JP2003056376A - Idling stop controller and controlling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an idling stop controller and its controlling method for surely stopping idling if an idling stopping effect is obtained and carrying out starting without any delay when a start is allowed. SOLUTION: This idling stop controller stores an exhaust gas amount during idling operation of an internal combustion engine mounted on an own vehicle, an exhaust gas amount due to restarting of the internal combustion engine, and a time necessary for restarting the internal combustion engine. During stop for waiting at traffic signal, waiting time information until a change of the signal to a start allowing signal is received from a roadside machine. If it is determined that an exhaust gas reducing amount by idling stop of the own vehicle is larger than an exhaust gas increasing amount due to restarting according to the waiting time information, idling is stopped, an when the waiting time information is reduced below the time necessary for restarting, the internal combustion engine is started again.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention receives an information signal from a roadside device installed on a road and stops idling of an internal combustion engine when a vehicle is stopped and restarts when starting. The present invention relates to a control device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a vehicle is temporarily stopped due to a signal, etc., the idling operation of an internal combustion engine is temporarily stopped,
Measures have been taken to suppress the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and harmful gases such as nitrogen oxides.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of such a conventional idling stop control device, and shows a case of a vehicle of manual shift as an example. In the figure, an idling stop control means 1 includes a signal of a brake signal detection means 2 for detecting a brake operation state of a vehicle, a signal of a vehicle speed detection means 3, and a signal of a clutch signal detection means 4 for detecting an operation state of a clutch. , The signal of the neutral signal detecting means 5 for detecting the operation state of the transmission, and controlling the vehicle E
It is configured to send information to the CU 6 and control the stop and restart of the internal combustion engine.

The idling stop control means 1 of this conventional apparatus executes a routine as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 at predetermined time intervals. That is, when the routine starts, it is determined in step 401 whether the internal combustion engine is in the idling state, and if it is in the idling state, it is determined in step 402 whether the brake is in the operating state. If the brake is not in the operating state, this routine is terminated, and if the brake is in the operating state, it is determined in step 403 whether the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. If the vehicle speed is not lower than the predetermined value, the routine of this time is ended, and if the vehicle speed is lower than the predetermined value, step 404.
Determines whether the transmission is in the neutral position.

If the transmission is not in the neutral position at step 404, this routine is ended, and if the transmission is at the neutral position, the routine proceeds to step 405, where the timer is counted up. Then proceed to step 406,
It is determined whether or not the timer has reached the time T1 at which idling is stopped. If the timer is less than T1, the routine of this time is ended, and if T1 is reached, an instruction to stop the idling operation of the internal combustion engine is output to the ECU 6 in step 407.

If it is determined at step 401 that the internal combustion engine is not in the idling state, the routine proceeds to step 408, where it is determined whether the internal combustion engine is in the stopped state. If the internal combustion engine is not in the stopped state and is not in the idling state, it is determined that the engine is in the normal operating state and the routine of this time is ended. If the internal combustion engine is stopped, it is determined that the idling is stopped and the routine proceeds to step 409. . In step 409, it is determined whether or not the shift position of the transmission is other than the neutral position. If it is not in the neutral position, it is determined that preparation for starting is being performed, and the routine proceeds to step 410, where an instruction to start the internal combustion engine is issued to the ECU 6. Output.

[0006]

The conventional apparatus temporarily stops the idling operation by such operation contents, and the idling state of the internal combustion engine is continued for a certain time T1 after the vehicle is stopped, and the idling operation is stopped. When T exceeds T1, it is determined that the stop time is long and the internal combustion engine is stopped. However, it may be possible to start immediately after the stoppage time T1 has passed, and after the idling operation is stopped, the internal combustion engine is recognized by recognizing the start preparation such as the transmission operation performed after the confirmation of the green signal. Since the engine is restarted, the idling stop time may be short and the exhaust gas may be increased, and at the same time, the restart will be delayed and the vehicle start will be delayed, resulting in a large vehicle queue. In some cases, it was a cause of congestion.

[0007] For such a problem, a control different from the above control has been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-28
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 096 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-55938 disclose a technique of temporarily stopping the idling operation by a signal from a traffic light provided on the roadside or a signal from a beacon. The signal of the first divided portion is used to stop the internal combustion engine of the vehicle stopped in the area, and the signal of the last divided portion is used to restart the internal combustion engine. In addition, the latter receives the remaining time of the stop signal as information and determines the condition of the electric load of the vehicle, stops idling in the state where the stop time is long and the electric load is small, and from the traffic signal before a predetermined time when the signal changes. Is used to restart the internal combustion engine.

In these conventional examples, the former is to issue a stop signal and a restart signal of the internal combustion engine from the roadside machine,
Since no consideration is given to the stop time or the start time due to the characteristic difference of each vehicle, the exhaust gas at the start may worsen the environment, and the start delay cannot be completely eliminated. In the latter case, the vehicle side can determine whether or not idling can be stopped according to the state of the vehicle, but the restart is due to the start signal from the roadside machine,
The restart timing cannot be controlled on the vehicle side according to the characteristics of the host vehicle, and it is not possible to completely eliminate the premature restart or the delay in restart. In other words, idling stop and restart depend on the information signal from the roadside machine.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem. When the stop of a signal is effective, the idling is surely stopped when the vehicle is stopped, and when the vehicle can be started, the vehicle can be started without delay. The purpose of the present invention is to obtain a simple idling stop control device and control method.

[0010]

The idling stop control device according to the present invention is mounted on a vehicle, and is mounted on the vehicle and receiving means for receiving wait time information from the roadside device until the stop signal changes to a start signal. The ECU that controls the internal combustion engine and the waiting time information that the receiving means receives
And an idling stop control means for giving control information to U, wherein the idling stop control means has a minimum stoppable time at which an exhaust gas reduction effect can be obtained by idling stop of the host vehicle and a startable time necessary for restarting the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine is stopped by idling by comparing the waiting time information received by the receiving means with the minimum stop time, and the internal combustion engine is restarted when the waiting time information is less than the startable time. Is to do.

Further, the minimum stoppable time is determined on the basis of the difference between the reduction amount of the exhaust gas due to the idling stop of the vehicle and the increase amount of the exhaust gas due to the restart. Furthermore, the restart of the internal combustion engine is set so that the host vehicle can be started at the same time as the change to the start signal. Furthermore, the waiting time information has a value obtained by subtracting the startable time from the time until the start signal is changed. Further, the function of restarting the internal combustion engine is such that the start by the idling stop control means and the start by the manual operation are provided together.

Further, the idling stop control method according to the present invention, the amount of exhaust gas at the time of idling operation of the internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle, the amount of exhaust gas by restarting the internal combustion engine, and the restart of the internal combustion engine The time required to change to a start signal is received from the roadside machine while the signal is stopped, and the idling operation is stopped from the wait time information based on the increase in exhaust gas due to restart. The idling operation is stopped when it is determined that the amount of exhaust gas reduction due to the internal combustion engine is greater, and the internal combustion engine is restarted when the waiting time information is less than or equal to the time required to restart the internal combustion engine. It was done.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiment 1. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an idling stop control device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of an idling stop control means. In FIG. 1, an antenna 7 is mounted on a vehicle and is set so that a communication unit of a roadside device (not shown) and an on-vehicle device 8 that is a receiving unit can communicate with each other. The vehicle-mounted device 8 decodes a signal from a roadside device (not shown) and gives information to the idling stop control means 9, and the idling stop control means 9 uses the information from the vehicle-mounted device 8 and the information from the ECU 10 that controls the vehicle. The determination process as shown in FIG.
10 to perform idling stop control and restart control when starting.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of the judgment processing executed by the idling stop control means 9, and this processing is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals. When the vehicle is at a location where a roadside device is installed, such as a traffic light or a railroad crossing, for example, when the traffic light is red and the vehicle is temporarily stopped, the roadside device transmits the remaining red signal duration as waiting time information. When 8 receives this, the idling stop control means 9 recognizes the remaining duration T2 of the red signal from this waiting time information (step 201). Waiting time information T2
Is recognized, the process proceeds to step 202, and it is determined whether the internal combustion engine is in the operating state, and if it is in the operating state, step 20
Go to 3.

In step 203, it is judged whether or not idling can be stopped. The judgment here is made, for example, based on the state of charge of the battery and the amount of electric load being used. If it is determined that the idling cannot be stopped, the current routine is ended without performing the idling stop, and if it is determined that the idling can be stopped, the routine proceeds to step 204. In step 204, the waiting time information T2 obtained in step 201 is compared with the preset time T3, and it is determined whether or not to shift to idling stop. The set time T3 is a limit time during which the exhaust gas can be suppressed by idling, and is the minimum stoppable time set according to the characteristics of each vehicle. That is, this minimum stoppable time is the minimum time during which the reduction amount of exhaust gas due to idling stop is greater than the increase amount due to restart.

When it is determined in step 204 that the waiting time information T2 is longer than the set time T3, the routine proceeds to step 205, where the idling stop control means 9 issues an idling stop command to the ECU 10,
If it is determined that the waiting time information T2 is shorter than the set time T3, the routine proceeds to step 206, where the idling operation is continued. The waiting time information T compared here
2 is a value obtained by subtracting a time T4 for restarting the internal combustion engine, which will be described later, from the remaining time until the signal changes to the green signal.

When the internal combustion engine is in the stopped state in step 202, the waiting time information T2 exists, so that it is determined that the idling stop control is performed by the stop signal, and the process proceeds to step 207. In step 207, it is determined whether or not the internal combustion engine can be started. If the internal combustion engine can be started, the routine proceeds to step 208, where the waiting time information T2 is compared with the preset time T4. If T2 is equal to or less than T4, the process proceeds to step 209, and the idling stop control means 9 instructs the ECU 10 to start the internal combustion engine. If T2 is equal to or greater than T4, the process proceeds to step 210 to continue idling stop. To be done.

The time T4 set in step 208 is set to a necessary time from the start of the starting operation of the internal combustion engine until the vehicle can start, and is a startable time determined by the characteristics of each vehicle. It should be noted that the internal combustion engine can be restarted at the same time as the manual operation so that it can be restarted by the driver's will so that an unexpected situation can be dealt with. It is possible to add to another stop signal such as a traffic signal.

As described above, in the idling stop control device according to this embodiment, the time T3 set in the idling stop control means 9 is the limit time during which the exhaust gas is suppressed by idling stop, and the time T4 is the internal combustion time. It is the time required from the start of the engine start operation until the vehicle is ready to start, and these times are values that take into account the characteristics of each vehicle, and are not times that are uniformly determined as in conventional devices. Therefore, effective suppression of exhaust gas,
This makes it possible to start without delay due to a change in signal.

[0020]

As described above, in the idling stop control device of the present invention, according to the invention of claim 1, the waiting time information until the stop signal changes to the start signal is received from the roadside unit. And an idling stop control means for giving information to the ECU based on the waiting time information received by the receiving means. The idling stop control means discharges the vehicle by idling stop. It stores the minimum stoppable time at which the gas reduction effect is obtained and the startable time required for restarting the internal combustion engine, and compares the waiting time information received by the receiving means with the minimum stoppable time of the internal combustion engine. Since idling is stopped and the internal combustion engine is restarted when the waiting time information is less than the startable time, the characteristics of each vehicle Correspondingly can and restart the idling stop, the effective suppression of exhaust gases possible becomes one in which it is possible to delay-free start.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the minimum stoppable time is determined based on the difference between the reduction amount of the exhaust gas due to the idling stop of the vehicle and the increase amount of the exhaust gas due to the restart. Therefore, it becomes possible to effectively suppress the exhaust gas by absorbing the difference in the exhaust gas due to the variation between the vehicle types and the individual vehicles. Further, according to the invention described in claim 3, since the restart of the internal combustion engine is set so that the own vehicle can be started at the same time as the change to the start signal, it is possible to start without delay with the change of the signal. Therefore, while maintaining good maneuverability, it can be expected to be effective in reducing traffic congestion.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, since the waiting time information is a value obtained by subtracting the startable time from the remaining time until the start signal is changed, the idling stop is surely performed in the exhaust gas. It is possible to reduce the above. Further, according to the invention described in claim 5, since the restart of the internal combustion engine is arranged together with the manual start, the vehicle can be moved in response to an unexpected condition. Is.

In the idling stop control method of the present invention, according to the invention of claim 6, the amount of exhaust gas at the time of idling operation of the internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle and the exhaust gas by restarting the internal combustion engine. The amount of gas and the time required for restarting the internal combustion engine are stored, and while waiting for a signal, waiting time information until the signal changes to a ready-to-start state is received from the roadside device, When it is judged that the amount of exhaust gas reduction due to idling stop is greater than the amount of exhaust gas increase due to start, idling stop is performed, and when the waiting time information becomes less than the time required for restart, the internal combustion engine is restarted. Since the engine is started, the idling stop and restart are performed according to the characteristics of each vehicle to effectively suppress the exhaust gas and enable a start without delay. Those that can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an idling stop control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the idling stop control device and control method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional idling stop control device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a conventional idling stop control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 antenna, 8 vehicle-mounted device (reception means), 9 idling stop control means 10 ECU.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 3G092 AC03 CA02 EA17 EC09 FA30                       GA01 GA04 GB01 GB10                 3G093 BA20 BA21 BA22 BA26 CA02                       CA04 CB01 CB05 DB23 FA10                       FA11                 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB08 BB15

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A receiving means which is mounted on a vehicle and which receives waiting time information until a stop signal changes to a start signal from a roadside device, and an EC which controls an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle.
U, the idling stop control means for giving control information to the ECU based on the waiting time information received by the receiving means is provided, and the idling stop control means is capable of obtaining the emission reduction effect by stopping the idling of the host vehicle. Time and a startable time required for restarting the internal combustion engine are stored, and the idling stop of the internal combustion engine is performed by comparing the waiting time information received by the receiving means with the minimum stoppable time. At the same time, the idling stop control device is characterized in that the internal combustion engine is restarted when the waiting time information becomes equal to or less than the startable time. 2. The minimum stoppable time is determined based on a difference between the amount of exhaust gas reduction caused by idling stop of the host vehicle and the amount of exhaust gas increase due to restart of the host vehicle. Idling stop control device. 3. The idling stop according to claim 1, wherein the restart of the internal combustion engine is set so that the host vehicle can be started at the same time as the change to the start signal. Control device. 4. The waiting time information is obtained by subtracting the startable time from the time until the start signal is changed, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Idling stop control device. 5. The restarting function of the internal combustion engine is characterized in that a start by the idling stop control means and a start by manual operation are provided together. Idling stop control device. 6. The amount of exhaust gas during idling operation of the internal combustion engine mounted on the host vehicle, the amount of exhaust gas due to restart of the internal combustion engine, and the time required for restarting the internal combustion engine are stored. It receives the waiting time information until it changes from the roadside machine to the start signal while the signal is stopped, and from the waiting time information, the decrease amount of the exhaust gas due to the stop of the idling operation is calculated from the increase amount of the exhaust gas due to the restart. The idling operation is stopped when it is determined that it is larger, and the internal combustion engine is restarted when the waiting time information is equal to or less than the time required for restarting the internal combustion engine. Stop control method.