Vehicle controlling system

• US 8,880,318 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Koji, Tsujii, Hiroshi, Matsunaga, Masaki, Ueki, Nobukazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nolan, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US13/060,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20110270501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70, 701/71, 701/76, 701/78, 701/81, 303/10, 303/11, 303/12
• US Class Current: 701/81
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0833 Vehicle conditions F02N11/0822, F02N11/0825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0837 Environmental conditions thereof, e.g. traffic, weather or road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0805 Detection of vehicle emergency state, e.g. from ABS, ESP, external sensors
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/0807 Brake booster state
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2250/02 Battery voltage drop at start, e.g. drops causing ECU reset
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2300/2006 using prediction of future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A vehicle controlling system includes an engine serving as a power source of a vehicle; an electric storage device; an assist device that assists an operation of a driver by consuming power from the electric storage device so as to operate a running device that changes the running condition of the vehicle; and a starting device that consumes power from the electric storage device so as to start the engine, wherein the starting device automatically starts the engine based upon a physical quantity concerning the engine, and the start of the engine is inhibited while the assist device operates the running device, when the execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia.

Claims

1. A vehicle controlling system comprising:

an engine serving as a power source of a vehicle;

an electric storage device;

an assist device that assists an operation of a driver by consuming power from the electric storage device so as to operate a running device that changes the running condition of the vehicle; and

a starting device that consumes power from the electric storage device so as to start the engine, wherein

when at least either one of a running environment in which it is predicted that the operation to the operation member of the running device is to be performed and a running environment in which it is predicted that the assist device is to be operated is present ahead during the execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia, the engine is started by the starting device before the operation of the assist device.

2. The vehicle controlling system according to claim 1, wherein

whether the engine is started is determined based upon a physical quantity concerning the engine a value of which changes according to the operation to the operation member.

3. A vehicle controlling system comprising:

an engine serving as a power source of a vehicle;

an electric storage device;

an assist device that assists an operation of a driver by consuming power from the electric storage device so as to operate a running device that changes the running condition of the vehicle; and

a starting device that consumes power from the electric storage device so as to start the engine, wherein

the starting device automatically starts the engine based upon a physical quantity concerning the engine and the start of the engine based upon the physical quantity is inhibited while the assist device operates the running device, during the execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia,

wherein the assist device assists an operation of the driver performed to an operation member of the running device so as to operate the running device, and

a value of the physical quantity is decreased by the operation to the operation member and is recovered when the engine is driven,

wherein the running device is a braking device that brakes the vehicle,

the assist device assists a braking operation by the driver and consumes the power from the electric storage device so as to operate the braking device, and

the physical quantity is a negative pressure of the engine introduced to a servo unit of the braking device.

4. The vehicle controlling system according to claim 3, wherein when at least either one of a running environment in which it is predicted that the operation to the operation member is to be performed and a running environment in which it is predicted that the assist device is to be operated is present ahead, a request of starting the engine is issued with the negative pressure greater than that in the case where neither of the running environments is present ahead.

5. A vehicle controlling system comprising:

an engine serving as a power source of a vehicle;

an electric storage device;

an assist device that assists an operation of a driver by consuming power from the electric storage device so as to operate a running device that changes the running condition of the vehicle; and

a starting device that consumes power from the electric storage device so as to start the engine, wherein

the starting device automatically starts the engine based upon a physical quantity concerning the engine and the start of the engine based upon the physical quantity is inhibited while the assist device operates the running device, during the execution of an inertial running in which the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to run with inertia,

wherein the assist device assists an operation of the driver performed to an operation member of the running device so as to operate the running device, and

a value of the physical quantity is decreased by the operation to the operation member and is recovered when the engine is driven,

wherein when a running environment in which it is predicted that the assist device is to be operated is present ahead during the execution of the inertial running, the start of the engine by the starting device is inhibited even before the assist device operates the running device.