Electronic controller

• US 9,777,648 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Umesaka, Takeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwari, Maceeh
• Application Number:
  US14/956,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20160186674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 701 22
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An electronic controller controls a drive of a vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as a driving source. The electronic controller includes a travelling distance calculation portion, a diagnosis portion, and a control portion. The travelling distance calculation portion calculates a travelling distance where the vehicle can travel by using the electric motor as the driving source, based on a power surplus quantity of a battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor. The diagnosis portion diagnoses a diagnosis object included in the internal combustion engine. The control portion controls the internal combustion engine. When a condition that the travelling distance is shorter than or equal to a threshold distance that is predetermined is satisfied, the control portion forcibly drives the diagnosis object and controls the diagnosis portion to execute a malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object.

Claims

1. An electronic controller controlling a drive of a vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as a driving source, comprising:

a travelling distance calculation portion that is configured to calculate a travelling distance which is how far the vehicle can travel by using the electric motor as the driving source, based on a power surplus quantity of a battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor;

a diagnosis portion that is configured to diagnose a diagnosis object included in the internal combustion engine; and

a control portion that is configured to control the internal combustion engine, wherein

when the travelling distance that is calculated which is how far the vehicle can travel by using the electric motor as the driving source based on the power surplus quantity of the battery is shorter than or equal to a threshold distance that is predetermined, the control portion (i) forcibly drives the diagnosis object included in the internal combustion engine, regardless of whether the internal combustion engine is running, and (ii) controls the diagnosis portion to execute a malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object included in the internal combustion engine,

wherein the electronic controller is configured to be connected to the internal combustion engine and the electric motor in the vehicle,

wherein the traveling distance calculation portion is configured to be connected with the battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor.

2. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein

the threshold distance is an estimation distance of a travelling passage that is estimated based on a present position of the vehicle and a destination position that is set.

3. The electronic controller according to claim 2, wherein

when the control portion is energized, the control portion is configured to compare the travelling distance with the estimation distance to the destination position, and

when a condition that the travelling distance is shorter than or equal to the estimation distance used as the threshold distance is satisfied, the control portion is configured to forcibly drive the diagnosis object and controls the diagnosis portion to execute the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object.

4. The electronic controller according to claim 2, wherein

when a condition that the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object has not been executed in a latest time period from a time point that the control portion is energized to a time point that the control portion is deenergized is satisfied, the control portion is configured to forcibly drive the diagnosis object and controls the diagnosis portion to execute the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object.

5. The electronic controller according to claim 2, wherein

when a condition that the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object has not been executed in a time period from a time point that the destination position is set to a present time point is satisfied, the control portion is configured to forcibly drive the diagnosis object and controls the diagnosis portion to execute the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object.

6. The electronic controller according to claim 2, wherein

when a condition that a non-executing time period calculated from a time point that a latest malfunction diagnosis is executed is longer than or equal to a threshold time period that is predetermined is satisfied, the control portion is configured to forcibly drive the diagnosis object and control the diagnosis portion to execute the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object.

7. The electronic controller according to claim 6, wherein

the non-executing time period is a time period from the time point that the latest malfunction diagnosis is executed to a time point that a following malfunction diagnosis is executed, and

the non-executing time period is calculated only in a time period from the time point that the control portion is energized to the time point that the control portion is deenergized.

8. The electronic controller according to claim 6, wherein

the non-executing time period is a time period from the time point that the latest malfunction diagnosis is executed to a time point that a following malfunction diagnosis is executed, and

the non-executing time period is calculated based on a time difference between the time point that the latest malfunction diagnosis is executed and the present time point.

9. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein

the control portion is configured to forcibly drive the diagnosis object and control the diagnosis portion to execute the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object, in a time period from a time point that the control portion is energized to a time point that the vehicle starts to travel.

10. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein

when a condition that a vehicle speed is less than or equal to a predetermined speed, the control portion is configured to forcibly drive the diagnosis object and controls the diagnosis portion to execute the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object.

11. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein

the control portion is configured to forcibly drive the diagnosis object and control the diagnosis portion to execute the malfunction diagnosis of the diagnosis object, in a predetermined time period after a time point that the control portion is energized.

12. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein

the control portion is configured to forcibly drive the diagnosis object included in the internal combustion engine by, regardless of whether the internal combustion engine is running, (i) activating an actuator or a sensor that is the diagnosis object which is included in the internal combustion engine and (ii) detecting a physical quantity that represents the malfunction.

13. The electronic controller according to claim 1, wherein

the control portion is configured to perform the forcible drive of the diagnosis object, which is a component in the internal combustion engine, and controls the diagnosis portion, while the electric motor is the driving source.