Claims:We Claim:
1. A method for controlling ignition condition of an engine (1) of a vehicle including an automatic transmission mechanism (50) and a passive entry passive start system (25), the method comprising:
receiving, by an electronic control unit (2), a signal from the passive entry passive start system (25) to operate the engine (1) to OFF condition;
determining, by the electronic control unit (2), instant position of a gear shift lever (3) in the automatic transmission system (50) upon receipt of the signal;
operating, by the electronic control unit (2), an ignition system (4) of the vehicle for controlling ignition condition of the engine (1) based on instant position of the gear shift lever (3),
wherein, the electronic control unit (2) inhibits operation the ignition system (4) to turn OFF the engine (1) upon determining the instant position of the gear shift lever (3) is not at PARK position.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 comprises generating, by the electronic control unit (2), an alert signal upon determining the instant position of the gear shift lever (3) not in PARK position when a user attempts to operate the ignition system (4) to switch the engine (1) to OFF condition.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 comprises indicating, by the electronic control unit (2), the alert signal on an indication unit (5) associated with the vehicle.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein indication, by the indication unit (5), to the user is communicated by at least one of audio format, or visual format, or audio-visual format.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein determining, by the electronic control unit (2), instant position of the gear shift lever (3) based on signals received from one or more sensors (7) associated with the automatic transmission system (50).

6. A system (100) for controlling ignition condition of an engine (1) of a vehicle including an automatic transmission mechanism (50) and a passive entry passive start system (25), the system comprising:
an electronic control unit (2) interfaced with the passive entry passive start system (25) and the automatic transmission mechanism (50), wherein the electronic control unit (2) is configured to:
receive a signal from the passive entry passive start system (25) to operate the engine (1) to OFF condition;
determine instant position of a gear shift lever (3) in the automatic transmission system (50); and
operate an ignition system (4) of a vehicle for controlling ignition condition of the engine (1) based on the instant position of the gear shift lever (3),
wherein, the electronic control unit (2) inhibits operation of the ignition system (4) to turn OFF the engine (1) upon determining instant position of the gear shift lever (3) not at PARK position.

7. The system (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the electronic control unit (2) is configured to generate an alert signal upon determining the instant position of the gear shift lever (3) not in PARK position when a user attempts to operate the ignition system (4) to switch the engine (1) to OFF condition.

8. The system (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electronic control unit (2) indicates the alert signal on an indication unit (5) associated with the vehicle.

9. The system (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the indication unit (5) is at least one of audio unit or visual unit or audio-visual unit.

10. The system (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the passive entry passive stat unit (25) comprises at least one actuation member (6) to operate ignition condition of the engine (1) to at least one of ON condition and OFF condition.

11. The system (100) as claimed in claim 6, comprises one or more sensors (7) associated with the automatic transmission mechanism for detecting position of the gear shift lever (3).

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein, the electronic control unit (2) is interfaced with the one or more sensors (7), and the electronic control unit determines instant position of the gear shift lever (3) based on signals received from one or more sensors (7).

13. A vehicle comprising a system (100) for controlling ignition condition of an engine (1) of a vehicle as claimed in claim 6.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD

Present disclosure, in general, relates to automobiles. Particularly, but not exclusively, the disclosure relates to an ignition system of the automobiles. Further, embodiments of the disclosure, discloses a system and method for controlling ignition condition of an engine of the automobile having automatic transmission and key-less entry system based on position of the gear shift lever.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Generally, automobiles are provided with transmission mechanism to supply power generated by an engine to the wheels. The conventional automobiles are equipped with a manual transmission mechanism, where the user or driver may operate the vehicle by manually selecting different gears based on different drive conditions. The conventional manual transmission vehicles may be provisioned with a gearbox having a plurality of gears for transmitting power from the engine to the wheels at variable torque depending on the requirement. The manual transmission vehicles may also be equipped with parking brakes generally called as hand brakes to prevent inadvertent movement of vehicle form the park condition. Also, in the manual transmission vehicles, the gear lever may be operated to either forward or reverse gear to lock the vehicle movement.

With the advancement in the technology, many of the automobiles such as passenger vehicles, heavy duty vehicles, and the like are employed with automatic transmission mechanism. Unlike manual transmission mechanism, the automatic transmission may be configured to automatically change the gear based on various parameters. In such vehicles, the gear lever may be operated by the user into a plurality of positions including drive position, neutral position, reverse position, and the park position. The park position may be configured as transmission lock position, as when engaged, may keep the transmission of the vehicle in non-operative condition. Thereby, prevents the movement of the vehicle such as roll-in or roll-out of the vehicle from the parked condition. However, the driver or user of the vehicle may not always engage the gear lever of the vehicle in the parked position, which would lead to inadvertent movement of the vehicle from the parked condition. The abrupt movement of the vehicle from the parked condition may cause catastrophic events. Additionally, when the automobile is parked on a gradient surface, and the user cranks the engine then, due to inclination of the gradient surface the automobile may roll back. The inertial movement of the automobile may not be controlled, as the roll back of the automobile may be possible.

Considering the above, in some of the conventional vehicles, an arrangement is provided which would make the user to mandatorily engage the gear lever in park position before exiting the vehicle. In such configuration, the user may be disallowed to withdraw the key from the key actuation mechanism, if a gear shift lever of the automatic transmission system is not engaged in park position. This may be achieved by providing a mechanical lock in a key insertion slot, which may be configured to allow the removal of key from the key slot only when the gear lever is engaged in the park position.

With the ongoing advancements in the technology, the key actuation mechanisms in the automobiles are replaced with electronic key modules. The modern automobiles are equipped with keyless entry systems or also called as passive entry and passive start systems [PEPS system]. In such systems, the user may actuate and operate the automobiles using one or more buttons. In such vehicles, provision for insertion of the key is not possible, and hence the safety system for preventing the removal of key based on gear lever position cannot be employed. Hence, the problem associated with the roll-in and roll out of the vehicle from the parked position, when the driver has not actuated the gear shift lever to the park position remains unsolved in the vehicles having keyless entry systems or also called as passive entry and passive start systems. Also, in some scenarios, the user may unintentionally actuate the push buttons, and the vehicle may start moving if the gear lever is in other positions such as drive or reverse which would be dangerous.

The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

One or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by a system and a method as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the system and the method as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure a method for controlling ignition condition of an engine of a vehicle, including an automatic transmission mechanism and a passive entry passive start system is disclosed. The method comprises firstly receiving, by an electronic control unit, a signal from the passive entry passive start system to operate the engine to OFF condition. Upon receiving the signal, the electronic control unit determines instant position of a gear shift lever in the automatic transmission system. Further, the electronic control unit operates an ignition system of the vehicle for controlling ignition condition of the engine based on instant position of the gear shift lever. The electronic control unit inhibits operation of the ignition system to turn OFF the engine upon determining the instant position of the gear shift lever is not at PARK position.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method also comprises generating an alert signal by the electronic control unit, upon determining the instant position of the gear shift lever not in PARK position when a user attempts to operate the ignition system to switch the engine to OFF condition.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method also comprises indicating the alert signal by the electronic control unit, on an indication unit associated with the vehicle. The indication to the user, from the indication unit, is communicated by at least one of audio format, or visual format, or audio-visual format.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, instant position of the gear shift lever is determined, by the electronic control unit, based on signals received from one or more sensors associated with the automatic transmission system.

In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for controlling ignition condition of an engine of a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle includes an automatic transmission mechanism and a passive entry passive start system. The system comprises an electronic control unit interfaced with the passive entry passive start system and the automatic transmission mechanism. The electronic control unit is configured to receive a signal from the passive entry passive start system to operate the engine to OFF condition. Further, the electronic control unit determines instant position of a gear shift lever in the automatic transmission system. In addition, the electronic control unit operates an ignition system of a vehicle for controlling ignition condition of the engine based on the instant gear shift lever position. The electronic control unit then inhibits operation of the ignition system to turn OFF the engine upon determining instant position of the gear shift lever not at PARK position.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, comprises one or more sensors associated with the automatic transmission mechanism for detecting position of the gear shift lever.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic control unit is interfaced with the one or more sensors, and the electronic control unit determines instant position of the gear shift lever based on signals received from one or more sensors.

In an embodiment, the electronic control unit indicates the alert signal on an indication unit associated with the vehicle. The indication unit is at least one of audio unit or visual unit or audio-visual unit.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a system for controlling ignition condition of an engine, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 illustrates a flow chart describing a method for controlling an ignition condition of the engine of a vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3 illustrates a flow chart of an alternate embodiment for controlling ignition condition of the engine, in accordance to some embodiment of the present disclosure.
The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the system and method illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the embodiments in the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the disclosure, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a device, assembly, mechanism, system, method that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such system, or assembly, or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or mechanism.

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and a system for controlling ignition condition of an engine of a vehicle based on position of the gear lever. The method and system may be implemented in a vehicle having an automatic transmission mechanism having a passive entry passive start system.

The method comprises act of receiving, a user input signal from the passive entry passive start system to operate the engine to OFF condition. Upon receiving the signal, the electronic control unit determines instant position of a gear shift lever in the automatic transmission system based on signals received from one or more sensors associated with the automatic transmission mechanism. The electronic control unit, then operates an ignition system of the vehicle for controlling ignition condition of the engine based on instant position of the gear shift lever. According to embodiments of the disclosure, the electronic control unit may inhibit operation of the ignition system to turn OFF the engine upon determining the instant position of the gear shift lever is not at PARK position. Furthermore, the electronic control unit is configured to generates an alert signal, upon determining the instant position of the gear shift lever not in PARK position when a user attempts to operate the ignition system to switch the engine to OFF condition. The alert signals may be indicated to the user by the electronic control unit on an indication unit provided in the vehicle. The indication of the alert signal may be provided in at least one of audio format, visual format, and audio-visual format.

The disclosure is described in the following paragraphs with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In the figures, the same element or elements which have same functions are indicated by the same reference signs. It is to be noted that, the vehicle is not illustrated in the figures for the purpose of simplicity. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the system and the method as disclosed in the present disclosure can be used in any vehicle including but not limiting to passenger car, heavy vehicles, light duty vehicles or any other vehicle.

Referring to Figure 1 which is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating a block diagram of a system (100) for controlling ignition condition of an engine (1) of a vehicle [not shown in figures]. The system (100) according to embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in a vehicle having an automatic transmission mechanism (50) and a smart-key or key-less entry system such as passive entry passive start system (25).

The system (100) comprises an Electronic Control Unit (2). The ECU (2) controls various parameters in the vehicle by monitoring various engine parameters such as, but not limiting to, engine speed, load, engine temperature and providing ignition spark at the right time for the prevailing conditions. The ECU (2) may also be configured to control the transmission mechanism automatically by considering the one or more parameters relating to the engine and road conditions. In order to achieve this, the ECU (2) may work in conjunction with the engine and transmission units of the vehicle.

As shown in Figure 1, the ECU (2) may be interfaced with a passive entry passive start system (25). The passive entry passive start system (25) may enable a user or driver to control actuation of the engine (1) between ON condition and OFF condition. The passive entry passive start system (25) may require manual intervention by the user to trigger at least one actuation member (6), for generating an input signal to the ECU (2). The ECU (2), upon receipt of the input signal, may generate a corresponding operational signal to an ignition system (4) of the engine (1), for operating ignition condition of the engine (1). It may be noted that, repetitive triggering of the at least one actuation member (6) may switch or toggle ignition condition of the engine (1) between ON condition and the OFF condition.
The ECU (2) may also be interfaced with an automatic transmission mechanism (50) of the vehicle. The automatic transmission mechanism (50) may automatically control rate of power delivered from the engine (1) for movement of the vehicle. The automatic transmission unit (50) may consist of a gear shift lever (3) coupled to a gearbox [not shown in figures], which may be operated to various positions including, but not limiting to, a PARK position, reverse position, neutral position and a DRIVE position, for assisting the user to manoeuvre the vehicle. The automatic transmission mechanism (50) may be employed with one or more sensors (7) to detect instant position of the gear shift lever (3). The ECU (2) may be communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors (7) to receive one or more signals corresponding to instant position of the gear shift lever (3).

The ECU (2) may be configured to control the ignition condition of an engine (1) of the vehicle, based on instant position of the gear shift lever (3) in the gearbox. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the ECU (2) controls ignition system (4) of the vehicle to switch the engine (1) to OFF condition, only when the gear shift lever (3) is in PARK position. Thus, the ECU (2) ensures the vehicle to be locked and prevent roll-in and roll-out of the vehicle. The ECU (2) also controls the ignition condition when the signal may be received, through actuation of the at least one actuation member (6) of the passive entry passive start system (25), to switch the engine (1) to OFF condition. When such signal is received, the ECU (2) determines the instant position of the gear shift lever (3) based on one or more signals received form the one or more sensors (7) associated with the automatic transmission mechanism (50). The one or more sensors (7) in the automatic transmission unit (50) may periodically generate one or more signals to the ECU (2), to enable the ECU (2) for determining instant position of the gear shift lever (3). Based on instant position of the gear shift lever (3) the ECU (2) may control the ignition system (4), and if the gear shift lever (3) is not in Park position, the ECU (2) inhibits the ignition system (4) to switch the engine (1) to OFF condition.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receiving the signal, provided by the user, from the passive entry passive start system (25) to switch the engine (1) to OFF condition, the ECU (2) determines the instant position of gear shift lever (3). If the operational condition of the gear shift lever (3) is in DRIVE position, then, the ECU (2) inhibits the ignition system (4) from switching the engine (1) to OFF condition. The ECU (2) also generates an alert signal to the user pertaining to operational position of the gear shift lever (3).
In an embodiment of the disclosure, the ECU (2) may be interfaced with an indication unit (5) associated with the vehicle. The indication unit (5), based on the alert signal generated by the ECU (2), communicates to the alert signal to the user. The indication unit (5) may be provided in at least one of an instrumental panel cluster or with any of the communication devices provisioned in the vehicle. The indication unit (5) may be at least one of an audio unit, a visual unit, an audio-visual unit, and the like, to alert the operator concerning instant position of the gear shift lever (3). In some embodiment, the indication unit (5) may also flash an alert message to the user through the instrument panel cluster or via a text message to the user’s communication device.

In some embodiment of the disclosure, the passive entry passive start system (25) may enable the operator to access ignition condition of the engine (1), with assistance of a mechanical key. The passive entry passive start system (25) equipped with the at least one actuation member (6), in which the actuation member (6) may be press button.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the one or more sensors (7) associated with the automatic transmission mechanism (50) includes position sensors such as, but not limited to, a hall effect sensor, a linear variable displacement transducer [LVDT], an infrared proximity sensor, and the like. The one or more sensors (7) may be communicatively coupled to a transmission control unit [not shown in figures], and provides one or more signals to the transmission control unit regarding instant position of the gear shift lever (3). The transmission control unit may be associated with the ECU (2), and the ECU (2) may receive the determined instant position of the gear shift lever (3) through the transmission control unit.

In some embodiment of the disclosure, the ECU (2) may be configured to restrict operation of the ignition system (4), when instant position of the gear shift lever (3) is not in PARK position, while ignition condition of the engine (1) may be in OFF condition. The ECU (2), upon receiving the signal, provided by the user, from the passive entry passive start system (25) to switch the engine (1) to ON condition, the ECU (2) determines the instant position of gear shift lever (3). If the instant position of the gear shift lever (3) is not in PARK position, then the ECU (2) receives one or more signals from the one or more sensors (7) of the automatic transmission mechanism (50). The ECU (2), then, generates operational signal to the ignition system (4) to inhibit switching the engine (1) to ON condition thereby, preventing abrupt movement of the vehicle.

In some embodiment of the disclosure, the ECU (2) may be configured to allow the movement of gear shift lever (3) from the PARK position to other positions such as DRIVE position or Reverse position, based on certain parameters. The ECU (2) may determine condition of brake modules [not shown in figures] in a vehicle, when the signal, provided by the user, is received for operating the engine (1) of the vehicle to the ON condition through the passive entry passive start system (25). The ECU (2) may determine the condition of the at least one brake mechanism based on the signals received from one or more sensors [not shown in figures] associated with brake modules of the vehicle. If a brake actuation member of the brake modules is not actuated by the user when the vehicle is operated to ON condition, the ECU (2) may actuate a locking mechanism [not shown in figures] in the gearbox [not shown in figures] to lock the gear shift lever (3) in the PARK position. The ECU (2) may also generate an alert signal corresponding to the brake condition, and indicate the same on the indication unit (5). When, the driver or user operates the brake actuation member of the brake modules to actuated position, the ECU (2) may operate the locking mechanism to allow shifting of gear shift lever (3) from the PARK position to other positions such as DRIVE position or Reverse position.

Referring now to Figure 2 which is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating a flow chart of a method for controlling ignition condition of an engine (1) of the vehicle based on position of the gear shift lever (3). In some embodiment, the method may be implemented in a vehicle having an automatic transmission mechanism (50) and a smart-key or key-less entry system such as passive entry passive start system (25).

The method may be described in the general context of processor executable instructions. Generally, the executable instructions may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types.

The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks may be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

At block 201, the ECU (2), receives the signal, provided by the user, to operate the engine (1) to OFF condition upon actuation of the at least one actuation member (6) of the passive entry passive start system (25). The ECU (2) analyses the signal prior generating the operation signal to the ignition system (4) for controlling ignition condition of the engine (1) based on the position of the gear shift lever (3) in the gearbox.

At block 202, the ECU (2), upon receipt of the signal from the passive entry passive start system (25) by the user, determines instant position of the gear shift lever (3). The instant position of the gear shift lever (3) may be detected by the one or more sensors (7) associated with the automatic transmission mechanism (50). The one or more sensors (7) identifies instant position of the gear shift lever (3) and generates one or more signals to the ECU (2). The ECU (2) analyses the signals received from the one or more sensors (7) with reference to the PARK position of the gear shift lever (3), in order to generate the operational signal to the ignition system (4) of the engine (1).

At block 203, the ECU (2), upon determining instant position of the gear shift lever (3), generates the operational signal to the ignition system (4) for controlling ignition condition of the engine (1).

At block 204, when instant position of the gear shift lever (3) is at PARK position, then the operational signal may be generated by the ECU (2) to enable the ignition system (4) to switch ignition condition of the engine (1) to OFF condition. Further, when instant position of the gear shift lever (3) is not at PARK position, then the operational signal generated by the ECU (2) inhibits the ignition system (4) from switching ignition condition of the engine (1) to OFF condition. The method of present disclosure thus allows the user or driver of the vehicle to operate the engine (1) to OFF condition only when the gear shift lever (3) is operated to the PARK position. Thus, the method ensures safety of the vehicle and prevents the vehicle from roll-in and roll out from the parked condition or halt condition.

At block 205, the ECU (2) may be configured to generate an alter signal to the user or the driver. The ECU (2), generates the alert signal upon determining instant position of the gear shift lever (3) not in PARK position, and when the user attempts to operate the ignition system (4) to switch the engine (1) to OFF condition. The alert signal may be indicated on the indication unit (5) associated with the vehicle. In an embodiment, the indication unit (5) may communicate the alert signals in at least one of audio format, or visual format, or audio-visual format. In some embodiment, the indication unit (5) may also flash an alert message to the operator through the instrument panel cluster or via a text message to the operator’s communication device. The indication of the alert signal may warn the driver or the user to move the gear shift lever (3) to the PARK position, so that the ECU (2) may provide a signal to the ignition system (4) to enable operation of the engine (1) to OFF condition.

Referring now to Figure 3 which illustrates a flow chart of an alternate method for controlling operation of the gear shift lever (3) from the PARK position, when the user operates the ignition to ON condition using passive entry passive start system (25) in the vehicle having automatic transmission mechanism (50).

At block 301, the ECU (2), receives the signal, provided by the user, to operate the engine (1) to ON condition upon actuation of the at least one actuation member (6) of the passive entry passive start system (25).

At block 302, the ECU (2), upon receipt of the signal from the passive entry passive star system (25), analyses the signal to generate the operation signal to the ignition system (4) for operating the engine (1) to ON condition.

At block 303, the ECU (2) determines instant condition of a brake actuation member of brake modules [not shown in figures] of the vehicle. The instant condition of the brake actuation member may be detected by one or more sensors associated with each of the brake modules. The one or more sensors may generate one or more signals to the ECU (2) concerning condition of the brake actuation member of the vehicle.

At block 304, the ECU (2) analyses instant condition of the brake actuation member with reference to the user actuation state of the brake actuation member. If, the brake actuation member is not actuated by the user, when the engine (1) is in ON condition, then the ECU (2) generates the operational signal to the lock mechanism [not shown in figures] in the gearbox to lock the gear shift lever (3) in the PARK position. The locking mechanism inhibits movement of the gear shift lever (3) from PARK position to other positions such as DRIVE position or REVERSE position, unless the ECU (2) determines that the user has actuated the brake actuation member of the brake modules. Upon configuring the brake actuation member to actuation state, by the user, the at locking mechanism allows the user from operating the gear shift lever (3) from PARK position to DRIVE position or REVERSE position.

At block 305, the ECU (2) may be configured to generate an alter signal to the user or the driver. The ECU (2), generates the alert signal upon determining the instant position of the brake pedal in not in actuated condition, and when the user attempts to operate the gear shift lever (3). The alert signal may be indicated on the indication unit (5) associated with the vehicle. In an embodiment, the indication unit (5) may communicate the alert signals in at least one of audio format, or visual format, or audio-visual format. In some embodiment, the indication unit (5) may also flash an alert message to the operator through the instrument panel cluster or via a text message to the operator’s communication device. The indication of the alert signal may warn the driver or the actuate the brake, and then move the gear shift lever (3) from the PARK position to the DRIVE position or REVERSE position.

In some embodiments, the ECU (2) may be a centralised control unit of the vehicle or may be a dedicated control unit to the system associated with the centralised control unit of the vehicle. The ECU (2) also be associated with other control units such as Transmission Control Unit and brake control unit. The ECU (2) may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. The processing unit may include a microprocessor, such as AMD Athlon, Duron or Opteron, ARM’s application, embedded or secure processors, IBM PowerPC, Intel’s Core, Itanium, Xeon, Celeron or other line of processors, and the like. The ECU (2) may be implemented using mainframe, distributed processor, multi-core, parallel, grid, or other architectures. Some embodiments may utilize embedded technologies like application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), microcontroller, and the like.

ADVANTAGES

The present disclosure discloses a system and method for operating the ignition condition of a vehicle having an automatic transmission and passive entry passive start system based on position of the gear shift lever. This improves safety of the vehicle by inhibiting roll-in and roll-back of the vehicle from the halt condition.

The present disclosure discloses a system and method for operating the ignition condition of a vehicle having an automatic transmission and passive entry passive start system in which ignition condition of the vehicle is switched to OFF condition only when the gear shift lever is positioned in PARK condition. This avoids abrupt movement of the vehicle, during turning the engine to ON condition.

EQUIVALENTS

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

REFERAL NUMERALS:
Particulars Numerical
Engine 1
Electronic control unit 2
Gear shift lever 3
Ignition system 4
Indication unit 5
Actuation member 6
Sensors 7
Passive entry passive start system 25
Automatic transmission mechanism 50
System 100
Method steps 201-204
Alternate embodiment steps 301-304