ENGINE CONTROLLING APPARATUS

• US 20110046864A1
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: KAMIYA, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,249,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/102
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18072 Coasting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/065 characterised by specially adapted means for varying pressurised fluid supply based on need, e.g. on-demand, variable assist
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/12 for deceleration F02D41/0005, F02D41/107 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0822 related to action of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0833 Vehicle conditions F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0837 Environmental conditions thereof, e.g. traffic, weather or road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0801 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0808 Steering state, e.g. state of power assisted steering
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/102 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/124 Information about road conditions, e.g. road inclination or surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

An engine controlling apparatus for executing (i) an engine automatic stop control and/or (ii) an engine automatic restart control, during running of a vehicle. The controlling apparatus includes: an allowing/inhibiting device configured to selectively allow and inhibit execution of (i) the engine automatic stop control and/or (ii) the engine automatic restart control, by comparing each of at least one of (a) a plurality of physical amounts including (a-1) behavior-representing physical amounts and (a-2) turning-behavior-influencing physical amounts, with (b) a threshold value which is determined, depending on a running velocity of the vehicle, for the each of the at least one of the physical amounts. The behavior-representing physical amounts include at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount. The allowing/inhibiting device includes a turning-behavior-basis allowing/inhibiting portion that is configured to selectively allow and inhibit the execution of (i) the engine automatic stop control and/or (ii) the engine automatic restart control, by comparing each of the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount, with the threshold value.

Claims

1. An engine controlling apparatus for executing, during running of a vehicle, at least one of (i) an engine automatic stop control for automatically stopping an engine of the vehicle and (ii) an engine automatic restart control for automatically restarting the engine, said engine controlling apparatus comprising:

an allowing/inhibiting device configured to selectively allow and inhibit execution of the least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, by comparing each of at least one of (a) a plurality of physical amounts including (a-1) behavior-representing physical amounts each representing behavior of the vehicle and (a-2) turning-behavior-influencing physical amounts each influencing the behavior of the vehicle upon turning of the vehicle, with (b) a threshold value which is determined, depending on a running velocity of the vehicle, for said each of the at least one of the physical amounts,

wherein the behavior-representing physical amounts include at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount representing the behavior of the vehicle upon turning of the vehicle,

and wherein said allowing/inhibiting device includes a turning-behavior-basis allowing/inhibiting portion that is configured to selectively allow and inhibit the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, by comparing each of the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount, with the threshold value which is determined for said each of the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount.

2. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount includes at least one of an absolute value of velocity of operation of a steering member of the vehicle performed by an operator of the vehicle, an absolute value of amount of the operation of the steering member, an absolute value of yaw rate of the vehicle, an absolute value of slip angle of a body of the vehicle and an absolute value of lateral slip angle of a front wheel of the vehicle.

3. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said turning-behavior-basis allowing/inhibiting portion of said allowing/inhibiting device includes a running-velocity-basis threshold-value determiner that is configured to determine the threshold value such that the determined threshold value is smaller when the running velocity of the vehicle is high than when the running velocity of the vehicle is low.

4. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said turning-behavior-basis allowing/inhibiting portion of said allowing/inhibiting device includes a hysteresis-based allowing/inhibiting portion which is configured to inhibit the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control when the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount is not smaller than an inhibiting threshold value as the threshold value, and which is configured to allow the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control when the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount is not larger than an allowing threshold value that is smaller than the inhibiting threshold value.

5. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said turning-behavior-basis allowing/inhibiting portion of said allowing/inhibiting device includes a time-elapse-based allowing/inhibiting portion which is configured to inhibit the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart when the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount is not smaller than the threshold value, and is configured to allow the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control when an allowance waiting time elapses after the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount has become smaller than the threshold value.

6. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said allowing/inhibiting device is configured to selectively allow and inhibit the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, by comparing each of at least one of the behavior-representing physical amounts, with the threshold value which is determined for said each of the at least one of the behavior-representing physical amounts,

wherein said at least one of the behavior-representing physical amounts includes at least one braking-behavior-representing physical amount representing the behavior of the vehicle upon braking of the vehicle,

and wherein the at least one braking-behavior-representing physical amount includes at least one of amount representing deceleration of the vehicle and amount representing state of operation of a brake operating member performed by the operator.

7. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said allowing/inhibiting device is configured to selectively allow and inhibit the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, by comparing each of at least one of the turning-behavior-influencing physical amounts, with the threshold value which is determined for said each of the at least one of the turning-behavior-influencing physical amounts,

and wherein said at least one of the turning-behavior-influencing physical amounts includes a friction coefficient of a road surface.

8. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of physical amounts are different in kind from each other,

and wherein said allowing/inhibiting device includes a physical amount changer configured to change, depending on state of running the vehicle, each of said at least one of the plurality of physical amounts, from a selected one of the plurality of physical amounts to another selected one of the plurality of physical amounts.

9. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said physical amount changer is configured to change each of said at least one of the plurality of physical amounts, such that one of the plurality of physical amounts which is selected when the running velocity of the vehicle is higher than a first predetermined running velocity and another one of the plurality of physical amounts which is selected when the running velocity is lower than the first predetermined running velocity, are different in kind from each other.

10. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the behavior-representing physical amounts include, in addition to the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount, at least one braking-behavior-representing physical amount representing the behavior of the vehicle upon braking of the vehicle,

wherein said physical amount changer is configured to employ the at least one braking-behavior-representing physical amount as said at least one of the plurality of physical amounts, when the running velocity of the vehicle is lower than a third predetermined velocity,

and wherein said physical amount changer is configured to employ the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount as said at least one of the plurality of physical amounts, when the running velocity of the vehicle is not lower than the third predetermined velocity.

11. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the behavior-representing physical amounts include, in addition to the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount, at least one braking-behavior-representing physical amount representing the behavior of the vehicle upon braking of the vehicle,

wherein said allowing/inhibiting device includes a running-velocity-based allowing/inhibiting portion,

and wherein said running-velocity-based allowing/inhibiting portion is configured to inhibit the execution of the at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, when the running velocity of the vehicle is not lower than a fourth predetermined velocity with each of the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount being larger than the threshold value which is determined for said each of the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount, and when the running velocity of the vehicle is lower than the fourth predetermined velocity with a currently generated braking force indicated by each of the at least one braking-behavior-representing physical amount being smaller than a reference braking force indicated by the threshold value which is determined for said each of the at least one braking-behavior-representing physical amount.

12. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said allowing/inhibiting device includes a composed allowing/inhibiting portion that is configured to selectively allow and inhibit the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, based on a result of comparison of a first physical amount that is a selected one of the plurality of physical amounts, with the threshold value which is determined for the first physical amount, and based on a result of comparison of a second physical amount that is another selected one of the plurality of physical amounts, with the threshold value which is determined for the second physical amount.

13. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount includes an absolute value of velocity of operation of a steering member of the vehicle performed by an operator of the vehicle, while the turning-behavior-influencing physical amounts include a friction coefficient of a road surface,

wherein said composed allowing/inhibiting portion includes:

a control inhibiting portion that is configured to inhibit the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, when the absolute value of the velocity of operation of the steering member is higher than a steering-velocity-based threshold value as the threshold value determined for the absolute value of the velocity of operation of the steering member, with the friction coefficient of the road surface being lower than a road-surface-friction-coefficient-based threshold value as the threshold value determined for the friction coefficient of the road surface; and

a control allowing portion that is configured to allow the execution of said at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, if the friction coefficient of the road surface is higher than the road-surface-friction-coefficient-based threshold value, even when the absolute value of the velocity of operation of the steering member is higher than the steering-velocity-based threshold value.

14. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said allowing/inhibiting device includes a fuel-efficiency-basis threshold-value determiner that is configured to determine the threshold value, based on at least one of an actual fuel efficiency and a fuel efficiency that is demand by an operator of the vehicle.

15. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

an idle-stop control device that is configured to execute the at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, when the running velocity of the vehicle is not lower than a value which induces a probability that the behavior of the vehicle becomes unstable upon turning of the vehicle.

16. The engine controlling apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:

an engine automatic stop/restart device configured to execute each of the at least one of (i) the engine automatic stop control and (ii) the engine automatic restart control, when a corresponding one of an engine stop condition and an engine restart condition is satisfied, each of at least one of the engine stop condition and the engine restart condition includes at least a requirement that each of the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount is smaller than the threshold value which is determined for said each of the at least one turning-behavior-representing physical amount.