Vehicle engine start control device

• US 9,140,201 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Shunya, Matsubara, Tooru, Kumazaki, Kenta, Tabata, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Low, Lindsay
• Assistant Examiner(s): JIN, GEORGE C.
• Application Number:
  US13/824,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20130179055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 701/105, 701/112, 701/103, 701/113, 123/399, 123/179.4, 123/179.3, 123/198.D, 123/198.F, 123/481, 123/90.15, 123/90.16, 123/90.17, 123/179.16, 123/179.18, 903/905, 290/38.R, 290/40.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/547 the transmission being a stepped gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• 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 2510/0604 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0685 Engine crank angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/19 Improvement of gear change, e.g. by synchronisation or smoothing gear shift
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/001 for engines with variable valve actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/002 by simultaneous control of throttle and variable valve actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0002 Controlling intake air
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/023 in relation with the gear ratio shifting conjoint control for improving gear change B60W30/19
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/062 for starting F02D41/061 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 11/0814 comprising means for controlling automatic idle-start-stop
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 19/004 Aiding engine start by using decompression means or variable valve actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 19/005 Aiding engine start by starting from a predetermined position, e.g. pre-positioning or reverse rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2019/008 the engine being stopped in a particular position
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle engine start control device controls a crank angle such that the crank angle falls within a predetermined crank angle stop range when an engine is automatically stopped, the vehicle engine start control device starting the automatically stopped engine if a predetermined engine start condition is satisfied, the vehicle including an automatic transmission making up a portion of a power transmission path between the engine and drive wheels, and the vehicle engine start control device providing engine rotation resistance control such that rotation resistance of the engine generated due to a change in air pressure in a combustion chamber of the engine is made larger during an automatic stop period of the engine that the engine is automatically stopped and during a change in gear ratio in a shift of the automatic transmission as compared to the time of engine start.

Claims

1. A vehicle engine start control device controlling a crank angle such that the crank angle falls within a predetermined crank angle stop range when an engine is automatically stopped, the vehicle engine start control device starting the automatically stopped engine if a predetermined engine start condition is satisfied,

the vehicle including an automatic transmission making up a portion of a power transmission path between the engine and drive wheels, and

the vehicle engine start control device providing engine rotation resistance control such that rotation resistance of the engine generated due to a change in air pressure in a combustion chamber of the engine is made larger during an automatic stop period of the engine when the engine is automatically stopped and during a change in gear ratio in a shift of the automatic transmission as compared to the time of engine start.

2. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 1, wherein

the engine includes at least one of an intake valve opening/closing timing changing device advancing or delaying both opening timing and closing timing of an intake valve and an exhaust valve opening/closing timing changing device advancing or delaying both opening timing and closing timing of an exhaust valve, and wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine is made larger by at least one of shifting the opening timing and the closing timing of the intake valve in advance direction as compared to the time of the engine start and shifting the opening timing and the closing timing of the exhaust valve in delay direction as compared to the time of the engine start.

3. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 1, wherein

the engine includes at least one of an intake valve opening/closing timing changing device changing opening timing and closing timing of an intake valve independently of each other and an exhaust valve opening/closing timing changing device changing opening timing and closing timing of an exhaust valve independently of each other, and wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine is made larger by at least one of shifting the opening timing of one or both of the intake valve and the exhaust valve in delay direction as compared to the time of the engine start, shifting the closing timing of one or both of the intake valve and the exhaust valve in advance direction as compared to the time of the engine start, and maintaining the intake valve and the exhaust valve in a closed state regardless of the crank angle of the engine.

4. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 1, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine is made larger by further closing an electric throttle valve adjusting an intake air amount into the engine as compared to the time of the engine start.

5. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 2, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine is made larger by further closing an electric throttle valve adjusting an intake air amount into the engine as compared to the time of the engine start.

6. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 3, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine is made larger by further closing an electric throttle valve adjusting an intake air amount into the engine as compared to the time of the engine start.

7. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 1, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine during the stop period of the engine is set based on at least one of a request from a driver and a vehicle state.

8. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 2, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine during the stop period of the engine is set based on at least one of a request from a driver and a vehicle state.

9. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 3, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine during the stop period of the engine is set based on at least one of a request from a driver and a vehicle state.

10. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 4, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine during the stop period of the engine is set based on at least one of a request from a driver and a vehicle state.

11. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 5, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine during the stop period of the engine is set based on at least one of a request from a driver and a vehicle state.

12. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 6, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, the rotation resistance of the engine during the stop period of the engine is set based on at least one of a request from a driver and a vehicle state.

13. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 1, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, a control to vary the rotation resistance of the engine to increase as compared to the time of engine start is completed before a change in gear ratio is started in a shift of the automatic transmission.

14. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 2, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, a control to vary the rotation resistance of the engine to increase as compared to the time of engine start is completed before a change in gear ratio is started in a shift of the automatic transmission.

15. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 3, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, a control to vary the rotation resistance of the engine to increase as compared to the time of engine start is completed before a change in gear ratio is started in a shift of the automatic transmission.

16. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 4, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, a control to vary the rotation resistance of the engine to increase as compared to the time of engine start is completed before a change in gear ratio is started in a shift of the automatic transmission.

17. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 7, wherein

in the engine rotation resistance control, a control to vary the rotation resistance of the engine to increase as compared to the time of engine start is completed before a change in gear ratio is started in a shift of the automatic transmission.

18. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 1, wherein

if it is determined that a crank angle of the engine enters a predetermined stable state after completion of a shift of the automatic transmission, the engine rotation resistance control is terminated.

19. The vehicle engine start control device of claim 1, wherein

if an engine start request for starting the engine is made while the rotation resistance of the engine is made larger in the engine rotation resistance control as compared to the time of the engine start, the rotation resistance of the engine is returned to a level at the time of the engine start before the engine is started.