# US 10,479,359 B2 · Restart control device for internal combustion engine

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- Number: US 10,479,359 B2
- Document ID: US10479359B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/558,379
- Filed: 2016-04-28
- Published: 2018-03-22
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-05-12
- Assignees: Denso Corporation
- Applicants: Denso Corporation
- Inventors: Tomohisa Ose; Tadatoshi Asada; Shigeru Maeda; Takashi Senda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479359B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/18072: {Coasting}
- B60K 6/485: Motor-assist type
- B60K 6/54: Transmission for changing ratio
- B60W 10/02: including control of driveline clutches
- B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines
- B60W 10/08: including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators
- B60W 10/10: including control of change-speed gearings
- B60W 10/11: Stepped gearings
- B60W 20/40: Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers {(power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192)}
- F02D 29/02: peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
- F02N 5/04: of inertia type
- F02N 11/04: the motors being associated with current generators
- F02N 11/08: Circuits specially adapted for starting of engines
- F02N 11/0818: {Conditions for starting or stopping the engine or for deactivating the idle-start-stop mode}
- F02N 11/0844: {with means for restarting the engine directly after an engine stop request, e.g. caused by change of driver mind}
- F02N 11/0848: {with means for detecting successful engine start, e.g. to stop starter actuation}
- B60K 2006/268: {Electric drive motor starts the engine, i.e. used as starter motor}
- B60W 2030/18081: {With torque flow from driveshaft to engine, i.e. engine being driven by vehicle}
- B60W 2030/1809: {Without torque flow between driveshaft and engine, e.g. with clutch disengaged or transmission in neutral}
- B60W 2510/1005: Transmission ratio engaged
- B60W 2520/10: Longitudinal speed
- B60W 2710/021: Clutch engagement state
- B60W 2710/06: Combustion engines, Gas turbines
- B60W 2710/1005: Transmission ratio engaged
- F02N 11/0825: {related to prevention of engine restart failure, e.g. disabling automatic stop at low battery state}
- F02N 2200/022: Engine speed
- F02N 2200/0801: Vehicle speed
- F02N 2200/0802: Transmission state, e.g. gear ratio or neutral state
- F02N 2300/2002: using different starting modes, methods, or actuators depending on circumstances, e.g. engine temperature or component wear
- Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems
- Y02T 10/60: Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid 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
- 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
- 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)
- F02N: STARTING OF COMBUSTION ENGINES; STARTING AIDS FOR SUCH ENGINES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A restart control device is applied to a vehicle which is provided with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a driving wheel, and a clutch. The restart control device has a restart-condition determining portion which determines whether a restart condition for restarting the internal combustion engine is established while the vehicle is coasting; a push-start portion which starts the internal combustion engine by a push-start; a start-up portion which starts the internal combustion engine by use of an electric motor; and a doubly start-up portion which tries to start the internal combustion engine by one of the push-start portion and the start-up portion when the restart-condition determining portion determines that the restart condition is established. The doubly start-up portion tries to start the internal combustion engine by another one of the push-up portion and the start-up portion when the internal combustion engine has not been started.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A restart control device applied to a vehicle which is provided with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor which is connected to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine so that a torque is applied to the output shaft to increase a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, a driving wheel, a clutch device which is engaged or disengaged to permit or prohibit a power transmission between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the driving wheel, and a vehicle speed detector which detects a vehicle speed, the restart control device comprising:
a computer configured to:
determine whether a performing condition is established for the vehicle to perform a coasting;
terminate a fuel supply to the internal combustion engine and disengage the clutch device to perform a coasting of the vehicle when the computer determines that the performing condition is established;
determine whether a restart condition for restarting the internal combustion engine is established while the vehicle is coasting;
perform push-start by engaging the clutch device to increase a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine by a driving force generated by the coasting, and reopening the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine to start the internal combustion engine;
perform start-up by increasing the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine using the electric motor, and reopening the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine to start the internal combustion engine; and
try to start the internal combustion engine by one of the push-start and the start-up when the computer determines that the restart condition is established, and try to start the internal combustion engine by another one of the push-start and the start-up when the internal combustion engine has not been started,
wherein the push-start includes:
trying to start the internal combustion engine without any drive assistance of the electric motor when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is higher than a specified speed, and
trying to start the internal combustion engine with drive assistance of the electric motor when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is lower than the specified speed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The restart control device according to claim 1, wherein
the vehicle is provided with an automatic transmission which changes a change gear ratio between the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine and a rotation speed of the driving wheel, and
the computer is configured to:
control the change gear ratio of the automatic transmission; and
restart the internal combustion engine by the push-start according to the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector after the computer changes the change gear ratio so that the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine exceeds a specified rotation speed.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The restart control device according to claim 1, wherein the computer is further configured to:
compulsorily restart the internal combustion engine by the start-up when the vehicle speed becomes lower than a threshold at which push-start can be performed while the vehicle is coasting.

### Claim 4

A restart control device applied to a vehicle which is provided with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor which is connected to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine so that a torque is applied to the output shaft to increase a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, a driving wheel, a clutch device which is engaged or disengaged to permit or prohibit a power transmission between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the driving wheel, and a vehicle speed detector which detects a vehicle speed, the restart control device comprising:
a computer configured to:
determine whether a performing condition is established for the vehicle to perform a coasting;
terminate a fuel supply to the internal combustion engine and disengage the clutch device to perform a coasting of the vehicle when the computer determines that the performing condition is established;
determine whether a restart condition for restarting the internal combustion engine is established while the vehicle is coasting;
perform push-start by engaging the clutch device to increase a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine by a driving force generated by the coasting, and reopening the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine to start the internal combustion engine;
perform start-up by increasing the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine using the electric motor, and reopening the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine to start the internal combustion engine; and
when the computer determines that the restart condition is established:
try to start the internal combustion engine by the start-up first; and
when the start-up fails in starting the internal combustion engine, start the internal combustion engine by the push-start,
wherein the push-start includes:
trying to start the internal combustion engine without any drive assistance of the electric motor when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is higher than a specified speed, and
trying to start the internal combustion engine with drive assistance of the electric motor when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is lower than the specified speed.

### Claim 5

A restart control device applied to a vehicle which is provided with an internal combustion engine, an electric motor which is connected to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine so that a torque is applied to the output shaft to increase a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, a driving wheel, a clutch device which is engaged or disengaged to permit or prohibit a power transmission between the output shaft of the internal combustion engine and the driving wheel, and a vehicle speed detector which detects a vehicle speed, the restart control device comprising:
a computer configured to:
determine whether a performing condition is established for the vehicle to perform a coasting;
terminate a fuel supply to the internal combustion engine and disengage the clutch device to perform a coasting of the vehicle when the computer determines that the performing condition is established;
determine whether a restart condition for restarting the internal combustion engine is established while the vehicle is coasting;
perform push-start by engaging the clutch device to increase a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine by a driving force generated by the coasting, and reopening the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine to start the internal combustion engine;
perform start-up by increasing the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine using the electric motor, and reopening the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine to start the internal combustion engine; and
when the computer determines that the restart condition is established:
try to start the internal combustion engine by the push-start first, and
when the push-start fails in starting the internal combustion engine, start the internal combustion engine by the start-up,
wherein the push-start includes:
trying to start the internal combustion engine without any drive assistance of the electric motor when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is higher than a specified speed, and
trying to start the internal combustion engine with drive assistance of the electric motor when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detector is lower than the specified speed.