IP Library Granted Patent US 10,202,925
Granted Patent B2
US 10,202,925 · App. 15/121,696 · Granted Feb 12, 2019

Internal combustion engine controller

Inventors: Satoshi Kojima (Hitachinaka, JP); Takuya Mayuzumi (Hitachinaka, JP)
Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
F02D41/20B60L11/18H02M3/156F02D2041/201F02D2041/2006F02D2041/2017F02D2041/2027F02D2041/2034F02D2041/2044F02D2041/2048F02D2041/2065F02D2041/2086F02D2200/503H02M3/157
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,202,925
App. No.
15/121,696
Granted
Feb 12, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to the present invention, by providing control whereby a rising slope or a descending slope of step-up current flowing to a step-up coil is detected, and corrections are made to step-up switching control, the step-up upper and lower limit current values of the step-up circuit can be controlled within intended current threshold values regardless of constant modifications or change in characteristics due to fluctuations of the battery power supply voltage or degradation of step-up circuit elements over time; heat emission by step-up circuit elements can be kept to a minimum; and the step-up recovery time can be adjusted to a constant value regardless of the slope of the step-up current.

Claims (26)

1. An internal combustion engine controller comprising:

a step-up coil connected to a battery power source and configured to increase a voltage of the battery power source;

a switching element connected to the step-up coil and configured to distribute or shut off a current to the step-up coil;

a step-up capacitor configured to accumulate current energy of an inductance component from the step-up coil; and

a step-up control circuit configured to control the switching element by a step-up current distributed to the step-up coil to charge the step-up capacitor with a high voltage generated at the step-up coil,

wherein the step-up control circuit corrects on/off control of the switching element in accordance with a change in the step-up current.

2. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , wherein a correction waveform is used in order to measure the slope of the step-up current.

3. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , wherein the switching element has on/off control, and the on/off control is set as a slope detection time, respective current values of on-time and off-time are measured, and the slope of the step-up current is detected.

4. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , configured to constantly maintain step-up recovery time by carrying out control to extend the on-time and off-time of the switching element when a current slope of the step-up current has a first value and carrying out control to shorten the on-time and off-time of the switching element when the current slope of the step-up current has a second value that is larger than the first value.

5. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , wherein the current slope of the step-up current is detected, and the on/off control of the switching element is corrected so as to suppress an overshoot and an undershoot of the step-up current caused by a circuit delay of the step-up control circuit.

6. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , configured to carry out the on/off control of the switching element by corrected time control for the on-time of the switching element and corrected time control for the off-time of the switching element according to a current-slope detection result of the step-up current.

7. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , configured to carry out the on/off control of the switching element by corrected time control for the on-time of the switching element and corrected step-up upper-limit current detection control for the off-time of the switching element according to a current-slope detection result of the step-up current.

8. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , configured to carry out the on/off control of the switching element by corrected step-up lower-limit current detection control for the on-time of the switching element and corrected time control for the off-time of the switching element according to a current-slope detection result of the step-up current.

9. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , configured to carry out the on/off control of the switching element by corrected step-up upper-limit current detection control for the on-time of the switching element and corrected step-up lower-limit current detection control for the off-time of the switching element according to a current-slope detection result of the step-up current.

10. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , comprising a failure diagnosis of measuring the slope of the step-up current value and determining open failure when the slope is smaller than a slope diagnosis threshold value and determines short-circuit failure when the slope is larger than the diagnosis threshold value.

11. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 1 , wherein the step-up control circuit corrects the on/off control of the switching element in accordance with a slope of the step-up current such that step-up recovery time of the step-up capacitor is close to a constant value.

12. An internal combustion engine controller comprising:

a step-up coil connected to a battery power source and configured to increase a voltage of the battery power source;

a switching element connected to the step-up coil and configured to distribute or shut off a current to the step-up coil;

a switching-on current detection resistor connected to a downstream of the switching element and configured to detect the current when switching is on;

a step-up capacitor configured to accumulate current energy of an inductance component from the step-up coil; and

a step-up control circuit configured to control the switching element by a switching-on current distributed to the switching-on current detection resistor to charge the step-up capacitor with a high voltage generated at the step-up coil,

wherein the step-up control circuit measures a slope of the switching-on current and corrects on/off control of the switching element.

13. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 12 , wherein a correction waveform is used in order to measure the slope of the switching-on current.

14. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 13 , wherein the switching element has an on control, and the on control set as a slope detection time, a current value of on-time is measured, and the slope of the switching-on current is detected.

15. The internal combustion engine controller according to claim 14 , configured to constantly maintain step-up recovery time by carrying out control to extend the on-time of the switching element so as to increase an upper-limit current value of the step-up current when a current slope of the correction waveform has a first value, carrying out control to shorten the on-time of the switching element so as to reduce the upper-limit current value of the step-up current when the current slope of the correction waveform has a second value that is larger than the first value, and, in off-time of the switching element, correcting time control according to the current slope of a switching-on period of the correction waveform.

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 Aug 26, 2016
From: KOJIMA, SATOSHI; MAYUZUMI, TAKUYA
To: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 039549/0682 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2014-036142 · Feb 27, 2014 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20160363076A1 · Dec 15, 2016