JP3709746B2 - Engine automatic control device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an engine automatic control device capable of automatically stopping an engine when a vehicle is stopped.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when an automobile stops at an intersection or the like while driving in an urban area, the engine is automatically stopped under a predetermined stop condition, and then the engine is restarted under a predetermined start condition to save fuel or exhaust Automatic stop-start devices that improve emissions are known.
[0003]
In such a device, the engine is automatically stopped and automatically started based on a signal reflecting the operation state of drivers such as an accelerator, a brake, a clutch, and a winker. Further, the engine is automatically stopped and automatically started based on signals reflecting vehicle conditions such as the degree of charge of the battery and the temperature of engine coolant.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the above-described conventional technology considers only the operation state of the driver or the vehicle state, the following state cannot be dealt with. For example, if the engine is stopped when traveling at a high altitude, it may be difficult to restart the engine after that because the atmospheric pressure is low. Therefore, it is preferable not to stop the engine in such a situation. In addition, if the engine is stopped while driving on a road with a steep slope, the vehicle may fall when the engine is restarted. It is preferable not to do so.
[0005]
Also, in general, the engine is automatically stopped and automatically started in a situation where the engine is stopped only during a red signal at an intersection or the like. In this case, a period of several seconds to several tens of seconds is used. Assumed. However, if the vehicle is stopped at a place where it is obliged to stop, it may resume immediately. Almost It is. Therefore, if the engine is stopped in this situation, the driver's intention is not met.
[0006]
Furthermore, in environments such as residential areas where it is desirable to suppress noise as much as possible, it may be better not to stop automatically in order to avoid noise associated with restart. On the other hand, in an environment where it is desirable to suppress the adverse effects of the exhaust emission on the surroundings as much as possible, such as in mountainous areas, it may be better to automatically stop as much as possible.
[0007]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device capable of performing control such as automatic engine stop more appropriately by taking into account the driving environment as a viewpoint other than the driver's operation state or vehicle state. .
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is an automatic control device for an engine that automatically stops the engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied, and the host vehicle is running. Running Environment As scenery data around the vehicle as image data A traveling environment detecting means for detecting is provided. And it was detected by the traveling environment detection means Based on the image data, the degree of congestion on the traveling path of the own vehicle is determined, and when the degree of congestion is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the predetermined stop condition is not satisfied. Judge.
[0022]
This is because in a traffic jam, the vehicle is frequently repeatedly stopped and started repeatedly, so if the engine is stopped every time the vehicle stops in such a situation, the restarting operation is troublesome for the driver. is there. Even if the driver wants to advance the vehicle, the vehicle cannot be advanced until the engine is first started, so a time lag occurs compared to the case where the engine is not stopped. This may also increase the traffic jam, so it is considered that the driver's intention is not to stop the engine in the traffic jam. Of course, depending on the degree of traffic congestion, there are situations in which it is difficult to advance the vehicle. However, in such a case, the driver can deal with it by operating the ignition key at his / her will and stopping the engine. That is, when the engine is automatically stopped by the automatic control apparatus, the engine is controlled more appropriately by not stopping in the case of a traffic jam.
[0023]
Note that “congestion” in the above description means a case where the degree of congestion is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. 2 The following can be considered. That is, the determination is made based on at least one of the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle calculated based on the image data, the ratio of the road surface hidden in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. It is. If the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle is large, it is considered that the degree of congestion is high. Further, if the ratio of the road surface hidden in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle is large, it is considered that it indirectly indicates that the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle is large. Furthermore, if the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is short, it is considered that it indirectly indicates that the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle is large. In other words, it is considered that the inter-vehicle distance when the so-called “non-noro driving” is extremely high and the degree of congestion is extremely short compared to the inter-vehicle distance normally assumed when traveling near the legal speed. Therefore, it is possible to indirectly grasp the degree of congestion even based on the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle.
[0024]
In addition, for example, a determination method based on lane marks (division lines) drawn in white or yellow on the road can be considered. The more vehicles there are ahead, the more they are blocked by those vehicles and the more difficult it is to recognize the lane marks, so the degree of congestion may be determined based on the degree of lane mark detection.
[0041]
Main departure The bright engine automatic control apparatus may execute only the control for automatically stopping the engine. That is, restart after stopping may completely depend on manual operation by the driver.
[0042]
However, as is conventionally realized as an automatic start / stop device for an engine, the start may naturally be performed by automatic control. In that case, the claim 3 As shown in FIG. 1, when the engine is automatically stopped, when a predetermined start condition is satisfied, the starter is energized to automatically start the vehicle engine. Good.
[0043]
In addition, when the engine is automatically stopped in this way, when starting automatically, there is a question that the driving environment considered at the time of stopping should also be considered at the time of starting. However, I don't think this is a problem. Because when it stops automatically, Predetermined stop This is because it is determined that the vehicle can be stopped even if the conditions are considered, and it is considered that the vehicle does not move while the vehicle is stopped.
[0044]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. Needless to say, 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.
[0045]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an automatic engine control apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The automatic control apparatus 1 is mainly configured of an electronic control unit (hereinafter simply referred to as an ECU) 10 for executing engine idle stop control. Although not shown, the ECU 10 includes a CPU that controls various devices, a ROM in which various numerical values and programs are written in advance, a RAM in which numerical values and flags of calculation processes are written in a predetermined area, and an analog input signal that is converted into a digital signal. An A / D converter, an input / output interface (I / O) to which various digital signals are input and various digital signals are output, a timer, and a bus line to which these devices are connected, respectively. The processing shown in the flowchart described below is executed based on a control program written in advance in the ROM.
[0046]
As shown in FIG. 1, the ECU 10 includes a crank angle sensor 21 that detects a crank angle and an intake pipe pressure that is connected to each cylinder of the engine and detects the pressure of an intake pipe that is provided to take in air. A sensor 22, a vehicle speed sensor 23 for detecting the travel speed of the vehicle, an accelerator opening sensor 24 for detecting the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal, a brake stroke sensor 25 for detecting the amount of depression of the brake pedal, and the vehicle An atmospheric pressure sensor 26 for detecting the ambient atmospheric pressure, a CCD camera 27 for capturing the scenery in front of the vehicle as an image, an inclination angle sensor 28 for detecting the inclination angle of the road surface, and a navigation function The navigation unit 29 is connected, and output signals from these sensors and the like are input to the ECU 10.
[0047]
The ECU 10 performs arithmetic processing according to a predetermined control program based on information from these sensors and the like, and via a drive circuit (not shown), a starter drive signal for the starter 31, an ignition cut for the igniter 32, and An ignition signal, a fuel cut for the fuel injection valve 33, and a fuel injection signal are output.
[0048]
In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, since the landscape image in front of the vehicle captured by the CCD camera 27 is output to the ECU 10, the ECU 10 has a function of processing this image. However, since image processing generally has a large processing load, for example, the function of processing a landscape image in front of the vehicle captured by the CCD camera 27 may be output to the outside of the ECU 10. In other words, an image processing unit may be provided between the CCD camera 27 and the ECU 10 and the ECU 10 may input a result processed by the image processing unit. The information obtained by processing the landscape image in front of the vehicle captured by the CCD camera 27 is the degree of congestion on the traveling path of the own vehicle.
[0049]
The degree of congestion is, for example, at least one of the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle calculated based on image data, the ratio of the road surface hidden in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. It is conceivable to make a determination based on this. If the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the vehicle is large, it is considered that the degree of congestion is high. Further, if the ratio of the road surface hidden in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle is large, it is considered that it indirectly indicates that the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle is large. Furthermore, if the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is short, it is considered that it indirectly indicates that the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle is large. In other words, it is considered that the inter-vehicle distance when the so-called “non-noro driving” is extremely high and the degree of congestion is extremely short compared to the inter-vehicle distance normally assumed when traveling near the legal speed. Therefore, it is possible to indirectly grasp the degree of congestion even based on the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle.
[0050]
The navigation unit 29 receives a radio wave transmitted from an artificial satellite for GPS (Global Positioning System) via a GPS antenna and detects a position, direction, speed, etc. of the vehicle by a GPS receiver 29a or a map. An information storage unit 29b is provided. Actually, the navigation unit 29 is provided with a gyroscope, a vehicle speed sensor, or a geomagnetic sensor in addition to the GPS receiver 29a, and an operation for inputting a user instruction. A switch group, a speaker for notifying various kinds of guidance, and a display device are also provided, but they are omitted because they are not the main components related to the automatic start / stop of the engine.
[0051]
The vehicle position detected by the GPS receiver 29a is three-dimensional data composed of latitude (X), longitude (Y), and altitude (Z), and the navigation unit 29 calculates the altitude based on the altitude. And output to the ECU 10. Further, based on the detected vehicle position and map information, the geographical environment information indicating the current geographical environment in which the vehicle is present is output to the ECU 10. The geographical environment information includes information indicating that it is better to not perform automatic engine stop as much as possible, and information indicating that it is better to perform automatic engine stop as much as possible. . These will be described later.
[0052]
The inclination angle sensor 28 has a pendulum, and directly detects the road surface inclination angle by utilizing the fact that the pendulum always faces the vertical direction. It has an element that detects the relative displacement with the pendulum, and in a flat place, the pendulum is located at the center of the detection element, but when placed in an inclined place, the relative position of the pendulum and the detection element is Changes for a flat state. The tilt angle sensor optically and magnetically detects this change in relative position.
[0053]
Next, processing relating to the automatic stop and automatic start of the engine executed by the ECU 10 of the engine automatic control apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS.
[0054]
A brake stroke is detected based on the output signal of the brake stroke sensor 25 at step (hereinafter abbreviated as “S”) 10 in FIG. 2, and the vehicle speed is detected based on the output signal from the vehicle speed sensor 23 at S20. Is detected. In S30, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed is 0. If the vehicle speed is 0 (S30: YES), the process proceeds to S40 for the next check. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed is not 0 (S30: NO) ), Return to S10. That is, the engine automatic stop condition is not satisfied only because the vehicle speed is not 0, and therefore the engine is continuously operated.
[0055]
On the other hand, in S40, it is determined whether or not the brake stroke is greater than 15%. If the brake stroke is greater than 15% (S30: YES), the process proceeds to S50 for the next check, If the brake stroke is 15% or less (S30: NO), the process returns to S10. That is, the condition for automatic engine stop is not satisfied only because the brake stroke is 15% or less, so the engine is continuously operated.
[0056]
On the other hand, in S50, stop condition determination based on the driving environment is performed. Although details of this stop condition determination will be described later, this determination can give a result of whether the stop condition is satisfied or not satisfied. Therefore, in S60, it is determined whether or not the stop condition is satisfied. If the stop condition is not satisfied (S60: NO), the process returns to S10. In other words, even if the stop condition based on the vehicle speed and the brake stroke is satisfied (S30: YES, S40: YES), the stop condition based on the traveling environment determined in S50 is not satisfied (S60: NO). Therefore, since the conditions for automatic engine stop are not satisfied, the engine is continuously operated.
[0057]
On the other hand, when the stop condition based on the traveling environment is satisfied (S60: YES), the process proceeds to S70 and the injection control is stopped. That is, the engine is automatically stopped by a fuel cut signal or an ignition cut signal. When the engine is stopped in this manner, it is determined whether or not the brake stroke is less than 5% (S80). And when a brake stroke is 5% or more (S80: NO), it returns to S70 and continues an engine stop state.
[0058]
On the other hand, if the brake stroke is less than 5% (S80: YES), it is assumed that the driver is attempting to restart the vehicle, so the routine proceeds to S90 to restart the engine. Process. That is, in S90, a starter drive signal is output for cranking (S90), and in subsequent S100, a fuel injection signal and an ignition signal are output to perform fuel injection and ignition control.
[0059]
Then, the engine speed is detected (S110), and it is determined whether or not the engine speed has exceeded 600 rpm (S120). Until the engine speed exceeds 600 rpm (S120: NO), the processing of S90 to S110 is executed. When the engine speed exceeds 600 rpm (S120: YES), the process proceeds to S130 and the cranking is stopped. As a result, the engine is in a driving state, and the vehicle can be re-started.
[0060]
Next, details of the stop condition determination based on the traveling environment in S50 described above will be described with reference to FIG.
[0061]
In the first step of FIG. 3, the atmospheric pressure is detected based on the output signal from the atmospheric pressure sensor 26 (S510). Then, it is determined whether or not the detected atmospheric pressure is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (S520). If the atmospheric pressure is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (S520: YES), the process immediately proceeds to S530, and the stop condition is not satisfied. This processing routine is terminated and the process returns to S60 of FIG.
[0062]
This is because when the atmospheric pressure is below a predetermined value, it may be difficult to restart after stopping, so even if other conditions are satisfied, the “stop condition” is not satisfied. is there. In other words, in the past, automatic stop was performed if a stop condition based on the driver's operation state or vehicle state was satisfied, but it may be difficult to restart if the engine is automatically stopped in a situation where atmospheric pressure is low. . Therefore, the stop condition is not established in such a situation.
[0063]
On the other hand, if the atmospheric pressure is larger than the predetermined value (S520: NO), the conditions related to the atmospheric pressure are satisfied, and the process proceeds to S540 for the next condition determination. In S540, based on the front image of the vehicle imaged by the CCD camera 27, the surrounding environment of the vehicle is detected as image data. Then, based on the image data, it is determined whether or not the vehicle needs to be temporarily stopped. If it is such a state (S550: YES), the process immediately proceeds to S530 and the stop condition is not satisfied. Then, this processing routine is terminated, and the process returns to S60 of FIG.
[0064]
This is because, in a situation where there is a high possibility of starting to proceed after a relatively short pause, it is likely that the engine will not automatically stop in line with the driver's intention. The stop condition is not satisfied. The intention to stop the engine automatically assumes a situation in which the vehicle has been stopped for a relatively long time, such as waiting for a signal, waiting for a train to pass at a railroad crossing, getting on and off passengers, and loading or unloading luggage. Therefore, on the contrary, when the vehicle is stopped for a relatively short time, the engine is not automatically stopped so as to meet the driver's intention (improvement of drivability).
[0065]
As this “situation requiring a relatively short pause”, various situations are assumed for various reasons. For example, if a paint on the road indicating a temporary stop on the road or a road sign (such as a standing sign on the roadside or a suspended sign) is detected, the driver must stop at that point. Is paused. However, if the safety is confirmed, the vehicle wants to immediately proceed again, so stopping the engine in such a situation is not in line with the driver's intention. Therefore, the engine is not stopped in a situation caused by such a road sign that requires a temporary stop. These can be said to be caused by the existence of points that are required to be suspended from the viewpoint of the Road Traffic Law.
[0066]
A railroad crossing is also a point where a temporary stop is required from the viewpoint of the Road Traffic Law. However, in this case, the situation differs depending on whether the vehicle is temporarily stopped for safety confirmation or whether the vehicle is stopped waiting for the train to pass. In other words, when the situation where the circuit breaker is descending is detected from the image data, it is forced to stop for a relatively long time as described above. In this case, the engine may be stopped. . However, if the circuit breaker is not getting off, it usually resumes immediately after pausing for about a few seconds before the crossing. On the other hand, when the engine is stopped in such a situation, the time required for one vehicle to cross the railroad crossing becomes longer, causing a traffic jam. Therefore, the engine is not stopped when the vehicle is temporarily stopped due to crossing of a railroad crossing that is not waiting for the train to pass.
[0067]
In addition, as described above, not only points where suspension is always required from the viewpoint of the Road Traffic Law, but also points where suspension is required or such behavior is desired depending on the situation. Is also present. For example, there are situations where a pedestrian or the like is crossing the front of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, or when the road is given to a vehicle waiting for a right turn in the opposite lane. These are preferable from the viewpoint of ensuring safety by the duty in the Road Traffic Law and the spirit of mutual concession. In this case, however, the engine is not stopped because the pedestrian or right-turn vehicle no longer exists, so that the host vehicle immediately proceeds again. Of course, for other reasons as well, “situations that require a relatively short pause” are assumed.
[0068]
On the other hand, when it is not a situation that requires a temporary stop (S550: NO), the process proceeds to S560 for the next condition determination. In S560, based on the front image of the vehicle obtained in S540, it is determined whether or not the degree of congestion is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. If the degree of congestion is greater than or equal to a predetermined level (S560: YES), the process immediately proceeds to S530, the stop condition is not satisfied, this processing routine is terminated, and the process returns to S60 in FIG.
[0069]
This is because in a traffic jam, the vehicle is frequently repeatedly stopped and started repeatedly, so if the engine is stopped every time the vehicle stops in such a situation, the restarting operation is troublesome for the driver. is there. Even if the driver wants to advance the vehicle, the vehicle cannot be advanced until the engine is first started, so a time lag occurs compared to the case where the engine is not stopped. This may also increase the traffic jam, so it is considered that the driver's intention is not to stop the engine in the traffic jam. Of course, depending on the degree of traffic congestion, there are situations in which it is difficult to advance the vehicle. However, in such a case, the driver can deal with it by operating the ignition key at his / her will and stopping the engine. That is, when the engine is automatically stopped by the automatic control apparatus 1, more appropriate control is performed by not stopping the engine in the case of a traffic jam.
[0070]
In determining whether the degree of congestion is greater than or equal to a predetermined level based on the image data, for example, the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle, the ratio of the road surface hidden in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle, The determination can be made based on at least one of the inter-vehicle distances from the vehicle. If the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle is large, it is considered that the degree of congestion is high. Further, if the ratio of the road surface hidden in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle is large, it is considered that it indirectly indicates that the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle is large. Furthermore, if the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is short, it is considered that it indirectly indicates that the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the own vehicle is large. In other words, it is considered that the inter-vehicle distance when the so-called “non-noro driving” is extremely high and the degree of congestion is extremely short compared to the inter-vehicle distance normally assumed when traveling near the legal speed. Therefore, it is possible to indirectly grasp the degree of congestion even based on the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle.
[0071]
Other than this, for example, a determination method based on lane marks (division lines) drawn in white or yellow on the road can be considered. The more vehicles there are ahead, the more they are blocked by those vehicles and the more difficult it is to recognize the lane marks, so the degree of congestion may be determined based on the degree of lane mark detection.
[0072]
On the other hand, when the degree of congestion is less than the predetermined level (S560: NO), the process proceeds to S570 for the next condition determination. In S570, the road surface inclination angle is detected based on the output signal from the inclination angle sensor 28, and in the subsequent S580, it is determined whether or not the inclination angle is a predetermined value or more. If the inclination angle is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (S580: YES), the process immediately proceeds to S530, the stop condition is not satisfied, the present processing routine is terminated, and the process returns to S60 in FIG.
[0073]
This is because when the road surface where the vehicle is traveling has a large road surface inclination angle, the vehicle may drop at the time of restart, whether it is uphill or downhill. Is not established and the engine is not stopped.
[0074]
On the other hand, when the inclination angle is less than the predetermined value (S580: NO), the process proceeds to S590 for the next condition determination. In S590, the current location is detected based on the output signal from the navigation unit 29, and in subsequent S600, it is determined whether or not the current location is a predetermined geographical environment where the engine may be stopped. For this determination, the geographical environment information output from the navigation unit 29 is referred to. And if it is a predetermined geographical environment where the engine may be stopped (S600: YES), since all the conditions so far are satisfied, the process proceeds to S610 and the stop condition is satisfied, This processing routine is terminated and the process returns to S60 of FIG. In this case, since an affirmative determination is made in S60, the process proceeds to S70 and control for stopping the engine is performed.
[0075]
On the other hand, if it is not a predetermined geographical environment where the engine may be stopped (S600: NO), the process proceeds to S530, the stop condition is not satisfied, this processing routine is terminated, and the process returns to S60 in FIG.
[0076]
By the way, the determination of “whether or not the predetermined geographical environment where the engine may be stopped” is actually other than “the predetermined geographical environment where the engine is inappropriately stopped” or not. Judgment is made. Therefore, what kind of environment is set as “a predetermined geographical environment where the engine stop is inappropriate” will be described. Conceptually, various environments are envisaged from the viewpoint of safety or prevention of discomfort to the driver, but first, as environments determined from the viewpoint of safety, there are intersections, crossings, slopes, etc. Conceivable. As described above, railroad crossings and slopes can be detected by other detection methods, but here they are detected from the current location information. This is mainly due to the fact that the risk is high when restarting is not successful when the engine is automatically stopped in such a situation.
[0077]
In addition, when considering the danger of rear-end collision of the following vehicle with the own vehicle, the environment determined from the viewpoint of safety includes an environment in the middle of a curved road or near the top of a slope that turns from an uphill to a downhill. .
[0078]
On the other hand, the environment determined from the viewpoint of preventing the driver from feeling uncomfortable is assumed to be in a parking lot or near an intersection. For example, in a parking lot, in order to park in a predetermined parking space, it is often turned over many times, and if the engine is stopped every time the vehicle stops for a short time, the driver feels very uncomfortable. Remember, it also takes longer to actually park. In the vicinity of the intersection, as described in the case of claim 5, there are situations where a pedestrian crosses the road ahead where the vehicle travels, or when the road is given to a vehicle waiting for a right turn in the opposite lane. Therefore, even if such a situation is not actually detected, the engine is not stopped as a geographical environment having such a high possibility.
[0079]
Furthermore, it is possible to set an environment where the influence of noise on the surroundings should be emphasized relatively. For example, in an environment where it is desired to suppress noise as much as possible, such as in a residential area, it is considered that it is better not to stop automatically in order to avoid noise associated with restart. On the other hand, it can be set as an environment in which the influence of the exhaust on the surroundings should be relatively emphasized. For example, in an environment such as a mountainous area where it is desirable to suppress adverse effects of exhaust emissions on the surroundings as much as possible, it is considered to be better to automatically stop as much as possible. In addition, when taking into account such a predetermined geographical environment, from the viewpoint of responding to administrative or social demands, for example, rather than from the viewpoint of "following the driver's intention" It is. Therefore, it is not always better not to stop automatically because it is a residential area. Even in a residential area, there may be a region where it is desirable to suppress the environmental influence due to exhaust emissions as much as possible.
[0080]
In this embodiment, the atmospheric pressure sensor 26, the CCD camera 27, the tilt angle sensor 28, the navigation unit 29, and the ECU 10 that performs processing for detecting various traveling environments based on signals from these sensors are the traveling environment detecting means. It corresponds to. Further, the GPS receiver 29a in the navigation unit 29 corresponds to the current location detection means, and the map information storage unit 29b corresponds to the map information storage means.
[0081]
As described above, according to the engine automatic control apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the engine is more appropriately controlled by taking into account the traveling environment as a viewpoint other than the driver's operation state or the vehicle state. Can do.
[0082]
For example, if the engine is automatically stopped in a situation where the atmospheric pressure is low, it may be difficult to restart. In such a situation, inconvenience can be prevented by preventing the stop condition from being satisfied. Also, in situations where there is a high possibility that the vehicle will start moving after a relatively short pause, such as when stopping at a pause line, the driver may stop the engine automatically. Since it does not follow the intention, it is possible to prevent the engine from being stopped. Further, when the road surface inclination angle is large, the vehicle may drop during restart, so that the engine can be prevented from being stopped. Furthermore, in the “predetermined geographical environment where the engine stop is inappropriate” assumed from the viewpoint of safety or prevention of uncomfortable feeling for the driver, the engine can be prevented from being stopped.
[0083]
[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, after the engine is automatically stopped (S70), if a predetermined start condition is satisfied (S80: YES), the engine is automatically started. (S90-S130). Therefore, the automatic stop / start control of the engine is performed, but it is also possible to execute control that only automatically stops the engine. That is, restart after stopping may completely depend on manual operation by the driver.
[0084]
(2) In the above embodiment, the atmospheric pressure is directly detected using the atmospheric pressure sensor 26. However, for example, when the altitude is detected and the detected altitude is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, a predetermined stop is performed. It may be determined that the condition is not satisfied. If the altitude is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the atmospheric pressure is likely to be equal to or lower than the predetermined value. Therefore, it is determined that the “stop condition” is not satisfied even if other conditions are satisfied. That is, when the atmospheric pressure sensor 26 is used, the atmospheric pressure is directly detected, but when this altitude is used, the level of the atmospheric pressure is indirectly determined. In detecting this altitude, it can be easily realized by obtaining altitude information from the navigation unit 29. In this way, the atmospheric pressure sensor 26 becomes unnecessary.
[0085]
(3) In the above embodiment, the inclination angle sensor 28 is used to detect the road surface inclination angle, but it may be detected based on the brake stroke detected by the brake stroke sensor 25, for example. That is, when the vehicle stops on an inclined road, the driver applies a foot brake to prevent the vehicle from traveling along an inclination caused by a longitudinal component of force due to gravity. The greater the tilt angle, the greater the driver will generate a greater braking force with a greater amount of depression. Therefore, the inclination angle can be indirectly detected by using the brake stroke that is the brake depression amount of the driver when the vehicle is stopped. A brake pressure sensor may be used from the same viewpoint.
[0086]
It is also possible to detect the tilt angle using an acceleration sensor. The acceleration in the vehicle vertical direction when the vehicle stops is detected by an acceleration sensor, and the smaller the detected value is than the gravity value, the greater the inclination angle (absolute value) can be detected.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an automatic engine control apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process related to an automatic stop / start of an engine executed by an ECU according to the embodiment.
3 is a flowchart showing a processing routine relating to stop condition determination based on a traveling environment during processing of FIG. 2;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Engine automatic control apparatus 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 26 ... Atmospheric pressure sensor
27 ... CCD camera 28 ... Tilt angle sensor
29 ... Navi unit 29a ... GPS receiver
29b ... Map information storage unit 31 ... Starter
32 ... Igniter 33 ... Fuel injection valve

Claims (3)

An engine automatic control device that automatically stops the engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied,
Comprising a driving environment detection means for detecting a landscape vehicle periphery as image data as run line environment of the vehicle is traveling,
Based on the image data detected by the travel environment detection means, the degree of congestion on the traveling path of the own vehicle is determined, and when the degree of congestion is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the predetermined stop condition is not satisfied. An engine automatic control device characterized by judging. The automatic control device for an engine according to claim 1 ,
The degree of congestion is at least one of the number of vehicles in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle calculated based on the image data, the ratio of hiding the road surface in front of the traveling path of the host vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. An automatic control device for an engine characterized by making a determination based on the determination. The engine automatic control device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
An automatic engine control apparatus for automatically starting a vehicle engine by energizing a starter when a predetermined start condition is satisfied after the engine is automatically stopped.

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