Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nobuyuki Taki

Tomokazu Yamauchi

Minoru Kato

Yoshihide Nii

An idling stop control of the invention attains an auto start and an auto stop of an engine. At a time point t, pre-set stop conditions are met to cut off a fuel supply to the engine. Preset starting conditions may be met at a time point twhen the engine still continues rotating in a normal direction by the inertial force. In this state, the idling stop control starts cranking the engine. The preset starting conditions may be met at a time point twhen a piston does not complete a compression cycle immediately before a stop of the engine but is pressed back by the compressed air to rotate the engine in a reverse direction. In this state, the idling stop control waits until cancellation of the reverse rotation of the engine and then starts cranking the engine. The arrangement of the invention desirably ensures a quick start of the engine, while effectively preventing an excess stress from acting on a gear mechanism, which connects a starter motor to the engine.

Starting apparatus for internal combustion engine and automobile

A counterweightattached to a crankshafthas a projection, which is aligned with and faces an electromagnetattached to a crank casingwhen the crankshaftis at a preset rotational position of ensuring good startability of an engine. Engine stop control starts a power supply to the electromagnetto attract the projectionof the counterweightat a timing when the projectionof the counterweightis practically aligned with the electromagnet, on the condition that the revolution speed of the crankshaftis lowered to or below a preset level immediately before a full stop of rotation of the crankshaft. This engine stop control stops the rotation of the crankshaftand desirably holds the crankshaftat the preset rotational position of ensuring good startability of the engine

Drive system and automobile

A generator controller used in hybrid electric vehicle. The battery current is sampled and accumulated for T seconds. The obtained accumulated value is used to determine the control target of the generated power. Since the generated power is controlled according to the accumulated current of the battery which fits the battery's characteristic compared to the charged-and-discharged power, the battery's state of charge (SOC) can be more accurately controlled within the target zone. When the SOC of the battery is initially outside the target zone, the SOC is adjusted within the target zone by forcibly discharging or charging the battery. The precision of SOC control can be improved compared to when the SOC of the battery is controlled using the charged-and-discharged power.

Growing community of inventors

Anjo, Japan

Nobuyuki Taki