Adaptive Automatic Start-Stop System for a Motor Vehicle with Automatic Gearbox, Taking Obstructions into Account

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016304095-A1
Application number	US-201615097993-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 13, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An automatic start-stop system for vehicles with an automatic gearbox or and automated gearbox in which the motor vehicle can creep in a released state of a brake pedal is provided. The automatic start-stop system is designed to detect an obstruction in the present direction of travel of the vehicle, to trigger an automatic deactivation process of a drive machine of the vehicle if the vehicle speed is lower than a predefined speed threshold close to standstill and the brake pedal is actuated, and to trigger an automatic activation process of the automatically deactivated drive machine if a released brake pedal is detected, with creeping of the motor vehicle being prevented by not initiating automatic activation of the drive machine or by activating a creep prevention measure, if, upon release of the brake pedal or in a released state of the brake pedal, an obstruction situated in the present direction of travel of the motor vehicle is detected.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An automatic start-stop system for a vehicle equipped with an automatic gearbox or and automated gearbox capable of generating vehicle creep in a released state of a brake pedal, the automatic start-stop system comprising:
a drive machine of the vehicle; an obstruction detector configured to detect an obstruction in a present direction of travel of the vehicle; and an evaluation unit, the evaluation unit being configured to
initiate an automatic deactivation process of the drive machine of the vehicle if a vehicle speed is than a predefined speed threshold and a brake pedal of the vehicle is actuated, and
initiate an automatic activation process of the automatically deactivated drive machine upon release of the brake pedal or detection of a released state of the brake pedal,
wherein the automatic activation of the drive machine upon release of the brake pedal or detection of the released state of the brake pedal is not initiated if the obstruction detector detects the obstruction.

2 . The automatic start-stop system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the obstruction in the present direction of travel of the vehicle is detected if a spacing between the vehicle and the obstruction detected by the obstruction detector is smaller than a predefined threshold distance value.

3 . The automatic start-stop system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the evaluation unit is configured to execute executing a containment of a brake pressure in a brake system of the vehicle upon release of the brake pedal or when in a released state of the brake pedal when the obstruction situated in the present direction of travel is detected.

4 . The automatic start-stop system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the obstruction detector is configured to detect an obstruction in a direction counter to the present direction of travel of the vehicle, and the evaluation unit is configured to execute executing a containment of a brake pressure in a brake system of the vehicle upon release of the brake pedal or when in a released state of the brake pedal when at least one of the obstruction situated in the present direction of travel and the obstruction in the direction counter to the present direction of travel of the vehicle is detected.

5 . The automatic start-stop system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein
the automatic activation process of the drive machine is initiated upon release of the brake pedal or in the released state of the brake pedal when an actuation of an accelerator pedal is detected.

6 . The automatic start-stop system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein
the evaluation unit is configured to release the brake pressure upon at least one of the actuation of the accelerator pedal and application of a drive torque provided to prevent a movement of the vehicle counter to the present direction of travel.

7 . An automatic start-stop method for a vehicle equipped with a drive machine, an automatic gearbox or automated gearbox capable of generating vehicle creep in a released state of a brake pedal, an obstruction detector and an evaluation unit, the method comprising the acts of:
detecting with the obstruction detector an obstruction situated in the present direction of travel of the vehicle; initiating by the evaluation unit of an automatic deactivation process of the drive machine of the vehicle when a vehicle speed is lower than a predefined speed threshold or is zero and a brake pedal is actuated; initiating by the evaluation unit of an automatic activation process after the automatic deactivation process upon a release of the brake pedal or when in the released state of the brake pedal, wherein a vehicle creep prevention measure is executed to prevent creeping of the vehicle when an obstruction is detected in the present direction of travel of the vehicle upon automatic activation of the drive machine.

8 . The automatic start-stop method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein
the obstruction in the present direction of travel of the vehicle is detected if a spacing between the vehicle and the obstruction detected by the obstruction detector is smaller than a predefined threshold distance value.

9 . The automatic start-stop method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein
the vehicle creep prevention measure is a containment of a brake pressure in a brake system of the vehicle upon the release of the brake pedal.

10 . The automatic start-stop method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein
the vehicle creep prevention measure is an interruption in power transmission between the drive machine and drive wheels of the vehicle upon the release of the brake pedal.

11 . The automatic start-stop method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein
the vehicle creep prevention measure is discontinued upon actuation of the accelerator pedal.

12 . The automatic start-stop method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein
the obstruction detector is configured to detect an obstruction in a direction of the present direction of travel of the vehicle and an obstruction in a direction counter to the present direction of travel of the vehicle, and the vehicle creep prevention measure is a containment of a brake pressure in a brake system of the vehicle upon the release of the brake pedal or when in a released state of the brake pedal when at least one of the obstruction situated in the present direction of travel and the obstruction in the direction counter to the present direction of travel of the vehicle is detected.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Fischer Gerhard

Classifications

• F02N11/0822

  related to action of the driver · CPC title

• B60W2520/10

  Longitudinal speed · CPC title

• F02N2200/102

  Brake pedal position · CPC title

• B60W2540/12

  Brake pedal position · CPC title

• B60W10/06 Primary

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title