Control device for hybrid vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10569757-B2
Application number	US-201816213314-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2018
Priority date	Aug 26, 2016
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A control device is configured to, in a case that an internal combustion engine is made to start up before travel start of a vehicle in a parked state, when an auxiliary battery has at least a predetermined value of battery voltage, make the internal combustion engine start up after executing fuel heating processing for heating fuel by glow plugs to which electric power is transmitted, or when the battery voltage of the auxiliary battery is less than the predetermined value, execute the fuel heating processing after executing charge processing for charging the auxiliary battery using a main battery and then start up the internal combustion engine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic control unit for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
an internal combustion engine;
a heater configured to heat fuel for the internal combustion engine with electric power;
a first battery; and
a second battery configured to be charged by the first battery and supply electric power to the heater;
the electronic control unit is programmed to:
execute charge processing where the second battery is charged with the first battery;
execute fuel heating processing where the fuel is heated with the heater; and
determine whether a voltage of the second battery is high or low based on a calculation map;
wherein the electronic control unit is further programmed to:
i) before starting the internal combustion engine, execute the charge processing and the fuel heating processing when the voltage of the second battery is low; and
ii) execute the fuel heat processing without executing the charge processing before starting the internal combustion engine when the voltage of the second battery is high.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein
the electronic control unit is further programmed to execute the fuel heating processing and the charge processing before starting the internal combustion engine in response to detection of a predetermined operation which is performed before the start of travel of the vehicle when the vehicle is in a parked state.

3. The electronic control unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the internal combustion engine is built so as to be enabled to be operated by using alcohol-containing fuel as the fuel, and
the electronic control unit is further programmed to determine whether or not to start the internal combustion engine based on an alcohol density of the fuel and an environment temperature of the vehicle.

4. The electronic control unit according to claim 3 , wherein
the electronic control unit is further programmed to determine that the voltage of the second battery is low set the predetermined value in compliance with at least one of: a relation that a range of low voltages increases as the alcohol density of the fuel is higher; and a relation that the range of low voltages increases as the environment temperature of the vehicle is lower.

5. The electronic control unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the electronic control unit is further programmed to set an end determination value in compliance with at least one of: a relation that the end determination value becomes larger as the alcohol density of the fuel is higher; and a relation that the end determination value becomes larger as the environment temperature of the vehicle is lower, and

end the charge processing in response to a determination that the battery voltage has exceeded the end determination value.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Inoue Toshio
• Yamazaki Makoto
• Honda Tomoaki
• Nawata Hidekazu

Classifications

• F02N2200/08

  said parameters being related to the vehicle or its components · CPC title

• F02D2200/0606

  Fuel temperature · CPC title

• F02P19/02

  electric, e.g. layout of circuits of apparatus having glowing plugs · CPC title

• F02N2200/063

  Battery voltage · CPC title

• F02N11/0825

  related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state · CPC title