CONTROLLER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
First Claim
1. A controller for an internal combustion engine in which open/close characteristics of an engine valve of each of cylinders are continuously varied by operation of a variable valve timing mechanism so that the open/close characteristics are made suitable for engine operating conditions, and in which cylinder deactivation control is performed that switches, according to the engine operating conditions, the internal combustion engine between all cylinder operation, in which all of the cylinders are operated, and cylinder deactivation operation, in which operation of part of the cylinders is stopped, which controller switches the variable valve timing mechanism between an operation allowed state and an operation inhibited state while the cylinder deactivation control is performed,wherein an engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control is a region that is determined provided that the open/close characteristics of the engine valve are varied so that the open/close characteristics are made suitable for the engine operating conditions when the variable valve timing mechanism is in an operation allowed state, or a region that is determined provided that the open/close characteristics of the engine valve are fixed when the variable valve timing mechanism is in an operation inhibited state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control is switched between the cylinder deactivation region AP1 and the cylinder deactivation region AP2 depending on whether a variable valve timing mechanism is in an operation allowed state and control of the valve timing of an intake valve is being performed, or the variable valve timing mechanism is in an operation inhibited state and the control of the valve timing of the intake valve is stopped. In this way, depending on whether the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state or in the operation inhibited state, the engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed can be set so that the engine operational region is made suitable for each of these state.
42 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A controller for an internal combustion engine in which open/close characteristics of an engine valve of each of cylinders are continuously varied by operation of a variable valve timing mechanism so that the open/close characteristics are made suitable for engine operating conditions, and in which cylinder deactivation control is performed that switches, according to the engine operating conditions, the internal combustion engine between all cylinder operation, in which all of the cylinders are operated, and cylinder deactivation operation, in which operation of part of the cylinders is stopped, which controller switches the variable valve timing mechanism between an operation allowed state and an operation inhibited state while the cylinder deactivation control is performed,
wherein an engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control is a region that is determined provided that the open/close characteristics of the engine valve are varied so that the open/close characteristics are made suitable for the engine operating conditions when the variable valve timing mechanism is in an operation allowed state, or a region that is determined provided that the open/close characteristics of the engine valve are fixed when the variable valve timing mechanism is in an operation inhibited state.
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6. A controller for an internal combustion engine that includes a variable valve timing mechanism that continuously varies open/close characteristics of an engine valve of each of cylinders, and in which cylinder deactivation control is performed that switches, according to engine operating conditions, the internal combustion engine between all cylinder operation, in which all of the cylinders are operated, and cylinder deactivation operation, in which operation of part of the cylinders is stopped, which controller switches the variable valve timing mechanism between an operation allowed state and an operation inhibited state while the cylinder deactivation control is performed,
wherein an engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control is changed depending on whether the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state or in the operation inhibited state.
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11. A method of controlling an internal combustion engine that includes a variable valve timing mechanism that continuously varies open/close characteristics of an engine valve of each of cylinders, and in which cylinder deactivation control is performed that switches, according to the engine operating conditions, the internal combustion engine between all cylinder operation, in which all of the cylinders are operated, and cylinder deactivation operation, in which operation of part of the cylinders is stopped, the method comprising:
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switching the variable valve timing mechanism between an operation allowed state and an operation inhibited state while the cylinder deactivation control is performed; and changing an engine operational region in which the cylinder deactivation operation is performed in the cylinder deactivation control, depending on whether the variable valve timing mechanism is in the operation allowed state or in the operation inhibited state. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification