Control apparatus for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9752516-B2
Application number	US-201615066336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A control apparatus for a vehicle may include an engine, a fuel tank, a feed pump, a pressure sensor, a motor and an electric storage apparatus. The feed pump feeds the fuel to a port injection valve. The pressure sensor detects a fuel pressure that is fed to the port injection valve. The motor performs cranking of the engine at start time of the engine. The control apparatus includes an ECU. The ECU controls the feed pump based on a detection value of the pressure sensor and controls the motor in order to start the engine. The ECU controls the feed pump and the motor such that the electric storage apparatus feeds electric power to the motor in preference to the feed pump, when an electric power that the electric storage apparatus is able to output at the start time of the engine is less than a determination threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control apparatus for a vehicle, the vehicle including:
an internal combustion engine including a port injection valve, the port injection valve being configured to inject fuel into an intake passage of the internal combustion engine;
a fuel tank for storing the fuel;
an electric feed pump configured to suck the fuel from the fuel tank and feed the fuel to the port injection valve;
a fuel pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure of the fuel that is fed to the port injection valve;
a motor configured to perform cranking of the internal combustion engine at a start time of the internal combustion engine; and
an electric storage apparatus configured to feed electric power to the electric feed pump and the motor,
the control apparatus comprising
at least one electronic control unit programmed to:
control the electric feed pump based on a detection value of the fuel pressure sensor;

control the motor in order to start the internal combustion engine; and
control the electric feed pump and the motor to cause the electric storage apparatus to feed electric power to the motor in preference to the electric feed pump, when a first electric power is less than a determination threshold, the first electric power being an electric power that the electric storage apparatus is able to output at the start time of the internal combustion engine.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the electronic control unit is further programmed to set the pressure of the fuel to a predetermined value when the first electric power is greater than the determination threshold, and
the electronic control unit is further programmed to reduce the pressure of the fuel to less than the predetermined value when the first electric power is less than the determination threshold.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the electronic control unit is further programmed to restore the reduced pressure of the fuel to the predetermined value when a speed of the internal combustion engine becomes a target speed or greater.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is further programmed to decide the electric power that is fed to the electric feed pump, based on a value resulting from subtracting a second electric power from the first electric power, the second electric power being an electric power required for the motor to start the internal combustion engine.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle includes an air conditioner, wherein the air conditioner receives the feed of electric power from the electric storage apparatus, and
the electronic control unit is further programmed to stop the feed of electric power to the air conditioner when the first electric power is less than the determination threshold.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Suzuki Takashi

Classifications

• F02M63/029

  per cylinder bank, e.g. storing different fuels or fuels at different pressure levels per cylinder bank · CPC title

• B60W10/30

  including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps · CPC title

• F02D41/062

  for starting (F02D41/061 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60W20/00

  Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles {(hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L)} · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title