Diesel Kiki Co., Ltd.

Zexel Gmbh

Kazumasa Kurihara

Kenji Arai

Tsutomu Takahashi

Akira Sekiguchi

Shigeru Yajima

Hidekazu Oshizawa

Yuichi Kitano

Masahiko Shinagawa

Masaharu Inamo

Masao Nakajima

In a fuel injection system for a vehicle engine, the fuel injection is controlled in a feedback mode when no abnormality occurs in the control system, and it is controlled in an open loop mode by a limp home circuit when any abnormality in the control system is detected by a watch dog timer. The vehicle may thus be slowly driven to a safe or proper place for servicing. The limp home circuit includes fuel cutoff means for interrupting the fuel supply to the engine in the open loop mode of operation when the rotational speed of the engine exceeds a predetermined value.

Fuel injection control system for internal combustion engine

A data processing method for obtaining data indicating the period between pulses comprises measuring the interval between the subject pulses, separately generating time pulses of a prescribed period, measuring the time between the most recent subject pulse and the most recent time pulse, outputting the interval between the subject pulses as the pulse period data if it is longer than the time between the most recent subject pulse and the most recent time pulse and otherwise outputting the latter time as the pulse period data. The data obtained in this way more precisely indicates the actual pulse period in cases where noise pulses occur between subject pulses.

Data processing method for obtaining data indicating pulse period

In an engine speed controlling method in a PI isochronous control mode, the initial value of an integral term for PI control is determined when the difference between a given target engine speed and an actual engine speed becomes more than a prescribed level, and the value of the integral term is change to the value of a no-load rack position at which the target engine speed is maintained in no engine load condition, when the actual engine speed becomes equal to the target engine speed, whereby large overshoot and undershoot can be effectively suppressed.

Method for controlling rotational speed of an internal combustion engine

In a method for detecting malfunction in microcomputer system, in which a given job is processed in a multiple task processing manner, it is discriminated whether or not each of tasks was executed normally after the each execution thereof, and each count of counters provided for all of the tasks except for a prescribed task is changed in response to result of the discrimination. Each count of all counters is checked at the time of the execution of the prescribed task to determine whether or not all of the tasks were executed normally.

System by determining if all multiple tasks were processed normally

A vehicle control system includes a sensor for detecting an operating condition of a vehicle, and a control device. When the output of the sensor is normal, the control device controls an actuator in accordance with the output of the sensor. When the output of the sensor exceeds a limit value and therefore becomes abnormal, the control device controls the actuator using backup data. As the backup data, auxiliary backup data is first used, and thereafter predetermined main backup data is used. The auxiliary backup data gradually varies from a value of the output of said sensor, obtained immediately before the output of the sensor exceeds the limit value, toward the main backup data, so that the auxiliary back data becomes closer to the main backup data.

Vehicle Control System

A system for checking a malfunction in a controller. The controller includes a microcomputer connected between an input and output terminal of the controller. The microcomputer is programmed to perform a normal control mode, to perform a self-checking mode, and to judge whether conditions of entry into the self-checking mode are met so as to select one of the two modes. An external circuit is connected between the input and output terminals of the controller so as to establish a predetermined relation between the voltage levels of the input and output terminals. In the self-checking mode, the microcomputer outputs a control signal for setting the output terminal to one of high and low logic voltage levels. The microcomputer judges whether an input signal passed to the microcomputer through the input terminal having the predetermined voltage relation with said output terminal has a voltage level corresponding to the voltage level of said output terminal, and judges that there is a malfunction if the input signal is not at the above-mentioned corresponding level. The microcomputer causes the malfunction to be displayed in an external display unit when the microcomputer judges the malfunction.

Malfunction checking system for controller

In a control system for controlling a clutch coupled with an internal combustion engine for driving a vehicle off, the control operation for clutch engagement is carried out based on the level of power insufficiency of the engine. When the level of engine insufficiency is within a predetermined range, the operation for clutch engagement is controlled in accordance with the change in the amount of operation of an accelerating member without stopping the engaging operation of the clutch. In order to improve the performance experienced by the operator at drive-off, just after recovery from power insufficiency, the target clutch stroke to be followed is corrected by correction data determined on the basis of the difference between the target and actual clutch stroke at the time the engine has just recovered from its power insufficiency.

System and method for controlling vehicle drive-off

In a method for automatically controlling a vehicle transmission system having a gear-type transmission and a clutch, in the case where the system is controlled in a control mode wherein the clutch is disengaged so as to prevent idle running of the vehicle when the amount of operation of the acceleration pedal becomes less than a prescribed level, when the clutch is engaged in response to an increase in the running speed of the vehicle, the control mode is changed to another control mode in which the engaged state of the clutch is maintained even if the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal becomes zero. Thus, in case of, for example, a vehicle drive-off mode for snow-covered road condition, it becomes possible to realize smooth vehicle running at low speed without need to depress the accelerator pedal.

Method for controlling vehicle transmission systems

In an automatic transmission system for a vehicle having a gear transmission and a clutch which are electronically controlled by a control unit, the system includes a discrimination unit for discriminating whether or not the vehicle is running with the gear transmission shifted to its neutral position and a determining unit for determining a target gear position to which the gear transmission is to be shifted in the case where the vehicle is running without fuel-combustion in the engine. The control unit is caused to control the gear transmission to shift to the target gear position and the clutch to engage in response to the discrimination unit when an ignition switch is turned to its OFF position in the case where the vehicle is running with the gear transmission shifted to the neutral position, whereby the rotational torque of wheels can be transmitted through the automatic transmission system to the engine. As a result, the rotating of the engine is assured even if the ignition switch is turned to its OFF position to stop the fuel combustion in the engine.

Control system for automatic transmission apparatus for vehicles

In a vehicle-running control system, an engine combustion control device includes a malfunction detector for detecting a malfunction of the engine combustion control device, and an engine-combustion stopping unit operative in response to a malfunction detecting signal from the malfunction detector to stop combustion in the engine. A clutch control device has an urgent clutch switching unit which responds to the malfunction detecting signal to output a control signal for bringing a clutch to its engaged position, to an actuator of the clutch control device. A transmission control device has an urgent gear-position switching unit which responds to the malfunction detecting signal to output a control signal for bringing the gear position to one different from a neutral, to an actuator of the transmission control device.

Vehicle-running control system

A backup acceleration signal generator for vehicles having, for example, an automatic transmission operating in response to a signal indicating the amount of acceleration, has a signal generator for producing a backup operation. The backup signal is too small to start the control operation for starting the vehicle and is applied to the automatic transmission in accordance with the braking condition of the vehicle or the operating condition of the automatic transmission. The apparatus supplies the backup signal to the automatic transmission when braking power is applied to the vehicle or the vehicle is in the parked condition, so that the vehicle is prevented from starting automatically when the backup operation starts due to the occurrence of an abnormality of the acceleration signal.

Apparatus for generating acceleration signal for backup

In an automatic transmission system in which a gear transmission and a clutch are electronically controlled so as to shift the transmission to the optimum gear position, the system comprises a first generator for generating a set of initial map data corresponding to the position of a selector, the initial map data being for determining an initial target gear position to which the gear should be initially shifted after the position of the selector is changed, and a second generator for generating a set of normal map data corresponding to the position of the selector, the normal map data being for determining a normal target gear position to which the gear should be shifted after the gear is shifted to the determined initial target position. One of the outputs of the first and second generators is selected and applied to a calculator in which the target gear position is calculated in accordance with the selected map data. The gear transmission is automatically shifted to the calculated gear position. When the gear transmission is in a transitory condition, the initial map data is selected, whereby inappropriate gear shift operation just after the position of the selector is changed can effectively be prevented.

Automatic transmission system

In an apparatus for controlling a vehicle with an automatic transmission which includes a gear transmission and a clutch and is responsive to the operation of a selector and an acceleration member, the selector has a special position and a low-speed running mode is allowed when the special position is selected. During the low-speed running mode, the vehicle can be driven even when the amount of operation of the acceleration member is zero level, reducing the work of the driver, especially in heavy traffic.

Apparatus for controlling vehicle having an automatic transmission system

An automatic transmission system having a gear transmission comprises a detector responsive to the operation of switching OFF an ignition switch for detecting whether or not the actual gear position of the gear transmission matches the position set by a selector. When the result of the detection is that the actual gear position does not match the set gear position, the gear position of the gear transmission is changed to the right position corresponding to the position of the selector at the time the ignition switch is turned off. Thus, the gear transmission is sure to be in the right gear position whenever the ignition switch has been switched OFF.

Automatic transmission system for vehicles

In an apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine for a vehicle provided with an electronically controlled automatic transmission system including a friction-type clutch and a gear-type transmission, the speed of the engine is controlled in accordance with a target speed determined by whether the clutch is engaged or not, and at the moment the clutch becomes engaged, the target engine speed gradually changes from the target speed for the disengaged condition of the clutch to that for the fully engaged condition of the clutch, whereby the mechanical shock occurring at the time of the engagement of the clutch is remarkably reduced.

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Higashimatsuyama, Japan

Kazumasa Kurihara