APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

• US 20130245914A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 09/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: SHIMIZU, Hirokazu
• Granted Patent: US 9,638,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/102
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/0095 Synchronisation of the cylinders during engine shutdown
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/06 Reverse rotation of engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/009 using means for generating position or synchronisation signals
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 45/00 Electrical control not provided for in groups F02D41/00 - F02D43/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0818 Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for controlling an internal combustion engine, detects a rotating direction of an output shaft of the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes a crank angle sensor for outputting a pulse signal in accordance with rotation of a crankshaft. The crank angle sensor outputs at the time of reverse rotation of the crankshaft a pulse signal POS having a wider pulse width than that at the time of forward rotation. A control unit receiving pulse signal POS calculates a difference between a present value and a previous value of a pulse width of pulse signal POS and detects switching of a rotating direction of the crankshaft based on a magnitude of this difference. Thus, it is possible to suppress lowering of detection accuracy of a rotating direction of the crankshaft under the influence of variation of measurement values of the pulse width.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine including a rotating sensor which outputs a pulse signal having different waveform depending on whether an output shaft is rotated forward or in reverse, comprising:

a detecting unit for detecting a rotating direction of the output shaft based on a change in waveform of the pulse signal.

2. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating sensor outputs the pulse signal having a different pulse width depending on whether the output shaft is rotated forward or in reverse.

3. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the rotating sensor outputs the pulse signal having different amplitude depending on whether the output shaft is rotated forward or in reverse.

4. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on a difference between temporal data of measurement values of the waveform.

5. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on a ratio between the temporal data of the measurement values of the waveform.

6. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the waveform of the pulse signal after operating conditions for forward rotation of the output shaft are present.

7. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects switching of the rotating direction of the output shaft when the waveform of the pulse signal is changed to exceed a threshold value.

8. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the waveform of the pulse signal when a stop request of the internal combustion engine is generated.

9. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the waveform of the pulse signal when rotating speed of the internal combustion engine is lowered for stop.

10. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the waveform of the pulse signal after the rotating speed of the internal combustion engine exceeds a predetermined speed.

11. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the waveform of the pulse signal after load of the internal combustion engine exceeds a predetermined value.

12. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the waveform of the pulse signal after the detecting unit detects that a cylinder of which a piston is in a predetermined position is switched along a forward rotating direction.

13. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the waveform of the pulse signal after the internal combustion engine is started by a starter motor.

14. The apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit detects the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the waveform of the pulse signal after intake air pressure of the internal combustion engine exceeds a predetermined value from atmospheric pressure and is changed.

15. An apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine including a rotating sensor outputting a pulse signal having different waveform depending on whether an output shaft is rotated forward or in reverse, comprising:

a detecting means detecting a rotating direction of the output shaft based on a change in waveform of the pulse signal.

16. A method for controlling an internal combustion engine including a rotating sensor outputting a pulse signal having different waveform depending on whether an output shaft is rotated forward or in reverse, comprising:

measuring waveform of the pulse signal; and

detecting a rotating direction of the output shaft based on a change in a measurement value of the waveform.

17. The method of controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 16, the step of detecting the rotating direction further comprising:

detecting whether or not operating conditions are operating conditions for forward rotation of the output shaft; and

after detecting that the operating conditions are operating conditions for forward rotation of the output shaft, detecting the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the measurement value of the waveform.

18. The method of controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 16, the step of detecting the rotating direction further comprising:

detecting whether or not the waveform of the pulse signal is changed to exceed a threshold value; and

when the waveform of the pulse signal is changed to exceed the threshold value, detecting switching of the rotating direction of the output shaft.

19. The method of controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 16, the step of detecting the rotating direction further comprising:

detecting whether or not a stop request of the internal combustion engine is generated; and

when the stop request of the internal combustion engine is generated, detecting the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the measurement value of the waveform.

20. The method of controlling an internal combustion engine according to claim 16, the step of detecting the rotating direction further comprising:

detecting whether or not rotating speed of the internal combustion engine is lowered for stop; and

when the rotating speed of the internal combustion engine is lowered for stop, detecting the rotating direction of the output shaft based on the change in the measurement value of the waveform.