the average vehicle speed and the stop rate detected as the driving situation.

It should be noted that it is also possible to use the maximum value of the vehicle speed instead of the average vehicle speed within a predetermined period in which the elapsed time after the automatic start is relatively short.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It is needless to say that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following examples, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an automatic stop / start device 1 for an engine according to the present embodiment. The automatic stop / start device 1 is mainly configured with an electronic control unit (hereinafter, simply referred to as an ECU) 10 for executing engine idle stop control. This ECU 10
Although not shown, a CPU for controlling various devices, a ROM in which various numerical values and programs are written in advance, a RAM in which numerical values and flags in the operation process are written in a predetermined area, and an A for converting analog input signals into digital signals. / D converter, an input / output interface (I / I) for receiving various digital signals and outputting various digital signals.
O), a timer, and a bus line to which each of these devices is connected. The processing shown in the flowchart described later is executed based on a control program previously written in the ROM.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ECU 10 includes an engine speed sensor 21 for detecting an engine speed (Ne), and an intake pipe connected to each cylinder of the engine and provided for taking in air. Pipe pressure sensor 22 for detecting the pressure of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 23 for detecting the traveling speed (vehicle speed V) of the vehicle, an accelerator opening sensor 24 for detecting the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal, and the amount of depression of the brake pedal Is connected to a brake stroke sensor 25 for detecting the pressure, and output signals from these sensors and the like are input to the ECU 10.

The ECU 10 performs arithmetic processing according to a predetermined control program based on information from each of the sensors and the like, and outputs a starter drive signal to the starter 31 and a igniter 32 via a drive circuit (not shown). It outputs an ignition cut and ignition signal and a fuel cut and fuel injection signal for the fuel injection valve 33.

Next, the process for the automatic stop and automatic start of the engine, which is executed by the ECU 10 of the automatic stop and start device 1 for the engine configured as described above, will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. . In step (hereinafter, step is abbreviated as S) 10 in FIG. 2, it is determined whether or not the current state is after the restart of the engine. If the vehicle has been restarted (S10: YES), the vehicle speed V is detected based on the output signal from the vehicle speed sensor 23 (S20), and the subsequent S3
At 0, the vehicle speed V is subjected to data processing to calculate a parameter X. As the parameter X, an average value or a maximum value of the vehicle speed V after the restart, an integrated value, or the like can be considered. Note that the integral value of the vehicle speed V is the traveling distance.

Then, in S40, a waiting time Y until the automatic engine stop is set based on the parameter X calculated in S30. The waiting time Y is set to be longer as the parameter X is smaller. In this setting, a predetermined calculation formula for calculating the waiting time may be used, or a map indicating the correspondence between the parameter X and the waiting time Y set in advance may be used.

As described above, when the engine has been restarted, the waiting time Y is set using the parameter X = f (V), which is a vehicle speed-related physical quantity indicating the running situation after the restart. Unless after the engine restart (S10: N
O), the process proceeds to S50, and a default value Y0 is set as the waiting time Y. This default value Y0 is equal to the minimum value of the waiting time Y that can be set in S40.

After the waiting time Y is set in S40 or S50, the process proceeds to S60, the timer T is set to 0, and the process proceeds to S70. In S70, it is determined whether an automatic stop condition of the engine is satisfied. As the stop condition, for example, a condition that the vehicle speed is 0 and the brake stroke is larger than 15% may be adopted. Of course, other conditions may be added.

If the condition for automatically stopping the engine is not satisfied (S70: NO), the process is terminated. On the other hand, when the engine automatic stop condition is satisfied (S70: YES), the timer T is incremented (S70).
80) It is determined whether or not the value T is longer than the waiting time Y (S90). If the timer value T <waiting time Y (S90: NO), the process returns to S70 and repeats the processing of S70 and S80. If the timer value T ≧ waiting time Y (S90: YES), the engine is stopped. Stop (S1
00). This engine stop is performed by stopping the injection control. That is, the engine is automatically stopped by the fuel cut signal or the ignition cut signal.

When the engine is in the stopped state in this way, it is determined whether or not the condition for automatically starting the engine is satisfied (S110). For example, when the brake stroke is less than 5%, it may be determined that the starting condition is satisfied. Of course, other conditions may be added. If the starting condition is satisfied (S110: Y
ES), and proceeds to S120 to start the engine.

The engine start process in S120 will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, in step S121, a starter drive signal is output to perform cranking, and in step S122, a fuel injection signal and an ignition signal are output to perform fuel injection and ignition control. Then, the engine speed Ne is detected (S12).
3) It is determined whether or not the engine speed Ne has exceeded 600 rpm (S124). The engine speed is 60
Until it exceeds 0 rpm (S124: NO), S121
~ S123 is executed and the engine speed is 600r
If it exceeds pm (S124: YES), the process proceeds to S125 to stop cranking. As a result, the engine is driven and the vehicle is ready to restart.

In this embodiment, the vehicle speed sensor 2
ECU that performs a process of calculating parameter X shown in S30 of FIG. 2 based on signals from vehicle speed sensor 3 and vehicle speed sensor 23
Reference numeral 10 corresponds to "traveling state detecting means". Also, ECU
10 corresponds to the “waiting time setting means”, and the process of setting the waiting time Y shown in S40 of FIG. 2 is the “waiting time setting means”.
Is equivalent to the execution of the process.

As described above, according to the automatic engine stop / start apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the engine is automatically stopped after the elapse of the waiting time Y when the stop condition is satisfied.
The waiting time Y can be changed and set. In the conventional automatic stop control, there is no viewpoint of the "change of the waiting time", and the engine is always stopped at the same timing when the stop condition is satisfied. The concept of "change of waiting time" was newly introduced.

The waiting time Y is set to a parameter X which is a vehicle speed related physical quantity after the engine is automatically started (after restart).
Is set to be longer as the value is smaller. The parameter X is an average value, a maximum value, an integral value, or the like of the vehicle speed V. When the parameter X is small, it is considered that there is a high possibility that the vehicle restarts in a short time after the automatic stop. In the case of going out of a narrow alley to a wide road as described in the description of the problem of the prior art, the vehicle stops once and then travels while repeating a slow forward movement and a stop. In this case, since the vehicle speed during the slow forward movement is naturally small, it is considered that the possibility of a short-term restart can be estimated with a certain degree of accuracy by focusing on the average vehicle speed. In addition, in the case of forward running at a very low speed, the maximum value of the vehicle speed naturally becomes smaller. Therefore, focusing on such a maximum value, it is considered that the smaller the maximum value is, the higher the possibility of restarting in a short time is. Furthermore, it is possible to focus on the integrated value of the vehicle speed, that is, the traveling distance.
In general, it is rare to travel a relatively long distance at a low speed. Conversely, when the travel distance is short, it is estimated that the traveling state during that time was also a low speed forward. Therefore, based on such an integral value of the vehicle speed, it is considered that the smaller the value is, the higher the possibility of restarting in a short time is.

Therefore, as in the case of going out of a narrow alley to a wide road as described above, the vehicle is once stopped,
In the case where the vehicle travels while repeating the slow forward movement and the stop, it can be estimated from the parameter X that reflects the running situation after restarting that the possibility of a short restart is high, and the waiting time Y is set longer, The inconvenience of stopping the engine against the driver's intention can be prevented. Conversely, when the parameter X is large, the waiting time Y is set short because the possibility of a short-term restart is low. Therefore, if the waiting time is set to 0, for example, as in the related art, immediately after the condition is satisfied, The engine can be stopped. In the technique of Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-142439 as a conventional technique, there was a problem that the engine was not stopped even though the vehicle was stopped for a long time, but in the case of this embodiment, the automatic stop control itself was performed. "Change wait time" instead of prohibiting
Just do it. Therefore, the situation that "the engine is not stopped" does not occur, and the original engine automatic stop function can be effectively used.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the vehicle speed-related physical quantity f (V) is adopted as the parameter X. In the second embodiment, however, the physical quantity f (Ne) related to the engine speed Ne is calculated. Adopted. The processing related to the automatic stop and automatic start of the engine in this case will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 4 shows only a part of the process. In the flowchart of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, S2
The contents of the processing of S0 to S40 are replaced with S220 to S240. Therefore, the processes in S10 and 50 to S120 in FIG. 2 are the same in the second embodiment, so that illustration and description are omitted, and S220 to S240
Only the processing of will be described.

In step S220, which is followed by the case after the restart (S10: YES), the engine speed Ne is determined based on the output signal from the engine speed sensor 21 (see FIG. 1).
In step S230, the engine speed Ne is subjected to data processing to calculate a parameter X. As the parameter X, an average value of the engine speed Ne after the restart can be considered.

Then, in S240, a waiting time Y until the engine is automatically stopped is set based on the parameter X calculated in S30. The waiting time Y is set to be longer as the parameter X is smaller. In this setting, a predetermined calculation formula for calculating the waiting time may be used, or a map indicating the correspondence between the parameter X and the waiting time Y set in advance may be used.

After the waiting time Y is set in S240, the process proceeds to S60. The description of the processing after S60 will not be repeated. The parameter X calculated in S230 is a physical quantity related to the engine speed Ne. The engine speed Ne is not proportional to the vehicle speed V, but rises to a certain speed Ne just after the engine is started or when the vehicle starts moving. Therefore, in the case of the vehicle speed related physical quantity of the first embodiment, the maximum value of the vehicle speed V may be adopted as the parameter X, but similarly, it is not appropriate to pay attention to the maximum value of the engine speed Ne. is not. However, in a state where the vehicle is cruising instead of the transient state, the engine speed Ne is relatively lower when the vehicle speed V is lower than when the vehicle speed V is higher. Therefore, by focusing on the average value, it is possible to distinguish the above-mentioned slow speed advance. Therefore, in the case of the second embodiment, only the average value of the engine speed Ne is used.
However, if the possibility of a short-term restart is reflected in the parameter X calculated based on the engine speed Ne,
It may be other than the average value.

[Third Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the vehicle speed-related physical quantity f (V) is used as the parameter X, and in the second embodiment, the engine speed-related physical quantity f (Ne) is used as the parameter X. One. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, two parameters are used. The processing related to the automatic stop and automatic start of the engine in this case will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 5 shows only a part of the processing. In the flowchart of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, S2
This is the content obtained by replacing the processing of 0 to S40 with S320 to S340. Therefore, the processes in S10 and 50 to S120 in FIG. 2 are the same in the second embodiment, and therefore illustration and description are omitted, and S320 to S340 are performed.
Only the processing of will be described.

In step S320, the process proceeds to the case after the restart (S10: YES), the vehicle speed V is detected based on the output signal from the vehicle speed sensor 23 (see FIG. 1), and the next step S330.
Then, based on the vehicle speed V, the average vehicle speed and the stop rate for the last S minutes are calculated. The stop rate is determined by the vehicle speed V =
It is the percentage of time that was zero.

Then, in S340, based on the two parameters of the average vehicle speed and the stop rate calculated in S30,
The waiting time Y until the automatic stop of the engine is set. In setting the waiting time Y, a map as shown in FIG. 6B is used. Before explaining the contents of this map, FIG.
With reference to (A), the relationship between the average vehicle speed / stop ratio and the vehicle running state will be described.

For example, consider three types of vehicle traveling states: urban driving, traffic congestion, and suburban / high-speed driving.
In this case, the following analysis can be roughly performed by focusing on the average vehicle speed and the stop rate. That is, when the vehicle travels at a very low speed and stops in a city area, the average vehicle speed is low but the stop rate is low. Therefore, it can be estimated that there is a high possibility of restarting for a short time even if the vehicle stops. Also,
In the case of traffic congestion, the average vehicle speed naturally becomes relatively low, but the stoppage rate increases. Therefore, the possibility of a short-term restart is lower than in the case of. In the case of suburban / high-speed driving, the stop rate is low but the average vehicle speed is high. From such considerations, it can be estimated that the lower the average vehicle speed and the lower the stop rate, the higher the possibility of short-term restart.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the waiting time Y is set longer as the average vehicle speed is lower and the stopping rate is lower. In FIG. 6B, 10
Second, five seconds, and two seconds are set. S34 of FIG.
At 0, the waiting time Y is set from the two parameters, the average vehicle speed and the stop rate, using the map of FIG. Note that the waiting time Y can be calculated using a predetermined calculation formula instead of the map.

After the waiting time Y is set in S340, the process proceeds to S60. Since the processing after S60 has already been described with reference to FIG. 2, it will not be repeated here. As described above, by comprehensively judging from the two points of the average vehicle speed and the stop rate, the possibility of a short-term restart can be accurately estimated.

[Fourth Embodiment] When estimating from the viewpoint of the average vehicle speed and the stopping rate as in the third embodiment, it is necessary to pay attention to the influence of time. That is, when the vehicle speed is based on the average vehicle speed and the stop rate in a short period, the behavior of the vehicle originally required may not be reflected.
For example, in a short period of time, there is a case where the vehicle does not stop, and in that case, the stop rate becomes 0%. Therefore, in order to perform accurate estimation, it is preferable to use data obtained over a relatively long period. As shown in S330 of FIG. 5, in the third embodiment, the last S minutes is used, but this S minute indicates a relatively long period. Conversely, if the average vehicle speed and the stop rate can be acquired only for a period shorter than S minutes, the setting method of the waiting time Y as in the third embodiment is not necessarily preferable.

Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, a waiting time Y is set based on a vehicle speed-related physical quantity during a predetermined period in which the elapsed time after the automatic start is relatively short.
The waiting time Y is set based on the average vehicle speed and the stopping rate. Here, the following two embodiments A and B will be described.

First, the processing relating to the automatic stop and automatic start of the engine in the embodiment A will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 7 shows only a part of the processing, and in the flowchart of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, the processing of S20 to S40 is performed in S420, S430, and S420.
435, S440, and S445. Therefore, S10 and 50 to S1 in FIG.
Since the processing of No. 20 is the same in this embodiment A, illustration and description are omitted, and only the processing of S420 to S445 will be described.

At S420, the process proceeds to the case after the restart (S10: YES), the vehicle speed V is detected based on the output signal from the vehicle speed sensor 23 (see FIG. 1), and the following S430 is performed.
Then, based on the vehicle speed V, the average vehicle speed and the stop rate for the last S minutes are calculated. If data for the last S minutes cannot be calculated, only data that can be calculated is calculated.

Then, in subsequent S435, it is determined whether or not it is within a predetermined period after the restart. This predetermined period is set in S43
It is set based on S minutes at 0. That is,
If data for S minutes can be calculated, S440 described later
Since it is better to shift to the process of “predetermined period”, it is possible to determine whether data for S minutes has been calculated.
Is set to

If it is within a predetermined period after the restart (S43)
5: YES), proceeds to S445, and sets a waiting time based on the average vehicle speed calculated in S445. On the other hand, if the predetermined period after the restart has elapsed (S435: NO), S
The process proceeds to 440, and the waiting time Y until the automatic engine stop is set based on the two parameters of the average vehicle speed and the stop rate calculated in S430. The processing in S440 is the same as the processing in the third embodiment shown in S340 in FIG.

After the waiting time Y is set in S440 or S445, the process proceeds to S60. Since the processing after S60 has already been described with reference to FIG. 2, it will not be repeated here. Next, the processing relating to the automatic stop and automatic start of the engine in the case of Embodiment B will be described with reference to FIG.
A description will be given based on the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 8 shows only a part of the process. In the flowchart of FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment, S2
The processing of 0 to S40 is performed in S520, S530, S535,
The contents are replaced with S537, S540, and S545. Therefore, S10 and 50 to S in FIG.
120 is the same in the embodiment B,
Illustration and description are omitted, and only the processing of S520 to S545 will be described.

In step S520, the process proceeds to the case after the restart (S10: YES), the vehicle speed V is detected based on the output signal from the vehicle speed sensor 23 (see FIG. 1).
Then, it is determined whether it is within a predetermined period after the restart. This predetermined period is the same as in the above-described embodiment A. Then, if within a predetermined period after the restart (S530: YE
S), the process proceeds to S537, and the vehicle speed V detected in S520 is subjected to data processing to calculate a parameter X. The following S545
Then, based on the parameter X calculated in S537, the waiting time Y until the automatic engine stop is set. This S5
The calculation method of the parameter X at 37 and the setting method of the waiting time Y at S545 are the same as those of the first embodiment shown at S30 and S40 in FIG.

On the other hand, if it is not within the predetermined period after the restart (S530: NO), the flow shifts to S535, and based on the vehicle speed V detected in S520, the average vehicle speed and the stop rate for the last S minutes are calculated. In this case, unlike the case of the above-described embodiment A, data for the last S minutes can always be calculated. Then, the process proceeds to S540, and the waiting time Y until the automatic engine stop is set based on the two parameters of the average vehicle speed and the stop rate calculated in S535. The processing in S540 is the same as the processing in the third embodiment shown in S340 in FIG.

After the waiting time Y is set in S540 or S545, the process proceeds to S60. Since the processing after S60 has already been described with reference to FIG. 2, it will not be repeated here. In these embodiments A and B, if the average vehicle speed and the stop rate during the last S minutes have been calculated, the third parameter is calculated based on these two parameters.
As described in the embodiment, the possibility of a short-term restart can be accurately estimated, and an appropriate waiting time Y can be set. On the other hand, in a situation where only the average vehicle speed and the stop rate for the S minutes can be calculated, the waiting time Y is set based on the vehicle speed-related physical quantity as described in the first embodiment. Thus, an appropriate waiting time Y can be set over the entire period.

In the case of the embodiment A, since the average vehicle speed is used as a parameter in S445, there is an advantage that the value calculated in S430 can be used as it is. On the other hand, in the case of the embodiment B, it is necessary to separately calculate the vehicle speed-related physical quantity f (V) in S537. Accordingly, not only the average vehicle speed but also the maximum value or the integral value of the vehicle speed is used as the parameter X. There is a merit that can be.

[Others] (1) When the vehicle speed related physical quantity f (V) is a parameter X in the first, third, and fourth embodiments, the average value, the maximum value, or the integral value of the vehicle speed V is It is considered that sufficient estimation can be made even by using only one, but for example, two or all three of them may be used. The average value and the maximum value of the vehicle speed V are small,
Further, if the running distance, which is an integral value, is short, the possibility of a slow speed advance becomes extremely high. Since all of these are physical quantities related to the vehicle speed, they can be obtained based on the detection data from the same vehicle speed sensor 23.

(2) In the third and fourth embodiments, when setting the waiting time Y based on the two parameters of the average vehicle speed and the stopping ratio, a map as shown in FIG. 6B is used. In this map, the waiting time Y is 10 seconds, 5
Although there are three stages of seconds and two seconds, two stages or four or more stages may be used. Further, the specific numerical value of the waiting time Y is merely an example, and any other number of seconds may be set.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an automatic stop / start device for an engine according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating processing relating to automatic engine stop / start according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing routine related to engine start during the processing of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a part of a process relating to an automatic engine stop / start according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a part of a process relating to an automatic engine stop / start of a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a map used during an automatic engine stop / start process according to a third embodiment and a situation premised on setting the map.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a part of a process relating to an automatic stop / start of an engine according to a fourth embodiment and an embodiment A.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a part of a process relating to an automatic stop / start of an engine according to a fourth embodiment / embodiment B;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Engine automatic stop / start device 10 ... Engine idle stop ECU 21 ... Crank angle sensor 22 ... Intake pipe pressure sensor 23 ... Vehicle speed sensor 24 ... Accelerator opening sensor 25 ... Brake stroke sensor 31 ... Starter 32 ... Igniter 33 ... Fuel injection valve

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page F term (reference) 3G092 AA01 AC03 BA10 BB10 CA02 CB04 CB05 EA08 EA17 EB01 EB03 FA30 GA01 GB10 HA05Z HE01Z HF08Z HF21Z HF26Z 3G093 BA21 BA22 CA02 CB01 DA01 DA03 DA06 DB05 DB06 DB23 DB21 FA02

Claims (8)

[Claims] When a predetermined stop condition is satisfied, an engine is automatically stopped after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed. When a predetermined start condition is satisfied after the automatic stop of the engine, a starter is started. An automatic stop and start device for an engine for automatically starting an engine of a vehicle by supplying power to the vehicle, comprising: a driving condition detecting means for detecting a driving condition after the automatic starting of the engine; and Based on the running conditions after the automatic start, the possibility that the vehicle will restart in a short time after the automatic stop is estimated, and the higher the possibility of the short restart, the longer the waiting time until the automatic stop of the engine is set. An automatic stop / start device for an engine, comprising: 2. The automatic stop and start device for an engine according to claim 1, wherein the driving condition detecting means detects at least one of an average value, a maximum value, and an integral value of the vehicle speed as the driving condition after the automatic start of the engine. An automatic stop / start device for an engine, characterized by detecting the following. 3. The automatic stop / start apparatus for an engine according to claim 2, wherein the waiting time setting means is capable of restarting in a short time as the average value, the maximum value, and the integral value of the vehicle speed as the traveling condition are smaller. An automatic stop / start device for an engine, which is estimated to have high reliability. 4. The automatic stop / start apparatus for an engine according to claim 1, wherein the traveling state detecting means detects an average value of an engine speed as a traveling state after the automatic start of the engine. Automatic stop and start device for the engine. 5. The engine according to claim 1, wherein said driving condition detecting means detects an average vehicle speed and a stopping rate as a driving condition after the automatic start of the engine. Automatic stop and start device. 6. The automatic stop / start apparatus for an engine according to claim 5, wherein the waiting time setting means increases the possibility of the short-term restart as the average vehicle speed as the traveling condition is lower and the stopping rate is lower. An automatic stop / start device for an engine, characterized in that 7. The automatic stop / start apparatus for an engine according to claim 5, wherein the waiting time setting means detects the traveling state during a predetermined period in which the elapsed time after the automatic start is relatively short. Estimating the possibility of the short-term restart based on the average vehicle speed, and estimating the possibility of the short-time restart based on the average vehicle speed and the stop rate detected as the traveling state after the predetermined time has elapsed. Automatic stop and start device for an engine. 8. An automatic stop / start apparatus for an engine according to claim 1, further comprising a correspondence storage means for storing a correspondence between said traveling state and said waiting time set in advance, The automatic stop / start device for an engine, wherein the waiting time setting means changes and sets the waiting time obtained based on the correspondence stored in the correspondence storage means.