IP Library Granted Patent US 9,133,776
Granted Patent B2
US 9,133,776 · App. 13/575,652 · Granted Sep 15, 2015

Control apparatus and control method for internal-combustion engine

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,133,776
App. No.
13/575,652
Granted
Sep 15, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A control apparatus and a control method diagnose whether an internal-combustion engine is rotated in forward or reverse directions is being properly implemented. Specifically, based on a pulse width WIPOS of a rotation signal POS output by a crank angle sensor, it is determined whether a crankshaft is rotated in the forward or the reverse directions. Based on the determination of the rotating direction of the crankshaft, a counter CNTPOS, which denotes a count value of rotation signal POS, is updated. At the time of restarting the engine, counter CNTPOS is updated, using a value on counter CNTPOSz at the time of stopping the engine as an initial value. If the value on counter CNTPOS at a crank angle position determined after the starting of the engine differs from an expected value, then the function for determining the rotating direction of the crankshaft is diagnosed to be abnormal.

Claims (28)

1. A control apparatus for an internal-combustion engine, comprising:

a forward and reverse rotation determining unit which determines whether a crankshaft of the internal-combustion engine is rotated in a forward direction or a reverse direction;

a stop position detecting unit which detects a crank angle at a time of stopping the internal-combustion engine on the basis of the determination of a rotating direction by the forward and reverse rotation determining unit;

a diagnosing unit which compares a crank angle estimated on the basis of the crank angle at the time of stopping the internal-combustion engine detected by the stop position detecting unit and a crank angle detected after the internal-combustion engine is started to thereby determine whether the forward and reverse rotation determining unit is abnormal or not;

an idle reduction control unit which automatically stops the internal-combustion engine in a case in which a preset stop condition is established and which automatically restarts the internal-combustion engine in a case in which a preset restart condition is established; and

a control prohibiting unit which prohibits the idle reduction control unit from automatically stopping the internal-combustion engine on the basis of the crank angle which is estimated on the basis of the crank angle at the time of stopping the internal-combustion engine in a case in which the diagnosing unit determines that the forward and reverse rotation determining unit is abnormal.

2. The control apparatus for the internal-combustion engine according to claim 1 , wherein

the forward and reverse rotation determining unit determines whether the crankshaft is rotated in the forward direction or the reverse direction on the basis of a rotation signal which is output for each unit angle of the crankshaft and differs according to the rotating direction of the crankshaft, and

the stop position detecting unit counts the rotation signal according to the determination of the rotating direction of the crankshaft so as to detect the crank angle at the time of stopping the internal-combustion engine.

3. The control apparatus for the internal-combustion engine according to claim 2 , wherein

the diagnosing unit estimates the crank angle by counting the rotation signal on the basis of a crank angle at the time of stopping the internal-combustion engine detected by the stop position detecting unit when the internal-combustion engine starts, and

determines whether the forward and reverse rotation determining unit is abnormal or not on the basis of an estimated value of the crank angle at a time when a reference crank angle is detected after the starting of the internal-combustion engine.

4. The control apparatus for the internal-combustion engine according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a start control unit which controls the internal-combustion engine on the basis of a crank angle estimated on the basis of a crank angle at the time of stopping the internal-combustion engine detected by the stop position detecting unit in a case in which the idle reduction control unit restarts the internal-combustion engine,

wherein the control prohibiting unit prohibits control of the internal-combustion engine on the basis of the crank angle estimated on the basis of the crank angle at the time of stopping the internal-combustion engine in the case in which the diagnosing unit determines that the forward and reverse rotation determining unit is abnormal.

5. The control apparatus for the internal-combustion engine according to claim 3 , wherein the diagnosing unit determines that the forward and reverse rotation determining unit is abnormal in a case in which a difference between an estimated value of the crank angle and the reference crank angle is greater than an allowable value.

6. The control apparatus for the internal-combustion engine according to claim 2 , wherein

the rotation signal is a pulse signal composed of a pulse train for each unit angle of the crankshaft, and a pulse width of the pulse signal differs according to whether the crankshaft is rotated in the forward direction or the reverse direction, and

the forward and reverse rotation determining unit compares a measured value of the pulse width of the rotation signal with a threshold value to determine whether the crankshaft is rotated in the forward direction or the reverse direction.

7. The control apparatus for the internal-combustion engine according to claim 1 , further comprising a warning unit which warns of occurrence of an abnormality in a case in which the diagnosing unit determines that the forward and reverse rotation determining unit is abnormal.

8. The control apparatus for the internal-combustion engine according to claim 3 , wherein

the rotation signal is preset to be absent at a predetermined crank angle, and the diagnosing unit detects an absence of the rotation signal on the basis of a cycle of the rotation signal and detects a reference crank angle on the basis of the absence of the rotation signal.

9. A control method for the internal-combustion engine, comprising:

determining whether a crankshaft of the internal-combustion engine is rotated in a rotation direction that is a forward direction or a reverse direction;

detecting a crank angle at a time of stopping the internal-combustion engine on the basis of the determination of the rotating direction of the crankshaft;

comparing a crank angle estimated on the basis of the detected crank angle at the time of stopping the engine with a crank angle detected after starting of internal-combustion engine so as to diagnose whether the determination of the rotating direction of the crankshaft is abnormal or not;

automatically stopping the internal-combustion engine in a case in which a preset stop condition is established, and automatically restarting the internal-combustion engine in a case in which a preset restart condition is established, and

prohibiting control for automatic stopping of the internal-combustion engine on the basis of the crank angle which is estimated on the basis of the crank angle at the time of stopping the internal-combustion engine in a case in which the determination of the rotation direction is diagnosed as abnormal.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 25, 2021
From: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
To: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
Reel/Frame 056299/0447 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 27, 2012
From: SHIMIZU, HIROKAZU
To: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 028654/0799 →