System and method for preventing unwanted engine restarts while parking a vehicle
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorLuis C. Quinteros
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
What is described is a system for controlling an engine of a vehicle. The system includes a gear shifter having a gear selection sensor configured to determine a selected gear position. The system also includes a proximity sensor configured to detect object data within a predetermined area of the vehicle. The system also includes a controller coupled to the gear shifter and the proximity sensor and configured to control the engine based on the selected gear position and the object data.
Claims20
A system for reducing the likelihood of an unwanted restart of an engine while transitioning a vehicle having start/stop technology from drive to park, the system comprising:
- a gear shifter having a park gear position, a drive gear position and a reverse gear position;
- a proximity sensor configured to detect object data within a predetermined area of the vehicle;
- and
- a controller coupled to the gear shifter and the proximity sensor and configured to predict whether the vehicle is in a parking location based on the detected object data and to prevent the engine from starting when the gear shifter is in the reverse gear position and the controller predicts that the vehicle is in the parking location.
A system for preventing restarts of an engine of a vehicle having a start/stop system as a gear shifter of the vehicle is shifted from a drive gear position to a park gear position, the system comprising:
- a proximity sensor configured to detect object data corresponding to an object within a predetermined area of the vehicle;
- and
- a controller coupled to the proximity sensor and configured to predict whether the vehicle is in a parking location based on the detected object data and to prevent the engine from starting when the gear shifter is in a reverse gear position and the controller predicts that the vehicle is in the parking location.
A method for preventing an engine of a vehicle having a start/stop system from restarting as a gear shifter is shifted from a drive gear position to a park gear position, the method comprising:
- detecting, by a gear selection sensor, that the gear shifter is in a reverse gear position;
- detecting, by a proximity sensor, object data corresponding to an object within a predetermined area of the vehicle;
- predicting, by a controller, whether the vehicle is in a parking location based on the detected object data;
- and
- preventing, by the controller, the engine from starting when the gear shifter is in the reverse gear position and the controller predicts that the vehicle is in the parking location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.