Vehicle with reduced emission of harmful component

• US 6,581,373 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takashi, Suzuki, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Denion, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, DIEM T
• Application Number:
  US09/961,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20020052266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 602/74, 602/85, 123/179.4
• US Class Current: 60/285
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/268 Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/445 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/068 Engine exhaust temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0616 Position of fuel or air injector
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0644 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0814 Oxygen storage amount
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0295 Control according to the amount of oxygen that is stored on the exhaust gas treating apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1446 the characteristics being exhaust temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

An amount of oxygen accumulated in a catalytic converter after an engine stop by discontinuing a fuel supply to an engine is controlled to be within a preset range by controlling an engine speed into a preset range, controlling an engine revolution phase into a preset range, feeding air into the catalytic converter until the accumulated amount of oxygen becomes saturated, and controlling a catalytic converter temperature into a preset temperature range. Increase of an appropriate amount of the fuel at re-starting of the engine may prevent oxygen from deteriorating the NOx removing function without degrading an emission and the fuel efficiency.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a power-train including an engine, a motor at least temporarily connected to the engine, a battery serving to supply power to the motor, and a generator selectively driven by at least the engine to charge the battery;

a catalytic converter that purifies an exhaust gas from the engine; and

a controller that

controls fuel supply to the engine;

determines whether an engine stop condition for stopping the engine is established and whether an engine re-start condition for re-starting the engine is established, on the basis of a traveling state of the vehicle; and

discontinues the fuel supply to the engine when it is determined that the engine stop condition is established, and controls an engine speed such that an amount of oxygen accumulated in the catalytic converter during an engine stop is adjusted to be within a preset range; and

re-starts the fuel supply for driving the engine when it is determined that the engine re-start condition is established, while temporarily increasing an amount of fuel supplied to the engine.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller temporarily increases the amount of fuel such that a preset amount of HC is fed to the catalytic converter to prevent the accumulated oxygen from deteriorating a NOx removing function of the catalytic converter without being discharged from the catalytic converter.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls an operation of the engine such that the engine speed upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller discontinues the fuel supply when a revolution phase of the engine is within a preset range.

5. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the controller discontinues the fuel supply when a revolution phase of the engine is within a preset range.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls an operation of the engine such that a temperature of the catalytic converter upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

7. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls an operation of the engine such that a temperature of the catalytic converter upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

8. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the controller controls an operation of the engine such that a temperature of the catalytic converter upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

9. The vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the controller controls an operation of the engine such that a temperature of the catalytic converter upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

10. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the engine speed after discontinuation of the fuel supply to the engine.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls the engine speed after discontinuation of the fuel supply to the engine such that an amount of oxygen to be accumulated in the catalytic converter during an engine stop is controlled to a saturated amount of oxygen that can be accumulated in the catalytic converter.

12. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the motor and the generator are integrated into a motor/generator.

13. A method for controlling emission of a harmful component discharged from an engine of a vehicle provided with a power-train including the engine, a motor at least temporarily connected to the engine, a battery serving to supply power to the motor, a generator selectively driven by at least the engine to charge the battery, and a catalytic converter that purifies an exhaust gas of the engine, the method comprising the steps of.

controlling fuel supply to the engine;

determining whether an engine stop condition for stopping the engine is established and whether an engine re-start condition for re-starting the engine is established, on the basis of a traveling state of the vehicle; and

discontinuing the fuel supply to the engine when it is determined that the engine stop condition is established, and controlling an engine speed such that an amount of oxygen accumulated in the catalytic converter during an engine stop is adjusted to be within a preset range; and

re-starting the fuel supply for driving the engine when it is determined that the engine re-start condition is established, while temporarily increasing an amount of fuel supplied to the engine.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the amount of fuel is temporarily increased such that a preset amount of HC is fed to the catalytic converter to prevent the accumulated oxygen from deteriorating a NOx removing function of the catalytic converter without being discharged from the catalytic converter.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein an operation of the engine is controlled such that the engine speed upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the fuel supply is discontinued when a revolution phase of the engine is within a preset range.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the fuel supply is discontinued when a revolution phase of the engine is within a preset range.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein an operation of the engine is controlled such that a temperature of the catalytic converter upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein an operation of the engine is controlled such that a temperature of the catalytic converter upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

20. The method according to claim 16, wherein an operation of the engine is controlled such that a temperature of the catalytic converter upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein an operation of the engine is controlled such that a temperature of the catalytic converter upon discontinuation of the fuel supply is within a preset range.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein the engine speed is controlled after discontinuation of the fuel supply to the engine.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the engine speed is controlled after discontinuation of the fuel supply to the engine such that an amount of oxygen to be accumulated in the catalytic converter during an engine stop is controlled to a saturated amount of oxygen that can be accumulated in the catalytic converter.