Heating element operation and engine start-stop availability

• Main Authors: Shaska, Gjergji, Pebley, Kirk, Khafagy, Hafiz Shafeek
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.05.2018
• Subjects: BLASTING; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; COMBUSTION ENGINES; ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; WEAPONS

A vehicle includes a rear visibility component having a heating element. The vehicle further includes an engine and at least one controller programmed to auto-start and auto-stop the engine. The at least one controller is programmed to inhibit the auto-stop of the engine in response to receiving an auto-stop request while the engine is on and the heating element has been operating less than a predetermined time. In some configurations, the at least one controller is programmed to auto-start the engine and operate the heating element at a full power level in response to expiration of a time period that began with an auto-stop of the engine that occurred after the engine auto-stop was inhibited.