Controller and control method for vehicle, and memory medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020408164-A1
Application number	US-202016856197-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 23, 2020
Priority date	Jun 28, 2019
Publication date	Dec 31, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A controller for vehicle is provided. A determining section obtains fuel pressure in a delivery pipe and performs a rationality check for determining whether the obtained fuel pressure is within a normal range. The determining section shifts the normal range toward a high pressure side when a second index value of a vehicle outside temperature is higher than a first index value as compared with when the second index value is not higher than the first index value. The second index value is obtained when the determining section is activated. The first index value is stored in a nonvolatile memory before a main switch is turned off so that power supply is stopped.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A controller for a vehicle, the controller being employed in a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, wherein
the vehicle includes
a high-pressure fuel pump,
a delivery pipe configured to store high-pressure fuel pressurized by the high-pressure fuel pump,
a fuel injection valve configured to inject fuel stored in the delivery pipe, and
a fuel pressure sensor configured to detect pressure of the fuel in the delivery pipe,
the controller comprises:
a soak timer configured to measure an amount of time elapsed since a main switch of the vehicle was turned off;
a nonvolatile memory configured to retain information even when the main switch is turned off so that power supply is stopped; and
a determining section configured to be activated when the elapsed amount of time reaches a specified amount of time while the main switch is off,
the determining section is configured to
obtain fuel pressure using the fuel pressure sensor when activated,
perform a rationality check for determining whether the obtained fuel pressure is within a normal range,
store a first index value of a vehicle outside temperature in the nonvolatile memory, and
shift the normal range, which is used in the rationality check, toward a high pressure side when a second index value is higher than the first index value as compared with when the second index value is not higher than the first index value,
the first index value is stored in the nonvolatile memory before the main switch is turned off so that the power supply is stopped, and the second index value is an index value of the vehicle outside temperature obtained when the elapsed amount of time reaches the specified amount of time so that the determining section is activated.

2 . The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the determining section is configured to increase a shift amount by which the normal range is shifted toward the high pressure side as a difference between the second index value and the first index value increases when the second index value is higher than the first index value, and the first index value is stored in the nonvolatile memory before the main switch is turned off so that operation of the determining section is stopped.

3 . The controller for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the determining section is configured to obtain a coolant temperature of the internal combustion engine by being activated when the elapsed amount of time reaches the specified amount of time, the determining section is configured to perform the rationality check if a performance condition is met, the performance condition being a logical conjunction of (i) a warm-up index value being greater than or equal to a threshold, and (ii) the obtained coolant temperature being lower than a specified temperature, the warm-up index value is stored in the nonvolatile memory when the main switch is turned off so that operation of the determining section is stopped, the warm-up index value increases as an extent of warm-up of the internal combustion engine becomes higher, and the specified temperature is lower than a warm-up completion temperature.

4 . The controller for a vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein
the specified amount of time is one of specified amounts of time having different lengths, the determining section is configured to be activated by the soak timer each time the elapsed amount of time reaches each of the specified amounts of time and to determine whether the performance condition is met when activated, the determining section is configured to perform the rationality check if the performance condition is met, and the controller is configured not to perform the rationality check and to stop the operation of the determining section if the performance condition is not met.

5 . The controller for a vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured not to activate the determining section while a state in which the main switch is off is continuing after the rationality check is completed once while a state in which the main switch is off is continuing, so that the rationality check is not performed.

6 . A control method for a vehicle, the control method being employed in a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, wherein
the vehicle includes
a high-pressure fuel pump,
a delivery pipe that stores high-pressure fuel pressurized by the high-pressure fuel pump,
a fuel injection valve that injects fuel stored in the delivery pipe, and
a fuel pressure sensor that detects pressure of the fuel in the delivery pipe, the control method comprises:
measuring an amount of time elapsed since a main switch of the vehicle was turned off using a soak timer;
retaining information using a nonvolatile memory even when the main switch is turned off so that power supply is stopped;
activating a determining section when the elapsed amount of time reaches a specified amount of time while the main switch is off;
obtaining, by the activated determining section, fuel pressure using the fuel pressure sensor;
performing, by the determining section, a rationality check for determining whether the obtained fuel pressure is within a normal range;
storing, by the determining section, a first index value of a vehicle outside temperature in the nonvolatile memory before the main switch is turned off so that the power supply is stopped;
obtaining, by the determining section, a second index value of the vehicle outside temperature when the elapsed amount of time reaches the specified amount of time so that the determining section is activated; and
shifting, by the determining section, the normal range, which is used in the rationality check, toward a high pressure side when the second index value is higher than the first index value as compared with when the second index value is not higher than the first index value.

7 . A non-transitory computer readable memory medium that stores a program for causing a controller to execute a control process employed in a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, wherein
the vehicle includes
a high-pressure fuel pump,
a delivery pipe that stores high-pressure fuel pressurized by the high-pressure fuel pump,
a fuel injection valve that injects fuel stored in the delivery pipe, and
a fuel pressure sensor that detects pressure of the fuel in the delivery pipe, the control process includes
measuring an amount of time elapsed since a main switch of the vehicle was turned off using a soak timer,
retaining information using a nonvolatile memory even when the main switch is turned off so that power supply is stopped,
activating a determining section when the elapsed amount of time reaches a specified amount of time while the main switch is off,
obtaining, by the activated determining section, fuel pressure using the fuel pressure sensor,
performing, by the determining section, a rationality check for determining whether the obtained fuel pressure is within a normal range,
storing, by the determining section, a first index value of a vehicle outside temperature in the nonvolatile memory before the main switch is turned off so that the power supply is stopped,
obtaining, by the determining section, a second index value of the vehicle outside temperature when the elapsed amount of time reaches the specified amount of time so that the determining section is activated, and
shifting, by the determining section, the normal range, which is used in the rationality check, toward a high pressure side when the second index value is higher than the first index value as compared with when the second index value is not higher than the first index value.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohori Shinya
• Okubo Naoya
• Kobayashi Yukio
• Hino Seiji

Classifications

• F02D45/00 Primary

  Electrical control not provided for in groups F02D41/00 - F02D43/00 · CPC title

• F02D2200/70

  said parameters being related to the vehicle exterior · CPC title

• F02D2250/12

  Timing of calculation, i.e. specific timing aspects when calculation or updating of engine parameter is performed · CPC title

• F02D41/3836

  Controlling the fuel pressure · CPC title

• F02D41/061

  the corrections being time dependent · CPC title