# US 10,308,103 B2 · Vehicle

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- Number: US 10,308,103 B2
- Document ID: US10308103B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/175,262
- Filed: 2016-06-07
- Published: 2016-12-15
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2015-06-10
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Akihiro Kaneko
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308103B2

## CPC

- B60K 6/24: characterised by the combustion engines
- B60K 6/445: Differential gearing distribution type
- B60W 10/30: including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps
- B60W 20/15: Control strategies specially adapted for achieving a particular effect
- F01N 3/20: specially adapted for catalytic conversion (F01N3/22 takes precedence)
- F02D 41/1477: {characterised by the regulation circuit or part of it,(e.g. comparator, PI regulator, output)}
- F02D 41/3854: {with elements in the low pressure part, e.g. low pressure pump}
- B60W 2710/0627: Fuel flow rate
- B60Y 2200/92: Hybrid vehicles
- F02D 2041/389: {for injecting directly into the cylinder}
- F02D 2200/0602: Fuel pressure
- F02D 2200/1002: Output torque
- F02D 2250/02: Fuel evaporation in fuel rails, e.g. in common rails
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles
- Y10S 903/905: Combustion engine
- Y10S 903/93: Conjoint control of different elements
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16)
- F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W)
- B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A feed pump supplies fuel to a port injection valve of an engine through low pressure fuel piping by applying a pressure to fuel. An engine ECU controls a fuel pressure which is a pressure applied to fuel by driving the feed pump. When the feed pump is driven to lower the fuel pressure, and it is determined that vapor is generated in the fuel piping, the engine ECU executes a fuel pressure control that increases the fuel pressure provided at the time of determination.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle comprising:
a combustion engine;
a pump configured to supply fuel to a fuel injection valve of the combustion engine through fuel piping by applying a pressure to fuel;
an electronic control unit configured to control a fuel pressure which is a pressure applied to fuel by driving the pump; and
a fuel pressure sensor configured to detect the fuel pressure,
when the pump is driven to lower the fuel pressure and it is determined that vapor is generated in the fuel piping, the electronic control unit executing a fuel pressure limitation control that increases the fuel pressure provided at the time of the determination, wherein
the fuel pressure limitation control increases the fuel pressure by performing a lower limit guard control that controls the fuel pressure such that the fuel pressure always becomes greater than a predetermined value,
the predetermined value is a value which is obtained by adding a predetermined pressure to an actual fuel pressure obtained by the fuel pressure sensor at the time when it is determined that the vapor is generated,
the electronic control unit is configured to:
stop the fuel pressure limitation control when an elapsed time from determination of generation of the vapor exceeds a predetermined time period; and
maintain the predetermined value in the predetermined time period from starting of the fuel pressure limitation control.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit executes an air-fuel ratio control for controlling an air-fuel ratio of air-fuel mixture supplied to the combustion engine to be a target value, and
the electronic control unit determines the generation of the vapor when a correction amount in a direction of lowering the air-fuel ratio by the air-fuel ratio control is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising:
an air-fuel ratio sensor configured to detect an air-fuel ratio of air-fuel mixture supplied to the combustion engine, wherein
the electronic control unit determines the generation of the vapor when the air-fuel ratio detected by the air-fuel ratio sensor is greater than a target value of the air-fuel ratio by a predetermined amount or greater.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit determines the generation of the vapor when actual torque outputted by the combustion engine is less than target torque of the combustion engine by a predetermined amount or greater.