JPS6233422B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for automatically starting and stopping an automobile engine. The present invention relates to a method for automatically starting and stopping an automobile engine, which maintains the rotation of the engine based on the fact that the automobile is in a running state, and stops the engine when the automobile stops.

[Prior art]

Conventionally, in this type of automatic start/stop method,
When starting a car engine, it automatically energizes and drives the engine's starter in response to the depression of the car's clutch pedal, detects when the engine has started, and cuts off the power to the starter. It is designed to stop this starter.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In such an automatic start/stop method, if the engine stops for some reason while the vehicle is running, the starter is automatically energized and driven by pressing the clutch pedal to restart the engine. Just let it happen. By the way, in such a case, by releasing the clutch pedal while maintaining the transmission of the vehicle at a shift position other than the neutral position (for example, the first gear position), the engine is switched to the vehicle through the transmission. If connected to the drive wheels, the engine will be rotated by both the drive wheels and the starter. Therefore, if the clutch pedal is quickly released as described above when the vehicle is running at a relatively high speed, the engine rotational speed will differ from that of the starter and will increase with the rotational speed of the drive wheels. skyrocketing,
As a result, the pinion installed on the output shaft of the starter cannot mesh smoothly with the ring gear installed on the engine flywheel, causing noise such as gear noise or damage to the connection between the starter and the engine, such as the pinion or ring gear. The problem arose of bringing about this. This is particularly noticeable when the timing of engagement of the pinion with the ring gear substantially coincides with the rapid release of the clutch pedal.

In addition, in such an automatic start/stop method, when detecting the depression of the clutch pedal as described above, the clutch switch is arranged at the fully depressed position of the clutch pedal. If the accuracy is poor, there is a tendency for the clutch switch to operate before the clutch pedal is fully depressed and to detect that the clutch pedal has been depressed. For this reason, there are cases where the engine is connected to the starter while being connected to the drive wheels, and if the clutch pedal is quickly released when the vehicle is running at a relatively high speed, the result will be substantially different from the case described above. A similar problem occurred.

Therefore, in order to deal with the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has been devised to restart the engine using only the driving force from the drive wheels, depending on the speed of the vehicle, even if the engine stops while the vehicle is running. The present invention aims to provide a method for automatically starting and stopping an automobile engine, focusing on the fact that it can be started.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve this problem, the structural feature of the present invention is to automatically energize the starter circuit provided in the engine of the automobile in response to the operation of the starting operation mechanism when starting the automobile, and to automatically energize the starter circuit provided in the engine of the automobile. automatically energizing a circuit or a fuel injection amount control circuit to start the engine;
When the engine starts, it is detected and power supply to the starter circuit is cut off, and after the car has started, it is detected that the car is running and the ignition circuit or fuel injection is activated based on this detection result. In the method for automatically starting and stopping an engine, the engine is stopped by maintaining energization to the amount control circuit, and when the vehicle stops, cutting off the energization to the ignition circuit or the fuel injection amount control circuit to stop the engine. calculating the speed, determining whether the calculated traveling speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined traveling speed when the engine is stopped in the traveling state of the automobile, and operating the starting operation mechanism when it is determined that the calculated traveling speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined traveling speed. Automatic energization of the starter circuit is prohibited regardless of the speed, while automatic energization of the starter circuit is allowed by operating the start operation mechanism when it is determined that the running speed is less than the predetermined speed. There is a particular thing.

[Function and effect]

Therefore, by configuring the present invention in this way, when the automobile is running with the engine rotating while the ignition circuit or the fuel injection amount control circuit is kept energized, it is possible to prevent the engine from operating. Even if the vehicle suddenly stops due to a cause of be done. Therefore, if the predetermined running speed is properly selected, when the engine is connected to the drive wheels of the automobile by operating the start operation mechanism due to a sudden stop of the engine, the engine will be activated by the starter circuit. Restarting under the control of the ignition circuit or the fuel injection amount control circuit in response to the rotational force of the drive wheel in the operation prohibited state,
As a result, the running condition of the vehicle can be maintained smoothly. In such a case, even if the engine is rapidly connected to the drive wheels due to a rapid operation of the start operation mechanism and the rotational speed of the engine is suddenly increased, the mechanical rotation system of the starter circuit, which is in an operation-inhibited state, Since it is isolated from the engine, it is possible to prevent noise or damage that would occur when the mechanical rotation system is connected to the engine.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the calculated travel speed is less than the predetermined travel speed when the engine suddenly stops as described above, automatic energization of the starter circuit by operating the start operation mechanism is permitted. Therefore, when the engine is connected to the mechanical rotation system of the starter circuit, which is automatically energized due to the operation of the start operation mechanism accompanying the sudden stop, the engine is connected to the mechanical rotation system of the starter circuit, which is automatically energized. The engine is restarted under the control of the ignition circuit or the fuel injection amount control circuit in response to the rotational force of the rotation system, and as a result, the running state of the vehicle can be maintained smoothly. In such a case, when the engine is connected to the drive wheels by operating the start operation mechanism, the engine is rotated by both the drive wheels and the mechanical rotation system of the starter circuit. If the traveling speed is appropriately selected as described above, the rotational speed of the driving wheels is also low because the calculated traveling speed is lower than the predetermined traveling speed. Therefore, even if the start operation mechanism is operated rapidly, the rate of increase in the rotational speed of the engine due to the rotational force of the drive wheels is low. As a result, even if the timing of connection of the mechanical rotation system of the starter circuit with the engine substantially coincides with the rapid operation of the start operation mechanism, the mechanical rotation system of the starter circuit will cause the engine to be connected to the engine at the rate of increase. Since the mechanical rotation system is connected smoothly regardless of the engine, noise or damage that may occur when the mechanical rotation system is connected to the engine can be prevented.
Note that this also holds true even if the engine is connected to the mechanical rotation system of the starter circuit while being substantially connected to the drive wheels.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numerals 11 and 12 respectively indicate a starter and an ignition circuit of an automobile engine (fueled by gasoline), and the starter 11 is an ignition circuit. Switch 1
It is connected to a DC power supply 10 via 3. When the ignition switch 13 is operated to temporarily connect its movable contact 13a to the fixed terminal 13c, the starter 11 is supplied with power from the DC power source 10 and starts, putting the engine in a cranking state. The ignition circuit 12 includes a control circuit 12a connected to a signal generator provided in a distributor of the engine, and an ignition coil 12c connected to the control circuit 12a via a transistor 12b. . Under the control of the control circuit 12a, the transistor 12b becomes conductive in response to the generation of a signal from the signal generator and becomes non-conductive in response to the disappearance of the signal from the signal generator. The ignition coil 12c is energized in response to the conduction of the transistor 12b in a state where it can receive power from the DC power supply 10, and is cut off from the energized state in response to the non-conduction of the transistor 12b to generate a spark voltage, and the ignition coil 12c generates a spark voltage. Grant to triviewer.

The alternator 14 is connected between the DC power supply 10 and the regulator relay 15, and when driven by the engine, the alternator 14 generates an AC voltage at the neutral point N of its stator coil. is converted into a DC voltage and supplied to the DC power supply 10. Regulator relay 15
The electromagnetic coil 15a is connected between the neutral point N of the stator coil of the alternator 14 and the ground terminal 15c, and the double-throw contact 15 is connected to the ground terminal 15c or the fixed terminal 15d connected to the DC power supply 10.
b. Therefore, the electromagnetic coil 15a
is in the demagnetized state, the double-throw contact 15b is connected to the ground terminal 15c and a low voltage L ₀ is applied from the output terminal L to the ground terminal 15c.
occurs. When the electromagnetic coil 15a is excited by the alternating voltage generated at the neutral point N of the stator coil, the double-throw contact 15b is connected to the fixed terminal 15d and generates a high voltage H _i from the output terminal L.

The microcomputer 20 includes a regulator relay 15, a speed sensor 16, and a set switch 1.
7, connected to the first clutch switch 18a, the second clutch switch 18b and the door switch 19. The speed sensor 16 includes a disc 16a made of a permanent magnet, and a reed switch 16 arranged to form a magnetic relationship with each protrusion of the disc 16a.
The disc 16a is attached to a speedometer drive cable 16c connected to the output shaft of the power transmission device of the vehicle. Therefore, the disc 16a is connected to the drive cable 16c.
When the reed switch 16b rotates in conjunction with the rotation, the reed switch 16b sequentially detects each protrusion of the disc 16a and generates a series of speed pulses corresponding to the actual running speed VKm/h of the vehicle. In this embodiment, the number of speed pulses generated from the speed sensor 16 is 1274 pulses/min (approximately 1
/50 msec), and the traveling speed
At 60km/h, it becomes 2548 pieces/min (corresponding to about 1 piece/25 msec).

The set switch 17 is a normally open switch with a self-resetting function, and is provided at a suitable location in the vehicle interior of the vehicle. Thus, this set switch 17 generates a set signal by its temporary closure. First and second clutch switch 18a
and 18b are both provided on the clutch pedal of the vehicle, and the first clutch switch 18a
is of the normally open type and generates the first clutch signal when the clutch pedal is fully depressed. The second clutch switch 18b is of a normally closed type, and
When the clutch pedal is depressed, a second clutch signal is generated, and when the clutch pedal is released, the second clutch signal is extinguished. The door switch 19 is a normally closed switch, which is installed on the door of the vehicle, generates a door signal when the door is opened, and extinguishes this door signal when the door is closed.

The microcomputer 20 is formed by an LSI, and is activated in response to the constant voltage (5V) generated from the constant voltage circuit 21 by power supply from the DC power supply 10 when the ignition switch 13 is closed. Become. The microcomputer 20 includes a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU), an input/output device (hereinafter referred to as I/O), a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM), and a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM). ) and a clock circuit are provided, and these CPU, I/O, ROM,
The RAM and clock circuits are connected to each other via bus lines. The I/O includes a low voltage L ₀ (or high voltage H _i ) from the regulator relay 15, each speed pulse from the speed sensor 16, a set signal from the set switch 17, the first and second clutch switches 18a, The first and second clutch signals from the door switch 18b and the door signal from the door switch 19 are received and applied to the RAM. The clock circuit is connected to a crystal oscillator 22 and cooperates with the crystal oscillator 22 to generate a series of clock signals. The ROM stores in advance the main control program necessary for the CPU to execute the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the interrupt control program necessary for the CPU to execute the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. has been done.

The CPU has an interrupt timer, which starts measuring time at the same time as the microcomputer is started, and when its time value reaches 1 msec, it is reset and starts counting again. The CPU executes the main control program in response to a series of clock signals from the clock circuit, and stops executing the main control program every time the interrupt timer reaches 1 msec. By executing both control programs alternately, various calculation processes are performed as described below, and the drive signal (or drive stop signal) necessary to drive (or stop) the starter 11 is generated. and ignition coil 12c
generates the energization signal (or energization stop signal) necessary for energization (or de-energization) of the In this case, the execution of the main control program by the CPU is repeatedly completed within 10 msec after its start.

A starter relay 32 and an ignition relay 34 are connected to the microcomputer 20 via transistors 31 and 33, respectively. The transistor 31 has its base connected to the I/O of the microcomputer 20, and its emitter connected to the ignition switch 13.
When the ignition switch 13 is closed, it becomes conductive when it receives a drive signal from the CPU, and becomes non-conductive when it receives a drive stop signal from the CPU. The transistor 33 has its emitter grounded and its base connected to the I/O, becomes non-conductive upon receiving a energization signal from the CPU, and becomes conductive upon receiving a energization stop signal from the CPU.

The starter relay 32 includes an electromagnetic coil 32a and a normally open switch 32b.
a is grounded at one end and connected to the collector of the transistor 31 at the other end.
When the transistor 31 is turned on, it is excited by receiving power from the DC power supply 10, and is demagnetized in response to the non-conduction of the transistor 31. The normally open switch 32b of the starter relay 32 is connected between the DC power supply 10 and the starter 11, and closes in response to the excitation of the electromagnetic coil 32a, allowing power to be supplied from the DC power supply 10 to the starter 11. start. Further, the normally open switch 32b cuts off the power supply to the open starter 11 in response to the demagnetization of the electromagnetic coil 32a, thereby stopping the open starter 11. The ignition relay 34 consists of an electromagnetic coil 34a and a normally closed switch 34b.
The electromagnetic coil 34a is connected to the ignition switch 13
It is connected between the fixed terminal 13b of the transistor 33 and the collector of the transistor 33, and is demagnetized when the transistor 33 is non-conducting, and is excited by receiving power from the DC power supply 10 in response to the transistor 33 being conductive. The normally closed switch 34b is connected to the electromagnetic coil 3
When 4a is in the demagnetized state, it closes and the DC power supply 10
The ignition coil 12c is opened to allow power to be supplied to the ignition coil 12c, and opens in response to the excitation of the electromagnetic coil 34a to cut off the power supply to the ignition coil 12c.

In this embodiment configured as described above, when the ignition switch 13 is operated to connect the movable contact 13a to the fixed terminal 13b while the vehicle is stopped, the constant voltage circuit 21 Power is supplied from the power supply 10 to generate a constant voltage, and in response to this, the microcomputer 20 becomes operational. At the same time, the interrupt timer of the CPU starts counting time, and the CPU starts executing the main control program in step 40 according to the flowchart of FIG. Next, ignition switch 13
When the starter 11 is operated to temporarily connect the movable contact 13a to the fixed terminal 13c, the starter 11 receives power from the DC power supply 10 and starts the engine in cooperation with the ignition circuit 12. At this time, the regulator relay 15 is connected to the alternator 14
A high voltage H _i is generated under the control of. It is assumed that the reed switch 16b is closed due to the magnetic relationship with the disc 16a when the vehicle is stopped.

When the main control program proceeds to step 41 in such a state, the CPU switches to microcomputer 2.
Initialize the contents of 0, reset the flag _Fs ,
Set the flag _F1 to the actual level of the speed pulse from the speed sensor 16 (at this stage, the reed switch 1
6b is closed, this reed switch 1
It is assumed that the velocity pulse to be generated from 6b is at a low level, that is, zero. ), advance the main control program to step 42, and set the flag F _s
It is determined whether or not the is in the reset state.
In this case, the setting (or resetting) of the flag _Fs indicates the establishment (or failure) of a set condition for setting the engine under automatic start/stop control, and this set condition is such that the regulator relay 15 is that a high voltage H _i is being generated, that the door signal from the door switch 19 has disappeared,
This is achieved when the above three requirements are satisfied simultaneously: and the set switch 17 is generating a set signal.

As mentioned above, the main control program
When proceeding to step 42, the clock value of the interrupt timer is 1m.
sec, the CPU stops executing the main control program and starts executing the interrupt control program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 at step 60.
Next, the speed pulse from the speed sensor 16 (as described above, it is a low level signal) is stored in the RAM in step 61, and whether or not this stored level is at a high level is determined in the next step.
62, determined by the CPU. However,
The CPU determines "NO" in step 62, advances the interrupt control program to step 64, and sets the flag F ₁ =
It is determined whether it is 1 or not. Then,
The CPU determines "NO" in relation to the set level of flag _F1 in step 41 of the main control program, and in the next step 69, the count value C by the RAM counter is 2 seconds (when the vehicle in question presses its brake pedal). (Time required to stop once after operation)
It is determined whether or not it has been reached. At this stage, the count value C by the RAM counter has not reached 2 seconds, so the CPU determines "NO" and adds "1" to the count value C in step 70 to create a new count value C. Terminates execution of the interrupt control program. Note that the RAM counter counts the time during which the level of the speed pulse stored in the RAM does not change in response to a clock signal from the clock circuit. Also, the added value "1" by the RAM counter is the time required to execute the interrupt control program (1 msec)
matches.

As described above, when the execution of the interrupt control program is finished, the CPU determines "YES" in step 42 of the main control program based on the reset state of the flag _Fs in step 41, and returns the main control program to step 43. Then, it is determined whether or not the set condition is satisfied. However, at this stage,
Since at least the set switch 17 has not been operated, the CPU determines "NO" in step 43, and advances the main control program to step 47, where it determines whether the condition for stopping the starter 11 is met. In this case, the condition for stopping the starter 11 is established by satisfying the requirement that the regulator relay 15 generates a high voltage H _i . At this stage, the engine has started and the regulator relay 15 is generating high voltage H _i , so the CPU determines "YES" in step 47 and moves the main control program through step 48 to step 42. return. Note that during the execution of the main control program described above, the CPU stops execution of the main control program every time the measured value of the interrupt timer reaches 1 msec.
As mentioned above, steps 60, 61, 62, 64, 69,
The interrupt control program is repeatedly executed through steps 70 and 71 in sequence.

During the execution of each of these control programs, the door switch 19 responds to the closing of the door of the vehicle by extinguishing the door signal, and while the set switch 17 generates the set signal by its temporary operation, the main When the control program reaches step 43, the CPU generates the high voltage H _i from the regulator relay 15 and the set signal from the set switch 17, as well as the generation of the door switch 19.
Based on the disappearance of the door signal from the
The flag F _s is set at . When the main control program proceeds to step 45, the CPU determines whether the engine is stopped. However.
CPU receives high voltage H _i from regulator relay 15
Based on this, the determination is "NO", and in the next step 50, it is determined whether the engine stop condition is satisfied. In this case, the engine stop condition is satisfied by the simultaneous satisfaction of two requirements: the second clutch signal from the second clutch switch 18b disappears, and the count value C by the RAM counter is 2 seconds. . At this stage, if the count value C is not 2 seconds, the CPU determines "NO" at step 50 and returns the main control program to step 42.

As mentioned above, the main control program
Returning to step 42, the CPU determines "NO" based on the result of setting the flag _Fs in step 44, and proceeds to step 49, where it determines whether a cancel condition for canceling the engine from automatic start/stop control is met. Proceed with the main control program. in this case,
The cancel condition is established by the fulfillment of the requirements that the door signal is generated from the door switch 19 or the set signal is generated from the set switch 17 while the flag _Fs is set. Based on the fact that the door signal from the door switch 19 has disappeared and the set signal has not been generated from the set switch 17, the CPU determines "NO" in step 49, and executes the main control program in steps 45 and 50. through it and return to step 42.

In such a state, when the vehicle starts by operating its starting operation mechanism, the traveling speed V (less than 30 km/h) of the vehicle is detected by the speed sensor 1.
6 is detected as a velocity pulse and applied to the microcomputer 20. At this stage,
When the CPU stops executing the main control program in response to the time value from the interrupt timer and starts executing the interrupt control program at step 60, the speed pulse from the speed sensor 16 is activated at the next step 61. is stored in RAM. When the interrupt control program proceeds to step 62, the CPU determines whether the speed pulse stored in step 61 is at a high level. If the speed pulse stored in step 61 is at a high level,
The CPU determines "YES" in step 62, advances the interrupt control program to step 63, and flags
It is determined whether _F1 is at a high level, that is, 1. Then, the CPU determines "NO" based on the level of the flag F ₁ in step 41 of the main control program, and advances the interrupt control program to step 65 to set the flag F ₁ =1. The interrupt control program passes through step 67 and steps 68
At step 71, the CPU resets the content C of the counter provided in the RAM, and at step 71 ends the execution of the interrupt control program.

After that, if the execution of the interrupt control program is started again in the same way as in the case described above, the speed sensor 1
Speed pulse from 6 (because traveling speed V<30Km/h,
(remains at a high level) is stored in the RAM in step 61. After the CPU determines "YES" in step 62, it determines "YES" in step 63 based on the set result in step 65.
, and in relation to the reset result in step 68, it is determined as "NO" in step 69,
At step 70, count value C by RAM counter
is updated to "1" and the execution of the interrupt control program is ended.

Thereafter, the main control program is executed sequentially through steps 42, 49, 45 and 50, and steps 62, 63, 69 and
When the speed pulse generated from the speed sensor 16 falls to a low level while repeating the execution of the interrupt control program that sequentially passes through the steps 70 and 70,
The CPU determines "NO" at step 62 of the interrupt control program, and flag F ₁ is set at the next step 64.
It is determined whether or not is set to "1". Then, the CPU determines "YES" in relation to the set result (F ₁ =1) in step 65, and advances the interrupt control program to step 66, where the flag F ₁ is set to "0". After that, when the interrupt control program proceeds to step 67, the CPU
However, the running speed V of the vehicle is calculated based on the addition count value C in the immediately previous step 70, which was determined to be "NO" in step 62. In other words,
The _CPU determines the running speed V (V<30km /h). When the interrupt control program proceeds to step 68,
The CPU resets the count value C of the RAM counter.

If the engine suddenly stops for some reason while the vehicle is running, the regulator relay 15 generates a low voltage _L0 under the control of the alternator 14, while the driver When the clutch pedal is depressed, a first clutch signal is generated from the first clutch switch 18a. When the main control program reaches step 45, the CPU determines "YES" in relation to the low voltage _L0 from the regulator relay 15,
The main control program advances to a starter drive condition determination routine 46 (see FIG. 3), and in step 46a it is determined whether the traveling speed V of the vehicle is 30 km/h or more. Then, the CPU
However, based on the calculation result V in step 67 of the interrupt control program, the determination is "NO", and the main control program advances to step 46b, where it is determined whether the starter drive condition is satisfied. In this case, the driving conditions for the starter 11 are two requirements: the regulator relay 15 is generating a low voltage _L0 , and the first clutch switch 18a is generating a first clutch signal. This holds true.

As mentioned above, the main control program
When it reaches 46b, the CPU switches to regulator relay 15.
Low voltage L ₀ from the first clutch switch 18
Based on the first clutch signal from a, the determination is ``YES'', and the main control program advances to step 46c to generate a drive signal. Then transistor 3
1 conducts in response to a drive signal from the CPU, the starter relay 32 closes the normally open switch 32b by energizing the electromagnetic coil 32a, drives the starter 11, starts the engine, and maintains the vehicle in a smooth running state. do. At this time, the regulator relay 15 generates a high voltage H _i under the control of the alternator 14 due to engine startup.

As can be understood from the above explanation, if the engine suddenly stops while the vehicle is traveling at a speed of less than 30 km/h, the first clutch switch 18a is switched from the first clutch switch 18a by depressing the clutch pedal. When the signal is generated, the starter drive condition is established, and the starter 11 automatically starts the engine by the drive and maintains the smooth running state of the vehicle. In this case, shift the transmission of the vehicle to a position other than the neutral position (for example, the first
When the engine is connected to the drive wheels of the vehicle via the transmission by releasing the clutch pedal while the engine is in the high speed position), the engine is rotated by both the drive wheels and the starter 11. However, the traveling speed of the vehicle (30
The rotational speed of the driving wheels defined by the speed (less than Km/h) is low, and therefore even if the clutch pedal is rapidly released, the rate of increase in the engine rotational speed accompanying this is low. As a result, starter 11
Even if the engagement timing of the pinion provided on the output shaft of the engine with the ring gear provided on the flywheel of the engine almost coincides with the rapid release of the clutch pedal, the pinion is independent of the rate of increase in the engine rotational speed. Since it can mesh with the ring gear smoothly without causing any noise such as gear noise or damage to the connecting portion between the starter 11 and the engine, such as the pinion or ring gear, there will be no damage. Furthermore, in this case, if the accuracy of the mounting position of the first clutch switch 18a is poor and the first clutch signal is generated from the first clutch switch 18a before the clutch pedal is fully depressed, the engine will not rotate due to the connection with the drive wheels. In this state, the starter 11 is connected to the engine due to its driving. However, due to the reason mentioned above, the increase rate of the engine rotational speed is low, so the connection between the starter 11 and the engine is made smoothly, and the above-mentioned noise is generated. This will not cause any damage or damage.

Therefore, the main control program starts from step 46c of starter drive condition determination routine 46.
At step 47, the CPU determines "YES" based on the high voltage H _i from the regulator relay 15, and at step 48 generates a drive stop signal. This results in
Transistor 31 becomes non-conductive, opening normally open switch 32b of starter relay 32, and stopping starter 11 while maintaining engine rotation.

In addition, in the above explanation, the calculation result V obtained in step 67 of the interrupt control program is 30
Km/h or more, the CPU determines "YES" when the main control program reaches step 46a, advances the main control program to step 46d, and generates a drive stop signal. As a result, the transistor 31 maintains a non-conducting state in response to the drive stop signal from the CPU, and the normally open switch 32b of the starter relay 32 maintains an open state, so that the starter 1
1 is maintained in a stopped state. In other words, if the engine suddenly stops for some reason while the vehicle is traveling at a speed of 30 km/h or more, pressing the clutch pedal will switch the first clutch switch 18a to the first clutch switch 18a. Even if one clutch signal is generated, starter 11 is maintained in a stopped state under the control of transistor 31 and starter relay 32. Therefore, under such circumstances, by releasing the clutch pedal while the transmission of the vehicle is in a shift position other than the neutral position (e.g., first gear position), the engine can be switched via the transmission. If connected to the drive wheels of a car,
The engine receives the rotational force of the driving wheels without being connected to the starter 11, and the ignition circuit 12
The vehicle is restarted under the control of the vehicle, and the vehicle continues to run smoothly. Also, at this time, even if the rate of increase in engine rotational speed is rapidly increased by rapidly releasing the clutch pedal, the engine and starter 11 are not connected, so noise such as gear noise or the like may occur at the connection between the two. Damage can be prevented from occurring.

In such a driving state of the vehicle, if the brake pedal is operated to temporarily stop the vehicle at an intersection etc., the vehicle will decelerate while repeating the execution of the main control program and interrupt control program as described above. The engine stops with the clutch pedal depressed, and then the clutch pedal is released. At this time, the speed pulse generated from the speed sensor 16 disappears. However, when the addition result C in step 70 reaches 2 seconds,
The CPU determines "YES" in step 69, and ends the execution of the interrupt control program in step 71. When the main control program proceeds to step 50, the CPU determines ``YES'' based on the release of the clutch pedal and the determination result in step 69, and generates an energization stop signal in the next step 51. Then, the transistor 33 becomes conductive in response to the energization stop signal from the CPU, and the ignition relay 34 opens the normally closed switch 34b by excitation of the electromagnetic coil 34a, and the ignition coil 12c opens.
Stop energizing. This causes the engine to stop and the regulator relay 15 to generate a low voltage L ₀ .

When the main control program proceeds to step 47,
The CPU determines "YES", generates a drive stop signal in step 48, and steps the main control program.
Return to 42. After that, the CPU determines "YES" in step 45, and based on the traveling speed obtained in step 67 immediately before the vehicle stops, determines "NO" in step 46a, and proceeds to step 46b. The determination is "NO" in relation to the release of the clutch pedal, and the main control program advances to step 48 through step 46d.

When the vehicle and engine are temporarily stopped, the clutch pedal is operated to set the first clutch signal to the first clutch signal in order to start the vehicle again.
If the signal is generated from the clutch switch 18a, the CPU determines "YES" when the main control program proceeds to step 46b, and generates a drive signal in step 46c. Then, transistor 31 becomes conductive in response to the drive signal from the CPU and starter relay 3
2 closes the normally open switch 32b by excitation of the electromagnetic coil 32a, drives the starter 11, and starts the engine. At this time, regulator relay 1
5 generates a high voltage H _i under the control of the alternator 14 by starting the engine. Therefore, when the main control program advances to step 47, the CPU
determines "YES" based on the high voltage H _i from the regulator relay 15, and generates a drive stop signal in step 48. As a result, the transistor 31
becomes non-conductive, opening the normally open switch of starter relay 32 and stopping starter 11. Thereafter, the vehicle starts by operating its starting operation mechanism.

Furthermore, when the door of the vehicle is opened while the vehicle and engine are temporarily stopped, the door switch 19 generates a door signal. However, the main control program may not be able to step in such a state.
When proceeding to step 49, the CPU determines "YES" based on the generation of the door signal, and steps the main control program.
Proceed to step 52 and reset the flag _Fs . After that,
The CPU generates a drive stop signal in step 53,
Then, in step 54, an energization signal is generated. As a result, the transistor 31 becomes non-conductive in response to the drive stop signal, maintains the normally open switch 32b of the starter relay 32 in an open state, and disables automatic drive of the starter 11, and the transistor 33 responds to the energization signal. The normally closed switch 34b of the ignition relay 34 is kept closed, and the ignition coil 12c is enabled to be energized. Therefore, with the automatic engine start/stop control canceled in this manner, the engine will not start unless the ignition switch 13 is operated.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to automobile gasoline has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to an automobile diesel engine. In this case, instead of the ignition circuit 12, a fuel injection amount control circuit for controlling the amount of fuel injected into the diesel engine is adopted, and this fuel injection amount control circuit is connected to the normally closed type of the ignition relay 34. The fuel injection may be stopped when the switch 34b is opened.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example was explained in which the first clutch switch 18a was disposed on the clutch pedal of the vehicle, but when implementing the present invention in a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, the first clutch switch 18a is The clutch switch 18a may be placed in the neutral position of the automatic transmission.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the criterion for determining the traveling speed in step 46a was 30 km/h;
The present invention is not limited to this, and may be modified and implemented as appropriate.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example was explained in which the engine is automatically stopped when the vehicle is stopped, but instead of this, for example, a one-touch manual operation switch may be adopted to detect this when the vehicle is stopped. At the same time, the engine may be stopped by manually operating the one-touch manual operation switch.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are flowcharts showing the operation of the microcomputer shown in FIG. 1, respectively. Explanation of symbols 11...Starter, 12...Ignition circuit, 13...Ignition switch, 1
6...Speed sensor, 17...Set switch, 18a
...first clutch switch, 18b...second clutch switch, 20...microcomputer, 31,
33...Transistor, 32...Starter relay, 3
4...Ignition relay.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When starting an automobile, in response to the operation of the starting operation mechanism, a starter circuit provided in the automobile engine is automatically energized, and an ignition circuit or a fuel injection amount control circuit provided in the engine is automatically energized. Start the engine, detect when the engine starts and cut off power to the starter circuit, and after the car starts, detect that the car is in a running state and based on the detection result. Automatic start/stop of the engine, wherein the ignition circuit or the fuel injection amount control circuit is kept energized, and when the vehicle stops, the ignition circuit or the fuel injection amount control circuit is cut off and the engine is stopped. In the method, the running speed of the automobile is calculated, and when the engine is stopped in the running state of the automobile, it is determined whether the calculated running speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined running speed, and when it is determined that the calculated running speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined running speed, the Prohibiting automatic energization of the starter circuit regardless of the operation of the starting operation mechanism;
A method for automatically starting and stopping an automobile engine, characterized in that when it is determined that the running speed is less than the predetermined running speed, automatic energization of the starter circuit by operating the start operation mechanism is allowed.