VEHICLE AND CONTROL METHOD OF VEHICLE

• US 20090063009A1
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Jinno, Kunihiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/102
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/004 for vehicles having a combustion engine and electric drive means, e.g. hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00764 the input being a vehicle driving condition, e.g. speed B60H1/00828, B60H1/00864 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3208 Vehicle drive related control of the compressor drive means, e.g. for fuel saving purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/3261 of the air at an evaporating unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 1/02 comprising more than one electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/365 with the gears having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/448 Electrical distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/02 to electric heating circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/30 including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
• 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 2510/0676 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/08 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2025/13 Ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 2037/02 : starting
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 : peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 : Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/023 : Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0806 : Air condition state
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 : Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

In a vehicle of the invention, the lower between a first permissive water temperature based on an outside air temperature Tout and an elapsed time since system activation and a second permissive water temperature based on a target air outlet temperature in an air conditioning system is set to an intermittent operation permissive water temperature. When a cooling water temperature of an engine is not lower than the set intermittent operation permissive water temperature, intermittent operation of the engine is permitted. When the cooling water temperature of the engine is lower than the set intermittent operation permissive water temperature, on the other hand, intermittent operation of the engine is prohibited. This arrangement ensures appropriate control of the intermittent operation of the engine and thus effectively improves the fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, the vehicle comprising:

an elapsed time counter used to count an elapsed time since system activation of the vehicle;

an auto stop permissive water temperature setting module configured to set an auto stop permissive water temperature as a criterion for permitting an auto stop of the internal combustion engine, based on the count of the elapsed time;

a cooling water temperature measurement unit used to measure cooling water temperature of the internal combustion engine; and

an auto stop restart controller configured to automatically stop operation of the internal combustion engine upon satisfaction of at least one preset auto stop condition including a condition that the measured cooling water temperature is not lower than the set auto stop permissive water temperature, and to automatically restart the operation of the internal combustion engine upon satisfaction of a preset auto start condition during an auto stop of the internal combustion engine.

2. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the auto stop permissive water temperature setting module sets the auto stop permissive water temperature to be higher with an increase in count of the elapsed time.

3. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, the vehicle further having:

an outside air temperature measurement unit used to measure an outside air temperature,

wherein the auto stop permissive water temperature setting module sets the auto stop permissive water temperature to be lower with an increase in measured outside air temperature.

4. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, the vehicle further having:

a fuel efficiency preference switch operated to give preference to fuel efficiency,

wherein the auto stop permissive water temperature setting module sets the auto stop permissive water temperature to be lower in an ON condition of the fuel efficiency preference switch, compared with the auto stop permissive water temperature set in an OFF condition of the fuel efficiency preference switch.

5. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, the vehicle further having:

an air conditioning system configured to blow air of a target air outlet temperature out of an air outlet provided in a passenger compartment and thereby condition air in the passenger compartment,

wherein the auto stop permissive water temperature setting module sets the auto stop permissive water temperature based on the count of the elapsed time and the target air outlet temperature.

6. The vehicle in accordance with claim 5, wherein the auto stop permissive water temperature setting module sets a first temperature based on the count of the elapsed time, sets a second temperature based on the target air outlet temperature, and sets the lower between the first temperature and the second temperature to the auto stop permissive water temperature.

7. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, the vehicle further having:

a motor constructed to enable output of driving power,

wherein the auto stop restart controller automatically stops the operation of the internal combustion engine upon a condition that the vehicle is drivable with only output power of the motor as one of the preset auto stop condition.

8. The vehicle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the auto stop restart controller automatically stops the operation of the internal combustion engine upon a condition that a brake is on during a stop of the vehicle as one of the preset auto stop condition.

9. A vehicle control method of controlling a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine,

the vehicle control method setting an auto stop permissive water temperature as a criterion for permitting an auto stop of the internal combustion engine, based on an elapsed time since system activation of the vehicle,

the vehicle control method automatically stopping operation of the internal combustion engine upon satisfaction of at least one preset auto stop condition including a condition that a cooling water temperature of the internal combustion engine is not lower than the set auto stop permissive water temperature,

the vehicle control method automatically restarting the operation of the internal combustion engine upon satisfaction of a preset auto start condition during an auto stop of the internal combustion engine.

10. The vehicle control method in accordance with claim 9, the vehicle control method setting the auto stop permissive water temperature to be higher with an increase in elapsed time.

11. The vehicle control method in accordance with claim 9, wherein the vehicle is equipped with an air conditioning system configured to blow air of a target air outlet temperature out of an air outlet provided in a passenger compartment and thereby condition air in the passenger compartment, the vehicle control method setting a first temperature to be higher with an increase in elapsed time, setting a second temperature to be higher with an increase in target air outlet temperature, and setting the lower between the first temperature and the second temperature to the auto stop permissive water temperature.