Vehicle and manufacturing method of vehicle

• US 10,036,342 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors Ltd (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Takeshita, Tomoyuki, Mori, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Kwon, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang, Johnny H
• Application Number:
  US15/274,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20170089289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 701101-103, 701106, 701114, 701115, 123336, 123337, 1233391, 123350, 123367, 123370, 123371, 123403, 123674, 123683
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 61/02 for driving cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2009/0213 Electronic or electric governor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2009/0272 Two or more throttles disposed in series
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2011/102 at least one throttle being moved only by an electric actuator
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/16 End position calibration, i.e. calculation or measurement of actuator end positions, e.g. for throttle or its driving actuator
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/26 by applying a torque limit
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0002 Controlling intake air
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2441 characterised by the learning conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2451 characterised by what is learned or calibrated
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/2464 Characteristics of actuators
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 9/02 concerning induction conduits throttle valves, or arrangements thereof in conduits F02D9/08
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 9/109 having two or more flaps

Abstract

A vehicle comprises an engine, a throttle body including a passage section and a throttle valve, and a throttle valve controller which controls opening or closing of the throttle valve, wherein the throttle valve controller includes: a memory section which contains therein a medium output control command such that the medium output control command continues to be stored in the memory section in a state in which electric power supply to the throttle valve controller is ceased, the medium output control command indicating an opening degree of the throttle valve, corresponding to a preset medium output range, and wherein the throttle valve controller controls opening or closing of the throttle valve, in accordance with the medium output control command read from the memory section, when an engine output meets a medium output condition in which the engine output is controlled to fall into the medium output range.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an engine;

a throttle body including a passage section formed with an air-intake passage through which air to be supplied to the engine flows, and a throttle valve provided in the air-intake passage; and

a throttle valve controller which controls opening or closing of the throttle valve, wherein the throttle valve controller includes;

a memory section which pre-stores a medium output control command in such a manner that the medium output control command continues to be stored in the memory section in a state in which electric power supply to the throttle valve controller is ceased, the medium output control command indicating a medium output opening degree of the throttle valve, corresponding to a preset medium output range included in a range between a minimum output and a maximum output of an engine output, the medium output opening degree corresponding to a predetermined upper limit value of the engine output such that when the engine output meets a predetermined output limiting condition, the engine output is controlled to fall into the medium output range while the vehicle is traveling; and

a learning section that performs a learning operation for learning a fully closed position and a fully open position of the throttle valve,

wherein the controller controls opening or closing of the throttle valve in accordance with a control command based on a learning value obtained by the learning section, when the engine output does not meet the output limiting condition; and

wherein the controller controls opening or closing of the throttle valve in accordance with the medium output control command read from the memory section, when the engine output meets the output limiting condition.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a termination request detector which detects a termination request command regarding driving of the engine,

wherein the learning section performs the learning operation, when the termination request detector has detected the termination request command.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the learning section performs the learning operation when driving control for the engine is stopped.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the memory section stores therein the learning value obtained by the learning section before the electric power supply to the throttle valve controller is ceased, and

wherein the throttle valve controller reads the learning value from the memory section after the electric power supply to the throttle valve controller is started, and controls opening or closing of the throttle valve based on the learning value.

5. A method of manufacturing a vehicle, the method comprising:

measuring a medium output opening degree of a test throttle valve that precedes a throttle body to be mounted in the vehicle, corresponding to a preset medium output range for an output limitation included in a range between a minimum output and a maximum output of a test engine output, by use of an engine bench test apparatus which obtains the test engine output;

measuring a medium output intake air amount in a case where the test throttle valve is opened at the medium output opening degree;

assembling the throttle body to be mounted in the vehicle in such manner that the medium output opening degree of a throttle valve to be mounted in the vehicle falls into a preset tolerance range, the medium output intake air amount being obtained at the medium output opening degree; and

pre-storing a medium output control command in a throttle valve controller which controls opening or closing of the throttle valve to be mounted in the vehicle, the medium output control command indicating the medium output opening degree of the throttle valve to be mounted in the vehicle, corresponding to the medium output intake air amount.