US Patent 7110877 Automatic engine shutdown apparatus

An automatic engine shutdown apparatus for automatically shutting down an engine under a predetermined running or operating condition. The apparatus includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed, a throttle sensor for detecting a throttle opening, a travel history memory for storing a travel history of a vehicle, and an engine shutdown controller for automatically shutting down the engine depending on the vehicle speed, the throttle opening, and the travel history. The engine shutdown controller shuts down the engine after elapse of a standby time depending on the travel history since a predetermined engine shutdown condition has been satisfied. As a result, the automatic engine shutdown time is optimized depending on predetermined running or operating conditions of the vehicle.