Control device for gasoline engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9399971-B2
Application number	US-201214390417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2012
Priority date	Apr 11, 2012
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

A gasoline engine includes an electric heater, which is embedded in a port-type fuel injection valve and heats the fuel in the fuel injection valve. An electronic control device heats the fuel by means of the electric heater when the engine is cold. When the fuel is not heated by the electric heater, the electronic control device controls the fuel injection valve such that the engine rotational speed NE is a second prescribed value N 2 which is higher than the idle rotational speed when the engine is warm. When idle running is performed when the engine is cold and the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is heated by the electric heater, the amount Q of fuel injected by the fuel injection valve is controlled such that the engine rotational speed NE is less than the second prescribed value N 2.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gasoline engine controller that controls a gasoline engine including an electric heating device that heats fuel in a portion of a fuel supply line located at an upstream side of an injection hole of a fuel injection valve, wherein
the controller heats the fuel with the heating device when the engine is cold, and
when the engine is cold and idling, the amount of fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is controlled so that the engine speed when the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is heated by the heating device is less than the engine speed when the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is not heated by the heating device.

2. The gasoline engine controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the heating device is activated by power supplied from a battery,
the battery is configured to be charged by power generated by an engine-driven power generator, and
when the engine is cold and idling, the heating performed by the heating device and the amount of fuel injected from the fuel injection valve are controlled so that the fuel consumption amount of the gasoline engine is less when the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is heated by the heating device as compared to when the fuel is not heated.

3. The gasoline engine controller according to claim 1 , when the engine is cold and the fuel injection valve starts or resumes fuel injection, the amount of fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is controlled so that the fuel injection amount when the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is heated by the heating device is less than the fuel injection amount when the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is not heated by the heating device under the condition that other engine operation conditions are the same.

4. The gasoline engine controller according to claim 3 , wherein
the heating device is activated by power supplied from a battery,
the battery is configured to be charged by power generated by an engine-driven power generator, and
when the engine is cold and the fuel injection valve starts or resumes fuel injection, the heating performed by the heating device and the amount of fuel injected from the fuel injection valve are controlled so that the fuel consumption amount of the gasoline engine is less when the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is heated by the heating device as compared to when the fuel is not heated.

5. The gasoline engine controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the gasoline engine includes both of a port type fuel injection valve, which injects fuel into an intake port, and a direct injection type fuel injection valve, which directly injects fuel into a cylinder,
the heating device is configured to heat the fuel injected from one of the fuel injection valves among the port type fuel injection valve and the direct injection type fuel injection valve, and
a ratio of the fuel injected from the one of the fuel injection valves is greater when the fuel injected from the one of the fuel injection valves is heated by the heating device than when the fuel is not heated.

6. The gasoline engine controller according to claim 1 , wherein a determination is made that the gasoline engine is cold when temperature of the engine is less than or equal to a predetermined temperature.

Assignees

• Kawamura Daigo
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kawamura Daigo

Classifications

• F02D2200/101

  Engine speed · CPC title

• F02D41/123

  the fuel injection being cut-off · CPC title

• F02D41/3005

  Details not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F02D41/068

  for warming-up · CPC title

• F02M31/125 Primary

  Fuel · CPC title