Stop-in-gear auto-start control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11220265-B2
Application number	US-202017012219-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 4, 2020
Priority date	Sep 6, 2019
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

A method of controlling the engine of a vehicle having a stop-in-gear (SIG) stop-start system includes: a control module determining that a brake is being applied, based on an output from a brake sensor, and that a transmission is in an in-gear position, based on an output from a transmission sensor; and, while the brake is applied and the transmission is in an in-gear position, the control module causing the engine to start in response to detecting movement of a clutch pedal towards a released position based on an output from a clutch pedal sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of controlling an engine of a vehicle having a stop-in-gear stop-start system, the vehicle comprising:
a manual transmission having at least one in-gear position;
a clutch interposed between the engine and the transmission, the clutch being operable in:
a fully engaged clutch configuration in which the engine is driveably connected to the transmission by the clutch for the transfer of torque;
a partially engaged clutch configuration in which the engine is partially connected to the transmission by the clutch, the clutch having a limited torque transfer capacity in the partially engaged clutch configuration; and
a fully disengaged clutch configuration in which the engine is not driveably connected to the transmission;

a driver-operable clutch pedal operably connected to the clutch for selecting the clutch configuration and movable between:
a depressed position in which the clutch is in the fully disengaged configuration;
a released position in which the clutch is in the fully engaged configuration; and
a pressed position, intermediate the depressed and released positions, in which the clutch is in the partially engaged configuration;

a brake applicable to exert a braking torque to impede movement of the vehicle;
a clutch pedal sensor operable to measure a parameter indicative of clutch pedal position and/or movement;
a brake sensor operable to measure a parameter indicative of brake application;
a transmission sensor operable to measure a parameter indicative of the transmission position; and
a control module;

wherein the method comprises:
the control module determining that the brake is being applied, based on an output from the brake sensor, and that the transmission is in an in-gear position, based on an output from the transmission sensor; and,
while the brake is applied and the transmission is in the in-gear position, the control module causing the engine to start in response to detecting movement of the clutch pedal towards the released position based on an output from the clutch pedal sensor;
wherein detecting movement of the clutch pedal towards the released position comprises comparing the clutch pedal position, determined based on the output from the clutch pedal sensor, to a previous clutch pedal position, and determining that a difference between the clutch pedal position and the previous clutch pedal position exceeds a threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises a clutch sensor operable to measure a parameter indicative of the clutch configuration and the method comprises:
the control module determining that the clutch is in the fully disengaged clutch configuration based on an output from the clutch sensor; and,
while the brake is applied, the transmission is in an in-gear position and the clutch is in the fully disengaged clutch configuration, the control module causing the engine to start in response to detecting movement of the clutch pedal towards the released position based on the output from the clutch pedal sensor.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises a clutch sensor operable to measure a parameter indicative of the clutch configuration and the method comprises:
the control module determining that the clutch is in the partially engaged clutch configuration based on an output from the clutch sensor and that the braking torque is sufficient to impede movement of the vehicle; and,
while the brake is applied, the transmission is in an in-gear position, the clutch is in the partially engaged clutch configuration and the braking torque is sufficient to impede movement of the vehicle, the control module causing the engine to start in response to detecting movement of the clutch pedal towards the released position based on the output from the clutch pedal sensor.

4. The method according to claim 3 , comprising the control module taking into account one or more of a hydraulic brake pressure, the clutch pedal position, the clutch configuration, an instantaneous clutch torque transfer capacity of the clutch, a vehicle mass and a vehicle orientation in determining that the braking torque is sufficient to impede movement of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the clutch sensor is operable to measure a parameter indicative of the clutch torque transfer capacity.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein movement of the clutch is actuated by a clutch slave cylinder and the clutch sensor is a clutch slave cylinder sensor operable to measure a parameter indicative of hydraulic pressure in the clutch slave cylinder.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the previous clutch pedal position is the most depressed clutch pedal position achieved since the engine was most recently stopped.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein detecting movement of the clutch pedal towards the released position comprises determining that a speed of movement of the clutch pedal towards the released position, based on the output from the clutch sensor, exceeds a threshold.

9. A computer program comprising instructions to cause a control module of a vehicle to carry out the method according claim 1 .

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing, or a data carrier signal carrying, the computer program according to claim 9 .

11. A control module for controlling an engine of a vehicle having a stop-in-gear stop-start system, the control module being configured to:
determine, based on an output from a brake sensor of the vehicle, that a brake of the vehicle is being applied, and, based on an output from a transmission sensor of the vehicle, that a transmission of the vehicle is in an in-gear position; and
while the brake is applied and the transmission is in the in-gear position, causing the engine to start in response to detecting movement of a clutch pedal of the vehicle towards a released position based on an output from a clutch pedal sensor of the vehicle, wherein detecting movement of the clutch pedal towards the released position comprises comparing a clutch pedal position, determined based on the output from the clutch pedal sensor, to a previous clutch pedal position, and determining that a difference between the clutch pedal position and the previous clutch pedal position exceeds a threshold.

12. A vehicle having a stop-in-gear stop-start system, the vehicle comprising:
an engine;
a manual transmission having at least one in-gear position;
a clutch interposed between the engine and the transmission, the clutch being operable in:
a fully engaged clutch configuration in which the engine is driveably connected to the transmission by the clutch for the full transfer of torque;
a partially engaged clutch configuration in which the engine is partially connected to the transmission by the clutch, the clutch having a limited torque transfer capacity in the partially engaged clutch configuration; and
a fully disengaged clutch configuration in which the engine is not driveably connected to the transmission;

a driver-operable clutch pedal operably connected to the clutch for selecting the clutch configuration and movable between:
a depressed position in which the clutch is in the fully disengaged configuration;
a released position in which the clutch is in the fully engaged configuration; and
a pressed position, intermediate the depressed and released positions, in which the clutch is in the partially engaged configuration;

a brake applicable to exert a braking torque to impede movement of the vehicle;
a clutch pedal sensor operable to measure a parameter indicative of clutch pedal position and/or movement;

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Hesketh David
• Paisley Gary
• Poudel Dilli
• Pedlar Chris Edward

Classifications

• F02N2200/0802

  Transmission state, e.g. gear ratio or neutral state · CPC title

• Y02T10/40

  Engine management systems · CPC title

• B60W10/06 Primary

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• B60W30/18018 Primary

  Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam · CPC title

• F02N2200/103

  Clutch pedal position · CPC title