Vehicle system

US11518386B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-11518386-B2
Application numberUS-202016825777-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateMar 20, 2020
Priority dateMay 30, 2019
Publication dateDec 6, 2022
Grant dateDec 6, 2022

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A vehicle system comprises an engine, a motor-generator and a controller. The engine has a combustion mode in which a part of an air-fuel mixture is combusted by spark ignition, and then the remaining air-fuel mixture is combusted by self-ignition. The controller sets a target additional deceleration based on a steering angle, when a steering wheel is turned, and sets an air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture to either one of a first air-fuel ratio and a second air-fuel ratio which is on a lean side, based on an operating state, when the engine performs the combustion mode. The controller controls an ignition timing so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the first air-fuel ratio, and controls a regenerative electric power generation of the motor-generator so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the second air-fuel ratio.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A vehicle system for a front-wheel drive vehicle, comprising: an engine comprising a spark plug and connecting with front road wheels; a rotary electric machine connecting with road wheels; an operating state sensor configured to detect an operating state of the engine; a steering wheel configured to be manipulated by a driver; a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle corresponding to the manipulation of the steering wheel; and a controller configured to control the engine and the rotary electric machine, and composed of a circuitry, wherein the controller has a combustion mode in which a part of an air-fuel mixture in a cylinder of the engine is combusted by spark ignition of the spark plug, and then the remaining air-fuel mixture in the cylinder is combusted by self-ignition, and wherein the controller is configured: to set a target additional deceleration to be added to the vehicle, based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor, when a turning manipulation of the steering wheel is performed; to set an air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture to either one of a first air-fuel ratio and a second air-fuel ratio which is on a lean side with respect to the first air-fuel ratio, based on the operating state of the engine detected by the operating state sensor, when the engine is controlled to perform the combustion mode; to perform an ignition retard control to retard an ignition timing of the spark plug so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the vehicle, when the first air-fuel ratio is set; and to control a regenerative electric power generation of the rotary electric machine, without performing the ignition retard control for the first air-fuel ratio, so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the vehicle, when the second air-fuel ratio is set. 2. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the rotary electric machine connects with the road wheels via a winding member, and wherein the controller is configured to suppress a generation of road wheel-driving torque by the rotary electric machine, when the second air-fuel ratio is set. 3. The vehicle system according to claim 2 , wherein the winding member is a belt. 4. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the first air-fuel ratio is a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or an air-fuel ratio on a richer side than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. 5. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the second air-fuel ratio is an air-fuel ratio on a leaner side than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. 6. The vehicle system according to claim 5 , wherein the second air-fuel ratio is defined as a weight ratio of air to fuel in the air-fuel mixture, and wherein the weight ratio is set in a range of 25 to 30. 7. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to calculate a steering speed from the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor, and set the target additional deceleration based on the steering speed. 8. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured: to set a target torque of the engine so as to realize a target acceleration set based on an accelerator position; to determine a basic ignition timing of the spark plug so as to realize the target torque; and to retard the ignition timing of the spark plug with respect to the basic ignition timing so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the vehicle, when the first air-fuel ratio is set. 9. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein, in a situation where the second air-fuel ratio is set, the controller is configured to generate the target additional deceleration in the vehicle by increasing an amount of the regenerative electric power generation of the rotary electric machine when the turning manipulation of the steering wheel is performed, more than when the turning manipulation of the steering wheel is not performed. 10. The vehicle system according to claim 8 , wherein, in a situation where the second air-fuel ratio is set, the controller is configured to generate the target additional deceleration in the vehicle by increasing an amount of the regenerative electric power generation of the rotary electric machine, instead of retarding the ignition timing of the spark plug with respect to the basic ignition timing. 11. A vehicle system for a front-wheel drive vehicle, comprising: an engine comprising a spark plug and connecting with front road wheels; a rotary electric machine connecting with road wheels; an operating state sensor configured to detect an operating state of the engine; a steering wheel configured to be manipulated by a driver; a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle corresponding to the manipulation of the steering wheel; and a controller configured to control the engine and the rotary electric machine, and composed of a circuitry, wherein the controller has a combustion mode in which a part of an air-fuel mixture in a cylinder of the engine is combusted by spark ignition of the spark plug, and then the remaining air-fuel mixture in the cylinder is combusted by self-ignition, wherein the controller is configured: to set a target additional deceleration to be added to the vehicle, based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor, when a turning manipulation of the steering wheel is performed; to set an air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture to either one of a first air-fuel ratio and a second air-fuel ratio which is on a lean side with respect to the first air-fuel ratio, based on the operating state of the engine detected by the operating state sensor, when the engine is controlled to perform the combustion mode; to control an ignition timing of the spark plug so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the vehicle, when the first air-fuel ratio is set; and to control a regenerative electric power generation of the rotary electric machine so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the vehicle, when the second air-fuel ratio is set, wherein the rotary electric machine connects with the road wheels via a winding member, and wherein the controller is configured to suppress a generation of road wheel-driving torque by the rotary electric machine, when the second air-fuel ratio is set. 12. The vehicle system according to claim 11 , wherein the winding member is a belt. 13. A vehicle system for a front-wheel drive vehicle, comprising: an engine comprising a spark plug and connecting with front road wheels; a rotary electric machine connecting with road wheels; an operating state sensor configured to detect an operating state of the engine; a steering wheel configured to be manipulated by a driver; a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle corresponding to the manipulation of the steering wheel; and a controller configured to control the engine and the rotary electric machine, and composed of a circuitry, wherein the controller has a combustion mode in which a part of an air-fuel mixture in a cylinder of the engine is combusted by spark ignition of the spark plug, and then the remaining air-fuel mixture in the cylinder is combusted by self-ignition, wherein the controller is configured: to set a target additional deceleration to be added to the vehicle, based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor, when a turning manipulation of the steering wheel is performed; to set an air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture to either one of a first air-fuel ratio and a second air-fuel ratio which is on a lean side with

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US11518386B2 cover?
A vehicle system comprises an engine, a motor-generator and a controller. The engine has a combustion mode in which a part of an air-fuel mixture is combusted by spark ignition, and then the remaining air-fuel mixture is combusted by self-ignition. The controller sets a target additional deceleration based on a steering angle, when a steering wheel is turned, and sets an air-fuel ratio of the a…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Mazda Motor
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification F02D41/12. Mapped technology areas include Mechanical Engineering.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Dec 06 2022 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 6 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).