Engine control device

Abstract

To ensure convenience and comfort of a passenger while preventing vehicle theft and carbon monoxide poisoning of the passenger.SOLUTION: An engine control device controlling an engine of a vehicle comprises a control section capable of executing an automatic stop mode to stop activation of the engine when a predetermined condition is met. In the automatic stop mode, the control section measures duration during which no vehicle driving operation is detected while the engine is activated continues and allows continuation or stop of the engine activation to be selected when the duration exceeds a first threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an engine control device that controls an engine of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] When a vehicle is parked or stopped with the engine running, so-called idling, not only poses environmental problems such as air pollution due to exhaust gases, but also the following problems: For example, if the driver gets out of the vehicle after stopping and the engine is still running, causing the vehicle to idle, a third party without the vehicle key can start the vehicle, which raises the risk of vehicle theft. Furthermore, if an idling vehicle is in an environment where adequate ventilation is not possible, such as a garage or a space surrounded by snow, there is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning among the vehicle occupants. In view of these problems, various techniques have been proposed to automatically stop the engine when idling continues for a predetermined period of time or longer (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-94494 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-29860 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in order to prevent theft, carbon monoxide poisoning, etc. as mentioned above, it is preferable to automatically stop the engine if idling continues for a predetermined period of time, but there are also cases in which stopping the engine is not desirable. For example, when sleeping in a car outdoors in winter where ventilation is sufficient, automatically stopping the engine also stops the heating inside the car, significantly reducing the convenience and comfort of the occupants. Also, in extremely cold regions, once the engine is stopped, it may freeze and become impossible to restart, which also significantly reduces the convenience and comfort of the occupants.

[0005] The present invention addresses such a situation by preventing vehicle theft and carbon monoxide poisoning for occupants while also ensuring convenience and comfort for occupants. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve such problems, an engine control device according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, one aspect of the present invention provides an engine control device that controls a vehicle engine, and that includes a control unit that can execute an automatic stop mode that stops operation of the engine when predetermined conditions are met, and in the automatic stop mode, the control unit times the duration during which no driving operation of the vehicle is detected while the engine is operating, and when the duration exceeds a first time, the engine control device can select whether to continue or stop operation of the engine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent vehicle theft and carbon monoxide poisoning of occupants while also ensuring convenience and comfort for occupants. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of an engine control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a control process in the engine control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings denote parts with the same functions, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the engine control device according to this embodiment functions as a part of a vehicle control system 1 mounted on a vehicle 100, and controls an engine 5 of the vehicle 100.

[0011] The vehicle control system 1 includes a plurality of sensors that acquire various information indicating the driving state of the vehicle 100 and the environment inside and outside the vehicle, various electronic devices necessary for driving the vehicle 100, and a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) that control these sensors and electronic devices. With this configuration, the vehicle control system 1 performs various controls necessary to realize and maintain safe driving of the vehicle 100 and convenience and comfort for the occupants.

[0012] The sensors, electronic devices, and ECUs are interconnected so as to be able to communicate with each other via an in-vehicle network 3 such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) and a central gateway (CGW) 4 serving as a relay device. Note that the vehicle control system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is an example, and the CGW 4 may not be provided, and the ECUs may communicate with each other directly or indirectly.

[0013] In the vehicle control system 1, information acquired by each sensor is output to the in-vehicle network 3, and information indicating the operating state of an electronic device to be controlled (hereinafter referred to as a controlled device) is output from each ECU to the in-vehicle network 3. Furthermore, each ECU controls the operation of the controlled device based on information acquired from each sensor and other ECUs via the in-vehicle network 3.

[0014] Each ECU includes a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), that executes various processes. Each ECU also includes volatile storage elements, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily processes data used by the processor, and non-volatile storage elements, such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs executed by the processor.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows, among the multiple ECUs, an engine control ECU 11 as an engine control device and a display control ECU 21 that controls a display unit 6 provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 100, and does not show the other ECUs. Also, of the multiple sensors, a shift sensor 71 that detects the position of the shift lever (not shown) of the vehicle 100, a vehicle speed sensor 72 that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100, a brake sensor 73 that detects operation of the brake (not shown), a clutch sensor 74 that detects operation of the clutch (not shown), and an accelerator sensor 75 that detects operation of the accelerator (not shown) are shown, and other sensors and equipment are omitted from the illustration. In the following description, detailed description and illustration of ECUs, sensors, and electronic devices that are not involved in the function and operation of the engine control ECU 11 will be omitted even if they are included in the vehicle control system 1.

[0016] The engine control ECU 11 and the display control ECU 21 shown in FIG. 1 will be described below. The engine control ECU 11 is connected to the engine 5, which is an internal combustion engine that drives the vehicle 100, and controls the engine 5 based on driving operations of the vehicle 100, such as accelerator operation detected by the accelerator sensor 75. The engine control ECU 11 is capable of executing an automatic stop mode that stops the operation of the engine 5 when a predetermined condition is met (details will be described later).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the engine control ECU 11 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, and an I / F 114, and controls the engine 5 by the CPU 111 executing various processes based on programs stored in the ROM 112.

[0018] A ROM 112 provided as a nonvolatile storage element stores a control program for controlling the engine 5 and various data required to execute the program. The control program includes a program related to an automatic stop mode. The various data includes a first time and a second time as thresholds set for a duration (described later).

[0019] The RAM 113, which is provided as a volatile storage element, is used as a work area when the CPU 111 executes various processes. Therefore, various pieces of information output from the ECUs and sensors on the in-vehicle network 3 are temporarily stored in the RAM 113 as needed. The CPU 111 controls the engine 5 by loading a program stored in the ROM 112 into a memory such as a RAM 113 and executing the program.

[0020] The I / F 114 controls input and output of various information and control signals used in the engine control ECU 11. That is, the I / F 114 accepts input of various information output from each ECU and each sensor of the vehicle control system 1 to the in-vehicle network 3, and outputs control signals generated in the CPU 111 to an output destination according to the control content.

[0021] The display control ECU 21 is connected to the display unit 6 and controls the display content on the display unit 6. For example, a touch panel display that displays various information and allows input operations can be applied to the display unit 6. When a touch panel display is applied to the display unit 6, the display unit 6 presents various information to the occupants of the vehicle 100 and also functions as an operation unit that accepts input of instructions by the occupants. Note that a HUD (Head-Up Display) or a CID (Center Information Display) can also be used as the display unit 6. In this case, the display unit 6 mainly presents various information to the occupants, and the occupants input instructions using an operation unit (not shown) provided separately from the display unit 6.

[0022] Although not shown in the figure, the display control ECU 21, like the engine control ECU 11, also has a CPU, ROM, RAM, and I / F, and controls the display unit 6 by having the CPU execute various processes based on programs stored in the ROM.

[0023] Next, the control of the engine 5 by the engine control ECU 11 will be described. The engine control ECU 11 can selectively execute an automatic stop mode that stops the operation of the engine 5 when a predetermined condition described below is met. The automatic stop mode can be set to ON (executed) or OFF (not executed) by the occupant of the vehicle 100 as appropriate.

[0024] Alternatively, the automatic stop mode may be set to either ON or OFF as a default setting, and the occupant may change the setting to OFF or ON whenever necessary. For example, if the automatic stop mode is set to ON as a default setting, even if the occupant sets the automatic stop mode to OFF when getting in, the automatic stop mode may be set to return to the default setting of ON when the power of the vehicle 100 is turned off. When power is supplied to the vehicle 100 from an external power source in an emergency, the engine control ECU 11 determines that power is being supplied from the external power source and turns off the automatic stop mode.

[0025] When the automatic stop mode is set to ON, the engine control ECU 11 controls the engine 5 as follows. When the conditions for starting the automatic stop mode are satisfied, the engine control ECU 11 activates a timer (not shown). The timer measures the duration of idling in the vehicle 100, that is, the duration of time that the vehicle 100 is parked and stopped and the engine 5 is running with no driving operation detected.

[0026] The conditions for starting the automatic stop mode can be determined as appropriate in the engine control ECU 11. It is preferable that the automatic stop mode starts operating simultaneously with the start of idling of the vehicle 100, and the following three conditions can be set as the conditions for starting the mode: (1) the shift lever is in the P range, (2) the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 is below a certain speed, and (3) no driving operation is being performed (no brake operation, no clutch operation, etc.).

[0027] 1 illustrates an example in which the vehicle 100 is equipped with the clutch sensor 74, so the operation start conditions include the absence of clutch operation. Therefore, for a vehicle 100 that does not have a clutch pedal or clutch sensor 74, it is not necessary to include a condition related to clutch operation in the operation start conditions.

[0028] When the duration measured by the timer exceeds a predetermined first time, the engine control ECU 11 can select whether to continue operating the engine 5 or to stop it. At this time, the engine control ECU 11 notifies the occupants of the vehicle 100 that the first time has elapsed and that the engine 5 will automatically stop after the second time has elapsed, for example, by displaying on the display unit 6. In addition, the engine control ECU 11 accepts input of a continue instruction to continue operating the engine 5 or a stop instruction to stop it, from the time of this notification until the second time has elapsed.

[0029] When displaying the information on the display unit 6, the engine control ECU 11 may output a buzzer (alarm sound) or a predetermined voice from a speaker (not shown) provided in the vehicle 100. This makes it possible to notify, for example, a sleeping occupant that the engine 5 will be automatically stopped, and to prompt the occupant to input a command to continue or stop the engine.

[0030] Here, the first time and the second time are predetermined and can be stored, for example, in the ROM 112. The first time can be set to, for example, about 15 to 60 minutes depending on the season, region, vehicle type, etc. Similarly, the second time can be set to, for example, about several tens of seconds to several minutes depending on the season, region, vehicle type, etc.

[0031] The continue instruction or the stop instruction can be input, for example, from an operation unit (not shown) provided in the vehicle 100. Furthermore, if the display unit 6 is a touch panel display, an input screen for inputting the continue instruction or the stop instruction can be displayed on the display unit 6, and the input can be received by the display unit 6. The engine control ECU 11 controls the engine 5 in accordance with the input continue instruction or the stop instruction.

[0032] Specifically, when a continue command is input, the engine control ECU 11 continues the operation of the engine 5. At this time, the engine control ECU 11 stops the timer, resets the measured duration, and starts measuring the duration again. Alternatively, when a continue command is input, the engine control ECU 11 may stop the timer, continue the operation of the engine 5, and turn off the automatic stop mode. In this case, the operation of the engine 5 continues until the power of the vehicle 100 is turned off or a stop operation is input. Thereafter, when the power of the vehicle 100 is turned on again, the automatic stop mode is also turned back on. Furthermore, if a stop command is input, or if neither a continuation command nor a stop command is input, the operation of the engine 5 is stopped after a second time has elapsed since the notification.

[0033] When the automatic stop mode is set to OFF, the engine control ECU 11 does not operate a timer (not shown) and does not measure time even if the operation start conditions of the automatic stop mode are satisfied. In other words, when the automatic stop mode is set to OFF, the engine control ECU 11 does not stop the operation of the engine 5 even if a state in which the engine 5 is operating and no driving operation is detected continues while the vehicle 100 is parked or stopped.

[0034] The control of the engine 5 by the engine control ECU 11 configured as above will be described below with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 2. A series of processes from "START" to "END" in the flowchart shown in Fig. 2 is repeated at predetermined cycles (time intervals) while the automatic stop mode is turned ON and the vehicle 100 continues idling.

[0035] When the automatic stop mode is set to ON (YES in step S111), the engine control ECU 11 checks whether the operation start condition of the automatic stop mode is satisfied (step S112). When the operation start condition is satisfied (YES in step S112), the engine control ECU 11 starts the operation of a timer (step S113) and monitors whether or not a driving operation is being performed on the vehicle 100 (step S114).

[0036] If a driving operation has been performed on the vehicle 100 (YES in step S114), the timer is stopped and the time duration measured up to that point is reset (step S115), and the process ends. On the other hand, if there is no driving operation of the vehicle 100 (NO in step S114), the engine control ECU 11 continues to monitor whether there is a driving operation until the duration measured by the timer reaches the first time period (NO in steps S114 and S116).

[0037] When the duration of no driving operation exceeds the first time period (YES in step S116), the occupants of the vehicle 100 are notified that the engine 5 will be automatically stopped after the second time period has elapsed, for example by displaying a message on the display unit 6 (step S117). At this time, the occupants are also given the option of continuing to operate the engine 5 or stopping it.

[0038] Specifically, until the second time period has elapsed, the control unit 100 accepts input of a continue instruction to continue the operation of the engine 5 or a stop instruction to stop the operation of the engine 5 (NO in steps S118 and S121). For example, the control unit 100 displays an input screen for the continue instruction or the stop instruction on the display unit 6, and prompts the occupant to select whether to continue the operation of the engine 5 or to stop the operation of the engine 5.

[0039] If a continuation command is input by the occupant (YES in step S118), the timer is stopped and the duration measured up to that point is reset (step S119), the occupant of vehicle 100 is notified of the reset (step S120), and this process is terminated. On the other hand, if a stop instruction is input before the second time has elapsed since the notification in step S117, or if neither a continue instruction nor a stop instruction is input, operation of the engine 5 is stopped after the second time has elapsed since the notification in step S117 (step S122), and this process is terminated.

[0040] As described above, the engine control device according to this embodiment allows the driver to select whether to automatically stop the operating engine 5 when a state in which no driving operation of the vehicle 100 is detected continues for a first time period or longer while the engine 5 is operating, and therefore allows the driver to determine whether to automatically stop the engine 5 in response to a request from the occupant. Therefore, by selecting whether to automatically stop the engine as needed, it is possible to prevent vehicle theft and carbon monoxide poisoning by the occupants, while also ensuring the convenience and comfort of the occupants.

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in their purposes, configurations, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1: Vehicle control system, 3: In-vehicle network, 4: CGW, 5: Engine 6: Display unit, 11: Engine control ECU, 21: Display control ECU, 71: Shift sensor, 72: Vehicle speed sensor, 73: Brake sensor, 74: Clutch sensor 75: Accelerator sensor, 100: Vehicle 111: CPU, 112: ROM, 113: RAM, 114: I / F

Claims

1. An engine control device that controls an engine of a vehicle, a control unit capable of executing an automatic stop mode in which the operation of the engine is stopped when a predetermined condition is met; In the automatic stop mode, the control unit An engine control device that measures a duration during which no driving operation of the vehicle is detected while the engine is operating, and makes it possible to select whether to continue or stop operation of the engine when the duration exceeds a first time.

2. The control unit 2. The engine control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the duration exceeds a first time, an occupant of the vehicle is notified that the engine will be automatically stopped after a second time has elapsed, and the engine control device accepts input of a continue instruction to continue operation of the engine or a stop instruction to stop operation of the engine until the second time has elapsed from the notification, and controls the engine in accordance with the input continue instruction or stop instruction.

3. The control unit 3. The engine control device according to claim 2, wherein a display unit provided in the vehicle displays a message indicating that the engine will be automatically stopped after the second time period has elapsed, and displays an input screen for inputting the continuation instruction or the stop instruction.

4. The control unit, by the time the second time period has elapsed, When the continuation instruction is input, the engine continues to operate; 4. The engine control device according to claim 2, wherein, when the stop instruction is input, or when neither the continue instruction nor the stop instruction is input, the operation of the engine is stopped after the second time has elapsed since the notification.

5. The control unit 5. The engine control device according to claim 4, wherein when the continuation instruction is input, the counting of the duration is reset and the counting of the duration is restarted.

6. When the control unit does not execute the automatic stop mode, 2. The engine control device according to claim 1, wherein the duration of the state in which no driving operation of the vehicle is detected while the engine is running is not measured.

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