Control apparatus for internal combustion engine

• US 10,029,668 B2
• Filed: 07/04/2013
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Aikawa, Hidefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US14/899,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20160121875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/08 including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/10 Controlling the power contribution of each of the prime movers to meet required power demand
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2530/00 Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/06 Combustion engines, Gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/086 Power
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/435 Control of engine cylinder cut-off
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 17/02 Cutting-out cutting-out engines in multiple engine arrangements F02D25/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/905 Combustion engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle is provided with: a specifying device configured to specify the operation aspect at a previous stop time point of the internal combustion engine in an EV running period; a first start controlling device configured to start the internal combustion engine in the cylinder deactivation operation at a time point at which a required output corresponding value of the hybrid vehicle is a first reference value, if the specified operation aspect is the cylinder deactivation operation; and a second start controlling device configured to start the internal combustion engine in the full cylinder operation at a time point at which the required output corresponding value is a second reference value, which is greater than the first reference value, if the specified operation aspect is the full cylinder operation.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, configured to control an internal combustion engine in a hybrid vehicle, the hybrid vehicle comprising, as a power source:

the internal combustion engine that can switch an operation aspect between a full cylinder operation that allows all cylinders to be in an operating state and a cylinder deactivation operation that allows a part of the cylinders to be rested; and

at least one rotary electric machine that can perform power running and regeneration, said control apparatus comprising;

a specifying device configured to specify the operation aspect at a previous stop time point of the internal combustion engine in an EV running period in which the internal combustion engine is in a stop state;

a first start controlling device configured to start the internal combustion engine in the cylinder deactivation operation at a time point at which a required output corresponding value of the hybrid vehicle is a first reference value, if the specified operation aspect is the cylinder deactivation operation; and

a second start controlling device configured to continue EV running at a time point at which the required output corresponding value is the first reference value and to start the internal combustion engine in the full cylinder operation at a time point at which the required output corresponding value is a second reference value, which is greater than the first reference value, if the specified operation aspect is the full cylinder operation.

2. The control apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein

the first reference value is the required output corresponding value at which efficiency of the hybrid vehicle during cylinder deactivation operation HV running accompanied by the cylinder deactivation operation is greater than or equal to efficiency of the hybrid vehicle during the EV running, and

the second reference value is the required output corresponding value at which efficiency of the hybrid vehicle during full cylinder operation HV running accompanied by the full cylinder operation is greater than or equal to the efficiency of the hybrid vehicle during the EV running.

3. The control apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, further comprising a correcting device configured to increase and correct a power generation load of the rotary electric machine with respect to a reference value if the internal combustion engine is started in the full cylinder operation.

4. The control apparatus for the internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the required output corresponding value is a required output or a required driving force.