Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Naoki Maeda

Akito Itou

Atsuko Yokoyama

Masayuki Tsuda

Harufumi Muto

Satoshi Furukawa

Masanao Idogawa

Yasuhiro Tanaka

Yoshihisa Sato

Susumu Akiyama

Nobutomo Takagi

Takao Saito

Katsunori Ito

Yuji Hirabayashi

Hiroyuki Kanemitsu

Noriyasu Kobashi

Makoto Kawatsu

Masanobu Yamashita

Taizo Asaoka

An exhaust purification device includes a PM filter and a differential pressure sensor for the PM filter, and calculates a first estimated amount PMf based on the operating state of the internal combustion engine and a second estimated amount PMc based on the differential pressure. The exhaust purification device performs an anomaly determination of the differential pressure sensor based on the state of the differential pressure sensor from stopping of the internal combustion engine to a startup thereof, and corrects the first estimated amount PMf based on the second estimated amount PMc when starting the internal combustion engine. The exhaust purification device calculates, as the PM deposition amount Pr, the larger value of the first and second estimated amounts, and starts a filter regeneration control of the PM filter when the PM deposition amount Pr is equal to or more than a first predetermined amount.

Exhaust purification device for internal combustion engine and method for controlling the device

A controller includes a microcomputer that operates in a normal mode or in a low power mode and communicates with an external device, a monitor circuit that monitors an operation state of the microcomputer based on a monitor signal output from the microcomputer, and a start circuit that controls a drive of the monitor circuit. Communication signals exchanged between the microcomputer and the external device include a dominant state and a recessive state, and the start circuit monitors the communication signals. When the communication signals in the low power mode of the microcomputer include the dominant state, the start circuit puts the monitor circuit in a monitoring state. When no monitor signal is input from the microcomputer to the monitor circuit that is operating in the monitoring state, the monitor circuit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the microcomputer.

Controller for reducing power

An electronic control unit includes a microcomputer and a power circuit that supplies an electric power to the microcomputer. The microcomputer and the power circuit respectively operate in a normal operation mode and in a low power operation mode that consumes less power than the normal operation mode. The electronic control unit further includes a mode switcher for switching the operation modes of the microcomputer and the power circuit according to an input signal from an external device. When a mode switch signal for switching the operation mode of both devices to the normal operation mode, the mode switcher first switches the power circuit to the normal operation mode and subsequently switches the microcomputer to the normal operation mode, which prevents a reset operation of the microcomputer without using a large capacity capacitor.

Electronic control unit

An electronic control unit includes a microcomputer, a monitoring unit, a clock-generating oscillator circuit, a first power circuit supplying power to the microcomputer, and a second power circuit supplying power to the monitor microcomputer. The first power circuit includes a first switching power source including a first transistor and a first series power source including a second transistor. The second power circuit includes a second switching power source including a third transistor and a second series power source including a fourth transistor. Further, the ECU includes a power control circuit controlling each of the transistors and an oscillation stop detection circuit. When a stop of oscillation is detected, the power control circuit switches ON the second transistor, and switches OFF the fourth transistor, thereby diminishing a no-monitoring period of the microcontroller during a stop of the clock output.

An engine starting assist system includes an auxiliary ECU having a voltage booster, an engine ECU, a starter relay, and a starter that allows the engine to be started when a current flows through the starter relay. The auxiliary ECU and the engine ECU are powered by a battery and supply currents to the starter relay. When the engine ECU resets the supply of the current to the starter relay because of a voltage drop of the battery during starting of the engine, the auxiliary ECU increases the voltage supplied from the battery using the booster, thereby supplying the current to the starter relay.

Engine starting assist system

A control device able to find the intake air flow rate in an internal combustion engine having a plurality of intake passages upstream of a throttle valve is provided. The control device finds the intake air flow rate of the internal combustion engine by converting an output voltage of each of air flow sensors provided in the intake passages to a flow rate based on a relationship between an output voltage and flow rate found in advance for each air flow sensor, correcting the obtained flow rate in accordance with temperature characteristics of each the air flow sensor, and adding the corrected flow rates to calculate a total flow rate.

Control device of internal combustion engine

An intake passage upstream of a throttle valve is divided into a plurality of intake divided-flow conduits, and air flow meters are arranged in the respective intake divided-flow conduits. The throttle opening is obtained, and a throttle valve passing-through air amount, which is an amount of air passing through the throttle valve, is calculated on the basis of the throttle opening. Each air flow meter-detecting intake air amount, which is an intake air amount to be detected by the air flow meter, assuming that air flows through each intake divided-flow conduit by a part of the throttle valve passing-through air amount, the part being determined by a divided-flow ratio of the corresponding intake divided-flow conduit, is estimated, and a total value of the estimated air flow meter-detecting intake air amounts is then estimated. The engine is controlled on the basis of the total air flow meter-detecting intake air amount.

Control device for internal combustion engine

A message processing device is adapted to obtain text data and read aloud the text data aloud by using a voice synthesizer. A loudspeaker device is connected to the message processing device to output or read aloud the text data. The text data can be received through a receiving device that receives outside information data or e-mail message data. The voice synthesizer can be controlled by an outside information controller, with the outside information controller being able to distinguish senders of the text data and being able to select one voice tone data to read aloud messages sent by one sender. If the controller recognizes that there are other messages sent by another sender, the controller allots different voice tone data for the other sender's messages. The message processing device can include a voice navigation device to generate voice signals for giving route guidance messages or information to a driver of a vehicle. The voice tone used for the route guidance message is preferably different from the voice tone used to read aloud the outside information message. It is thus possible for the driver to recognize the source or senders of different messages being read aloud. It is also possible to adjust the output timing of the route guidance message and the outside information message.

Message processing system, method for processing messages and computer readable medium

Sensors detect parameters. Control units control vehicle equipments in accordance with the detected parameters. In each of the control units, at least one of the detected parameters and internally produced data is converted into serial data as communication data, and serial data is converted into other form data. A transmission medium connects the control units via a serial data link. Serial interfaces are associated with the control units respectively. Each of the serial interfaces includes a connection terminal connected to the transmission medium, an input terminal and an output terminal both connected to the associated control unit. Each of the serial interfaces inputs serial data from the associated control unit via its input terminal and outputs the inputted data to the transmission medium via its connection terminal. Each of the serial interfaces inputs serial data from the transmission medium via its connection terminal and outputs the inputted data to the associated control unit via its output terminal.

Growing community of inventors

Nisshin, Japan

Naoki Maeda