Motor vehicle and method of control thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9643609-B2
Application number	US-201214004919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2012
Priority date	Mar 15, 2011
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a vehicle comprising actuator operable to provide motive power to the vehicle, the vehicle being operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the actuator thereby to reduce an amount of time the actuator is on, wherein the vehicle may be placed in an eco-stop condition by a driver-operated brake in which the vehicle is held stationary and the actuator is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to perform an eco-start operation in which the actuator is restarted when the driver releases the brake, wherein when an eco-start is performed the vehicle is arranged automatically to be held stationary by the brake whilst the actuator is restarted, if the actuator fails to restart the vehicle being further arranged automatically to assume a failed start condition in which the vehicle continues to be held stationary.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising actuator means operable to provide motive power to the vehicle, the vehicle being operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the actuator means during a drivecycle thereby to reduce an amount of time the actuator means is on during a given drivecycle,
wherein the vehicle is configured to be placed in a stop condition by a driver operation of brake means, in the stop condition the vehicle is held stationary and the actuator means is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to perform a start operation in which the actuator means is restarted when the driver signals release of the brake means,
wherein when the start operation is performed the vehicle is arranged automatically to continue to be held stationary by the brake means while the actuator means is restarted and if the actuator means fails to restart the vehicle is arranged automatically to assume a failed start condition in which the vehicle continues to be held stationary;
wherein the brake means comprises a primary brake being operable by the driver to decelerate the vehicle, and the vehicle includes a secondary brake comprising a parking brake operable by the driver to hold the vehicle stationary when the vehicle is unattended,
wherein in the stop condition the vehicle is automatically held stationary by means of the primary brake and in the failed start condition the vehicle is configured automatically to hold the vehicle stationary by automatically placing a transmission of the vehicle in a park mode.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein in the failed start condition the vehicle is configured automatically to hold the vehicle stationary by means of the secondary brake.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when in the failed start condition the vehicle continues to hold the vehicle stationary by controlling the transmission automatically to assume the park mode.

4. A vehicle as claimed in claim 3 , wherein controlling the transmission automatically to assume the park mode comprises controlling at least one pin element operable to lock the transmission thereby to prevent rotation of at least one wheel of the vehicle.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the failed start condition is assumed if the actuator means fails to start within a prescribed time period.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the prescribed time period is less than a maximum permitted holding time of a primary brake.

7. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured to assume the failed start condition only if the vehicle is facing uphill on a slope.

8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured to assume the failed start condition only if the vehicle is facing downhill on a slope.

9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is operable to override the failed start condition thereby to allow the vehicle to be moved.

10. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuator means comprises an engine, the vehicle being arranged to be held in the stop condition by the brake means in which the vehicle is stationary and the engine is off, the vehicle being operable automatically to restart the engine when the driver signals release of the brake means.

11. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is operable automatically to switch off and subsequently to restart the actuator means during a drivecycle in order to reduce a value of one or more operating parameters of the vehicle.

12. A vehicle as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the one or more operating parameters of the vehicle are selected from a rate of consumption of a fuel and an amount of one or more emitted gases.

13. A vehicle as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the one or more operating parameters include an emitted amount of one or more gases including at least one selected from carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide.

14. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) wherein the actuator means comprises an engine and an electric machine.

15. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the vehicle is operable in a parallel HEV mode in which the engine and the electric machine provide motive torque to drive the vehicle in parallel.

16. A vehicle as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the vehicle is operable in a series HEV mode in which the engine generates electric power to drive the electric machine thereby to provide motive torque to the vehicle.

17. A method of controlling a vehicle having actuator means operable to provide motive power to the vehicle, the method comprising:
controlling the vehicle automatically to assume a stop condition in which the actuator means is switched off in order to reduce fuel consumption;
holding the vehicle stationary in the stop condition by using a primary brake that is operable by a driver to decelerate the vehicle;
controlling the vehicle to perform a start operation wherein the actuator means is restarted when the driver signals release of brake means; and
controlling the vehicle automatically to continue to hold the vehicle stationary by automatically placing a transmission of the vehicle in a park mode in a failed start condition in which the actuator means fails to restart.

18. A vehicle, comprising:
a motor configured to provide motive power to the vehicle;
a controller that is configured to automatically switch off and subsequently to restart the motor during a drive cycle thereby to reduce an amount of time the motor is on during the drive cycle;
a primary brake that is operable by a driver to decelerate the vehicle;
a secondary brake that is operable as a parking brake to hold the vehicle stationary when the vehicle is unattended;
the controller being configured to place the vehicle in a stop condition in which the vehicle is held stationary by the primary brake and the motor is turned off;
the controller being configured to automatically perform a start operation in which the motor is restarted when the driver signals release of the primary brake;
wherein during the start operation, the vehicle is automatically held stationary by the primary brake while the motor is restarted;
wherein the controller automatically assumes a failed start condition if the motor fails to restart during the start operation and the vehicle is held stationary during the failed start condition by a transmission of the vehicle automatically being placed in a park mode.

Assignees

• Bureau Baptiste
• Kemwal Ajay-Neil
• Leatherland Adam Keith
• Palin Rob
• Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Inventors

• Bureau Baptiste
• Kemwal Ajay-Neil
• Leatherland Adam Keith
• Palin Rob

Classifications

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• B60W50/029

  Adapting to failures or work around with other constraints, e.g. circumvention by avoiding use of failed parts · CPC title

• B60T7/122 Primary

  for locking of reverse movement · CPC title

• B60T2201/06

  Hill holder; Start aid systems on inclined road · CPC title

• B60W30/18118

  Hill holding · CPC title