CONTROL DEVICE OF ENGINE

• US 20160033039A1
• Filed: 06/04/2015
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Atsushi, Ike, Kyohei, Fukuda, Yoshimitsu, Yamaguchi, Toshiyuki, Tanaka, Kenji, Ohisa, Chikako, Ito, Takeatsu
• Granted Patent: US 9,970,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/6807 Status of gear-change operation, e.g. clutch fully engaged
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2306/54 Synchronizing engine speed to transmission input speed
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/70 dependent on the ratio established
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 63/502 for smoothing gear shifts

Abstract

An engine control device to be mounted on a vehicle is provided. The control device includes a transmission state determining module for determining a connection between a stepped transmission and an engine, determining that a gear shift has started if the connection is disengaged from a connected state, and determining that the gear shift has finished if the connection is resumed, a gear position estimating module for estimating a gear position when the gear shift is determined to have started, a target engine speed specifying module for specifying a target engine speed based on the estimated gear position, and a speed control module for controlling an engine speed to the target engine speed when the gear shift is determined to have started.

Claims

1. An engine control device to be mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle including a stepped transmission, an engine, and a clutch for connecting the stepped transmission with the engine and disconnecting the stepped transmission from the engine, the control device comprising:

a transmission state determining module for determining a connection between the stepped transmission and the engine, determining that a gear shift has started if the connection between the stepped transmission and the engine is disengaged from a connected state, and determining that the gear shift has finished if the connection between the stepped transmission and the engine is resumed;

a gear position estimating module for estimating a gear position when the gear shift is determined to have started by the transmission state determining module;

a target engine speed specifying module for specifying a target engine speed that synchronizes with a rotational speed of the stepped transmission when the gear shift has finished, based on the gear position estimated by the gear position estimating module; and

a speed control module for controlling an engine speed to become the target engine speed when the gear shift is determined to have started by the transmission state determining module,

wherein the speed control module stops a control of the engine speed when the transmission state determining module determines that the gear shift has finished or a specific period is lapsed since the transmission state determining module determines that the gear shift has started, and

wherein the specific period is designed to be longer as a speed of the vehicle when the transmission state determining module determines that the gear shift has started is higher.

2. The control device of claim 1, wherein the specific period is designed to be longer as the gear position estimated by the gear position estimating module is lower, while a vehicle speed is constant.