# US 10,370,001 B2 · Coast-stop control device

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- Number: US 10,370,001 B2
- Document ID: US10370001B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/542,514
- Filed: 2016-01-08
- Published: 2018-09-20
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2015-01-26
- Assignees: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Applicants: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
- Inventors: Ryoh Inaba; Masayuki Saruwatari
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370001B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/18072: {Coasting}
- B60W 10/02: including control of driveline clutches
- B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines
- B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
- B60W 10/10: including control of change-speed gearings
- B60W 50/10: Interpretation of driver requests or demands
- F01M 1/02: using lubricating pumps (pumps in general F04; lubricating pumps per se F16N)
- F02D 29/02: peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
- F02D 29/06: peculiar to engines driving electric generators
- B60W 2030/1809: {Without torque flow between driveshaft and engine, e.g. with clutch disengaged or transmission in neutral}
- B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed
- B60W 2540/10: Accelerator pedal position
- B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance
- B60W 2710/086: Power
- B60W 2710/1005: Transmission ratio engaged
- B60W 2710/30: Auxiliary equipments
- F01M 2001/0215: {Electrical pumps}
- F01M 2001/0269: {driven by the crankshaft}
- F16H 2059/186: {Coasting}
- F16H 2061/0496: {for low engine torque, e.g. during coasting, sailing or engine braking}
- Y02T 10/60: Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- F01M: LUBRICATING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; LUBRICATING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES; CRANKCASE VENTILATING
- F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W)
- F16H: GEARING
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a coast-stop control device that makes it possible to change gears to an appropriate gear change while traveling, before the engine is stopped. The present invention is a coast-stop control device for performing coast-stop control that automatically stops an engine while the vehicle is traveling, the coast-stop control device being characterized: in being provided with an engine stop condition-assessing means for assessing whether it is possible to stop the engine and a gear change control means for controlling the gear change ratio of a gear change mechanism; and in controlling the gear change mechanism to a prescribed gear change ratio when the engine stop condition-assessing means determines that an engine stop condition has been met.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A coast-stop control device configured to perform coast-stop control that automatically stops an engine while a vehicle is traveling, the vehicle including a power transmission mechanism capable of switching between an engagement state in which the power transmission mechanism is connected to an output shaft of the engine to allow transmission of a driving force and a release state in which the engagement is released, a gear change mechanism connected to the output shaft of the power transmission mechanism and connected to driving wheels to allow changing of a gear change ratio, the coast-stop control device comprising:
an engine-stop-condition determination unit configured to determine whether it is possible to stop the engine; and
a gear change control unit configured to control the gear change ratio of the gear change mechanism, wherein
the coast-stop control device controls the gear change mechanism to change to a prescribed gear change ratio in accordance with an output of an external recognition device when the engine-stop-condition determination unit determines that an engine stop condition is met,
the external recognition device is a vehicle detection unit configured to detect a vehicle existing in front of a vehicle of interest on which the external recognition device is mounted, and
when the preceding vehicle detection unit detects that an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle of interest and the vehicle existing in front of the vehicle of interest is large and a vehicle speed of the vehicle of interest is high, the coast-stop control device brings the prescribed gear change ratio to a high side.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The coast-stop control device according to claim 1, wherein
the vehicle includes a power generator operated by the engine to generate power, and
the coast-stop control device increases power generation of the power generator when the external recognition device determines that an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle of interest and the vehicle existing in front of the vehicle of interest is large and a vehicle speed of the vehicle of interest is high.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The coast-stop control device according to claim 1, wherein
the vehicle includes an operating oil supply pump capable of operating in synchronism with a rotation of the output shaft of the engine, and
an electric oil pump operating while the engine is automatically stopped.