Vehicle control system

• US 9,605,614 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Miura, Mitsuhiro, Shono, Shoichi, Motozono, Yoshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOLDMAN, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US14/651,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20150315991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 123/179.16, 123/179.19, 123/179.18, 123/198.DB, 701/36, 701/48, 701/532, 701/54, 701/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/02 including control of driveline clutches
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/103 Accelerator thresholds, e.g. kickdown
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/0627 Fuel flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18072 Coasting
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0625 Fuel consumption, e.g. measured in fuel liters per 100 kms or miles per gallon
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/04 Introducing corrections for particular operating conditions F02D41/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/08 for idling F02D41/06, F02D41/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/123 the fuel injection being cut-off
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control system for executing a fuel saving based on a learned value of fuel consumption obtained from an actual running of the vehicle. The control system makes an assessment of a fuel saving control by learning fuel consumption within a predetermined learning zone including a zone where the fuel saving control is executed and determines whether or not to execute the fuel saving control based on a result of the assessment.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising:

an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to;

make an assessment of a fuel saving control by learning fuel consumption within a predetermined learning zone including a zone where the fuel saving control is executed; and

determine whether or not to execute the fuel saving control based on a result of the assessment.

2. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ECU further configured to save the learned fuel consumption in association with the learning zone.

3. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a curvature of the learning zone is smaller than a predetermined value and a length of the learning zone is longer than a predetermined distance.

4. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an internal combustion engine adapted to increase an output power according to an opening degree of an accelerator,

wherein the learning zone includes a zone beginning from a point at which the opening degree of the accelerator is reduced and ending at a point at which the opening degree is reduced again after being increased.

5. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

an internal combustion engine adapted to increase an output power according to an opening degree of an accelerator; and

wherein the learning zone includes a zone beginning from a point at which the opening degree of the accelerator is reduced and ending at a point at which the opening degree is increased.

6. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ECU is further configured to:

compare the fuel consumption obtained during execution of the fuel saving control to a fuel consumption obtained without executing the fuel saving control in the same learning zone; and

learn an increase of the fuel consumption in the learning zone based on a larger fuel consumption.

7. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the fuel saving control includes a plurality of fuel saving controls executed based upon different execution conditions;

and

wherein the ECU is further configured to;

compare an actual fuel consumption obtained during an actual running of the vehicle under one of the fuel saving controls to a fuel consumption obtained from a simulation based on an actual running under another of the fuel saving controls; and

learn an increase of fuel consumption during the actual running if the actual fuel consumption is larger than the fuel consumption obtained from the simulation.

8. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a plurality of learned fuel consumptions are stored, the ECU is further configured to select a fuel saving control that was effective to save fuel based upon the plurality of learned fuel consumptions when the vehicle travels through the learning zone.

9. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fuel saving control includes a plurality of fuel saving controls comprising:

a neutral coasting control in which an engine is disconnected from a powertrain when the engine is not required to generate power during running;

a free-run stop and start control in which the engine is disconnected from a powertrain while stopping fuel supply thereto when the engine is not required to generate power during running;

a deceleration-based stop and start control in which the engine is disconnected from a powertrain while stopping fuel supply thereto when an engine braking force is not required during decelerating the vehicle; and

a stop-based stop and start control in which fuel supply to the engine is stopped when the vehicle is stopped.