Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroyasu Fukaya

Susumu Akiyama

Kenzo Ito

Yuji Hirabayashi

Takahide Kawamura

Haruhiko Ogiso

Takashi Yamada

Shinji Shirasaki

Yukio Sakakibara

Masakazu Ninomiya

Motozo Ikeda

Jiro Nakano

Atsushi Suzuki

Norio Omori

Kazunari Shirai

Yoshizo Ito

Tomihisa Sakai

Yoshitaka Ozaki

Takashi Murosaki

Toshi Suda

This diversity type GPS system for a vehicle has first and second antennas mounted at first and second locations, respectively, inside a vehicle. First and second high frequency amplifiers and an antenna changer apply the signals received by the first and second antennas to first and second SS demodulators. The first and second SS demodulators simultaneously perform search operations for satellites, and demodulate rf signals (demodulated data) from the searched out satellites. An arithmetic and control unit computes a position of the vehicle from the demodulated data once three or more sets of demodulated data are available. The arithmetic and control unit also controls the antenna changer to switch the antenna from which a demodulator receives signals so as to improve the searching operations of the demodulators.

Diversity type global positioning system for motor vehicles

Traveling conditions of a vehicle are detected. A present position of the vehicle is calculated on the basis of the detected vehicle traveling conditions. A memory holds data representing preset reference points located at intersections and at unforked straight roads, data representing whether the respective preset reference points are located at the intersections or at the unforked straight roads, and other data. A target reference point toward which a vehicle is traveling is selected from the preset reference points. When the vehicle passes the target reference point, the calculated vehicle position is forcedly set to the target reference point. A decision is made as to whether or not the target reference point is located at an intersection or at an unforked straight road. A process of forcedly setting the calculated vehicle position to the target reference point located at the intersection is differentiated from a process of forcedly setting the calculated vehicle position to the target reference point located at the unforked straight road.

Vehicle navigation system

The invention provides an arrangement for time correlating a computer's internal information with its input and output signals. The internal information is stored in a storage device along with time data indicative of the time at which the internal information was read. This time data is used to correlate the internal information, when read from storage, with the input and output signals. The invention also provides a more general arrangement for producing logic signals. Data for producing logic signals are stored in a memory. This data includes a transition time and a corresponding logic level after the transition. Logic signals are generated and 'forced' to the logic level called for by the data read from memory. This allows logic signals to be produced from little data. This general scheme is applied to an arrangement for recording and reproducing digital and analogue signals. Digital data is recorded in memory and 'reconstructed' using a single, common, clock is used for A/D and D/A converting to insure synchronism over a long period of time.

Method of storing, indicating or producing signals and apparatus for

An engine control method and apparatus generally applicable to those control systems of the engine such as an ignition system, fuel injection system, etc., which are controlled to optimum operation in accordance with the engine operating conditions. A plurality of angular pulses are generated during each rotation of the engine and these pulses are counted. In response to each pulse, an angular interrupt request is generated and the interrupt is performed in response thereto. The angular interrupt routines are of the highest priority and are executed irrespective of the execution status of the central processing unit to control an electric device associated with the engine in accordance with control data calculated by the central processing unit. Program interrupt requests are generated during selected angular interrupt routines when the counted number of angular pulses reaches a predetermined value. Program interrupt routines of lower priority than the angular interrupt routines are then executed to calculate the control data for the electric device.

Computer based engine control with lower priority interrupt requests

An engine control method generally applicable to those control systems of the engine such as an ignition system, fuel injection system, etc., which are controlled to optimum operation in accordance with engine operating conditions. Angular pulses are generated each time the output shaft of the engine rotates a predetermined angular amount. These angular pulses are counted from the occurrence of a position pulse which is generated at a predetermined angular position of the output shaft of the engine. A central processor is employed to calculate a first angular position at which an electric device for the engine is to be controlled. The central processor also calculates a time interval between the first angular position and a second angular position at which one of the angular pulses is to be provided just before the first angular position. When the angular pulse counting reaches a value corresponding to the second angular position, fixed frequency clock pulses are then counted. When the calculated required time interval has passed as determined by counting the fixed frequency clock pulses, the electric device is controlled.

Engine control event timing employing both crank angle rotation and time

An ignition timing control method and an apparatus for internal combustion engines in which the ignition timing of the engine is calculated from a base value obtained by detecting a first operation state of the engine and from a learned correction value obtained in accordance with the record content of a nonvolatile memory, the ignition timing being corrected by rewriting the nonvolatile memory in accordance with the detection result of second and third driving states of the engine, as desired.

Ignition timing control method and apparatus for internal combustion

An engine control method generally applicable to those control systems of the engine such as an ignition system, fuel injection system, etc., which are controlled to optimum operation in accordance with the engine operating conditions. In this method, an operation starting timing and an operation ending timing of the control system, e.g., in the case of the ignition system, an ignition coil energization starting timing and an ignition timing (an energization ending timing) are computed at each of predetermined computing cycles, and the latest computed ignition timing, for example, which is computed after the coil energization has been started further taking into consideration of the actual coil energization timing and a minimum required energization period is compared with an ignition timing computed in the preceding computing cycle, and a corrective computation of the latest computed ignition timing is carried out depending on the result of the comparison to obtain an optimum ignition timing. Also the history of the ON-OFF state of a bleed valve in an engine air supply system is monitored. The actual duty cycle of the valve is compared with a desired duty cycle to determine whether or not to open the valve for a succeeding time period.

Method and apparatus for controlling the duty cycle of an off-on type

Spark ignition timing of an internal combustion engine is oscillated on each side of a variable reference setting during successive ignition phases and the resultant engine speed is detected during at least three successive phases. The detected engine speed values are compared one against each other to determine whether they satisfy one of two specified conditions. The variable reference is adjusted in a direction toward an optimum position depending on which one of the conditions is satisfied. At least one of controlled parameters including the magnitude of the oscillated setting with respect to the variable reference, the length of the ignition phase and the amount of the adjusted reference setting, is varied as a function of an engine operating parameter.

Method and system for operating an engine at maximum torque with

An engine control method and apparatus generally applicable to those control systems of the engine such as an ignition system, fuel injection system, etc., which are controlled to optimum operation in accordance with the engine operating conditions. In this method, an operation starting timing and an operation ending timing of the control system, e.g., in the case of the ignition system, an ignition coil energization starting timing and an ignition timing (an energization ending timing) are computed at each of predetermined computing cycles, and the latest computed ignition timing, for example, which is computed after the coil energization has been started, further taking into consideration the actual coil energization timing and a minimum required energization period is compared with an ignition timing computed in the preceding computing cycle, and a corrective computation of the latest computed ignition timing is carried out depending on the result of the comparison to obtain an optimum ignition timing.

Method and apparatus for controlling ignition coil energization

A rotational position detecting apparatus for use in spark ignition control systems for internal combustion engines. A plurality of angular informations are provided circularly on a rotatable disk except at the predetermined reference angular position of said rotatable disk. Two of the angular informations provided beside the reference angular position are spaced twice as wide as a predetermined angular interval between other two of the angular informations. A first and second signal generators spaced integer times as wide as the predetermined angular interval from each other are associated with the rotatable disk for generating respective a.c. output signals in response to the passing of each of said angular informations. The a.c. output signals of the first and second signal generators are applied to an electric circuit which subtracts one of the a.c. output signals from the other of the a.c. output signals and shapes the subtraction resultant signal into a pulse signal.

Rotational position detection device using a reference mark and two

In a method and apparatus for controlling a combustion engine, a digital computer repetitively and sequentially calculates first and second values corresponding to the proper settings or actuation of first and second control devices that are used to control the combustion of the air-fuel mixture, by sensing changes in the operating conditions of the engine, the computer being programmed to calculate such first and second values from a first fuction describing a desired relationship between the condition of the engine and the setting of the first control device and from a second function describing another desired relationship between the condition of the engine and the setting of the second control device. An interrupt controller is provided to receive pulses which are synchronized with the rotational speed of the engine (hereinafter: synchronized pulse or pulses) and at least one clock pulse in a predetermined time interval so as to initially calculate the first value in the computer upon receiving a synchronized pulse even during the calculation of the second value, and subsequently calculate the second value after completion of the calculation of the first value.

Electrical control method and apparatus for combustion engines

A crankshaft rotational reference position detecting apparatus is adapted for use with ignition timing control systems for internal combustion engines. The apparatus comprises a rotor disk fixedly mounted on the crankshaft of an engine and having rotational angle information indicating slits and a rotational reference position indicating mark which are formed along the periphery thereof, a first sensor for detecting each rotational angle information indicating slit and generating a first pulse signal corresponding thereto, the first sensor producing no first pulse signal when a rotational reference position is detected, a second sensor located at a position displaced from the first sensor in a desired rotational direction and adapted to generate a second pulse signal delayed in phase from the first pulse signal, a storage device responsive to the second pulse signals to store the output level of the first sensor, and a detection circuit responsive to a change in the output of the storage device which is indicative of the detection of the rotational reference position by the first sensor so as to generate a reference position detection pulse. In the event that the rotor disk is rotated in the reverse direction, the detection of the rotational reference position does not result in the generation of any reference position detection pulse.

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Nagoya, Japan

Hiroyasu Fukaya