VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated in a vehicle equipped with an engine 1 that is configured such that a lubricating oil and a working oil are circulated inside the engine 1 by an oil pump 9 driven by a crankshaft 1a. An oil pressure monitoring function performed by the vehicle control apparatus 3 maintains a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly, even when the engine 1 is automatically shut down by an idle-stop function during execution of the notification operation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus of a vehicle equipped with an engine in which a lubricating oil and a working oil are circulated by an oil pump driven by a crankshaft, and in particular to an improvement in an oil pressure monitoring function.

BACKGROUND ART

Some conventional vehicles are equipped with an idle-stop function (or also called an eco-run function) in order to suppress the amount of fuel consumed and reduce the amount of exhaust gas emitted (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).

Such an idle-stop function is provided, for example, in an ordinary vehicle equipped with a gasoline engine, a diesel engine or the like, to automatically shut down an engine when the vehicle temporarily stops for, for example, a traffic light or another reason (when a prescribed automatic shutdown condition is satisfied) and restart the engine when the vehicle then starts off (when a prescribed restart condition is satisfied).

A proposal has also been conceived to incorporate an oil pressure monitoring function that performs a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly upon detection of an anomaly such as engine oil pressure dropping to or below a prescribed level (see, for example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2).

In the case of a configuration in which an oil pump that circulates a lubricating oil and a working oil inside an engine is driven by a crankshaft, the oil pressure discharged from the oil pump is detected, and the presence or absence of an oil pressure anomaly is determined depending on whether or not the detected value is not greater than a prescribed threshold value. Accordingly, because the oil pump is not driven during engine shutdown, no engine oil pressure is generated.

When such an oil pressure monitoring function is applied to an engine that is mounted on a vehicle that has the above-mentioned idle-stop function, a situation as described below can occur.

For example, when the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function, because the oil pump is driven by the crankshaft, no engine oil pressure is generated. Therefore, even when the oil pressure is normal immediately before the engine shutdown, there is a possibility that it may be determined that an oil pressure anomaly has occurred and a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly may be performed. In this case, it is a mistake to make an oil pressure anomaly notification.

In contrast, according to the conventional example of Patent Literature 1, a configuration is adopted in which the presence or absence of an anomaly in the working oil is monitored only during operation of the engine. As such, when an oil pressure anomaly is found, an oil pressure warning lamp is turned on with a sound only during operation of the engine, and the alarm operation is stopped when the engine is automatically shut down in that state.

In this case, even when an alarm operation is performed upon detection of an oil pressure anomaly during operation of the engine, if the engine is then automatically shut down, the alarm operation is stopped.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

[PTL 1]

JP H4-14301

[PTL 2]

JP 2001-140619A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

With the conventional example of Patent Literature 1, for example, when a warning operation is performed upon detection of an oil pressure anomaly during operation of the engine, if the engine is automatically shut down, the notification operation for the oil pressure anomaly is stopped. Consequently, not only can the driver not be sure of the occurrence of an oil pressure anomaly, but also it may cause the driver to suspect that a malfunction might have occurred in the oil pressure anomaly monitoring system. Thus, the conventional example of Patent Literature 1 might confuse the driver, so it can be said that it cannot accurately transmit information regarding an oil pressure anomaly.

Furthermore, the conventional example of Patent Literature 1 employs a configuration that turns on an oil pressure warning lamp with a sound used when the driver forgets to engage the parking brake to compensate for stopping an alarm operation for an oil pressure anomaly during automatic shutdown of the engine, but such a configuration might further confuse the driver.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle control apparatus that has an idle-stop function that enables automatic shutdown and restart of an engine and an oil pressure monitoring function that performs a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly when an oil pressure anomaly is detected during operation of the engine, wherein it is possible to accurately transmit information regarding an oil pressure anomaly to the driver even when the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function while a notification operation is performed upon the occurrence of an oil pressure anomaly during operation of the engine.

Solution to Problem

The present invention is a vehicle control apparatus of a vehicle equipped with an engine in which a lubricating oil and a working oil are circulated by an oil pump driven by a crankshaft, the apparatus including: an idle-stop function that automatically shuts down the engine when a prescribed automatic shutdown condition is satisfied, and restarts the automatically shut-down engine when a prescribed restart condition is satisfied; and an oil pressure monitoring function that performs a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly upon detection of an oil pressure anomaly during operation of the engine, the oil pressure monitoring function maintaining the notification operation even when the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function during execution of the notification operation.

In an engine as described above, when the engine is shut down, no oil pressure is generated because the oil pump is not driven. Accordingly, when oil pressure monitoring is performed while the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function, an oil pressure anomaly is detected, so it can be said that it is meaningless to determine an oil pressure anomaly during the automatic shutdown of the engine. Taking this into consideration, the present inventor found that it is preferable to monitor oil pressure substantially only during operation of the engine.

According to the above-described configuration of the present invention accomplished by taking such a finding into consideration, a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly is performed upon detection of an anomaly in the oil pressure of an engine during operation of the engine, but even if the engine is automatically shut down by an idle-stop function during execution of the notification operation, the notification operation is deliberately maintained.

With such a configuration, it is possible to give the driver confidence that the notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly is not a mistake. Consequently, unlike the conventional example, the concern that the driver may be confused by interruption of the notification operation when the engine is automatically shut down is eliminated.

In addition, in the vehicle control apparatus configured as described above, it is preferable that the oil pressure monitoring function includes: an oil pressure determination means for determining the presence or absence of an anomaly such as an oil pressure dropping to or below a prescribed level based on an output from an oil pressure detecting element during operation of the engine; a notification executing means for performing the notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly and generating a notification operation execution history when the oil pressure determination means has determined that an oil pressure anomaly is present; and a notification managing means for, when the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function, checking for the presence or absence of the execution history and maintaining the state of the notification operation from before the automatic shutdown.

Preferably, the oil pressure monitoring function includes a means for determining the presence or absence of an anomaly such as an oil pressure dropping to or below a prescribed level based on the output from an oil pressure detecting element during operation of the engine; a means for, when the aforementioned means has determined that an oil pressure anomaly is present, performing a notification operation for the oil pressure anomaly and generating a notification operation execution history; and a means for, when the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function, maintaining the state of the notification operation from before the automatic shutdown.

In this configuration, as a specific means for implementing the oil pressure monitoring function, an oil pressure determining means, a notification executing means and a notification managing means are specified, whereby the configuration of the vehicle control apparatus becomes clear.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the vehicle control apparatus of the present invention, it becomes possible to accurately transmit information regarding an oil pressure anomaly to the driver even when the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function during execution of a notification operation upon the occurrence of an oil pressure anomaly during operation of the engine, whereby unnecessary anxiety for the driver is avoided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overview of a configuration of the powertrain of a vehicle in which a vehicle control apparatus according to the present invention is used.

FIG. 2 is an overview of a configuration of the vehicle control apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart used to illustrate an operation of an oil pressure monitoring function of the vehicle control apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a time chart used to illustrate an operation performed when the oil pressure is normal in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a time chart used to illustrate an operation performed when the oil pressure is abnormal in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a time chart used to illustrate an operation performed when the oil pressure is abnormal in a comparative example.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

• 1 Engine
• 1a Engine Crankshaft
• 3 Control Apparatus
• 5 Electronic Control Throttle
• 6 Injector
• 7 Igniter
• 8 Starter Motor
• 9 Engine Oil Pump
• 11 Accelerator Pedal
• 12 Shift Lever
• 13 Foot Brake Pedal
• 15 Oil Pressure Warning Lamp
• 71 Engine Revolution Sensor
• 72 Vehicle Speed Sensor
• 73 Accelerator Opening Degree Sensor
• 74 Shift Position Sensor
• 75 Foot Brake Switch (Oil Pressure Detecting Element)
• 76 Oil Pressure Switch

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. Before describing an embodiment to which a feature of the present invention is applied, an overview of a configuration of the drivetrain of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

The drivetrain includes an engine 1 as a motive power source, an automatic transmission 2 and a vehicle control apparatus 3.

The engine 1 is, for example, a gasoline engine in which an air-fuel mixture of intake air adjusted by an electronic control throttle 5 and fuel injected from an injector 6 mixed at an appropriate ratio is supplied to a combustion chamber, and is burnt with a spark plug ignited by an igniter 7, thereby generating rotational power. The engine 1 may be a diesel engine.

To start the engine 1, the engine 1 is cranked by rotationally driving a flywheel (not shown) that is connected to a crankshaft 1a by means of a starter motor 8 as a starting apparatus. An oil pump 9 that circulates a lubricating oil and a working oil inside the engine 1 is configured to be driven by the crankshaft 1a.

Although not shown in detail in the drawing, the electronic control throttle 5 is configured to adjust the opening degree of a throttle valve that is disposed in an intake manifold as appropriate by driving a throttle motor based on the amount of accelerator pedal depression (accelerator opening degree) of an accelerator pedal 11 and a requisite condition for control.

The automatic transmission 2 changes the speed of rotational power generated by the engine 1 as appropriate and outputs the power to a driving system, and has a generally known configuration that includes a torque converter, a transmission mechanism unit, an oil pressure control apparatus, and so on. The transmission mechanism unit may be any one of a planetary gear mechanism, a gear train mechanism that has a plurality of gears, a continuously variable transmission mechanism such as a CVT, and the like.

The vehicle control apparatus 3 includes a generally known engine ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 31, a transmission ECU 32, an idle-stop ECU 33, and the like, and is configured to collectively control various operations, such as various control operations for operating the engine 1 and transmission control operations of the automatic transmission 2, based on the information input from various detection elements.

The ECUs 31 to 33 are each configured to include a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a backup RAM, and the like, and are capable of transmitting and receiving stored data to and from each other as necessary. For the transmission and reception of such data, for example, a CAN (Controller Area Network) is used.

The ROM stores various control programs, maps that are referred to when executing such control programs, and the like. The CPU executes computational processes based on various control programs and maps stored in the ROM. The RAM is a memory that temporarily stores the results of computation by the CPU, information input from various detection means, and the like. The backup RAM is a non-volatile memory that stores various data to be stored when the engine 1 is shut down or the like.

The detection elements for inputting information into the vehicle control apparatus 3 include, at least, as shown in FIG. 2, an engine revolution sensor 71, a vehicle speed sensor 72, an accelerator opening degree sensor 73, a shift position sensor 74, a foot brake switch 75, an oil pressure switch 76 as an oil pressure detecting element, 76, and so on.

The engine revolution sensor 71 detects the number of revolutions of the engine 1, the vehicle speed sensor 72 detects the speed of the vehicle, and the accelerator opening degree sensor 73 detects the opening degree of the accelerator pedal 11. The shift position sensor 74 detects the shift position selected by a shift lever 12 of the automatic transmission 2. The foot brake switch 75 detects whether or not a foot brake pedal 13 has been operated by the driver of the vehicle. The oil pressure switch 76 is turned on and off based on whether or not the oil pressure discharged from the oil pump 9 is not greater than a prescribed threshold value.

Such a vehicle control apparatus 3 is configured to execute at least an idle-stop function, and also to execute an oil pressure monitoring function.

The idle-stop function is basically the same as that of a known method, specifically, a function that automatically shuts down the engine 1 when a prescribed automatic shutdown condition is satisfied, and restarts the engine 1 that was automatically shut down when a prescribed restart condition is satisfied, which is primarily controlled by the idle-stop ECU 33.

The automatic shutdown condition of the engine 1 includes, for example, vehicle speed, accelerator opening degree, the state of a foot brake, and the like, and if it is determined, based on the outputs from, for example, the vehicle speed sensor 72, the accelerator opening degree sensor 73 and the foot brake switch 75, that the vehicle speed is zero, the accelerator is off, and the foot brake is on, the idle-stop ECU 33 determines that an automatic shutdown condition has been satisfied, and transmits a shutdown instruction to the engine ECU 31 to forcibly shut down the fuel injection system, ignition system and the like of the engine 1 and to thereby shut down the operation of the engine 1.

On the other hand, the restart condition of the engine 1 includes the shift position, the state of a foot brake, or the like, and if it is determined, based on the outputs from the shift position sensor 74 and the foot brake switch 75, that the shift position is in a drive (D) range or the foot brake switch 75 is off, the idle-stop ECU 33 determines that a restart condition has been satisfied, and transmits a restart instruction to the engine ECU 31 to drive the starter motor 8 and to thereby rotate (crank) the crankshaft 1a of the engine 1 and drive the fuel injection system, ignition system and the like of the engine 1 in response to the timing of the cranking so as to restart the operation of the engine 1.

The oil pressure monitoring function is a function that causes the oil pressure warning lamp 15 as an oil pressure anomaly notification element to perform a notification operation if an oil pressure anomaly is detected during operation of the engine 1, which is primarily controlled by, for example, the engine ECU 31. The oil pressure monitoring function can be incorporated as, for example, a diagnostic function by diagnostics, and controlled by a dedicated ECU.

The oil pressure warning lamp 15 is disposed, for example, on a meter panel or the like installed inside the vehicle compartment. However, instead of the oil pressure warning lamp 15, it is also possible to, for example, use an alarm buzzer, or display a message, a mark or the like that indicates an oil pressure anomaly on a message display unit provided in the meter panel or the like installed inside the vehicle compartment.

An embodiment to which a feature of the present invention is applied will be described in detail.

That is, in the present embodiment, the oil pressure monitoring function is devised to perform a process of substantially detecting an oil pressure anomaly only during operation of the engine 1 and, when the engine 1 is automatically shut down, for example, maintain a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly that was performed before the automatic shutdown of the engine 1.

When, for example, a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly has been performed before the engine 1 is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function, the notification operation is maintained, but when a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly has not been performed before the engine 1 is automatically shut down, the state in which no notification operation is performed is maintained.

Hereinafter, an operation performed by the oil pressure monitoring function will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 3.

The process of the flowchart is entered at a regular time interval. In Step S1, it is determined whether or not the engine 1 is currently in operation. Such a determination can be made based on, for example, the state of an ignition switch (not shown) and the output from the engine revolution sensor 71. In short, the expression “during operation of the engine” refers to an idling state and a running state.

Here, if the engine 1 is in operation, a positive determination is made in Step S1, and the procedure flows through a flow spanning from Step S2 to Step S6, whereas if the engine 1 is determined not to be in operation, a negative determination is made in Step S1, and the procedure flows through a flow including Steps S11 and 12.

In Step S2, it is determined whether or not an anomaly is present in the oil pressure. Such a determination can be made by checking whether the oil pressure switch 76 is on or off. The oil pressure switch 76 is off when the oil pressure discharged from the oil pump 9 is within a prescribed appropriate range and is on when the oil pressure is outside the appropriate range.

Here, if the oil pressure switch 76 is off, it indicates that the oil pressure is normal, so a negative determination is made in Step S2 and, then in Step S3, an oil pressure anomaly flag is set to “0”. Subsequently, in Step S4, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned off, and the procedure exits the flowchart.

If, on the other hand, the oil pressure switch 76 is on, it indicates that the oil pressure is abnormal, so a positive determination is made in Step S2, and in Step S5, the oil pressure anomaly flag is set to “1”. Subsequently, in Step S6, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on, and the procedure exits the flowchart.

In Step S11, it is determined whether or not the shutdown of the engine 1 is an automatic shutdown period of the engine 1 caused by the idle-stop function. Such a determination can be made by referring to, for example, the state of an automatic shutdown flag of the idle-stop ECU 33. For example, the automatic shutdown flag is set to “1” when the engine 1 is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function and is set to “0” when the engine 1 is restarted.

Here, if the shutdown of the engine 1 is not an automatic shutdown caused by the idle-stop function, a negative determination is made in Step S11, and the procedure exits the flowchart. However, if the shutdown of the engine 1 is carried out by the idle-stop function, a positive determination is made in Step S11, and the procedure goes to the next step, Step S12.

In Step S12, it is determined whether or not the oil pressure anomaly flag is “1”. That is, in this step, whether or not a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly was performed before the automatic shutdown of the engine 1 is checked.

Here, if the oil pressure anomaly flag is “0”, or in other words, no notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly was performed before the automatic shutdown of the engine 1, a negative determination is made in Step S12, and the procedure goes to Step S4, where the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15 being turned off is maintained, and the procedure exits the flowchart.

If, however, the oil pressure anomaly flag is “1”, or in other words, a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly was performed before the automatic shutdown of the engine 1, a positive determination is made in Step S12, and the procedure goes to Step S6, where the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15 being turned on is maintained, and the procedure exits the flowchart.

Next, in connection to the description of the operation, the relationship between the automatic shutdown caused by the idle-stop function in response to the running state of the vehicle and the presence or absence of an oil pressure anomaly will be described with reference to the time charts shown in FIGS. 4 to 6.

FIG. 4 is a time chart used to illustrate an operation performed when the oil pressure is normal in the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a time chart used to illustrate an operation performed when the oil pressure is abnormal in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a time chart used to illustrate an operation performed when the oil pressure is abnormal in a comparative example. In these time charts, (a) represents the number of revolutions of the engine, (b) represents the output from the oil pressure switch 76, and (c) represents the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15.

(1) First, when the oil pressure of the engine 1 is normal in a period in which the engine 1 is in operation (a period from time t0 to time t1 in FIG. 4), the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is off as shown in FIG. 4(b), and the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is off as shown in FIG. 4(c).

Then, if the engine 1 is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function at time t1 of FIG. 4, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is turned on as shown in FIG. 4(b). This indicates that the oil pressure switch 76 is operating normally by reason of the oil pump 9 becoming inoperative because of the automatic shutdown of the engine 1.

Although the oil pressure switch 76 is on during the automatic shutdown of the engine 1 as shown in FIG. 4(b), such automatic shutdown is controlled irrespective of the output from the oil pressure switch 76 as described above, so the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15, that is, the state thereof being off is maintained as shown in FIG. 4(c).

Then, if the engine 1 is restarted by the idle-stop function at time t2 of FIG. 4, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is turned off as shown in FIG. 4(b), and the oil pressure warning lamp 15 remains off as shown in FIG. 4(c).

In this manner, when the oil pressure of the engine 1 is normal, the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15 being off is maintained even if the engine 1 is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function.

(2) Next, it is assumed that the operation of the engine 1 is started at time t0 of FIG. 5 and, after that, the oil pressure of the engine 1 has dropped below a prescribed appropriate range at time tn of FIG. 5 during operation of the engine 1. In such a case, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is turned on at time tn as shown in FIG. 5(b) and, therefore, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on as shown in FIG. 5(c).

In this state, if the engine 1 is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function at time t1 of FIG. 5, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is maintained in the on state as shown in FIG. 5(b).

In this case as well, the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15 before the automatic shutdown of the engine 1, that is, the state thereof being on is maintained as shown in FIG. 5(c) during automatic shutdown because such automatic shutdown is controlled irrespective of the output from the oil pressure switch 76a as described above.

Then, if the oil pressure anomaly is still present when the engine 1 is restarted by the idle-stop function at time t2 of FIG. 5, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is maintained in the on state as shown in FIG. 5(b), and the oil pressure warning lamp 15 remains on as shown in FIG. 5(c).

In this manner, when an oil pressure anomaly occurs during operation of the engine 1, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on, and even if the engine 1 is then automatically shut down by the idle-stop function, the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15 being on is maintained.

(3) For reference, as a comparative example, the timing of automatic shutdown of the engine 1 by the idle-stop function and the output state of the oil pressure switch 76 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 by applying the same situation as that described in (2) above.

It is assumed in this case that the operation of the engine 1 is started at time t0 of FIG. 6 and then, the oil pressure of the engine 1 has dropped below a prescribed appropriate range at time tn of FIG. 6 during operation of the engine 1. In such a case, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is turned on at time tn as shown in FIG. 6(b) and, therefore, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on as shown in FIG. 6(c).

In this state, if the engine 1 is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function at time t1 of FIG. 6, although the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is maintained in the on state as shown in FIG. 6(b), such automatic shutdown is controlled regardless of the output from the oil pressure switch 76 and the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned off as shown in FIG. 6(c) during automatic shutdown of the engine 1.

Then, if the oil pressure anomaly is still present when the engine 1 is restarted by the idle-stop function at time t2 of FIG. 6, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is maintained in the on state as shown in FIG. 6(b), so the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on as shown in FIG. 6(c).

As described, in the comparative example, if an oil pressure anomaly occurs during operation of the engine 1, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on, but if the engine 1 is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned off. Accordingly, the driver starts to question whether the oil pressure anomaly alarm is true, so this configuration is not preferable.

As described thus far, according to the present embodiment, when an anomaly, such as a drop in the oil pressure of the engine 1, is detected during operation of the engine 1, a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly is performed and, even if the engine 1 is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function during execution of the notification operation, the notification operation is deliberately maintained.

With this configuration, it is possible to give the driver confidence that the notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly is not a mistake. Consequently, unlike the conventional example, the concern that the driver may be confused by the interruption of the notification operation when the engine is automatically shut down is eliminated.

This provides an advantage in providing a vehicle with driver usability, in that it is possible to eliminate the need for the driver to gain systematic knowledge about a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly in advance.

The above embodiment has been described, as an example, in the context of a vehicle that employs only an engine 1 as a motive power source, but the present invention is also applicable to a hybrid vehicle not shown herein that incorporates a motor in addition to an engine as motive power sources.

That is, generally, hybrid vehicles have an idle-stop function (an automatic engine shutdown and restart function), so it is possible to incorporate the oil pressure monitoring function disclosed in the above embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the same actions and effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained.

Also, in the above embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the oil pressure of the engine 1 is detected with the oil pressure switch 76 and an on or off signal is output, but it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which, for example, an oil pressure sensor is used, and the output from the oil pressure sensor is compared with a prescribed threshold value by an appropriate ECU so as to determine whether the oil pressure is normal or abnormal.

The present invention may be embodied in various other forms without departing from the gist or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, the embodiment described above is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not limiting. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications or changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

With the vehicle control apparatus of the present invention, even if the engine is automatically shutdown by an idle-stop function during execution of a notification operation performed upon the occurrence of an oil pressure anomaly during operation of the engine, it is possible to accurately transmit information on the oil pressure anomaly to the driver. Accordingly, the vehicle control apparatus of the present invention is useful in a vehicle that has an idle-stop function, such as, for example, a vehicle designed to reduce the amount of fuel consumed and lower the amount of exhaust gas emitted such as a hybrid vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle control apparatus of a vehicle equipped with an engine in which a lubricating oil and a working oil are circulated by an oil pump driven by a crankshaft, the apparatus comprising:

an idle-stop function that automatically shuts down the engine when a prescribed automatic shutdown condition is satisfied, and restarts the automatically shut-down engine when a prescribed restart condition is satisfied; and

an oil pressure monitoring function that performs a notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly upon detection of an oil pressure anomaly during operation of the engine, the oil pressure monitoring function maintaining the notification operation even when the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function during execution of the notification operation.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the oil pressure monitoring function comprises:

an oil pressure determination means for determining the presence or absence of an anomaly such as an oil pressure dropping to or below a prescribed level based on an output from an oil pressure detecting element during operation of the engine;

a notification executing means for performing the notification operation for an oil pressure anomaly and generating a notification operation execution history when the oil pressure determination means has determined that an oil pressure anomaly is present; and

a notification managing means for, when the engine is automatically shut down by the idle-stop function, checking for the presence or absence of the execution history and maintaining the state of the notification operation from before the automatic shutdown.