VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR DIAGNOSING THE CURRENT STATE OF THE BATTERY AND FOR CONTROLLING THE START-STOP FUNCTION ACCORDINGLY

• US 20170114741A1
• Filed: 03/11/2015
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: ITO, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 10,190,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/503 Battery correction, i.e. corrections as a function of the state of the battery, its output or its type
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/065 at hot start or restart F02D41/067 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/08 for idling F02D41/06, F02D41/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/26 using computer, e.g. microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0814 comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop
• 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 11/0825 related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0862 characterised by the electrical power supply means, e.g. battery
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/062 Battery current
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/063 Battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0801 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/54 Testing for continuity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A vehicle control apparatus includes a current sensor that detects a current value of a battery; and a processing device that suppresses initiation of idling stop control in a vehicle non-stop state with a vehicle speed higher than 0, in the case where an abnormal state of the battery is detected based on an output signal of the current sensor in the vehicle non-stop state.

Claims

1. A vehicle control apparatus, comprising:

a current sensor that detects a current value of a battery; and

a processing device that suppresses initiation of idling stop control in a vehicle non-stop state with a vehicle speed higher than 0, in the case where an abnormal state of the battery is detected based on an output signal of the current sensor in the vehicle non-stop state, wherein

the processing device initiates the idling stop control in the case where predetermined initiation conditions, including the vehicle speed being at or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed, are satisfied, and the processing device sets the predetermined vehicle speed as a first value in the case where the abnormal state of the battery is not detected, and sets the predetermined vehicle speed as a second value smaller than the first value in the case where the abnormal state of the battery is detected.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing device is configured to enable the initiation of the idling stop control in the vehicle stop state in the case where the abnormal state of the battery is detected.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing device, during stop of the engine by the idling stop control, restarts the engine in the case where predetermined termination conditions are satisfied, and the processing device sets the predetermined vehicle speed, which has been set as the second value when the abnormal state of the battery is detected, as the first value following the restart of the engine.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing device detects the abnormal state of the battery only based on the output signal of the current sensor.

6. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing device detects the case where it is detected based on the output signal of the current sensor that a state in which the current value of the battery is within a predetermined range has continued for a predetermined time, as the abnormal state of the battery.

7. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing device, after the abnormal state of the battery is detected, determines whether or not a state in which the current value of the battery is out of a predetermined range has continued for a predetermined time, based on the output signal of the current sensor in the vehicle non-stop state,

the processing device, in the case where it is determined that the state in which the current value of the battery is out of the predetermined range has continued for the predetermined time, sets the predetermined vehicle speed, which has been set as the second value when the abnormal state of the battery is detected, as the first value.

8. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing device, in the vehicle non-stop state, calculates the time duration during which a state in which the current value of the battery continues to be within a predetermined range, based on the output signal of the current sensor, and the processing device changes the predetermined vehicle speed from the first value to the second value by stages in such a manner that the longer the time duration is, the lower the predetermined vehicle speed is.

9. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second value is 0.

3. (canceled)