Vehicle with engine idle-management system

A vehicle, comprising:

• (a) one or more rigid and strong frame structures to which a majority of other components of said vehicle are directly or indirectly engaged and from which said majority of other components of said vehicle derive support directly or indirectly;
• (b) a suspension system that is engaged to and supports said one or more frame structures above the ground and that provides the vehicle with a relatively low resistance to movement along the ground;
• (c) an occupant cabin that is engaged to and supported by said one or more frame structures and within which occupants of said vehicle may reside;
• (d) a powertrain for driving said vehicle along the ground;
• (e) wherein said powertrain comprises an internal combustion engine for supplying power to downstream components of said powertrain in order to drive said vehicle along the ground;
• (f) wherein said powertrain comprises a selectable-ratio power transmission with a clutch system for selectively coupling and decoupling an input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission and an output shaft of said internal combustion engine;
• (g) wherein said selectable-ratio power transmission comprises an output shaft;
• (h) wherein said selectable-ratio power transmission is constructed such that said output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission can be selectively coupled to said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission at one of plurality of speed ratios;
• (i) wherein said selectable-ratio power transmission is further constructed such that said output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission can be decoupled from said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission to effect a neutral operational state of said selectable-ratio power transmission;
• (j) a transmission-control computer that is operable to either effect coupling of said output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission to said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission at one of said speed ratios or to effect said neutral operational state of said selectable-ratio power transmission in which said output shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission is decoupled from said input shaft of said selectable-ratio power transmission;
• (k) an engine-control computer that is operable in an idle-management mode of operation to automatically start end stop idling operation of said internal combustion engine in a manner dependent upon one or more of an electrical system energy level, one or more engine fluid temperatures, and an internal temperature of said occupant cabin;
• (l) wherein engine-control logic according to which said engine-control computer operates requires that said engine-control computer be receiving a safety-interlock signal, which is received through a safety-interlock input channel of said engine-control computer, before said engine-control computer will operate in said idle-management mode of operation;
• (m) wherein a hood-tilt switch and switched terminals of a normally-open transmission-neutral relay are connected in series with said safety-interlock input channel such that said safety-interlock signal must be transmitted to said safety-interlock input channel through said hood-tilt switch and said switched terminals of said normally-open transmission-neutral relay;
• (n) wherein said selectable-ratio power transmission or said transmission-control computer comprises a transmission-neutral output terminal that is connected to ground voltage level of an electrical system of said vehicle when said selectable-ratio power transmission has a neutral operating state;
• and
• (o) wherein a switching circuit of said normally-open transmission-neutral relay is connected on one side to an ignition-switched voltage source and on an opposite side to said transmission-neutral output terminal.