Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Denso Corporation

Takayuki Kogure

Yusuke Kinoshita

Masaki Matsunaga

Akihiro Sato

Rentaro Kuroki

Masaki Mitsuyasu

Yukari Okamura

Takuya Hirai

Jonggap Kim

Takeaki Suzuki

Yasunari Kido

Junichi Morimura

Hiroshi Enomoto

Minoru Ishida

Yasuyuki Mikami

Minoru Okamiya

Koki Moriya

Motohiro Sato

Takahisa Miura

A starting device is used in a starting system that includes a starting electric motor unit and a rotating electrical machine; the starting electric motor unit including a motor that rotates a pinion gear, and a pushing member that pushes out the pinion gear toward a ring gear, the ring gear rotating together with a crankshaft of an engine; the rotating electrical machine being connected to the crankshaft and rotating the crankshaft; the starting system being configured to push, using the pushing member, the pinion gear toward the ring gear, and drive the motor to rotate, based on driving force of the motor, the ring gear via the pinion gear, thus starting the engine. The starting device includes a drive instruction unit that instructs the rotating electrical machine to rotate the ring gear via the crankshaft during a pre-drive period before drive of the motor.

Starting device, rotating electrical machine, and starting electric motor unit

A running control device of a vehicle includes an engine with cylinders, a clutch connecting/disconnecting a power transmission path between the engine and wheels, and a variable mechanism to vary an intake air amount sucked into the cylinders. The running control device performs a normal running mode by transmitting engine drive force to the wheels, a neutral inertia running mode by disconnecting the power transmission path between the engine and the wheels, and a cylinder resting inertia running mode by resting at least a part of the cylinders while the power transmission path between the engine and the wheels is connected. The running control device makes the intake air amount sucked into the cylinders larger at the time of return from the neutral inertia running mode to the normal running mode as compared to the case of return from the cylinder resting inertia running mode to the normal running mode.

Vehicle drive controller

A running control device has an engine coupling running mode enabling an engine brake running mode performed by coupling an engine and wheels with an engine brake applied by driven rotation of the engine, and an inertia running mode performed with an engine brake force lower than that of the engine brake running mode. The running control device includes a steering wheel steering angle as a condition of terminating the inertia running mode. The running control device performs a first inertia running mode with the rotation of the engine stopped and a second inertia running mode with the engine rotating. The first inertia running mode is terminated when the steering angle becomes equal to or greater than a predefined first determination value. The second inertia running mode is terminated when the steering angle becomes equal to or greater than a predefined second determination value larger than the first determination value.

Vehicle travel control device for controlling a running mode of an engine

An upper limit value of an upward gradient of a road surface for starting neutral coasting is set to be larger than an upper limit of the upward gradient of the road surface for starting free-run coasting, so, when the upward gradient is relatively large and a coasting distance is short, the vehicle is caused to travel in the neutral coasting, and stop and restart of the engine are not carried out. Therefore, a decrease in drivability of the vehicle is suppressed. When the upward gradient is relatively small and the coasting distance is long, the vehicle is caused to travel in the free-run coasting, and supply of fuel to the engine is stopped, so fuel economy of the vehicle is obtained. Thus, it is possible to achieve both fuel economy and drivability of the vehicle during coasting on an upward gradient.

Drive control device for vehicle

A running control device of a vehicle includes an engine, a connecting/disconnecting device separating the engine and wheels, and a transmission transmitting power of the engine toward the wheels, the running control device being configured to execute a normal running-mode performed by using the power of the engine with the engine and the wheels coupled, a free-run inertia running-mode that is performed by separating the engine and the wheels and stopping the engine during running, and a neutral inertia running-mode that is a performed by separating the engine and the wheels and operating the engine in a self-sustaining manner during running, the running control device setting a gear ratio of the transmission on a low vehicle speed side in the case of return from the free-run inertia running-mode to the normal running-mode as compared to the case of return from the neutral inertia running-mode to the normal running-mode.

Vehicle travel control device

A running control device of a vehicle including an engine, a connecting/disconnecting device separating the engine and wheels, and a transmission transmitting power of the engine toward the wheels, the running control device of a vehicle being configured to execute a normal running mode performed by using the power of the engine with the engine and the wheels coupled, a free-run inertia running mode that is an inertia running mode performed by separating the engine and the wheels and stopping the engine during running, and a neutral inertia running mode that is an inertia running mode performed by separating the engine and the wheels and operating the engine in a self-sustaining manner during running, the running control device of a vehicle setting a gear ratio of the transmission on a high vehicle speed side in the case of return from the free-run inertia running mode to the normal running mode.

A running control device of a vehicle includes an engine, a clutch separating the engine and wheels, and a torque converter with a lockup clutch transmitting power of the engine toward the wheels, the running control device of a vehicle is configured to execute a neutral inertia running mode that is an inertia running mode performed while the engine and the wheels are separated and a cylinder resting inertia running mode performed by stopping operation in at least some of cylinders of the engine while the engine and the wheels are coupled, the lockup clutch has a weak engagement force while the neutral inertia running mode is performed as compared to while the cylinder resting inertia running mode is performed.

A running control device of a vehicle includes an engine and a brake booster amplifying a brake force by forming a negative pressure in a negative pressure tank by rotation of the engine. The running control device is configured to execute an engine brake running mode performed with the engine coupled to wheels such that an engine brake is applied by driven rotation of the engine and an inertia running mode performed with an engine brake force made lower than that of the engine brake running mode. The running control device executes a first inertia running mode performed with the rotation of the engine stopped and a second inertia running mode performed with the engine kept rotating as the inertia running mode in accordance with predefined respective execution conditions. The running control device comprises a prediction portion configured to predict a necessity of the negative pressure.

In consideration of an amplification effect of a braking force at the time of brake operation, upper-limits (&#x3b1;, &#x3b2;) of a brake operation force (Brk) with which the execution of free-run coasting and neutral coasting is started may be different, on the basis of whether or not a brake booster can be filled with a negative pressure. Therefore, while the braking force at the time of brake operation is secured, the range of the brake operation force (Brk) with which coasting is executed can be enlarged, and an improvement in fuel economy can be made.

Coasting control device and method for vehicle

A controller is capable of controlling a coupled engine running mode, in which an engine is coupled to wheels and an engine brake is activated by driven rotation of the engine, and a coasting mode, in which an engine brake force is reduced with respect to that in the coupled engine running mode with mode with the engine brake on, and starts the coasting mode on the basis of the steering angle of a steering member. The controller starts the execution of a first coasting mode when the steering angle is equal to or less than a preset upper limit value and starts the execution of a second coasting mode when the steering angle is greater than the upper limit value. In the first coasting mode, the engine rotation is stopped, and in the second coasting mode, the engine remains rotating.

Vehicle including a control unit for controlling a coupled engine running mode

A running control device of a vehicle executes a normal running mode with an engine coupled to drive wheels, a first inertia running mode with the engine stopped during running and an engine brake force reduced as compared to the normal running mode, and a second inertia running mode with the engine rotating during running and the engine brake force reduced as compared to the normal running mode. A determining portion determines a necessity of a brake negative pressure during the first or second inertia running mode. The necessity of the brake negative pressure is a condition for returning from the first inertia running mode and the second inertia running mode to the normal running mode. An upper limit value of the necessity of the brake negative pressure for returning from the first inertia running mode is smaller than that for returning from the second inertia running mode.

Vehicle travel controller

A fuel control apparatus for a vehicle, having an electric pump configured to have electric power supplied, to supply fuel from a fuel tank to an injector of an internal combustion engine through a fuel pipe, and a control unit configured to have the internal combustion engine stop automatically when a first predetermined condition is satisfied, and after having the internal combustion engine stop automatically, start automatically when a second predetermined condition is satisfied, includes an operation unit configured, when the control unit has the internal combustion engine stop automatically, to supply electric power from a predetermined electric power supply apparatus to the electric pump, to have the electric pump operate.

Fuel control apparatus for vehicle and fuel control method for vehicle

A running control device of a vehicle includes an engine with a plurality of cylinders, and a clutch connecting/disconnecting a power transmission path between the engine and wheels, the running control device of a vehicle performing during an inertia running mode a neutral inertia running mode performed with the power transmission path between the engine and the wheels disconnected while the engine is kept operated, and a cylinder resting inertia running mode performed by resting at least a part of the cylinders of the engine while the power transmission path between the engine and the wheels is connected, the running control device of a vehicle increasing an operation region of performing the neutral inertia running mode in an operation region of performing the inertia running mode when idle learning performed in an idle operation state of the engine is incomplete, as compared to after completion of the idle learning.

Travel controller for vehicles

A drive control device for a vehicle including an engine and a clutch device provided in a power transmission path between the engine and a drive wheel includes: a normal traveling unit causing the vehicle to travel while the engine is connected to the drive wheel; a free-run coasting unit disconnecting the engine from the drive wheel during traveling and causing the vehicle to coast while the engine is stopped; a neutral coasting unit disconnecting the engine from the drive wheel during traveling and causing the vehicle to coast while the engine is autonomously operated; and a coasting switching control unit setting an upper limit value of an upward gradient of a road surface, at which the neutral coasting is stopped, such that the upper limit value is larger than an upper limit value of the upward gradient of the road surface, at which the free-run coasting is stopped.

A running control device is configured to execute an engine coupling running mode performed with an engine and wheels connected by a connecting/disconnecting device, a neutral inertia running mode performed with the engine separated from the wheels by the connecting/disconnecting device while the engine is supplied with fuel and allowed to perform self-sustaining rotation, and a free-run inertia running mode performed with the engine separated from the wheels by the connecting/disconnecting device while fuel supply to the engine is stopped to stop rotation. The neutral inertia running mode is terminated when an operation amount of the accelerator pedal becomes equal to or greater than a predefined first determination value. The free-run inertia running mode is terminated when an operation amount of the accelerator pedal becomes equal to or greater than a predefined second determination value larger than the first determination value.

Growing community of inventors

Susono, Japan

Takayuki Kogure