TRAVEL CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20180111618A1
• Filed: 04/06/2016
• Published: 04/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: MORIMOTO, Youhei, IKEMOTO, Noriaki, ITOU, Yuutarou, KONDO, Masuhiro, NARITA, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,232,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0676 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/068 Engine exhaust temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/242 for electrical energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/92 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 11/007 the diagnostic devices measuring oxygen or air concentration downstream of the exhaust apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/08 for idling F02D41/06, F02D41/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/10 for acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/93 Conjoint control of different elements

Abstract

A travel control apparatus is provided with: a speed controller that controls speed of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine; and a determination part that determines an emission deterioration state of the internal combustion engine. The speed controller is configured to execute burn-and-coast control that repeatedly executes burn control in which the vehicle is accelerated by driving force of the internal combustion engine, and coasting control in which the vehicle is driven by inertia, by stopping the generation of the driving force or rotation of the internal combustion engine. The speed controller is configured to execute emission suppression control that suppresses emissions by adjusting the burn-and-coast control when the emission deterioration state of the internal combustion engine is determined by the determination part.

Claims

1. A travel control apparatus comprising:

a speed controller that controls speed of a vehicle having an internal combustion engine; and

a determination part that determines an emission deterioration state of the internal combustion engine,

wherein;

the speed controller is configured to execute burn-and-coast control that repeatedly executes burn control in which the vehicle is accelerated by driving force of the internal combustion engine, and coasting control in which generation of the driving force or rotation of the internal combustion engine is stopped so that the vehicle travels by inertia; and

the speed controller is configured to execute emission suppression control that suppresses emission by adjusting the burn-and-coast control when the emission deterioration state of the internal combustion engine is determined by the determination part.

2. The travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the determination part determines the emission deterioration state when emission deterioration is detected.

3. The travel control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the determination part detects deterioration of the emission when a cooling water temperature of the internal combustion engine is lower than a predetermined value.

4. The travel control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the determination part detects deterioration of the emission when a catalyst temperature of the internal combustion engine is lower than a predetermined value.

5. The travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the determination part determines the emission deterioration state when deterioration of the emission is predicted.

6. The travel control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the determination part estimates a future cooling water temperature of the internal combustion engine, and predicts the deterioration of the emission when the future cooling water temperature is lower than a predetermined value.

7. The travel control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the determination part estimates a future catalyst temperature of the internal combustion engine, and predicts the deterioration of the emission when the future catalyst temperature is lower than a predetermined value.

8. The travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the speed controller prohibits execution of the burn-and-coast control as the emission suppression control.

9. The travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the speed controller switches to control in which idle operation is performed instead of stopping the internal combustion engine in the coasting control in the burn-and-coast control, as the emission suppression control.

10. The travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the speed controller executes output increase control in which output of the internal combustion engine is increased when the emission suppression control is executed.

11. The travel control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the output increase control by the speed controller includes control in which acceleration with respect to input for acceleration is increased.

12. The travel control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle including the internal combustion engine and a rotation electric machine as a power source;

the vehicle is provided with a power storage device that provides electric power to the rotation electric machine and is charged by using at least a part of the output of the internal combustion engine; and

the output increase control by the speed controller includes control in which a charge amount of the power storage device is increased by the internal combustion engine.

13. The travel control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the speed controller switches to control in which an idle operation is performed instead of stopping the internal combustion engine in the coasting control other than the burn-and-coast control when the burn-and-coast control is prohibited.

14. The travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle is made to automatically follow another vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle.