Control device in a motor vehicle having an electronically controllable automatic transmission in the application case of a car wash

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10309534-B2
Application number	US-201715786655-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2017
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A control device is provided for a motor vehicle having an electronically controllable automatic transmission, an electronic transmission selector lever and an electronic control unit. The control unit, which may be the transmission control unit, has a car wash functional module such that, after activation of the car wash functional module, the following steps are permitted at least once and/or at least for a predefined limited time, in each case without activation of the brake pedal: shutting down of the engine in the transmission selector lever position “N”; a subsequent restart of the engine in the transmission selector lever position “N”; and a changeover from the transmission selector lever position “N” to “D”. The car wash functional module can be activated or deactivated by the driver at his discretion via a display operator control element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device in a motor vehicle equipped with an electronically controllable automatic transmission and an electronic transmission selector lever, comprising:
an electronic control unit comprising a car-wash functional module, wherein the car-wash functional module is executed such that, after activation of the car-wash functional module, the following actions are permissible at least once and/or at least for a predetermined time period in each case without requiring actuation of a brake pedal of the motor vehicle:
a shutdown of an engine of the motor vehicle in a position “N” of the electronic transmission selector lever;
a subsequent restart of the engine in the position “N” of the electronic transmission selector lever, and
a change from the position “N” to a position “D” of the electronic transmission selector lever.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an interface with a display operating element, wherein the car-wash functional module is activatable via the interface.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the car-wash functional module is activatable automatically via a change from automatic gear selection position “D” to position “N” and a subsequent manual shutdown of the engine.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a monitoring device that monitors for a presence of a driver of the motor vehicle, wherein
a transmission parking lock assigned to a position “P” of the electronic transmission selector lever is engaged automatically if the presence of the driver is not detected.

5. A method of operating a car-wash function of an electronic control unit of a motor vehicle equipped with an electronically controllable automatic transmission and an electronic transmission selector lever, the method comprising the acts of:
following activation of the car-wash function of the electronic control unit, permitting the following actions at least once and/or at least for a predetermined time period without requiring actuation of a brake pedal of the motor vehicle:
a) shutting down of an engine of the motor vehicle in a neutral position of the transmission selector lever,
b) subsequently restarting the engine in the neutral position of the transmission selector lever, and
c) allowing a change from the neutral transmission selector lever position to a drive position.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising the act of:
activating the car-wash function via a display operating element in the motor vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising the act of:
activating the car-wash function automatically via a change from an automatic gear selection drive position to the neutral position and a subsequent manual shutting down of the engine.

8. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising the acts of:
monitoring for a presence or absence of the driver in the vehicle; and
engaging automatically a transmission parking lock assigned to a park position of the transmission selector lever if the presence of the driver is not detected.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Wagner Christopher

Classifications

• F02N11/0833

  Vehicle conditions (F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence) · CPC title

• F02N11/0822

  related to action of the driver · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• F02N2200/12

  said parameters being related to the vehicle exterior · CPC title

• B60S3/00

  Vehicle cleaning apparatus not integral with vehicles (cleaning in general B08B; cleaning peculiar to waterborne vessels B63B57/00, B63B59/00; ground equipment for cleaning aircraft B64F5/30) · CPC title