Control apparatus for internal combustion engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016003177-A1
Application number	US-201314767383-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 25, 2013
Priority date	Feb 25, 2013
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A control apparatus is applied to an internal combustion engine that is capable of implementing reduced-cylinder operation and all-cylinder operation. When the internal combustion engine is stopped during implementation of reduced-cylinder operation, and then the internal combustion engine is restarted in reduced-cylinder operation with the same cylinders as idling cylinders, the initial crank angle when cranking starts is controlled so that the position of the piston of at least one among the idling cylinders is in the vicinity of its top dead center.

First claim

1 . A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine applied to an internal combustion engine that has a plurality of four or more cylinders and that is capable of implementing both reduced-cylinder operation in which a portion among the plurality of cylinders is idled by stopping their intake valve and their exhaust valve in a closed state while a remaining cylinder operates and all-cylinder operation in which all of the plurality of cylinders operate, and that moreover is started by cranking by an electric motor, the control apparatus comprising a crank angle control device configured to control an initial crank angle when cranking is started by controlling the electric motor,
wherein, when the internal combustion engine is stopped during implementation of the reduced-cylinder operation and then the internal combustion engine is restarted in the reduced-cylinder operation with the same cylinders as idling cylinders, the crank angle control device controls the initial crank angle so that piston position of at least one cylinder among the idling cylinders is in vicinity of its top dead center.

2 . A control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
with the internal combustion engine, during the reduced-cylinder operation, piston positions are the same for the idling cylinders and for working cylinders; and the crank angle control device controls the initial crank angle so that, when cranking starts, piston positions of the working cylinders reach bottom dead center through their intake stroke after piston positions of the idling cylinders have first arrived at top dead center.

3 . A control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
with the internal combustion engine, during the reduced-cylinder operation, the piston positions of the idling cylinders and the working cylinders are different; and the crank angle control device controls the initial crank angle so that the piston position of the working cylinder so that piston positions of the working cylinders are vicinity of their bottom dead center.

4 . A control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a valve control device configured to, after the cranking starts, implement at least one time intake stroke for the idling cylinders by opening and closing the intake valve of the idling cylinders.

5 . A control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a valve control device configured to, during the stopping process of the internal combustion engine, implement at least one time exhaust stroke for the idling cylinders by opening and closing the exhaust valve of the idling cylinders.

6 . A control apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the valve control device implements at least one time exhaust stroke for the idling cylinders after fuel injection has stopped.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Aikawa Hidefumi

Classifications

• F02D17/00 Primary

  Controlling engines by cutting out individual cylinders; Rendering engines inoperative or idling (controlling or rendering inoperative by varying inlet or exhaust valve operating characteristics F02D13/00) · CPC title

• F02D29/02

  peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers · CPC title

• F02D2041/0092

  Synchronisation of the cylinders at engine start · CPC title

• F02D41/008

  Controlling each cylinder individually · CPC title

• F02D2041/0095

  Synchronisation of the cylinders during engine shutdown · CPC title