CONTROLLER FOR VEHICLE

• US 20180202408A1
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Published: 07/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: MAJIMA, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,415,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/192 Mitigating problems related to power-up or power-down of the driveline, e.g. start-up of a cold engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/006 using a plurality of electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/04 the motors being associated with current generators
• 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 11/0837 Environmental conditions thereof, e.g. traffic, weather or road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0848 with means for detecting successful engine start, e.g. to stop starter actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0866 comprising several power sources, e.g. battery and capacitor or two batteries
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2011/0888 DC/DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2011/0896 Inverters for electric machines, e.g. starter-generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/12 said parameters being related to the vehicle exterior
• 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

There is provided a controller for a vehicle that can execute, while the vehicle is stationary or moving, control of automatically stopping an engine upon determining that automatic stop conditions are met, and automatically restarting the engine upon determining that automatic restart conditions are met while automatic engine stop is in effect. At a time of first engine restart in one trip, the controller diagnoses whether a system that automatically restarts the engine is normal or abnormal. The automatic stop conditions for in-motion automatic engine stop include automatic stop execution conditions that are set based on a state of the vehicle, and automatic stop permit conditions that are set based on a travel environment. The controller sets the automatic stop permit conditions such that determination criteria are more stringent as a cumulative number of times of in-motion automatic engine stop in one trip is smaller.

Claims

1. A controller for a vehicle, the controller comprising an electronic control unit configured to:

(i) execute, while the vehicle is stationary or moving, control of automatically stopping an engine upon determining that automatic stop conditions are met, and automatically restarting the engine upon determining that automatic restart conditions are met while automatic engine stop is in effect;

(ii) diagnose, at a time of engine restart after first automatic engine stop in one trip from turning on to turning off of an ignition, whether a system that automatically restarts the engine is normal or abnormal;

(iii) include, as the automatic stop conditions for in-motion automatic engine stop, automatic stop execution conditions that are set based on a state of the own vehicle, and automatic stop permit conditions that are set based on a travel environment around the own vehicle; and

(iv) set the automatic stop permit conditions such that determination criteria are more stringent as a cumulative number of times of in-motion automatic engine stop in the one trip is smaller.

2. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to set the automatic stop permit conditions for second automatic engine stop and automatic engine stop after the second automatic engine stop in one trip such that determination criteria are more stringent as a total number of times of in-motion automatic engine stop over a period from when the vehicle was new to a present time is smaller.

3. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic stop permit conditions include at least one of the following:

a distance between the own vehicle and a peripheral object present around the own vehicle is equal to or longer than a predetermined distance;

a speed of the own vehicle relative to a peripheral object present around the own vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed; and

a gradient of a road on which the own vehicle is moving is equal to or smaller than a predetermined gradient.

4. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic stop permit conditions include that a distance between the own vehicle and a peripheral object present around the own vehicle is equal to or longer than a predetermined distance, and the controller sets the predetermined distance to be longer as the cumulative number of times of in-motion automatic engine stop in one trip is smaller.

5. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic stop permit conditions include that a speed of the own vehicle relative to a peripheral object present around the own vehicle is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, and the controller sets the predetermined speed to be lower as the cumulative number of times of in-motion automatic engine stop in one trip is smaller.

6. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic stop permit conditions include that a gradient of a road on which the vehicle is moving is equal to or smaller than a predetermined gradient, and the controller sets the predetermined gradient to be smaller as the cumulative number of times of in-motion automatic engine stop in one trip is smaller.

7. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of restart devices configured to automatically restart the engine, wherein

the electronic control unit is configured to, when the engine has failed to be restarted by a principal restart device of the plurality of restart devices, attempt restart of the engine by another restart device of the plurality of restart devices.

8. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the restart devices include at least one of the following:

a device that starts the engine by using a motor-generator;

a device that starts the engine by using a starter motor;

a device that starts the engine by injecting fuel into a cylinder of the engine in which a piston of the engine is stopped during an expansion stroke and by igniting the fuel; and

a device that starts the engine by using rotary energy of a driving wheel of the vehicle.

9. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a single restart device configured to automatically restart the engine, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to inform a diagnostic result of whether or not the automatic stop conditions are met to a driver of the vehicle.

10. The controller for a vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the restart device includes at least one of the following:

a device that starts the engine by using a motor-generator;

a device that starts the engine by using a starter motor;

a device that starts the engine by injecting fuel into a cylinder of the engine in which a piston of the engine is stopped during an expansion stroke and by igniting the fuel; and

a device that starts the engine by using rotary energy of a driving wheel of the vehicle.